Ideas Please

StillLearning

After much deliberation this year I am having to replace my hydrangea Annabelles... the weather and lack of water here in south Oxfordshire is making it so hard to keep them hydrated, we have a clay soil and they have been a key feature in the garden for years that it has been a hard choice to make I have 8 in key areas of the garden and they have been a corner stone for so long - my dilemma is what can they be replaced with that wont take years to look as impress as they do....  Ideas would be so welcome please.....

Ceres

I think a lot of us are going to have to rethink our gardens to take account of the changing weather patterns.

What you plant rather depends on the surrounding plants and whether or not the area gets a lot of sun or is in semi-shade. It would help to see a photo of the current planting in your garden otherwise people might be making suggestions that just won't fit.

Loxley

What's happening to them, are they drooping?

I haven't grown Annabelle - but I do see it grovelling on the ground a lot, and wasn't sure if that was to do with dryness, or just that the flowers were too big.

I would say that I've never seen H. paniculata looking droopy, mine are grown in rather dry soil and seem trouble free. Maybe H. paniculata 'Limelight' would be a good stand-in?

StillLearning

Many thanks Will limelight looking a good replacement 👍

Fairygirl

If you like white hydrangeas, @StillLearning , take a look at the oak leaf ones - quercifolia.
They tolerate drier conditions than the others, and don't mind a fair bit of sun either. Superb foliage colour in autumn too