Vanilla Strawberry Hydrangea - Hydrangea Paniculata - Renhy

Описание

Hydrangea Paniculata - Rheny - Vanilla Strawberry is a cultivar Panicle Hydrangea. Panicle Hydrangeas are members of the eponymous family, Hydrangaceae, although some folks consider it a member of Saxifragaaceae. There are about 23 species in the genus, mostly shrubs, but some climbers. Most all seem to be deciduous. The genus name comes from the Greek, hydor for water and aggos for jar, alluding to theircup-shaped fruits.

Panicle Hydrangeas bloom from July through September, and the individual flowers last a long time. Starting out white, they change to a purplish pink as they age. The pyramidal panicles are about six
to eight inches long, a bit more than half as wide. Most of the flowers included in the panicle are fertile and not showy, but the sterile flowers make up for it. Enjoy the Panicle Hydrangea during the summer months, because there isn’t a lot to recommend it
for the rest of the year. Not much fall color to speak of, a coarse leggy appearance during the winter and spring, and even when in bloom, it’s difficult to find something that really goes with this plant.

Your best bet for growing this plant most successfully is to plant it in partial shade, the best situation being sun in the morning, shade in the mid-day and part of the afternoon. It doesn’t look good
when drought-stressed, and it gets that way fairly easily. If you plant it in full sun, be prepared to water it well every three or four days during the high heat of summer. Other than that, the Panicle Hydrangea is not that finicky. This plant along with its sister H. arborescens (Smooth Hydrangea) bloom on this year’s wood, so cutting it down to the ground in late fall or early spring will keep it somewhat low and subdued in the landscape. If you do it in the fall, the supposedly coarse look during the winter will be replaced by
something we all strive for: Zen simplicity, or in other words nothing.