Almost all gardeners cannot look indifferently at such a beautiful flower as hydrangea. It is a beautiful flowering shrub that can winter outdoors. As a rule, hydrangea blooms from mid-summer to late autumn. In this article, we will look at the hydrangea flower, its care 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 amacha nectar, from which the traditional, fragrant, sweet tea is still so popular.
In the literature you can find many exciting stories about how this plant came to us from the East, but the main character of each of them is a girl named Hortensia, who at one time inspired men to exploits, and now pleases hearts gardeners around the world.
In Latin, Hydrángea means vessel andwater. There is an opinion that hydrangea, like a true woman, is not only changeable and fickle, but also capable of reincarnation. This can be seen in the flowers, which quite often change color and color intensity depending on the stage of their maturity. For example, a pink hydrangea can easily turn blue.
Landing
Planting hydrangeas and care in the open field have a number of their own characteristics. The main distinguishing feature of hydrangea from most plants can be called the fact that the flower is a fan of the shade and does not like direct sunlight. If they hit 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, hydrangeas are planted. Home care involves timely feeding the plant with mineral and organic fertilizers. It should be remembered that the soil near the flower should be loose.
Advice. Hydrangea is a moisture-loving plant, so gardeners recommend mulching the soil after each watering. With this simple action, it will be possible to retain moisture. Peat, pine needles or primitive sawdust are used as mulch.
When amazingly beautiful hydrangea flowers appear before your 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 rows of hydrangea bushes on both sides of the garden path. Planting and caring for a plant is not as complicated as it might seem at first glance, butthe resulting result will please the eye for many years.
Irrigation
Speaking of such a flower as garden hydrangea, planting and caring for it, it should also be said that for watering a flower it is strongly recommended to give preference to soft water, preferably rain. The flower does not tolerate lime. Tap water must be settled, but this does not protect the leaves from chlorosis.
You need to water the plant either in the early morning or late in the evening when there is no scorching hot sun. Each hydrangea bush should receive at least 20 liters of water per week.
Hydrangea paniculata
The photo below shows panicle 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 sought-after species in horticultural culture, since in one place it can grow up to 40 years. This species is resistant to cold, due to the ability of young shoots to quickly become woody.
Hydrangea paniculata inflorescences appear on the tops of young shoots, so the flowering of the shrub is plentiful, even though the buds that appeared at the end of June will open only by the beginning of September.
This type of flower is characterized by pyramidal inflorescences. At the beginning of flowering, the flowers are greenish in color, then they turn white, by mid-September they become pinkish, then they become brick-colored and at the very end of flowering againturn greenish.
Kyushu, Grandiflora, hydrangea Vanilla Fraze and Tardiva are the most popular garden forms of the species.
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. It is recommended to use fertilizers for plants such as azaleas, heathers and rhododendrons.
Nitrogen supplements 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 the turgor of the stem.
Preparing for winter
In order for the hydrangea to please with its beauty for a long time in the flowerbed, leaving in the winter period of time 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 roofs so as not to damage the flower shoots.
Large-leaved hydrangea
Hydrangea macrophylla is a garden hydrangea. Planting and caring for it in the open field will not cause difficulties even for a novice amateur. It should also be mentioned that the large-leaved hydrangea and compact varieties will be the perfect decoration on the terrace or on the window in the apartment.
The large-leaved hydrangea has bright green leaves. The plant has low resistance to cold due to fragile shoots. The shape of the inflorescences of garden hydrangea is Kalinoid,umbrella, even in their circles, gardeners call it hemispherical or Japanese. The color of the flowers of the plant directly depends on the pH level in the soil.
Influence of soil acidity on flower color
When discussing hydrangea, planting and caring for it, it would be 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, in order for the flowers of the plant to be blue or blue, you need to add alum and iron s alts to the soil twice a month. And to get a bush with pink and blue flowers at the same time, then you need to add an admixture from one side.
