Vanilla Strawberry™ Hydrangea

The Vanilla Strawberry™ Hydrangea is a breakthrough in panicle hydrangeas, because it has bright strawberry-pink flowers in fall, not dark red ones, as most hydrangeas of this type do. The flowers begin creamy-white in mid-summer, gradually turning pink, and for weeks the shrub carries both colors, becoming completely pink by late fall. It grows to around 7 feet tall and 5 feet wide, with branches that are upright at first, and then arch over to create a colorful fountain effect. Easily grown in beds or as specimens, this reliable plant is especially useful in colder gardens, where other hydrangeas won’t bloom.

• Huge white conical flower heads emerge in July
• Lower night temperatures gradually turn them strawberry pink
• The hardiest hydrangea, flowering well in zone 3
• Easy garden shrub for low-maintenance and beauty
• Flowers can be dried for winter decoration

The Vanilla Strawberry™ Hydrangea is hardy in zones 3 and 4, but it grows well all the way into zone 8. It grows rapidly even on ordinary garden soil and in urban conditions, and it is relatively drought tolerant, needing very little attention. It has no pests or diseases and it just needs a simple spring pruning for the best growth. The harder you prune the larger the flower heads, but the fewer of them there are, so you control their size and quantity.