The tried and true types are the arborescens ones with the big white snowballs of bloom. These flower on new wood, which means that even after a nasty cold winter, they’ll bloom. You can cut the branches all the way to the ground in spring and new growth will emerge and set flowers. The standby ‘Annabelle’ is better than the species because it has stronger stems and is less likely to flop over.

‘Annabelle’ Photo Courtesy of Bailey Nurseries

But the hype nowadays is over two new arborescens cultivars—the “Pink Annabelle” or ‘Invincible Spirit’ and the white snowball type Incrediball® with Really Really big flowers. I have both — already squished into the space where I planted them, alas — and I think that the pink one is going to need to be supported. However, that may primarily be due to the fact that I live near Lake Michigan and the soil is sandy. If you live on clay, you may have a different experience. We need time to figure out what’s what with these two. Hardiness is not a problem. Mine have come through three winters, and they started as foot-tall seedlings.

‘Invincible Spirit’

Incrediball® Photos Courtesy of Proven Winners

—Carolyn Ulrich