Almost all gardeners can not indifferently look at such a beautiful flower as hydrangea. This is a beautifully flowering shrub that can winter in the open ground. As a rule, hydrangea blooms from mid-summer to late autumn. In this article, we will consider hydrangea flower, care for it and, of course, planting features.
Historical facts
If you believe the ancient legend, then on the day when the Buddha was born, blue flowers - hydrangeas fell from the sky like stars. At this magical moment, the earth was enveloped in the sweet divine nectar of amacha, from which traditional, fragrant, sweet tea is still so popular.
In the literature you can find many fascinating stories about how this plant came to us from Eastern countries, but the main heroine of each of them is a girl named Hortense, who at one time inspired men for exploits, and now pleases the hearts of gardeners around the world.
Translated from Latin, Hydrángea means a vessel and water. There is an opinion that hydrangea, as a true woman, is not only changeable and variable, but also capable of reincarnating. This can be seen by the colors, which quite often change color and color intensity depending on the stage of their maturity. For example, pink hydrangea can easily turn blue.
Landing
Planting hydrangeas and caring in the open ground have a number of their own characteristics. The main distinguishing feature of hydrangea from most plants is the fact that the flower is a fan of shade and does not like direct sunlight. In the case of their contact with the plant, it slows down its growth and development, while the flowers become small and inconspicuous. In the spring, when night frosts pass and the soil warms up, hydrangea is planted. Home care involves the timely feeding of plants with mineral and organic fertilizers. It should be remembered that the soil near the flower should be loose.
Tip. Hydrangea is a moisture-loving plant, so gardeners recommend mulching the soil after each watering. Such a simple action will retain moisture. Peat, pine needles or primitive sawdust are used as mulch.
When hydrangea flowers appear of amazing beauty in front of the eyes, a person has an indescribable feeling of lightness and airiness. Immediately there is a great desire not only to pick a fluffy bouquet, but also to plant whole rows of hydrangea bushes on both sides of the garden path. Planting and caring for the plant is not so complicated as it might seem at first glance, but the result obtained as a result will be pleasing to the eye for many years.
Watering
Speaking of such a flower as garden hydrangea, planting and care for it, it should also be said that for watering the flower it is strongly recommended to give preference to soft water, preferably rain. The flower does not tolerate lime. Tap water must necessarily settle, but this does not protect the leaves from chlorosis.
You need to water the plant either in the early morning, or in the late evening when there is no scorching hot sun. Each hydrangea bush should receive at least 20 liters of water per week.
Panicle hydrangea
The photo below shows panicled hydrangea. Planting and caring for it with the right approach will give the owner a shrub or tree from 2 to 5 meters in height. It is Hydrangea paniculata (as the name of the species sounds in Latin) that is rightfully considered the most demanded species in garden culture, since in one place it can grow up to 40 years. This species is resistant to cold, thanks to the ability of young shoots to stiffen quickly.
Inflorescences of panicle hydrangea appear on the tops of young shoots, therefore, the flowering of the bush is plentiful, even though the buds that appeared in late June will not open until the beginning of September.
This type of flower is characterized by inflorescences of a pyramidal shape. At the beginning of flowering, flowers are greenish in color, then they turn white, by mid-September they acquire a pinkish color, then they become brick in color and at the very end of flowering again turn green.
The most popular garden forms of the species include Kyushu, Grandiflora, hydrangea Vanilla Freyz and Tardiva.
How to feed
Hydrangea, the care of which is discussed in this article, should be fed twice a month. It should be remembered that ash is not suitable for this. Fertilizers are recommended for plants such as azalea, heather and rhododendrons.
To nitrogen fertilizing should be treated very carefully. With an excess of nitrogen, the winter hardiness of garden hydrangea decreases. Plant care should be systematic - this will protect against diseases such as weakening of the turgor of the stem.
Winter preparations
In order for a hydrangea to please its flowerbed for a long time, leaving in winter means covering it with dry leaves and spruce branches. You can put a box or box on top. Most varieties of the species in the cold season do not require shelters, only you need to monitor the snow from the roof, so as not to damage the shoots of the flower.
Leaf hydrangea
Hydrangea macrophylla is a garden hydrangea. Planting and caring in the open ground for it will not cause difficulties even for an amateur novice. It should also be mentioned that large-leaf hydrangea and compact varieties, which will be the perfect decoration on the terrace or on the window in the apartment.
Large-leaf hydrangea has bright green leaves. The plant has a low resistance to cold due to fragile shoots. The form of inflorescences of garden hydrangea is kaleniform, umbrella, and gardeners call it hemispherical or Japanese in their circles. The color of plant flowers directly depends on the pH level in the soil.
The effect of soil acidity on flower color
When discussing hydrangea, planting and caring for it, it is a sin not to talk about the fact that the plant is able to change its color depending on the acidity of the soil. For example, to make the plant’s flowers blue or blue, you need to add alum and iron salts to the soil twice a month. And in order to get a bush with pink and blue flowers at the same time, the admixture must be added on one side.
