MEET THE 2022 LANDSCAPE SHRUB OF THE YEAR™ – INCREDIBALL® HYDRANGEA ARBORESCENS
An Incredible Update on a Garden Classic
TOP 3 REASONS TO GROW INCREDIBALL® HYDRANGEA
IT TRULY IS INCREDIBALL!
Once you grow Incrediball hydrangea, you’ll see how this smooth hydrangea plant got its name. It really is that amazing and produces some of the most impressive, large hydrangea blooms in the garden!
STRONG STEMS, ENORMOUS FLOWERS
Greatly improved over the classic ‘Annabelle’, Incrediball hydrangea produces large hydrangea blooms on strong, upright stems. This dependable white hydrangea shrub holds its flowers upright even after heavy summer rain.
A HYDRANGEA YOU CAN COUNT ON
This reliable smooth hydrangea plant will be one of the easiest hydrangeas you grow. Once established, Incrediball hydrangea quickly becomes a dependable white hydrangea shrub for landscapes and garden beds.
An Incredible Update on a Garden Classic
| There’s nothing quite as breathtaking as a mature hydrangea hedge plant of Incrediball hydrangeas in full bloom in the summertime. Unlike its predecessor, the much beloved ‘Annabelle’, you’ll get to enjoy its blooms perched upright on far stronger stems that hold up even after a summer rain. Plus, you’ll notice as your Incrediball matures, its flowers become enormous compared to most smooth hydrangeas. They truly are a sight to behold! This is the hydrangea to pick if you are renovating your home’s foundation plantings and looking for a single plant that can make the biggest impact. Plant a whole row down the side of your house or site one as a magnificent specimen. Once you see what this dependable, easy-care hydrangea can do, you’ll be back for more. |
HOW TO GROW INCREDIBALL® HYDRANGEA ARBORESCENS
Native roots help Hydrangea arborescens cultivars like Incrediball hydrangea, a hardy smooth hydrangea plant, tolerate a wide range of growing conditions and soils. Think of them like any other shrub in your landscape–undemanding and easy to grow. Incrediball smooth hydrangea plant is hardy in USDA Zones 3-8. In all but the warmest climates, it will be the most vigorous and produce the most flowers if you grow the plant in full sun; some afternoon shade is best in the South. It will grow and bloom in the shade in the North too, but its flowers will be smaller. No matter where you garden, your smooth hydrangea will benefit from a 2-3 inch layer of mulch to keep the roots cool and moist. Smooth hydrangeas tolerate most soil types as long as they are well-drained. This plant doesn’t grow well in soggy soil so if that sounds like yours, you may need to improve the drainage before planting. While many types of hydrangeas prefer acidic soil (pH less than 7.0), smooth hydrangeas can live in acidic and neutral (pH 7.0) soils. When planting, dig the hole about twice as wide but just as deep as the container it is growing in. If the roots are densely circled around when you take the plant out of the pot, loosen them up a bit to break the “root memory”. This will encourage them to grow outward instead of continuing to grow in a circular pattern. |
MAINTENANCE Smooth hydrangeas like Incrediball hydrangea produce their flowers on the current season’s stems. That means there’s no risk of the buds being damaged by winter—a useful trait for northern gardeners growing this smooth hydrangea plant. As long as you prune them by mid-spring, you’ll see flowers that year. You could prune Incrediball hydrangea, this dependable white hydrangea shrub, in late fall once the plant is dormant if you don’t want to keep its flowers for winter interest. We typically prune them in early spring so we can enjoy those blooms as long as possible. Cut the branches back by about 1/3 of their total length. This will help to maintain a strong, supportive woody base while also encouraging new growth and plenty of large hydrangea blooms to form. No other pruning should be needed throughout the growing season. Early spring is a good time to scratch some granular plant food into the soil. We typically use one formulated for roses since hydrangeas enjoy similar nutrients. Doing so will encourage them to start the season off strong. No additional feeding is necessary.
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USES Since it’s so floriferous and easy to grow, Incrediball hydrangea makes a gorgeous flowering hedge or foundation planting and an excellent hydrangea hedge plant. Each white hydrangea shrub grows at least 4 to 5 feet across, so you won’t need many to fill up your garden beds. It is worthy of a prominent place in your front landscape or in your view out the kitchen window where you’ll admire it all summer long. Since it blooms on next year’s growth, you won’t hurt this hydrangea at all if you cut its flowers to use for bouquets or craft projects. And since there is such an abundance of flowers produced, you won’t even miss the ones you harvest. Incrediball® Hydrangea Cut Flowers You’ll love this variety’s extra strong stems that hold up beautifully when cut. The sturdy stems of this smooth hydrangea plant support the impressive large hydrangea blooms perfectly. Once the flowers are dried, the large hydrangea blooms of Incrediball hydrangea will last for a good 3 to 4 years before needing to be replaced, so they are useful for wreathmaking and other craft projects. Hydrangeas like this hydrangea hedge plant are often used in summer bridal bouquets or for garden parties since they are in such plentiful supply that time of year. They have a certain romantic air about them, don’t you agree? So, if you have a special event coming up in the next year or two, plant Incrediball hydrangea now so you’ll have plenty for picking later. |
