The best seller for amateur gardeners is the hydrangea flower. This plant is becoming more and more popular year by year. There are many reasons for this: long lush flowering, unpretentiousness in care, a variety of varieties in shape, color scheme and method of cultivation. Also, this beautiful flower can safely compete even with roses in its design. This article discusses what kind of miracle plant it is and how to care for hydrangea in the garden.
Origin
The legend says that in the XVIII century, during an expedition to Asia, a young adventurer from France dressed in the clothes of a boy was on a ship. Her name was Hortense. The girl’s courage amazed everyone. She later became the wife of one of the travelers. The expedition members decided to name one of the plants discovered in Japan by her name.
Hydrangea - Queen of the Garden
According to another legend, the plant was named after the princess of the Roman Empire.
The first copies of garden hydrangea were brought in 1970 by D. Banks to England. The plant quickly gained popularity and spread to the botanical gardens of Europe.
Description of garden hydrangea flower
The Latin name of the flower is "hydrangeam", comes from the merger of the two Greek roots "hydor" (water) and "angeion" (vessel). Therefore, hydrangea is called an aquatic shrub. The plant loves abundant moisture. The Japanese affectionately call it "adzsai", that is, "flower - the violet sun."
The hydrangea species has from 30 to 80 species. In the wild, this plant is found in South and East Asia, North America and the Far East. It grows in small trees, weaving colored vines and bushes. Despite the species diversity, at home grow small-sized indoor hydrangea - garden or large-leaved. Varieties resistant to cold are bred in garden or garden plots.
Garden or large-leaved hydrangea has a rich color scheme
What does a shrub of white spherical hydrangea look like?
One of the most popular varieties among gardeners is rightfully Annabelle. This tree-like shrub grows to a height of 1.5 m. During flowering, from the end of June to September, its branches are lavishly decorated with snow-white balls of flowers. The inflorescences consist of white flowers 2 cm in size. The crown of shrubs is formed of oval leaves, reaching a length of 20 cm. Spherical hydrangea bushes are sprawling, sometimes reaching a diameter of up to 3 meters. After the color falls, the leaf cover retains a bright green color until the end of autumn.
A characteristic feature of the variety is frost resistance. This allows you to safely breed shrubs hydrangea spherical (hydrangea arborescens) in the harsh conditions of the Moscow region, the Urals and Siberia.
Interesting fact. Annabelle hydrangea cultivar can change the color of flowers, absorbing dyes from the soil. If there is aluminum in the ground, then white flowers will turn blue. This ability of the species also depends on the alkaline balance of the substrate.
This variety has two subspecies. Shrub "Strong Annabel" is distinguished by a large number and size of inflorescences. There are so many of them that sometimes greenery is not visible behind the flowers. The hydrangea bushes of the tree-like "Pink Annabel" are distinguished by a pink shade of buds and growth (not higher than 1 m).
The main advantage of all Annabel varieties is their simplicity of care. Another feature of the flower is that, surviving to 50 years, it does not require a transplant, while maintaining its decorative appearance.
Annabel variety is the most adapted of bush hydrangeas to harsh conditions of the middle lane
The variety of species and varieties of garden hydrangeas
Among the abundance of plant varieties, it is precisely those that are well adapted to frosty winters and cool short summers of the middle strip that attract attention. It is these varieties that are in demand in gardening. These include tree-like, panicled and large-leaved specimens, as well as oak-leaved and petiole varieties. Each of them has its own unique features, but all have one thing in common: good winter hardiness and undemanding care.
The record holder for popularity among garden varieties is large-leaved hydrangea. It can grow where very cold winters and late spring. Large-leaved hydrangea flowers can dissolve on young and last year's shoots. For wintering, the bush can be transplanted into a large bowl (10-20 liter capacity). The white garden hydrangea is preserved at +7 degrees with periodic watering.
Tree hydrangea loves abundant moisture and shade, top dressing and loosening of soil around the bush. For the winter, it is worth sheltering only young shoots of hydrangea in the garden.
Inflorescences of the Sterilis bushes are similar to Annabel, only the light green color changes to white. True, this plant is afraid of cold weather. For this reason, it is worth storing it at home in winter.
Panicle panicle hydrangea was named for the brush-like shape of inflorescences. It tolerates frosts up to -25 degrees. Moisturizing, unpretentious, frost-resistant, able to recover even after partial damage or death of shoots.
Panicle hydrangea blooms
Sawed hydrangea has several varieties, but one of the first in Russia was the variety Grandiflora. The plant is distinguished by the color of inflorescences, it passes through three phases during flowering: first, light green, then pure white, pink in autumn. Like the previous varieties, it is not capricious and hardy.
Hydrangea Phantom has the same qualities, for which summer residents love it. But, like all representatives of these varieties, he does not like direct sunlight.
Hydrangea Phantom - the favorite of summer residents
Outdoor hydrangea transplantation
In order for the plant to be well received after transplanting into the ground, it is necessary to choose and preserve planting material correctly. You need to carefully consider how hydrangea seedlings look. You should not buy them if:
- there is no mold on the roots, and the smell is preserved (which means that it was removed in advance);
- the stem and its root system are damaged;
- the roots are dry;
- the root system is poorly developed.
Keep seedlings purchased early in slightly acidic soil in a pot and water once every 10 days. When the street temperature approaches +10 degrees, put the container on the balcony or courtyard.
