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loisthegardener_nc7b

So Glad I Have a Corner

I know it sounds silly, but I've been dithering for years about a certain northwest corner of my house that needed... something. Finally, the folks in the Lanscaping forum explained I needed a tallish, widish shrub planted on the corner of the house to blend the house into the rest of the landscape.

They told me this months ago and I am still dithering, because I just can't make myself plant yet another evergreen at the foundation of my house.

I have been discovering hydrangeas this summer (can't wait to get a Preziosa next spring), but could not find anything that would work in this corner and provide some contrast to my cream colored house.

But today I stumbled across something that is supposed to be available next spring called "Vanilla Strawberry".

It's supposed to be available in Europe and coming to the USA next spring. Has anyone ever heard of this variety? I am very curious because if it looks as good in person as it does in the picture, then my landscape dithering will be done.

I can just picture this with a skirt of Rozanne geranium. That would be worth the wait.

Lois in PA

Here is a link that might be useful: Strawberry Vanilla

Comments (6)

  • loisthegardener_nc7b
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Sorry about switching the words around - my brain really wants to say "Strawberry Vanilla", but the name is Europe is "Vanilla Fraise" so I guess that's why they are calling it Vanilla Strawberry in this country.

  • loisthegardener_nc7b
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Hi, me again... Well, I got so excited about this hydrangea that I started calling around to some local nurseries and found one who said they just ordered 20 for this coming spring and I could reserve one now. Hurray! Maybe I'll be one of the first to be able to post pictures of it here!

    Lois in PA

  • Lilyfinch z9a Murrieta Ca
    14 years ago

    hello! I am from pa as well, oakmont/verona(by pittsburgh). Where are you from? I have heard of this hydrangea and really want it too, so i wonder if your nursery is nearby?
    Do you have limelight yet?? I think its my favorite so far, i also bought a pinky winky (love it!) and a pee gee (very cute!) I have a annabelle that is very charming, and bought a 3 dollar tardiva at lowes that will be a beauty when it grows up!
    Cant wait to see your new addition!

  • luis_pr
    14 years ago

    Be prepared to pay during the first few years. That is the bad news. The good news you already know... it looks very nice if the photograph's colors have not been tweaked. I wonder how would it look beside a PW? I guess I would need to see the two shrubs side by side just in case the colors clash (I know, I know, they are different shades of pink but still... how would they look side by side?). Or maybe a white on either side of S/V.... again, I would still have to wait until the colors mature and change in order to make sure that the colors still would not clash... life is so hard...

  • loisthegardener_nc7b
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Hi lilyfinch, the nursery is in Lancaster County; it's called Conestoga Nurseries. It would be a long drive for you, but maybe worth it if you really wanted the plant. You could make a day of it; bring a friend and eat at Shady Maple Smorgasborg which is right nearby. You'll have some time to think about it because the plants won't arrive until March. I'm also not sure how big the plants will be; he told me they buy bare-root and plant up in pots themselves. So the hydrangea I get will be bare-root.

    I like Limelight but don't have it. I do have Pinky Winky but it's pretty small yet. I have a couple tree hydrangeas that look very nice right now.

    Hi luis_pr, They told me the price would be about 12 dollars, but I don't know if that's a bargain because I don't know how big the plant will be. This place does not have bad prices as a rule, though, so I don't expect to be terribly ripped off.

    That's a good question about how it would look beside a Pinky Winky. If I try to picture it in my mind, I keep seeing Pinky Winky with its few larger petals per cluster looking like a charlie brown christmas tree next to the fuller Vanilla Strawberry. But I am by no means a natural landscaper (if I were, I would not have that empty corner!) so maybe it would work better than I think. A white hydrangea on either side would be nice.. However, I think if I were going to have multiple large hydrangeas, I would want to have a huge hedge of the Vanilla Strawberry - can you imagine? Wow. I think you have a good plan to get one and see what it looks like in person.

    Thanks, everyone, for indulging my excitement. :-D

    Lois in PA

  • madeyna
    14 years ago

    Wow!Thats a great price on a new release. I,m thinking we will be lucky to get it around here for under $40. I was up all night thinking about the pros and cons of doing a Pinky Winky hedge so I understand your excitement.