Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle'

Good morning one and all .. hope you have a good Monday 👍 Annabelle will soon be losing her head but for now I’m enjoying her presence in the shady border 💚

Good morning Sam! Great minds ‘n’ all...I woke up this morning thinking I probably ought to cut Annabelle’s head off soon! How far down to you go? Do you think it makes any difference to floppability?!

Morning Jacqueline 🙂 I normally cut back quite low to just above a juicy bud ( about 10-12in’) this gives larger flowers which can make it a bit floppy but I put in supports. if you leave higher you get smaller and more prolific flowering. I normally leave it until later when I can see how good the buds are before I cut to my mind they benefit from a bit of support whichever way .. as we al do from time to time 🙂 @awomanonabike x

😂 That’s good to hear as that’s what I’ve been doing and I do support them, usually with string but might try and be organised and put in some twiggy supports early on...one can dream 🙄

👍👍👍 I treated her to some steel supports last year as I love the big flower heads 💚 @awomanonabike

My Harrod’s (horticultural) catalogue arrived the other day... 🤔

Morning Sam, thanks for the advice, I too was wondering.👍👍

Oooh bit of shopping Jacqueline 🤔🤔 @awomanonabike

Your welcome Jane hope it helps 🤞 @pelly

Actually OH is a bit handy with a welding torch so just need to drop a few hints & leave the catalogue around 😉😂

👍👍

Morning sweetie 💟 my heads fell off 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️ in autumn 🤭🤭😘

#flashbackfriday Annabelle 😍 she's gearing up for another good show this year 👍🙂

I love these I must get my self one 😊

Oh you must Angie they are a real star ⭐️ in the late summer 🙂 @angiecrazycatlady

Absolutely Gawjus Sam @icedance on my wishlist 😍👌😘

Mine too 🙌

My fav hydrangea right here Sam 🖒🖒Often get them for clients. I also love H.Paniculata 'limelight' and H.arborescens 'incrediball'

Mine too without a doubt🙂 got Limelight but have run out of room for an incrediball sadly 😕 ps loving your correct usage of apostrophe 👍👍👍 @broughgardens

Have to come correct to a plant guru like you Sam 😏

Doh more geek than guru 😂😂😂 @broughgardens

😂😂 well your officially my go to plant guru, if we ever meet I'll have a bunch of "thank you" flowers in hand for you

😊 @broughgardens

Will have to brave the rain today as no time next week 💦☹️Annabelle is coming down as is the Cornus. Just thought I'd pop this pic on if anyone had one and is unsure how to prune, goes for all the Paniculata varieties 👍

That's really interesting I've got a Paniculata and I'm never sure what to do with it 😄

Be brave @angiecrazycatlady I told a gentleman who came into GC how to do this a couple of years ago and the next year he came back and gave me a hug ! 😊

I bought the plant years ago & it's never done well, last year I dug it up & put it in a pot near the river (so it got waters more often ) & it flowered really well, so I'm determined to look after it well. Do u do this soon then 😄

I didn't know that Sam, thanks. I have an Annabelle that I bought last year, it has no sign of buds and only 4 stems! Should I cut them all right back?

Hi @angiecrazycatlady @rachelbrooks late winter early spring is the time to do it Angie , so this week is good 😊 Rachel cut all to about 15 - 20 cms from base , they will put on growth from the base 🙂👍 as well as hopefully instigating some bud growth from the stems. If you cut back hard then you get fewer bigger blooms, les hard more slightly smaller blooms 🌸🙂

And @angiecrazycatlady your instinct was right they do need a spot where they won't dry out too much 👍

Eek. I've been following the RHS advice, which categories it as pruning group 1. Light prune if at all. I'm confused. 🤔

Oh @susieg the whole pruning thing can be so confusing, I tend to research by individual plant, this pic is from my RHS pruning plant by plant book, it is accurate, so paniculatas like Annabelle and Limelight are cut back harder Mop heads are a light prune just down to the highest bud, and maybe one or two oilers stems to the ground on established plants, so that's group 1 . Hope that helps 🤞🙂

That should read older not oilers !! @susieg ... grrr predictive text !!

Thanks very much Sam. Yes I was researching by specific plant on the RHS website. And that's what it advised for Annabelle. But if their own book is giving the opposite advice - that is just bonkers. Seems a shame if the RHS website is unreliable but perhaps it is run by tech people not gardening experts. 🤔 should be checked by the experts though. Sounds as if I should get the book. Thanks for your help x

I will post some before and after pics of Annabelle and the mop heads Hydrangeas are one of the most confusing pruning schedules to work out I've found .. taken me a while to feel confident it in ! @rachelbrooks @angiecrazycatlady @susieg 👍🙂