Summary
Hydrangea arborescens ‘Grandiflora’ was first brought to market by Burpee under the name H. arborescens ‘Hills of Snow’ after it was discovered at the beginning of the 20th century in Ohio. As a piece of horticultural history, H. arborescens ‘Grandiflora’ has enjoyed broad commercial availability for more than a century and it can still be purchased from growers today. Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’ was introduced in the 1960s as an improvement over H. arborescens ‘Grandiflora’. However, these trial evaluations found that improvement to be horticulturally insignificant, with H. arborescens ‘Grandiflora’ scoring a 4.1 and H. arborescens ‘Annabelle’ a 4.0. Although H. arborescens ‘Grandiflora’ blooms slightly before H. arborescens ‘Annabelle’ and produces slightly larger inflorescences, these cultivars can be used interchangeably in the garden to produce a similar effect. Both cultivars have notoriously floppy habits, which were observed before they bloomed, in the middle of June.
Details
- Rating
4.1 (Honorable Mention) - Common Name
Grandiflora wild hydrangea - Bloom Period
mid June – mid July - Peak Bloom
early July - Size
4.5’ x 7.5’ - Flower Type
Mophead - Inflorescence Diameter
8"