Nanking Cherry vs Annabelle Hydrangea - TreeTime.ca

Nanking Cherry vs Annabelle Hydrangea

Prunus tomentosa

Hydrangea arborescens Annabelle

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2025)

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2025)

Nanking Cherry
Annabelle Hydrangea

Nanking Cherry is a small deciduous shrub known for its attractive white blossoms and edible fruit. Its dark red berries are excellent for pies, jellies, and even fresh eating.

Nanking Cherry is highly regarded as a shade tolerant fruit. We often see it planted as a hedge on the north side of a house where few other plants will survive, let alone thrive.

Expect fruit mid to late July. The fruit can vary in sweetness and size considerably. We often hear that people prefer it to sour cherries. Perhaps this is because Nanking Cherry is more closely related to plums. In fact, it is sometimes used as a dwarfing rootstock for plums.

Annabelle Hydrangea is a cold hardy shrub that is well known for its large, compact clusters of white flowers. Unlike other flowering species, Hydrangeas do best in partial shade. However, they are capable of growing in full sun if the soil is kept consistently moist.

Blooms occur on new wood, so regular pruning is encouraged in late winter. Try Annabelle Hydrangea as a border or on its own.

Nanking Cherry Quick Facts

Annabelle Hydrangea Quick Facts

Zone: 2a
Zone: 3a
Height: 2.4 m (8 ft)
Height: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Spread: 2.1 m (7 ft)
Spread: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Light: full sun
Light: partial shade
Moisture: normal
Moisture: normal
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: fast
Life span: short
Life span: medium
Suckering: low
Suckering: medium


Flowers: white, early spring
Flowers: white, showy clusters
Fruit: scarlet sweet but slightly tart cherries, 8-12 mm diameter
Berries: scarlet sweet but slightly tart cherries, 8-12 mm diameter
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Other Names: ando cherry, chinese bush cherry, chinese dwarf cherry, downy cherry, hansens bush cherry, korean cherry, manchu cherry, mountain cherry, shanghai cherry