- Is pruning necessary for the panicle hydrangea "Vanille Fraise"?
- Education and maintenance cut
- taper cut
- tips and tricks
The bushy panicle hydrangea "Vanille Fraise" should be thinned out and cut back regularly so that it does not form too dense bushes - inside which neither light nor air can circulate properly. As a rule, it is sufficient to cut out the oldest shoots directly on the ground and to shorten the side shoots. The best time for pruning is early spring.

Is pruning necessary for the panicle hydrangea "Vanille Fraise"?
Hydrangeas such as the panicle hydrangea "Vanille Fraise" are usually sold in a container or bucket. If these specimens are to be planted out in the garden, pruning is usually not necessary. After all, after repotting and transplanting, the roots are still completely intact. Only bare-root plants need a strong pruning, because otherwise the few fibrous roots cannot supply the shoots. As a rule, they are shortened by half.
Education and maintenance cut
The panicle hydrangea "Vanille Fraise" is raised - like any other panicle hydrangea - with five to seven shoots close to the ground. Shorten this to a maximum of 20 centimeters in the first year. In the following years, you gradually lengthen the skeleton shoots by ten centimeters each. Side shoots are shortened to about ten centimeters or two to three buds. Shorten strong young ground shoots to about 20 centimeters as a later replacement for scaffolding shoots, while weak ones are completely removed. Alternatively, you can also cut back "Vanille Fraise" completely to about 15 to 20 centimeters above the ground.
taper cut
Panicle hydrangeas such as the popular variety "Vanille Fraise" age after about four to five years. Thin out senile scaffold shoots except for a pin on the ground. This dries up over the summer. By then, however, young shoots close to the ground have formed. If they are strong enough, train them to become new scaffolding shoots. On the rest, shorten one-year-old shoots to a maximum of two pairs of buds, while one-year-old bottom shoots are cut down to a maximum of 30 centimeters.
tips and tricks
You can pick off the wilted flowers in September after flowering, or wait until spring to cut. However, experience has shown that it is advisable to cut them off in late autumn in order to reduce the risk of gray mold infestation.