In case someone wanted to see how the plant looks right now over all, I took a picture. As you can see there are small flowers, and large flowers and the stems are not dropping which is reported to be a problem with Annabelle.
Annabelle whole plant
what a pretty plant bug girl!
Mine is finished blooming, and she droops too. What do you do to keep it from it?
We do not have summer rain, and I noticed after spraying it did get a little droopy. No hose spraying would be an idea. Also removing some of the weaker stems should increase the thickness of the other stems. This works for roses. But, I really don't know why it is not drooping. Lots of water and a rich soil are what I am doing.
It is a super plant!! I don't suppose you have humidity in California which accounts for a lot of drooping shrubs over here in the mid Atlantic states.
We have cold fog humidity but it not like heat humidity which we never get here in San Francisco. Then there is kind of dry heat in other parts of CA, and I think Southern CA may get some heat humidity but they are a more desert like climate. I did hear that Annabelle grows well in the deep south. If it does begin to droop in the future, I will post to complain about it. But, it has never drooped yet, even before it started getting large flowers. This is the first year with decent flowers, I was ready to give up. I hope it can stay in its current location. They turn into huge plants, and I don't have much room. Right now it in a narrow raised bed, with a fence on one side and a lawn on the other. I don't want to rock the boat and risk moving it at this point.
Thanks for the clarification on 'humidity'. I guess I should be used to fog as we were nearly always beset with it living on the English East coast. If Annabelle grows well in the deep south then surely that means she can take a lot of punishing humidity. I suppose the real answer lies in the soil and moisture at the roots. Having seen my hydrangeas droop in our last zone 8, as long as they had their requirements they soon sprang back lively as ever. I agree, you really don't want to move the plant until it is quite dormant. Are you going to take cuttings - now is the perfect time!!
I don't take cuttings, because I don't have room for more of them, and of course cutting never grow for me any way. I also have a smaller Annabelle, but it is not blooming right, could this be sign of a young plant? I am not planning to move it, since I don't have a good place to move it to. I hope it can be alright in the small area. Also it is in the line of sprinkler fire, this could be why it is blooming now. If I move it, it won't get as much water and may go back to having really small and unattractive flowers. I am not sure about this either. I would like to hear from anyone else who has Annabelle, so I can double check on my notes. Sometimes things just work, and one is left wondering what has caused the success.
You could be right about the soil. I have done soil improvement, however, the soil on the deeper roots is stil the same, I have only placed composted around the plant and not replanted it with improved soil.