Cathy Isom has a few good tips about how to grow the beautiful Vanilla Strawberry Hydrangea. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours.
Hydrangea ‘Vanilla Strawberry’ has taken the gardening world by storm because of its beautiful, full blooms that start out a creamy white in mid-summer, and mature to a rich strawberry-pink color. This popular hydrangea variety also features showy red stems.
Like most paniculata hydrangeas, ‘Vanilla Strawberry’ does best in full sun. This summer-flowering shrub is hardy in Zones 4-8. The two best times to plant ‘Vanilla Strawberry’ occur in late autumn, just as this paniculata hydrangea is going dormant, or in spring before rapid growth sets in. Choose a spot with rich, well-drained soil or add compost if the soil is poor. Dig a hole that’s deep enough and wide enough for the root ball to sit in comfortably. Make sure the stem is at the same depth of soil as it was in its container.
Once planted, water well. Starting around mid-summer, buds open into densely clustered white flowers with pinkish centers. Expect your plant to start blooming a year or two after planting.
I’m Cathy Isom…