Hydrangea arborescens Strong Annabelle ='Abetwo'

Common name: Strong Annabelle Hydrangea

Description: Hydrangea arborescens Strong Annabelle is a landmark improvement on the much-loved classic Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle', retaining all the spectacular, large-headed white floral drama that has made its predecessor one of the most popular and widely planted hydrangeas in the world, whilst addressing the one significant weakness of the original — a tendency for the enormous flower heads to bow and flop under their own considerable weight, particularly after rain — with stems that are demonstrably stronger, more rigid, and better able to hold the magnificent blooms upright and proud even in the most challenging summer weather conditions. The enormous, rounded, dome-shaped flower heads are composed of masses of pure white sterile florets that open from soft lime-green buds in midsummer, creating a breathtaking and generous display of clean, cool, luminous white that is at its most magnificent from midsummer through to early autumn. As the season progresses and temperatures begin to fall, the ageing flower heads transition through soft creamy tones and eventually to a warm parchment-beige that remains attractive and structurally valuable well into winter, extending the period of interest of this outstanding shrub to a remarkable degree. The large, fresh, mid-green leaves provide a lush and handsome backdrop to the spectacular flower heads throughout the growing season, and the whole plant dies back to ground level in winter before regenerating with impressive vigour each spring, producing its flower-bearing stems anew from the base in a reliable and endlessly repeating cycle that makes Strong Annabelle one of the most dependable and rewarding flowering shrubs available for the British garden. It is equally superb as a bold border specimen, massed in groups for maximum impact, or grown in a large container on a shaded terrace or courtyard.

Other benefits: significantly stronger stems than 'Annabelle', holding enormous flower heads upright without flopping; spectacular large pure white flower heads from midsummer to autumn; attractive lime-green buds; long-lasting dried flower heads of parchment tones providing winter interest; reliably regenerates vigorously from the base each spring; excellent in borders, massed plantings, and large containers

Wildlife attraction: bees, hoverflies, butterflies, and other summer pollinators

Height & spread (approx.) at 10 years: 1.2m x 1.2m

Position: partial shade preferred; tolerates full sun in reliably moist soils but benefits from some afternoon shade in hotter, drier conditions; morning sun with afternoon shade is often ideal; shelter from the most exposed and wind-swept positions helps protect the large flower heads

Soil pH: adaptable; performs well in neutral to slightly acid soils; pH 5.5–7.0; note that unlike Hydrangea macrophylla, the flower colour of arborescens varieties is not affected by soil pH; benefits from fertile, humus-rich soil

Moisture: generous and consistent watering required, particularly when establishing and during dry spells; prefers consistently moist, fertile, humus-rich soil; do not allow to dry out during the growing season as the large leaves and flower heads are vulnerable to wilting in drought conditions; avoid waterlogging

Winter hardiness: fully hardy to approximately -30°C; one of the hardiest hydrangeas available and completely reliable throughout the entirety of the UK; dies back to ground level in winter and regenerates reliably each spring