Hi all! Can you help me decide what hydrangeas to plant around my wraparound porch? I'm in Minneapolis, Mn. South facing. Lots of sun until mid afternoon. I do have an irrigation system in there so watering 2x a day will be easy. Thinking either 1) Annabelle's (or incrediballs if I can find them) or 2) limelight's. Want something with some height to hide the stilts around the deck. Want to create a dreamy, thick hedge! Let me know your thoughts - thanks so much!

***ALSO these pics were taken this week when I re sodded my yard. The hydrangeas will only be around the porch area.

My Incrediball is about 5 feet tall every year and has a round shape. Limelight gets taller than that and more upright like Rose of Sharon. I can't tell how high up your rails are so hopefully that helps you narrow it down. Incrediball can be found online still but rarely in person. I like it better than Annabelle myself.

Here's a source for Incrediball in MI.

https://romencegardens.com/hyd...

I love my Annabelles and think they'd look gorgeous around the front porch. I planted a row of 5 spacing them 3' apart on centers and they form a full solid row now in their 3rd growing season. They were almost full in their 2nd year, but you could still make out individual mounds. I've read in a few places that Incrediballs don't live up to their hype about never drooping, I have no experience with them myself though, but either one would look and do beautifully there. I would think if you call around you'll be able to find Incrediballs near you, I see them around Chicago and suburbs.

I agree with trying to get whatever one you decide on locally. You'll start out with much healthier and bigger plants than ordering online, and you can pick out well-rounded ones instead of lopsided growth you might get from an online order.

You definitely will not need to water twice a day, not even once a day. The first fall I planted mine I'd have to water maybe every 5-7 days, I'd test the moisture at about 3" down with a water meter, continued that until the hoses had to be put away. If you decide to plant them now, would probably need watering more often, but still not daily. Make sure you water long enough to get down deep, not just a surface watering. After that first fall I've never had to water them again. Maybe if you're weeks without rain in July and August they'd need water, but Annabelles are really very maintenance-free.

My Incrediballs never droop here. That's the biggest thing I've noticed besides the blooms being bigger. Some supplemental water during dry years but only did it when watering my roses.

That's good to know, I've been tempted to try an Incrediball for the front.

Edit to include this link I found that really goes into all the differences between Annabelles and Incrediballs, most detailed info I've found on the differences.
Annabelle vs Incrediball

Incrediballs and panicles may flop regardless of what they claim so at first consider staking them, especially if the stems are thin, green and if the shrubs are planted by themselves away from walls or other plants. Incrediball can get some afternoon sun but only if local summer temperatures are not harsh. Limelight can get higher than a one-story attic so consider more compact cousins like Punch, Prime or Little Lime.

I find that panicles are more hardy and they tolerate full sun better. The big feature of the "lime" panicles is the lime white when they first bloom. However, I do not think they have as much fall color as some of the other panicles.

Thanks for your input everyone! I decided to go with limelight's. Does anyone know what's going on here? Dried yellow leaves. They're watered 2-3x a day. They get 9+ hours of sun

here in mn

@luis_pr

A day or per week? Are they in the ground? If so you're overwatering them.

The soil appears dry in the picture so maybe inconsistent or insufficient watering. Remember that their root system is still small and may have been disturbed when transplanting. When planted in the middle of the summer, hydrangeas react strongly by wilting leaves, wilting stems, browning-yellowing blooms, etc.

Consistent watering: Aim to keep the soil evenly moist at a depth of 4", the typical depth of most newly planted hydrangeas. Immediately as the soil at that depth turns almost dry or dry, water deeply.

Sufficient watering: Use enough water so the soil will feel moist after watering and waiting for the soil to percolate. But do not water on your watering day if the soil is already soggy.

Maintain the soil always mulched with 3-4"past the estimated width of your plants at maturity (about 10+ feet) to minimize soil moisture loss.

Provide supplemental afternoon shade using sheets, 35% shade cloth, large umbrellas, etc.

Note: some leaf yellowing is common with panicles like Limelight as they get summer heat stressed (the leaves near the crown/base of the stems turns completely yellow and drops). Use that as an indication that you need to increase the amount of water from spring watering levels to summer watering levels.

If the blooms are exposed to temperatures near or above 100F, they may prematurely brown out even if the shrub is properly watered as the blooms are not "designed" to handle that type of heat. Here in Texas, Limelights requires supplemental shade by 3pm and lots of watering. The blooms often brown out after days or just a few weeks.

When planted in the middle of the landscape by themselves, the shrubs are also affected by winds that can easily desiccate the leaves so it is imperative to keep the small rot system evenly moist until it grows larger and is not so reactive to the heat.