Choosing the best place
To prevent subsequent problems with the care and cultivation of hydrangea in the garden, you need to follow the recommendations:
- the soil of the landing site should be moderately moist;
- a place for growing should be chosen with the right lighting: active sunlight - morning and evening, at noon - partial shade;
- the territory of the flower garden must be protected from cold draft;
- the soil for planting should be moderately acidic (pH 5-6), loose, well fertilized;
- when planting along the track, do not place it close to the edge, so that when walking, do not touch the buds.
Hydrangea hedge along a walkway
Step-by-step landing process
- Prepare a place 3 weeks before planting, but it is better to do this in the fall, clear of litter and roots.
- Pour a bucket of peat per square meter, dig and level.
- Dig a hole measuring 50x50 cm for annual and two-year cuttings, 60x60 cm for perennial seedlings, taking into account the addition of a deoxidizing dressing.
- Put dry needles to the bottom, then a little plain earth, then по buckets of compost and peat each, add 60 g of superphosphate to the mixture and pour into a hole.
- Mineral fertilizers will be a good top dressing: urea (15 g.) And potassium sulfate (25 g.).
- If the site is clayey soil, then ¼ buckets of river sand should be added to the above mixture. You can not make lime in the soil for hydrangeas - the plant will die.
- Mix well and pour the substrate in the planting hole.
Important! Before planting, seedlings must be soaked for half an hour in a solution of Kornevin or another root growth stimulator (the description is in the instructions).
Hydrangea planting scheme in the planting pit:
- Put the roots of a seedling on a small mound and spread them.
- Fall asleep with a mixture of ordinary garden soil with peat.
- Leave the root neck level with the ground, tamp the ground.
- Pour 3 buckets of water into one well. It is recommended to add a solution of any root growth stimulant to water.
- If the earth in the pit has dropped after watering, it must be added.
- It’s nice to add any mulch on top: dry conifers or sawdust or peat.
- If seedlings are planted from a pot with an earthen lump, then you first need to remove long or diseased roots. After such pruning, the plant is better accepted.
Preparing a planting pit and planting hydrangea seedlings
Propagation of garden hydrangeas
There are two ways to propagate the plant: cuttings and seeds.
Cutting method
It’s very easy to grow hydrangea from the cuttings. The best period is spring. The main task is to correctly choose planting material. You need to choose a young basal shoot, grown on the sunny side of the bush. The age of a healthy plant should not be older than 10 years, the branch itself - not older than 1 year. The pruner cuts cuttings 15-20 cm long, 7 mm thick, on which there must be at least 4 kidneys. They are placed in a solution of any root biostimulant for 2 hours. Then the cuttings are placed in the prepared soil from sand, peat and garden soil. Another option is 200 ml of water and 1 tablespoon of cinnamon. In a month, roots will appear. It can be planted in separate peat pots, after 3 months - in open ground.
Cuttings of hydrangea
Seeds
Typically, breeders use this method to breed new species. But you can also grow seedlings at home for propagation from seeds. Sowing is carried out in the fall in a substrate of land, peat and river sand in a ratio of 4: 2: 1. Sprinkle the seeds with earth, spray from the spray gun. Germinate under a film or glass, periodically ventilating and watering at 15-20 degrees Celsius. After a month and a half, the seeds will sprout. It is necessary to plant twice: first after the appearance of cotyledonous leaves, secondly in May in separate pots.
For two years, young grassy shoots grow at home. Planting and caring for hydrangea at home do not differ from that of adult garden flowers.
Two years later, in spring, young seedlings can be planted in open ground.
Propagation of hydrangea seeds
Garden Hydrangea Care
The capacious concept of "hydrangea garden planting and care in the open field" includes all the subtleties and nuances of the gardener's work in growing this beautiful flower. This is weeding and loosening the soil, timely watering, top dressing and mulching.
Watering
This is the most important action for hydrangea. You need to moisten the soil under the bushes daily, in the heat - 2 times a day.
Top dressing
Hydrangea has a special relationship with fertilizers. For active growth, a mixture of ammonium sulfate and potassium and superphosphate must be introduced into the soil. Organics do not have to be added, because hydrangea does not like fresh manure. It is necessary to fertilize hydrangea three times in spring, summer and autumn.
During flowering and dormancy
In the period of active color, hydrangea care for the plant is not difficult. Timely watering, nutrition and enrichment of the roots with oxygen due to loosening the soil under the bush will give the flower strength to delight its beauty all year round. So that the plant does not spend its juices in vain, pruning of wilted flowers is required. During dormancy, when plants are preparing for winter, you need to cut off all dry branches, remove leaves and buds.
Winter preparations
Flowers that grew in pots should be brought into the room for the winter. Hydrangeas wintering in the garden also need preparation. It is necessary to mulch and warm the roots. Paniculate and tree-like specimens, like many bulbous perennials, do not need insulation. Some varieties are not quite adapted to frost, so they need to make special film coatings mounted on frames.
It is impossible to find out everything about hydrangea in one article, but it is not difficult to show how to build work with planting material, to tell how hydrangea blooms. If you apply all the knowledge in practice, you can grow in your garden this overseas and already become a native miracle flower. Then in the garden beautiful hydrangeas flare up with blue, red, pink and white flames.
