Yes but not that much. I would guess about 6-8" versus 6". I have not noticed when Anna starts blooming compared to others since mine is in a place where I forget about it for weeks on end. Arborecens like Anna can take more sun but here in the South, they all need shade in the afternoon.

Anna tends to droop which irritates some people so getting a cousing that has stronger stems may be the way to go. Some of the cousins are advertised having even larger blooms but from a distance, I cannot tell them apart. I placed mine where the house casts a protective shade and an evergreen shields it on the west side so rain water will not bother it too much and make the stems droop when the added weight of rain water is too much. Others add some chicken wire to prop it up.

BB is a different nice shrub. The center sometimes turns a shade of pink in alkaline soils and other times it look all white. It reblooms while Anna does not. But it is a different plant so I would be tempted to plant both if I had the space. BB is more sensitive to strong sun than Anna during the worst of the summertime.

BB would thrive better in shade than Annabelle, especially against a house. BB can bloom earlier than Annabelle but probably not, the further north you go. Annabelle's largest possible blooms are bigger than BB's, closer to ES Original. I measured a 16" bloom on my original last summer, whereas BB seemed to never pass 8". But as with any hydrangea, not all blooms are large. In northern climates, Annabelle would produce more blooms than BB. Annabelle will bloom reliably around June every year, while BB can be earlier or later depending on severity of winter damage.

Great! This has been very helpful. I'm going with the BBs. I read on another thread that Holly Tone will make the white, whiter.
If they don't work out I have plenty of places I can transplant to.
Thanks again. I love this forum.

BB would be my choice-its mother parent is ES by the way!