Hydrangea Arborescens Care Instructions

Hydrangea, Incrediball

Incrediball  Incrediball features bold balls of white flowers at the ends of the branches from mid to late summer. They sometimes grow the size of a basketball! The flowers are excellent for cutting. The heart-shaped leaves are  dark green throughout the season. Best if treated like a perennial and pruned to a few inches from the ground in spring because it blooms on new growth.

Smooth Hydrangea. Includes cultivars: ‘Annabelle’, Incrediball®, Invincibelle™ Spirit, Invincibelle Mini-Mauvette™, Invincibelle Limetta™, Invincibelle Wee White™

Category: Summer-blooming deciduous shrubs with splashy, domed, softball-like flowers

Native: Species is native Habit: Suckering, multi-stemmed shrubs are generally vase-shaped with a rounded silhouette

Sunlight: Sun, Part Sun

Soil Conditions: Moist (Typical)

Growth rate: Rapid

Fertilization: Make a spring application of a low nitrogen/high phosphorous fertilizer such as Dr. Earth Bud & Bloom Booster to promote flowering

Landscape benefits and culture: Widely loved for the dependability and length of the summer flower “show”. Unlike many shrubs this species actually prefers partial shade and will still bloom reliably. While the plants survive dense shade flowering will be sacrificed. Full sun is fine as long as plants are well-mulched and given supplemental water. Full sun plants will be shorter and more compact than their shaded counterparts.. The dried flowers will add weeks and weeks of landscape interest in the winter. Providing supplemental water in prolonged heat and drought is a must! Mulching will also reduce soil temperatures and the need for watering

Pruning: The plants from this species bloom on both previous season’s growth and new shoots arising from the base of the plant in spring. So, there are a range of options: Some treat them as perennials cutting them back to within a few inches of the ground in fall or early spring. Others trim them back a third of their height, or on more mature plants thin out 1/3 of the oldest stems. All are acceptable pruning methods, but the latter options are more tedious.  

Potential pests/issues: Hydrangea leaf tier (unusual, but possible)