I have a 3yr old pannicle hydrangea that is not look so good this year so far. There are only leaves at the very tips of the branches. No leaves going all the way down like they usually do and nothing at the bottom. Some branches(quite a few) have no leaves at all.
The past 2yrs the plants has had beautiful full leaves and blooms, and I just can't figure out if something is wrong, or if I maybe have done something.
I am in eastern PA if that helps.
I am more than happy to provide more pictures if it would help. I believe that it is called called Vanilla Strawberry, as the blooms start out white. and slowly start to shade pink. Thanks for any help!!

Woody shrubs like hydrangeas can often exhibit a natural growth habit where new growth and leaves primarily occur towards the top of the stems. You can determine this when the shrub breaks dormancy and the stems begin to form buds in late winter or early spring. A typical causal agent is the lack of direct sun deep in the shrub (consider panicle hydrangea trees whose trunks not often develop new branches from the lower part of the trunk itself). As lower portions of the stems receive less sunlight due to shading from upper foliage or nearby plants, hydrangeas may slowly decide to inhibit new growth and leaf development on lower parts of the stems. If the hydrangea has been pruned selectively or excessively always near the top, new growth by the plant may be concentrated on the upper portions of the plant. Rabbits can also cause a decline in lower foliage but you should have been to detect their damage by now. Lastly, consider too if the location is not providing full sun from sunrise to sundown. I am assuming there are no soil nutrient deficiencies or toxicities; the plant is always mulched with 3 to 4 inches of organic mulch and the soil is kept acidic, evenly moist soil with proper drainage. Notes: panicle hydrangeas typically "show their feet" in the summer by fully yellowing out foliage near the crown/base of the stems; completely leafless stems can be removed by the end of June in PA if they still remain leafless.