The hardy “Vanille Fraise” panicle hydrangea is a total showstopper in any garden, mostly thanks to its incredible color-changing blooms. They start out a creamy vanilla white in early summer and gradually shift into a gorgeous strawberry pink as the season goes on. It’s like watching a sunset right in your backyard!
Pruning Your “Vanille Fraise” Panicle Hydrangea
To keep your Vanille Fraise looking its best, you’ve got to stay on top of pruning. Like most panicle hydrangeas, it loves a good haircut in the spring. It has a naturally bushy growth habit, but if you let it go, it can get a bit too crowded. Annual pruning is the secret to maintaining that perfect shape. There are three main types of cuts to keep in mind:
- Training (Formative pruning)
- Maintenance pruning
- Rejuvenation pruning
Training Your Hydrangea
You’ll want to start shaping your shrub during its very first year in the ground. For this initial “training,” pick 5 to 7 main stems and cut them back to about 8 inches. Over the next few years, let these main structural branches grow about 4 inches longer each season until they reach your desired height. Any side shoots should be trimmed back to leave just two or three leaf buds.
Maintenance Pruning
After about five years, it’s time for some routine maintenance. At this stage, you’ll want to remove old, tired structural stems right down to the ground. Look for strong, young shoots coming up from the base to take their place, and trim those new guys back to about 12 inches. Pro tip: Keep the longest stems in the center of the plant and make them progressively shorter toward the edges. This gives your hydrangea that beautiful, classic mounded shape.
Rejuvenation Pruning
Like many panicle hydrangeas, “Vanille Fraise” can start to look a little “leggy” or woody at the base after several years. When this happens, it’s time for a rejuvenation cut. Cut those old, woody stems down almost to the soil line. The remaining stumps will dry out over the summer and can be easily snapped off later. Since the plant is always pushing out new growth, these fresh shoots will eventually replace the old framework. For the rest of the plant, trim side branches back to about two pairs of buds, and keep any one-year-old ground shoots at about 12 inches long.
Keeping Your Hydrangea Happy
Beyond the yearly trim, a little TLC throughout the growing season goes a long way. Since Vanille Fraise thrives in full sun to partial shade, it gets pretty thirsty—especially in the heat of summer when it’s working hard on those massive blooms. Try to water regularly with soft water (rainwater is perfect if you have a barrel!). Just make sure the soil drains well, as they don’t like “wet feet” or standing water.
To fuel all that growth, your hydrangea needs nutrient-rich soil. You can use both organic and mineral fertilizers to keep it fed. I also highly recommend mulching around the base of the shrub. Using something like bark mulch is a win-win: it adds nutrients back into the soil and helps keep that precious moisture from evaporating too quickly.
