(Smooth Hydrangea) Everyone is talking about Incrediball™, a new and improved 'Annabelle' Hydrangea with strong, beefy stems and massive blooms.  This adaptable North American native shrub is reliable and beautiful.  Each bloom is enormous; roughly 12" across 4 times larger the Annabelle therefore they have 4 times more flowers compared to 'Annabelle'!  The blooms emerge an attractive lime green, change to white and age to green.  The leaves are big, dark green and very healthy.  Incrediball™ maintains a tidy appearance throughout the season.  The sturdy stems hold up the big flower heads, and don't flop over even after a heavy rain. It's a very cold hardy Hydrangea that blooms on new wood, so even if it dies-back to the ground because of extreme winter weather it will still produce summer flowers.  You will find it useful for naturalizing into a woodland setting, or in groups and mass plantings.  Also it's a great specimen, and is a good choice for the use of both fresh and dried flower arrangements.  Trouble-free to pest and disease, this is a must have Hydrangea. As a young plant it is best to prune or pinch your plant in order to build a full-bodied, well-branched plant. If the plant is leggy when you purchased it, shear the plant back hard by 1/3 to 1/2 its original size. Once it puts on an inch or two of growth, pinch the branch tips to remove just the growing tips, these tips control branching. Once growing tips are removed the buds below it will turn into stems. Once these new branches grow an inch or two, pinch the tips out again. You can repeat this throughout the first growing season as you are tending your garden. Although you will sacrifice one year of blooms, this technique results in a well-branched, full-bodied plant that will have more flowers in subsequent years. Introduction Year: 2009 Patent Strings: Incrediball® Hydrangea arborescens 'Abetwo' PP: 20571 Can. PBRAF