Incrediball^® Smooth Hydrangea Hydrangea arborescens

We love these hydrangeas! We started with six at the edge of the front porch two summers ago. The two gallon plants were gorgeous the first year and already had huge blooms. The second summer we added eleven more from quart size pots. The quart size plants struggled a bit their first summer but have come back thriving in the their second summer. Two summers in, the quart pots look like they will fill in well and grow to 3-4 ft this year bearing multiple blooms. The plants from the two gallon pots (on their third summer) are magnificent. I pruned them back hard on fresh growth (not wood) in the early spring and they are now full, giant beasts at 4-5 ft tall. If they follow their bloom pattern from last summer, they will be utterly covered in blooms as big as my head. We had white to green blooms last summer that stayed gorgeous through September and added lovely winter interest when left on the stem. I adore these hydrangeas. Cars stop in front of the house to admire the show and ask us about them. I can’t imagine using other cultivars.

I planted these in July 2016, zone 5b. They are on the north side of my home and thus do not get as much sun as I think they want. Despite that, they have grown quite large, about 5 ft tall and have bloomed well, large and prolific blooms. My dissatisfaction is with the color. I chose these because I wanted white hydrangeas. While they do bloom white, I think the blooms are white for about 2 weeks, maybe 3 before aging to a lime green and then they stay green for a long time. Is this caused by not getting enough sun or is this just how the plant performs? I can tell mine are stretching toward the sun and they do lean forward and droop with the weight of the blooms. I have followed PW's recommendation to prune down about 1/3 of the plant in the early spring. I am wondering if I prune harder if this will help size control and perhaps help with stronger stems. I"m also wondering if I were to move them to a sunnier location if they would stay white longer. PW - what hydrangeas have white blooms the longest? What hydrangeas tolerate the most shade? Thanks!

I planted 3 of these plants 6+ years ago. All grew notably each year and hit full size in about 3 years. The ones in full sun are very sensitive to water but doing better if you add a lot of mulch. None have ever bloomed anywhere close to the size advertised. Maybe 3-4”, relatively flat, not like a ball or giant like shown. Not the impressive look I hoped, especially for the price.

I ordered this in the one quart 3 years ago. The plants looked great and alive ready to plant when they were delivered. I'm in zone 5 with very alkaline and clay soil. They have done okay. The plant has grown but very slowly. (maybe 2 inches a year) I don't know how fast growing they are. They have been blooming well but the plant seems a bit week, but I'm going to chalk this up to being a young plant. Overall very good plant. Especially with how cold, hot, and dry we have here. The plants are about a little over 2 feet tall now so I'm hoping for an even better show this year.

Huge beautiful blooms that last all summer... Hardy through extreme cold. Did well first and second year, looking forward to see what they bring this year.