HYDRANGEA paniculata 'Vanille Fraise'

Description: Common name: Hydrangea. A hardy deciduous shrub producing loose pyramid-shaped clusters of pure white flower bracts which turn rich raspberry pink later in the season

Uses: Perfect for adding late summer colour to the shrub border, or for creating an informal flowering hedge

Climate/Position: Full sun to dappled shade. Also suited to problematic north-facing areas due to its extreme hardiness

Height/Spread: 1.8 x 2 metres if left unpruned, but reaching only 1.2 metres if pruned annually

Soil Requirements: Well drained, fertile soil

Pruning: Plants may be left unpruned or cut back only lightly, As the flower heads tend to be very heavy then light to moderate pruning is recommended rather than heavy pruning as in some varieties otherwise the stems will droop under the weight of the flowers. Prune in March as flowers are produced on the growth made between Spring and Summer

Additional Interest: Plant Breeders Rights apply. Trade name = 'Renhy' In 1862, the German physician Philipp Franz von Siebold brought the earliest introductions of H. paniculata from Japanese gardens and on a later visit returned to Europe with the cultivar now known as ?Grandiflora? It was only in the in the 1970s that any new forms were introduced. In 2005 ?Renhy? or Vanille Fraise was raised at Renault Nurseries, Gorron, France