‘Vanilla Strawberry’ Hydrangeas at Biltmore Estates, Asheville, NC

Vanilla Strawberry™ hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata) is a new peegee hydrangea selection introduced from France and it is really catching on with U.S. gardeners (USDA hardiness zones 4-9). This exceptionally cold hardy hydrangea blooms from late June thru early September. Blooms are enormous and stand upright. Following a heavy summer shower, saturated floral trusses temporarily bow down under their sheer weight, but gradually recover.

Flower color varies with age: new blooms open green, turn creamy white, to blushing pink, and finish rosy pink! New blooms are produced over 3 months. Cut flowers make great additions to fresh and dried floral arrangements.

Vanilla Strawberry is a vigorous grower and low-maintenance. Shrub is a well-branched and reaches 6 to 7 feet high and 4 to 5 feet wide in only 2-3 years. Grow panicle (“peegee”) hydrangeas in full sun in zones 6 and further north; in southerly climes, provide full morning sunlight and moderate afternoon shade.  Hydrangeas thrives in moist, well-drained soil. Feed hydrangeas in early spring with a season-long slow-release fertilizer.  Apply 2-3 inches of an organic mulch in the spring to conserve soil moisture. Irrigate during long summer dry spells.

Peegee hydrangeas look great as a deciduous hedge, or scattered in an open woodland garden, or as an individual specimen shrub.  It can also be trained as a single trunk tree. They are troubled by few disease or pest problems. Since they bloom on current season’s wood, prune in late winter to reduce plant height and spread and to remove weak thin branches. Hydrangeas attract several kinds of butterflies.