I'm not clear on what you are asking. please clarify the question.

I want a white blooming macro or arborescens with the longest period of blooms.

Also I deleted the last question on shade, by accident. Do you mind messaging me with what you had said?

I said anabelle is shade tolerant so that is the better choice for part shade as macro in the south does best with part sun (morning sun, afternoon shade)

I find incrediballs too bloom the longest, they are still putting out new blooms

Arborescens will last longer than macro. Both bloom at the same time but Macro is generally several weeks, Arborescens will go till frost does them in.

The main drawback of Anabelle is that particularly on a young plant the stems are not strong enough to hold up the blooms when wet, so they flop when it rains.

The issue tends to improve as the plant matures and the wood thickens.

For that reason some people prefer hydrangea incrediball , which is like its parent Anabelle but with stiffer stems.

Cut half of green Annabelle stems below the buds once the buds set, then watch as the bloom season is extended. The delayed blooms will be smaller and more numerous, less prone to flopping.

Repeat each season.

Cut all dormant stems to 18" before they leaf out at the conclusion of Winter.

Most hydrangeas have a period of bloom that extends into the Fall if you do not remove the blooms.

Not that I know the answer but are you maybe asking which white blooms stay white the longest?

But do not expect much improvement from the Annabelle cousins. Their stems may be a bit stronger but they can still flop if their bigger blooms get wet enough. ;0(

Luis, i suppose i am asking both.. which white blooms stay white the longest, and which plant will have the longest bloom period of new blooms. Not how long the bloom will stay on the flower, but the period of time that the plant will create new blooms before all blooms turn wilted.

My Bloomstruck stopped blooming new blooms a month ago. I still have about 5-8 blooms on each plants that look great, but they are old blooms that have changed color and will stay until the winter die off.

I might be asking a question that there is no real difference in so that may be the answer.

There really is no set "length of time for blooms to occur." It's actually a little simpler: flushes. Each one lasts up to a month per plant, because each stem grows at a slightly different pace than its neighbors.

Most hydrangea (even a few Oakleafs) exhibit the following traits:

1) Initial bloom time / Flush #1. Varies by plant. Some bloom earlier or later than others. Window: April-July.

2) Flush #2, August-October. This would include a. Results from cutting green blooms off Annabelle in late July and allowing for a second flush of smaller blooms --OR-- b. Bigleaf hydrangeas that bloom on new wood creating flowers at the end of fully grown new wood stems that did not already produce flowers at the time of Flush #1 (very common with ES series, etc).

If you're driving or walking around out there right now (Sep 1) and seeing fresh whites or colors, you're looking at Flush #2, technically speaking.

Because of flushes (genetics), there's really no such thing as a hydrangea that continually and randomly puts out new flowers continuously from April-October. Though each flower head forms at a slightly different times than its neighbors, they're all technically part of the same Flush.

As for what stays white the longest, there's no true winner. I will say Annabelle stays white for about a month in MOST cases.

As for the rest, including Macs, the results will vary greatly due to conditions like sun exposure or humidity. If you go with white Macs you'll want to keep them in bright shade pretty much all the time.

When does Annabelle leaves fall off for my zone you think ?

I think the answer to this question is very regionally directed :-) In my neck of the woods, bigleaf hydrangeas will continue to push new flowers until the weather turns cold enough to start initiating dormancy........usually well into October. In my old garden, 'Mme Emile Mouilliere' would be in continuous bloom from mid June until October.

I dislike the arborescens flowers so do not grow them but those that I have seen locally act much the same. Flowers will continue to be produced until cold weather stops the action! But I doubt you can expect the same sort of performance from hydrangeas in other areas with stronger climate variations :-))

Ok. I was thinking of putting some Annabelle in between some Camellia and as it would look fine now, i assume in a few years they might get close enough and i would have for the Annabelle to block out the camellia blooms in November. I don't mind the Annabelle getting close during the summer months but when the Camellia blooms i want it to be the show. That helps thanks