Garden hydrangea is deservedly popular with gardeners. This is a very beautiful plant with large flowers of various colors. Snow-white, blue, pink inflorescences will decorate any landscape.
As independent shrubs, and in combination with other plants, the flowers of hydrangea bushes look very beautiful and eye-catching. To grow a beautiful hydrangea bush, you need to know that she loves moisture and suffers from drafts. Propagation of hydrangeas is quite painstaking work. Last but not least is the annual pruning of bushes. Do this in the spring, when the kidneys are already clearly visible. The older the plant, the more heavily it should be pruned.
Seed propagation
Hydrangeas can be grown from seed outdoors. Propagation of garden hydrangea using seeds is carried out in the spring. More precisely, in April or May (depending on weather conditions). The bed is made above ground level, it must be warmed up. If the soil is heavy, add sand. It has good drainage, which is very important when watering.
In the soil prepared for sowing, there should be ½ peat, ½ sand,one part of leaf land, sod land and humus. The bed is rid of weeds and leveled. Seeds are scattered by hand and slightly crushed so that they enter the ground. Sand is poured on top. If the reproduction of hydrangeas occurs in this way, its seeds do not need any processing. Shoots appear in about a month. Regular watering and weeding will ensure good seedlings. Potassium and nitrogen are needed for feeding. They are provided in liquid form. During frosts, seedlings are covered with paper.
Dividing the bush
Reproduction of hydrangeas in this way occurs in autumn and spring. The bush is divided in such a way that there are buds on each division. Planted and watered. If you do this in the spring, then in the fall there will already be quite strong seedlings. Layers usually propagate annual shoots. A shoot with buds is added to the hole in such a way that part of the shoot with buds is above the ground. The following year, the overgrown shoot is separated from the main bush and planted separately.
Propagation by cuttings
Hydrangeas are propagated by spring and summer cuttings in summer. Spring cuttings are taken in early June, summer - in July. The cut is made from the top of the bush. On a suitable branch of the bush, a part of last year's shoot (heel) should remain. The cutting should have two internodes, the leaves on it are shortened by half. Water dosed each planted stalk. Rooting occurs in 20-25 days. Excellent cutting conditions: artificial fog and a mixture of soil consisting of peat and sand in the calculation 2to 1. Without treatment with stimulants, paniculate hydrangea, which is propagated by cuttings, will definitely take root. When treated with butyric acid (concentration 0.01%), other species will also take root completely. Many gardeners keep strong cuttings in pots in the first winter in a cool room, such as a basement or a cold greenhouse, and plant them in open ground in the spring.
