Grandiflora paniculata hydrangea came to us from Japan and China and is a shrub (sometimes a small tree), reaching five meters in height. The plant has a dense crown formed by ovoid or elliptic leaves, the size of which reaches 12 cm. Honey flowers are in panicles of a longitudinal shape. If they are fertile, they are white in color and small in size. The barren flowers are noticeably larger and differ in the presence of four white petals, which eventually turn pink.
Panicled
Hydrangea Grandiflora, whose photo is located above, begins to bloom and bear fruit at about the age of four. This process usually starts in mid-June and lasts until the end of October. The fruits of the plant ripen, as a rule, by the beginning of autumn and are a box, the length of which reaches 3 mm in length and cracks in the upper part. As for the seeds, they are very small and numerous.
LandingA shrub such as Grandiflora paniculata hydrangea is quite demanding on the composition of the soil. Before planting, it is necessary to prepare for it a special soil mixture, which includes peat, turf land, sand and humus. The proportion should be 2: 2: 1: 1. In addition, a little potassium sulfate, superphosphate and urea must first be added to the hole. After this, the plant can not be fed for two years. Do not forget that this type of hydrangea does not tolerate lime. Another feature of the bush at the initial stage of its development is that young plants must be protected from the effects of winds and the midday sun. The root neck must be left at ground level after subsidence.
Care
For a plant like panicle hydrangea, Grandiflora care is not very difficult. The shrub is moisture-loving, therefore it requires up to two buckets of water per week (in rainy times this frequency becomes less frequent). For better development, it is necessary to constantly loosen the soil to a depth of 10 cm. After this, mulching with a five-centimeter layer of earth should be performed. In spring, Grandiflora panicled hydrangea is trimmed. Depending on its size and age, usually leave from six to twelve shoots, each of which must be shortened by 2-5 buds. Old plants are generally recommended to be trimmed under the base. As for top dressing, it is advisable to produce it four times. At the initial stage of vegetation and during budding, a Riga mixture with trace elements is used for this. The two remaining dressings are carried out in the summer. For them, a weak solution of potassium permanganate is used, which serves to strengthen the shoots.
Winter preparations
Preparation of shrubs for wintering begins with the removal of faded inflorescences in autumn. Despite the fact that Hydrangea paniculata hydrangea is quite frost-resistant, the trunk circle must be covered. If the plant is young, then this is done by peat and dry leaves. The layer thickness should be at least 10 cm. Approximately two to three years after planting, you can use burlap for warming, which wraps the trunk in several layers. The older the plant becomes, the more its frost resistance increases.