Welcome Home

My Annabelle Hydrangea's welcomed me home yesterday, after a wonderful 4th of July weekend up north.

They are bursting with full, beautiful white blooms.

We always use Annabelle's in the shop to fill flower vases.  We are always getting asked what they are.  For this reason, I thought I'd share a little information on them.

 Arborescens or 'Annabelle' are deciduous shrubs that have a long bloom season.  They like partial sun, and can reach up to 5 feet tall by 5 feet wide.  They are cold hardy in zones 4 - 9, and are rather fast growing.  They also require regular watering.   Annabelle's have beautiful white blooms in the summer which later turn green, followed by a wonderful brown in the fall.

My Annabelle's get picked all season long, and pruned a bit in the spring.  During dry spells, I give them a little more water than usual.  Besides that, I just let them go.  Before a big rainstorm, it's good to go out and gather some blooms, because the bushes get tossed about, and end up looking very messy and droopy until they dry off.  Picture a Peony bush after a storm. That's sort of what mine look like for a short time afterwards.  But they do "pop" back up quickly. 

These pics were taken last week during the paint class on Wednesday.

As you can see, just a week and a half earlier, they had much smaller blooms were far less white.

In my opinion, you can't go wrong with one of these hardy, ever giving shrubs.  I just love the fact that from spring till fall I have beautiful blooms to fill vases with.  Have a wonderful week, and stop by the shop.  We will be open this coming Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, July 11th, 12th and 13th, as well as Tuesday from 9-12.