Breeding
Among amateur gardeners, cuttings and dividing of the bush became popular methods for propagating hydrangeas. If the bush of the plant is huge, then you need to make a dig around it 15 cm from the stem of the flower. It is highly recommended that you dig in fairly moist soil with a garden tool such as a pitchfork.
Then, without removing it from the pit, the bush gently bends and is cut with a shovel or sharp knife. In no case can the plant be removed from the planting pit.
Tip. Transplant cuttings should be prepared in the first half of the season. The ideal option would be those shoots that are planned to be removed during thinning.
At the handle, it is necessary to cut off the two lower leaves, then it is stuck into the soil with the addition of coarse sand at a slight angle. To avoid the process of active evaporation of moisture from the plant, it is recommended to cut the upper sheets of the cuttings by 2/3.
To root the stalk, you need to cover it with the top of a plastic bottle or glass jar. The rooting of a plant such as hydrangea should occur in the shade, while constantly monitoring the soil moisture. Young hydrangea for a permanent place should be transplanted only in the third year, not earlier.
Groundcover hydrangea
Hydrangea heteromalla is translated from Latin as hydrangea ground-cover or, as it is also called, hydrangea heterogenous. This is a type of frost-resistant shrub, which in nature grows to a height of three meters. Often used in culture to obtain the standard form. Twenty-centimeter dark green leaves have a downy woolly underside and a smooth surface. The inflorescences of the shrub are corymbose and loose, immediately white in color, and by the end of flowering become pale pink. This plant blooms from early July. The Bretschneider hydrangea is considered the most popular subspecies , which pleases the eye with huge milk-white inflorescences.
Pruning
Hydrangea, the care of which involves cutting the bush, perfectly tolerates this procedure. During the summer, closer to autumn, it is necessary to remove faded inflorescences from the bush as they dry. In spring, after waking up the buds of a plant, thinning pruning is strongly recommended. Trimming removes old branches, frozen and weak shoots.
Landscape design
Hydrangea is that flowering shrub that is ideal for both group plantings and solitary. But here it should be remembered that the plant needs a place at least one and a half meters in diameter.
For a mixborder, it is recommended to give preference to species with almost identical environmental requirements for acidity, lighting and moisture. For combination, cuffs, astilbe, hosts and black cohorts are well suited. Hydrangea with such giant hosts as Impress Wu, Candy Disch, Andorian, which will be tiered down and in harmony with other medium-sized plants, looks ideal and expressive.
In large areas, a composition of three or more hydrangea bushes will be successful for a mixborder. Thanks to its spreading natural form, shrubs create a wave-like unique accent in the garden landscape, which beautifully emphasizes the richness of the site. With the help of hydrangea shrubs, you can create a hedge on the site between the rest area and the garden area.
Dublate hydrangea: photo, care
Hydrangea quercifolia (oak hydrangea) can rightfully be called one of the most attractive plant species, but to the great regret of gardeners it is completely winter-hardy, so it must be carefully insulated for the winter, but this in most cases does not help. The oak-leaved hydrangea attracts not only with its wonderful lush flowers, but also with an unusual beautiful form of leaves.
Indoor hydrangea
Home care of the plant is also not characterized by special complexity. As a houseplant, it is recommended to take large-leaved hydrangea, since only it is relatively low. Indoor hydrangea will delight its owners with beautiful flowers from early spring to late autumn, only in the winter season the flower will remain in hibernation.
Indoor hydrangea should be watered only (remember!) With stagnant water. It should also be noted that with a lack of acidity, the leaves of the flower will turn yellow and the plant will have a painful appearance. To prevent this from happening in water for irrigation, it is recommended to add lemon juice at the rate of 4-6 drops per liter of water. The flower in the room needs the sun, but it must be hidden from direct sunlight. An ideal option would be to place the flower at a distance of 3 meters from the window.
Why is hydrangea good?
In any garden, hydrangea will find its place. She will become an ideal neighbor to clematis, lavender, poppy, phlox, coniferous plants. Hydrangea is consonant with barberry, buddley, weigel and other ornamental shrubs.
Hydrangea will make a magnificent hedge with a long period of decorativeness. In most cases, a flower attracts attention not only with its size, but also with beautiful inflorescences, which during their flowering period change their shade from green to bright lilac.
Hydrangea will be an ideal decoration not only of a terrace or an open veranda, but also of a window sill.
Conclusion
Hydrangea shrubs will be an ideal decoration in huge gardens, in small front gardens, and even on the windowsill. Hydrangea fits perfectly into the design decisions of a wide variety of styles, from retro to modern, from baroque to ascetic. Plus, it blends perfectly with different varieties of lilacs, spirea and jasmines.