Reproduction
Among amateur gardeners, cuttings and dividing the bush have become popular methods of propagating hydrangeas. If the bush of the plant is huge, then you need to dig around it 15 cm from the stem of the flower. It is highly recommended to dig in sufficiently moist soil with a garden tool such as a pitchfork.
Then, without taking it out of the hole, the bush gently bends over and cuts with a shovel or a sharp knife. Under no circumstances should the plant be removed from the planting hole.
Advice. 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 the thinning process.
At the handle, it is necessary to cut off the two lower sheets, then it is stuck into the ground 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 top sheets of the cutting by 2/3.
In order for the cutting to take root, it must be covered with the top of a plastic bottle or a glass jar. The rooting of a plant such as hydrangea should take place in the shade, while constantly monitoring soil moisture. Young hydrangea should be transplanted to a permanent place only in the third year, not earlier.
Ground cover hydrangea
Hydrangea heteromalla translated from Latin as ground cover hydrangea or, as it is also commonly called, variably pubescent hydrangea. This is a type of frost-resistant shrub, which in nature grows up to three meters in height. Often used in culture to obtain a standard form. The twenty-centimeter dark green leaves have a drooping, woolly underside and a smooth surface. The inflorescences of the shrub are corymbose and loose, immediately white, and by the end of flowering they become pale pink. This plant blooms from early July. The most popular subspecies is the Bretschneider hydrangea, which pleases the eye with huge milky-white inflorescences.
Cutting
Hydrangea, the care of which involves pruning a bush, tolerates this procedure perfectly. During the summer season, closer to autumn, it is necessary to remove faded inflorescences from the shrub as it dries. In the spring, after the awakening of the plant's buds, thinning pruning is strongly recommended. Pruning removes old branches, frozen and weak shoots.
Landscape design
Hydrangea is that flowering shrub that is ideal for both group plantings andfor singles. 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. Cuffs, astilbes, hosts and black cohosh are well suited for combination. Hydrangea looks perfect and expressive with such giant hosts as Impress Wu, Candy Dish, Andorian, which will tiered and harmonize with other medium-sized plants.
In huge areas, a composition of three or more hydrangea bushes will be successful for a mixborder. Thanks to their sprawling natural form, the shrubs create an undulating 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 recreation area and the garden area.
Oakleaf hydrangea: photo, care
Hydrangea quercifolia (oakleaf hydrangea) can rightfully be called one of the most attractive types of plants, but to the great regret of gardeners, it is not winter-hardy at all, so it needs to be carefully insulated for the winter, but this does not help in most cases. Oakleaf hydrangea attracts not only with its wonderful lush flowers, but also with unusually beautiful leaves.
Indoor hydrangea
Caring for a plant at home is also not particularly difficult. As a houseplant, it is recommended to take a large-leaved hydrangea,because 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 hibernate.
Indoor hydrangea should be watered only (remember!) with settled water. It should also be noted that with a lack of acidity, the leaves of the flower will turn yellow and the plant will look sickly. To prevent this from happening, it is recommended to add lemon juice to the water for irrigation 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. The ideal option would be to place the flower at a distance of 3 meters from the window.
What is good about hydrangea?
Hydrangea will find its place in any garden. It will become an ideal neighbor for clematis, lavender, poppy, phlox, coniferous plants. Hydrangea is consonant with barberry, buddleia, weigela and other ornamental shrubs.
The hydrangea will make a magnificent hedge with a long decorative period. The flower in most cases attracts attention not only for its size, but also for its beautiful inflorescences, which change their shade from green to bright lilac during the period of their flowering.
Hydrangea will be an ideal decoration not only for a terrace or an open veranda, but also for a window sill.
Conclusion
Hydrangea shrubs will be an ideal decoration in the largest gardens, and in small front gardens, and even on the windowsill. Hydrangea fits in nicelydesign solutions of a wide variety of styles, from retro to modern, from baroque to ascetic. Plus, it blends perfectly with different varieties of lilac, spirea and jasmine.
