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Strawberry Shake Hydrangea flowers

Strawberry Shake Hydrangea flowers

(Photo courtesy of NetPS Plant Finder)

Description:

A beautiful long-season bloomer featuring sturdy stems with big full flower heads that emerge white and mature to deep pink; compact habit excellent for containers, or as a foundation shrub in smaller gardens

Ornamental Features

Strawberry Shake Hydrangea features bold conical white flowers at the ends of the branches from mid summer to late fall. The flowers are excellent for cutting. It has green deciduous foliage. The pointy leaves do not develop any appreciable fall color.

Landscape Attributes

Strawberry Shake Hydrangea is a multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its relatively coarse texture can be used to stand it apart from other landscape plants with finer foliage.

This shrub will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Strawberry Shake Hydrangea is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Mass Planting
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Strawberry Shake Hydrangea will grow to be about 5 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 4 feet. It tends to be a little leggy, with a typical clearance of 2 feet from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 40 years or more.

This shrub performs well in both full sun and full shade. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.

Strawberry Shake Hydrangea makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. With its upright habit of growth, it is best suited for use as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.