'Vanille Fraise' Hydrangea Plants

• Variety: Vanille Fraise Hydrangea, a panicle hydrangea
• Latin name: Hydrangea paniculata Vanille Fraise ('Renhy')
• Type: Deciduous shrub, bushy in habit
• Flowers: Loose pyramids, creamy-white at first, ageing to pink and then rich pink
• Height and spread: 1.5 to 2.5m (5 to 8ft) tall and 1 to 1.5m (3 to 5ft) wide
• Growth: Quick, reaching full size in 2 to 5 years
• Best soil and site: Moist, well-drained soil of any pH. Sun or part shade, exposed or sheltered
• Pruning: Early spring, back to a low framework
• Hardiness: H5, and it flowers on new wood, so a late frost does not cost the flowers
• RHS Award of Garden Merit: No
• Good for: Cutting and drying
• Sold as: Pot-grown in a 2 or 5 litre pot
• Delivered: Pot-grown, all year when in stock. Collection from Castle Cary also available

Vanille Fraise is a deciduous panicle hydrangea that reaches 1.5 to 2.5m, with large pyramids of creamy-white flowers that age to pink and then rich pink. It is hardy to H5, takes sun or part shade, and gets to full size faster than the other shrub hydrangeas we sell.

Vanille Fraise Hydrangea: White Ageing to Strawberry

The name is French for vanilla and strawberry, which is the colour sequence in a single flower head: creamy-white first, then pink, then a deeper pink as the season ends. Pépinières Renault, a family nursery at Gorron in Mayenne, raised it as the first of their paniculatas, from a breeding programme that began in the mid-1980s and grew more than 25,000 seedlings. The breeder records a bronze at Plantarium in Boskoop in 2006. Britain's only National Collection of Hydrangea paniculata, in a Derby park, grows it among about 71 cultivars.

The colour change is ageing, and soil has no say in it. A panicle hydrangea stays creamy-white to pink whether your ground is chalk or acid, so you need not fuss over pH. Give it moist, well-drained soil and sun or part shade, and keep it watered in a dry summer. It is narrower than Limelight at 1 to 1.5m wide, so it suits a smaller garden, and the heads dry well: cut them once they feel papery in late summer.

Pruning Vanille Fraise

It flowers on new wood, so you can prune hard without losing a year's flowers. In early spring, before growth starts, cut last year's growth back to the lowest pair of healthy buds. Leave a framework of about 25cm for a low plant, or about 60cm if you want height. Cutting back by up to a third each year also works, but the RHS way gives bigger flower heads.

Planting Companions

For a bigger garden, grow Limelight Hydrangea alongside it: the same treatment, but wider and taller. Under a bare hydrangea in winter, Sweet Box gives you scent while the branches are empty. In sun, the sub-shrub salvias flower at the front of the border as the hydrangea builds.

Why Ashridge?

Ashridge has sold plants since 1949 and holds the Feefo Platinum Trusted Service Award. Your hydrangea is grown for us by specialist growers and arrives pot-grown, ready to plant whenever the ground is workable. Browse more hydrangeas, then ring us in Somerset with any question.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I prune Vanille Fraise Hydrangea?

In early spring, before growth starts, cut last year's growth back to the lowest pair of healthy buds. Leave a low framework of about 25cm, or about 60cm for more height. It flowers on new wood, so a hard cut costs you nothing.

Does soil change the colour of Vanille Fraise?

No. The shift from creamy-white to pink is ageing, and a panicle hydrangea ignores soil pH. Only mophead and lacecap hydrangeas turn blue or pink with the soil.

How big does Vanille Fraise Hydrangea get?

1.5 to 2.5m tall and 1 to 1.5m wide. It is quick, reaching that size in 2 to 5 years.

Does Vanille Fraise like sun or shade?

Sun or part shade. Light shade suits it best, and sun is fine if the soil never dries out. Water it in dry spells.

Is Vanille Fraise Hydrangea hardy?

The RHS rates it H5, and it takes an exposed or sheltered site. It flowers on new wood, so a late frost does not cost you the flowers.

Are hydrangeas poisonous to dogs?

The RHS lists hydrangeas as harmful if eaten by dogs and cats, and as a skin allergen, so wear gloves when you prune.

Can I make a hedge from hydrangeas?

Yes. A row of panicle hydrangeas pruned hard each spring makes a flowering summer hedge. For Vanille Fraise, plant about a metre apart.