Smooth hydrangea 'Invincibelle Spirit II'
Hydrangea arborescens 'NCHA2' (Invincibelle Spirit II) · Hydrangeaceae
Rounded heads of deep pink, fading to green, on sturdy stems, from early summer to frost: a pink 'Annabelle'.
- Size
- 3½ ft tall, 3½ ft wide
- Zones
- 3 to 8
- Light
- Full sun to part shade
- Flowers
- Late June to mid September
- Pets
- Toxic (mild)
- Job in a bed
- Anchor
A bed built around smooth hydrangea 'Invincibelle Spirit II'
The planner designed this bed around smooth hydrangea 'Invincibelle Spirit II' when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, part sun. It chose the other plants from the 708 that suit those conditions, and says below why smooth hydrangea 'Invincibelle Spirit II' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Smooth hydrangea 'Invincibelle Spirit II' × 1, pink
- 2 Mossy saxifrage × 19, red
- 3 Mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana' × 9, yellow
- 4 Turtlehead 'Hot Lips' × 5, pink
- 5 Gray's sedge × 3, green
- 6 Palm sedge × 3, green leaves
- 7 Giant snowdrop × 12, white
Why this plant
- The only dense clusters. The others are open bowls, daisies, spires and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- Part of the bed's structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down. So do Gray's sedge and palm sedge.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 3½ ft it is the tallest plant here, and the tallest close the ends of the bed, where they stand in front of nothing.
- A step in the back row. Next to Gray's sedge (2½ ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- One plant, alone. A shrub is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- In flower for 13 weeks. From late June to mid September.
- Part of the bed's peak. With turtlehead 'Hot Lips' and Gray's sedge in mid August: 3 kinds at once. No week has more.
Planned as an English border: 6 of the 6 groups (100%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The bed is balanced: the left half carries 52% of the visual weight and the right half 48%. The bed is tied together by its repeats: two kinds come round again along it, mossy saxifrage and mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana'.
The planner's own design check: 14 Excellent, 2 Good, 1 Satisfactory. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where smooth hydrangea 'Invincibelle Spirit II' goes in a border
At 3½ ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is moderately tall (3 to 4 ft).
Its job: anchor. A shrub that gives the bed permanent structure. Planted singly, as soon as the front edge is laid; everything else is arranged around it.
It flowers on new wood, so no winter can stop it, and reblooms without deadheading. Cut it back by a third in early spring.
- Pink mopheads in cold climates
- Massing in part shade
- Cut and dried flowers
What to plant with smooth hydrangea 'Invincibelle Spirit II'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Hosta: its green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; bold leaves against its medium ones; spires rising out of its mound.
- Japanese forest grass: its green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it; happy in the same moist soil.
- Astilbe: in flower together for four weeks, from late June; low enough (24 in) to stand in front of it; happy in the same moist soil.
Questions about smooth hydrangea 'Invincibelle Spirit II'
Does smooth hydrangea 'Invincibelle Spirit II' need sun or shade?
Smooth hydrangea 'Invincibelle Spirit II' grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day), part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun) and part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning).
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, rich in organic matter, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does smooth hydrangea 'Invincibelle Spirit II' grow in?
USDA zones 3 to 8. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °C).
Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does smooth hydrangea 'Invincibelle Spirit II' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers late June to mid September. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.
| Zone 3 | Early July to mid September |
|---|---|
| Zone 4 | Early July to mid September |
| Zone 5 | Late June to mid September |
| Zone 6 | Late June to mid September |
| Zone 7 | Late June to mid September |
| Zone 8 | Late June to mid September |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should smooth hydrangea 'Invincibelle Spirit II' be planted?
3 ft (90 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 3½ ft (110 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 3½ ft (110 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many smooth hydrangea 'Invincibelle Spirit II' plants do I need?
At 3 ft apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 1 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 4 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 4 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as one, planted singly: it is the bed's structure, and everything else is arranged around it.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is smooth hydrangea 'Invincibelle Spirit II' poisonous to dogs and cats?
Yes: mild toxicity to people, dogs, cats and horses. Leaves and buds can cause vomiting and diarrhoea if eaten.
Rated from NC State Extension and the ASPCA. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.
Is there a pet-safe plant like smooth hydrangea 'Invincibelle Spirit II'?
These come closest to doing what smooth hydrangea 'Invincibelle Spirit II' does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- Summersweet 'Ruby Spice': the same job in a bed and the same colour; 2½ ft taller, 4 in wider.
- Red twig dogwood 'Arctic Fire': the same job in a bed; 4 in wider, grown for its leaves, not its flowers.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat smooth hydrangea 'Invincibelle Spirit II'?
