Hydrangea Annabelle and Strong Annabelle

These Annabelles are in pots. Four plants, each in pots about 30" wide and knee high.

 

Mines in a 3L pot, I wonder if they pruned yours for packing/posting @silu ?

 

I'm hoping to plant mine in the soil soon, it has doubled in size in it's pot but it has fairly whippy thin stems. I'm thinking it needs a hard prune but when? Should it be cut right back to the ground?

 

We cut ours back to about to 6"-12" and can be done in the winter or early Spring. They can actually be cut down to the ground as the flowers form on new growth. If yours tends to droop a lot (especially if the heads grow very large) you can leave some of the old stems up to 18" to provide some rigid support for them. Unlike most other varieties they are happy to be cut right down and are winter hardy. If the dead flower heads are unsightly you can remove them in Autumn but wait until winter to cut right back.

If planting out, they prefer an East facing aspect as they seem to love early morning sun. They're happier with some shade but are quite versatile so will do OK in full sun.

 

Thanks shiney, I'll wait till the spring then give it a good chop back to 6".

 

I saw an excellent idea for Annabelle. The were planted in a raised bed. It was a sloping garden, where it was terraced, and the bed was at the lower end of a terrace. The retaining wall was 3ft high and the Annabelle was left to droop down over the wall.

 

Now there's an idea Shiney I have a couple of terraces like that - might have to reconsider where it's going.

 

Mine is flowering nicely in its first year with me, but just noticed some of the leaves are dying off, anyone got any ideas as to why? It is in the soil and I worked in a lot of compost. There are new leaves coming. just wondered if I should be watering more - also I have a feeling I've over fed it to begin with.

 

It may be lack of water, they're always happy to be watered, or just being temperamental because of the vagaries of the weather. The flowers look good.