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Help with a vanilla fraise hydrangea

Ella.msc65Ella.msc65 Posts: 3
in Problem solving
I have a vanilla fraise hydrangea that has this year only flowered white.  Anyone know why this would be please?
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Posts

  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    hi and welcome to the forum. 
    The flowers start white then darken with age
    Devon.
  • Ella.msc65Ella.msc65 Posts: 3
    Thanks 
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    Yours is going through it’s Vanilla phase at the moment, mines the same
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • Ella.msc65Ella.msc65 Posts: 3
    Have to be have to be patient for the fraise , I’m told!!!!
  • garrinchasuperskillzgarrinchasuperskillz Posts: 69
    hi. I bought a vanilla fraise plant last year (around 4ft) and put it in a big pot. it did very well for the first year - with quite a few flowers - but the branches were quite spindly.

    I cut it back in February to the first set of buds and there are new one's on their way - but having a look online, it suggests cutting it back by a third. I cut mine back by 2/3rds! have I given it too severe a haircut? will it do well this year?

    first post here, so go easy on me!

    thanks
  • AlchemistAlchemist Posts: 273
    Welcome to the forum. Should be okay. See the attached RHS trial pdf to see the effect of various pruning regimes (page 5): http://apps.rhs.org.uk/planttrials/TrialReports/Hydrangea paniculata 2008.pdf

    As per the trial You are going to have large flowers that are a bit delayed. 
  • garrinchasuperskillzgarrinchasuperskillz Posts: 69
    thank you, that's great!
  • garrinchasuperskillzgarrinchasuperskillz Posts: 69
    hi guys - resurrecting this thread as I may have an issue with my Vanille Fraise. last year was a great success - cutting it down to a few inches produced some amazing heads which were absolutely massive. so much so, that a few snapped when waterlogged - but I sorted that out in the end
    anyway, around September last year I was away for a week. during that time, we had some seriously hot weather - and when I returned the plant was looking in a sorry state. all the flower heads had browned off - but the plant looked alive still. I gave it a thorough watering and left it at that
    so, I've been keeping an eye on it over the winter and have been checking for new signs of life - but no buds have appeared so far. it has been particularly cold the last few weeks, but I'm sure there were buds at the same time last year
    I'm wondering whether that drought period last year has done the plant in? it doesn't look dead - but no buds is beginning to worry me a bit
    any thoughts welcome
    cheers guys
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    I have 4 or 5 vanille fraise and like yours there no sign of swelling buds yet.
    I doubt you'll see much happening for a few weeks yet especially after the freeze we've had.
    I'm giving mine a prune in a few weeks.
    Hang on in there :)

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • SophieKSophieK Posts: 244
    The vanille fraise is like all hydrangea paniculate and flowers on new stems, so it's normal you don't see buds yet. Like Pete.8, just give your shrub its late winter prune in a few weeks and the flowers will come in time on the new growth.
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