Domestic gardeners have long fallen in love and “settled” in their plots beautifully blooming hydrangeas of various kinds - tree-like and oak-leaved, paniculate and petiolate, serrate and large-leaved. But almost every year, new and attractive decorative varieties of this plant appear on the market. One of these new products in recent years is panicled hydrangea Vanilla Frasi.
Planting and caring for it are quite simple, and the steps that need to be taken so that the bush develops well and annually delight with its unique flowering are the same as in other varieties. However, there are peculiarities and nuances.
general characteristics
Hydrangea paniculata Vanille Fraise - this is the scientific name of the beautiful Vanilla Frasi variety. Hydrangea is photophilous, but also grows and develops well in areas with partial shade. This plant does not tolerate calcareous soils, but on well-fertilized moistened and slightly acidic soils it demonstrates all its decorative qualities. If you want to plant on your site such a perennial flowering shrub as hydrangea Vanilla Frasi, its adult size should be taken into account. Indeed, a plant with a rounded crown with a diameter of 2 and a height of 1.5 meters can be wiped out of a small cuttings in a rather short time. In panicled hydrangeas of this variety, young erect shoots of red color are very decorative. Under the weight of the flowers, they bend, thereby giving the bush a spherical shape.
The dense dark green leaves of Vanille Fraise are oblong, slightly pubescent and resemble velvet to the touch.
The root system of this rather solid shrub in the adult state is small, but rather branched. The plant is frost-resistant and is able to tolerate cold weather up to -29
0 C without shelter. But most experts are united in the fact that in the middle zone it is better to cover this hydrangea and prevent the branches from freezing.
Flowering features
One of the most beautiful panicled is Hydrangea Vanilla Frasi. Planting and caring for it gives amazingly beautiful results: large, up to 40 cm long and 30 cm wide pyramidal inflorescences resembling a horn with vanilla-strawberry ice cream. This hydrangea blooms from July to September on the shoots of the current year. A variety such as hydrangea Vanilla Frasi (reviews of gardeners will not let you lie) has flowers that are unique in color. Moreover, at the very beginning of flowering, they are all snowy white, then a dark pink border appears along the edge of the petals. Over time, the bottom of the inflorescence turns strawberry red, gradually turning into a delicate pink tint. The top of the inflorescences remains white, and only panicled hydrangea Vanilla Frasi has this feature. Planting and care (the photo that you see below, this demonstrates) can help show the beauty of this beautiful plant.
The number and size of opening inflorescences directly depend on the pruning.
Where can I put it?
As mentioned above, all panicled hydrangeas, in particular the Vanille Fraise variety, are rather unpretentious plants and capable of growing both in the sun and in partial shade. However, when planting this perennial on a sunny site, it should be remembered that its growth rate will be noticeably lower than in the shade. Such a bush will be quite low, and inflorescences will be small. In no case should there be limestone soil in the area where the hydrangea of Vanilla Frasi will be planted.
Planting and caring for this plant will be a pleasure if you plant this perennial in soil that meets the following conditions. She must be:
- slightly acidic or neutral;
- fertile and loose;
- enriched with organic fertilizers;
- moderately but constantly hydrated.
If you decide to plant this beautiful flowering shrub in the shady corner of your possessions , you will have to constantly ensure that the soil at its roots is always loosened. If you have neither the strength nor the desire to engage in loosening all the time, then you can make your life easier by bringing a little any mulch to the ground under hydrangea during the first treatment.
When to plant?
In the middle lane, spring is the best time to plant, as until the fall it will be able not only to adapt, but also to have a good hydrangea root, Vanilla Frasi. Planting and care of planted plants are as follows. First of all, they dig holes 30x30x30 cm in size for each seedling.
Between them there should be a distance of about a meter. Before each plant is excavated, about ½ bucket of peat mixed with overripe compost or humus is introduced into each hole and spilled with water. Then the hydrangea roots are straightened and placed in a planting pit, after which they are covered with garden soil, without deepening the root neck. Be sure to compact the soil around the roots so that there are no air "pockets".
After planting, you need to water the plant and carefully loosen the upper soil layer. If at this time the sun is very bright and hot, then you need to cover the seedling with spanbond or any other covering material to prevent burns.
How to feed?
For the first time, organic (aqueous solution of manure) and mineral, at best, complex fertilizers are applied for planted hydrangea at the end of May. After a couple of weeks, you can repeat the fertilizing, as it will help the plant bookmark the flower buds for the next season.
Under the successfully wintered hydrangea bushes in the spring, any nitrogen-containing fertilizer is applied, and in the summer they are fed with a solution of infused and fermented grass. You can also use specialized fertilizers for hydrangeas, and if there are none, then use formulations intended for rhododendrons or azaleas. In late summer and early autumn, superphosphate can be added under the bushes.
Water mode
Panicled hydrangea Vanilla Frasi, like any other, prefers well-moistened soil. In order for this perennial to develop well and delight with its unusual flowering, it is necessary to prevent the drying of the upper layer of the earth. To do this, the surfaces around the bushes are mulched with rotted sawdust or peat. If dry and hot weather is established, then the plant will have to be watered abundantly, 30-50 liters under each bush twice a week. Under normal summer temperatures, it is enough to water once every seven days.
How and when to trim?
Most varieties of panicled hydrangea, including Vanille Fraise, need to be trimmed by pruning. This procedure is carried out in the spring. To do this, leave from 5 to 10 shoots on each plant, shortening them by 2-5 buds. When pruning, remember that the number and size of inflorescences depend on how much you cut the shoots. So, if you cut two pairs of buds below a faded inflorescence, there will be many small inflorescences. In the event that two pairs of buds were left on the branch, then there will be few floral brushes, but they will be large.
In addition, you need to regularly remove dry inflorescences, as this procedure stimulates the appearance of new ones in the next season.
Hydrangea Vanilla Frasi: preparation for the winter
Panicled hydrangeas tolerate our winters well, especially if there are no sudden changes in temperature. A distinctive feature of Vanille Fraise is its high frost resistance up to -29 0 C. And if adult plants can survive the harsh winter and only shoots freeze out, then young bushes can simply die. In order for your adult hydrangeas to successfully wintered, in the autumn it is enough to spud the bushes 20-30 cm with rotted compost or garden soil. Plants planted in spring should be covered, especially the basal circle. For this purpose, fallen leaves of trees or coniferous spruce branches are suitable.