They may. NC State does not list it as resistant to deer or rabbits. Where they visit, protect it, or plant it among ones they avoid.
What flowers after smooth hydrangea 'Invincibelle Spirit II'?
Smooth hydrangea 'Invincibelle Spirit II' is over by mid September. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Garden chrysanthemum: from mid September to late October, 24 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Blue wood aster: from mid September to mid October, 3 ft tall.
- Montauk daisy: from mid September to late October, 3 ft tall.
What does smooth hydrangea 'Invincibelle Spirit II' look like in winter?
Smooth hydrangea 'Invincibelle Spirit II' drops its leaves and stands as bare branches. That is when to see its shape, and to prune it if it needs pruning.
Is smooth hydrangea 'Invincibelle Spirit II' good for bees and butterflies?
Smooth hydrangea 'Invincibelle Spirit II' is visited by pollinators, butterflies, moths and songbirds.
It is a host plant: the caterpillars of hydrangea sphinx feed on its leaves. A butterfly can only lay its eggs on its host plants, so these do more for it than any nectar flower.
It is native to the United States (this is a named variety of the native plant).
More Hydrangea
- Bigleaf hydrangea Hydrangea macrophylla
- Bigleaf hydrangea 'Endless Summer' Hydrangea macrophylla 'Bailmer' (Endless Summer)
- Bigleaf hydrangea 'Nikko Blue' Hydrangea macrophylla 'Nikko Blue'
- Lacecap hydrangea 'Twist-n-Shout' Hydrangea macrophylla 'PIIHM-I' (Twist-n-Shout)
- Mountain hydrangea Hydrangea serrata
- Mountain hydrangea 'Bluebird' Hydrangea serrata 'Bluebird'
- Mountain hydrangea 'Tuff Stuff' Hydrangea serrata 'MAK20' (Tuff Stuff)
- Oakleaf hydrangea Hydrangea quercifolia
- Oakleaf hydrangea 'Alice' Hydrangea quercifolia 'Alice'
- Oakleaf hydrangea 'Munchkin' Hydrangea quercifolia 'Munchkin'
- Oakleaf hydrangea 'Pee Wee' Hydrangea quercifolia 'Pee Wee'
- Oakleaf hydrangea 'Ruby Slippers' Hydrangea quercifolia 'Ruby Slippers'
- Oakleaf hydrangea 'Snow Queen' Hydrangea quercifolia 'Snow Queen'
- Panicle hydrangea 'Bobo' Hydrangea paniculata 'Bobo'
- Panicle hydrangea 'Fire Light' Hydrangea paniculata 'SMHPFL' (Fire Light)
- Panicle hydrangea 'Limelight' Hydrangea paniculata 'Limelight'
- Panicle hydrangea 'Little Lime' Hydrangea paniculata 'Jane' (Little Lime)
- Panicle hydrangea 'Pinky Winky' Hydrangea paniculata 'DVP PINKY' (Pinky Winky)
- Panicle hydrangea 'Quick Fire' Hydrangea paniculata 'Quick Fire'
- Panicle hydrangea 'Tardiva' Hydrangea paniculata 'Tardiva'
- Panicle hydrangea 'Vanilla Strawberry' Hydrangea paniculata 'Vanilla Strawberry'
- PeeGee hydrangea Hydrangea paniculata 'Grandiflora'
- Smooth hydrangea 'Annabelle' Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle'
- Smooth hydrangea 'Incrediball' Hydrangea arborescens 'Incrediball'
In these guides
- Salt-tolerant plants for roadsides and coasts
- Plants that grow near black walnut
- Plants for slopes and banks
- Garden plants toxic to cats
- Garden plants toxic to dogs
- Native plants for shade
- Plants for butterflies
- Plants that feed garden birds
- Shrubs under 4 feet for small gardens
- Long-flowering plants: 12 weeks or more
- Host plants for the hydrangea sphinx
Zone guides: Zone 3 · Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 3½ ft (110 cm) tall, 3½ ft (110 cm) wide
- Plant
- 3 ft (90 cm) apart
- Height class
- Moderately tall (3 to 4 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- Late June to mid September; dense clusters; pink
- Leaves
- Medium texture, deciduous; green
- Shape
- Rounded, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 3 to 8
- Light
- Full sun, part sun, part shade
- Soil
- Rich, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Hydrangeaceae
- Comes from
- Eastern U.S
- Attracts
- Pollinators, butterflies, moths, songbirds
- Host plant for
- Hydrangea sphinx
- Stands up to
- Salt, black walnut, erosion
Checked against NC State Extension, ASPCA poison lists and VASCAN (plants of Canada). Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.