The oldest and most famous variety can be called "Annabelle".

The height of the bush reaches 1.5 m, the width is 1.0-1.5 m. White flowers with a diameter of about 2 cm are collected in inflorescences up to 25 cm in diameter. From June to September you will admire this variety. Grows in any conditions, unpretentious. It is used both in group plantings and in hedges, tapeworms, containers.

Sort "Pink Annabelle" pink variety tree hydrangea. The flowers are collected in large spherical inflorescences, up to 30-40 cm in diameter. The height of the bush does not exceed 1.3 m. The flowers "rust" with overhead watering and prolonged rains. Since the branches are thin, they are bent from the severity of the inflorescences, and the bush is falling apart, therefore, when flowering, it requires a garter to the supports. In compositions, it is recommended to use it as a supporting plant.

The most popular Variety "Vanille Fraise" will not leave indifferent to itself not one gardener. The height of the bush reaches 2.0 m, the width is 1.5 m. The branches are strong, dense and, despite the large inflorescences, 30-45 cm long, do not require a garter.

The flower opens white, over time, the bottom becomes strawberry red, and the top remains vanilla white. By the end of flowering, it darkens and acquires a cherry-red color.

Flowering is long, not damaged by pests and diseases. Versatile in use for any purpose - tapeworms, hedges, tree and shrub groups.

Hydrangea paniculata "Phantom"- has a beautiful shape of a bush with huge conical inflorescences, reaching at good care up to 55 cm. The height of the bush reaches 2 m, diameter - 2 m. When blooming, the inflorescences are light cream, then they change to slightly pink, flowering is plentiful in July-September.

It is used in solitary and group plantings in recreation areas, on the lawn, in front gardens, to create plantings mixed with perennials.

Loved by many grade "Limelight" The bush is not more than 1.5 m high. The shoots are strong, thick, the compact bush does not fall apart and does not need support. It blooms profusely from August to October with large, wide-conical inflorescences, consisting of sterile flowers of pale lemon or greenish color, which then turn pink.

It is used for single and group plantings in places of rest, in shrub mixborders. Suitable for winter bouquets.

Shows itself very well grade "Silver Dollar". A bush of a beautiful shape, its height reaches 2.0 m and a width of 2.0 m or more with strong, vertical shoots. Inflorescences pyramidal beautiful large white, turn pink by autumn. Blooms from July to September.

It is used in solitary and group plantings in recreation areas, on the lawn, in front gardens, to create plantings mixed with perennials. By adjusting the trim level, you can achieve abundant flowering(for this, it is necessary to cut last year's shoots very shortly) or enhance the growth of stems (in this case, choose gentle pruning).

Sort "Diamant Rouge" with a bright red color that lasts all season. The bush is compact, not more than 1.3 m tall. The flowers in the inflorescences open at first pure white, then quickly turn pink and after two weeks become red, which lasts for several weeks. The bright color is preserved throughout the flowering period and does not depend on adverse weather conditions. In full dissolution, it requires support, branches cannot hold large caps of inflorescences.

One of the most famous and widespread grade "Grandiflora". The height of the bush is 2-3 meters. Inflorescence wide cone, 20-30 cm long. The flowers are sterile, creamy white, then pink. Blooms until October. Demanding for top dressing, does not tolerate waterlogging.

Sort "Pink Diamond" with airy, delicate inflorescences. The height of the bush is 2-3 m.

The inflorescence is cone-shaped, with a narrow base up to 30 cm long. The flowers are white, then pink. Blooms from July to October. Landing in sunny sheltered places. Mandatory watering during the period of growth of shoots and top dressing with fertilizers.

It is used in single and group plantings, as an accent in tree and shrub compositions with the inclusion of red-leaved plants.

Sort "Unique" decorative due to the beautiful, sprawling shape of the bush and large wide-conical inflorescences with large quantity white sterile flowers. Shrub up to 2 m high with a spreading crown, strong branches and red-brown shoots. Blooms from July to September. The inflorescences are large, wide-conical, with a large number of large snow-white sterile flowers, which turn pink when flowering.

Tall variety "Kyushu" one of the tallest up to 3 m tall and the same crown diameter. Shoots are straight, protruding, red-brown, form a vase-shaped crown. The leaves are dark green, glossy, and the petioles are red. The glossy leaves are easily distinguishable from other varieties. The flowers are white with a pleasant aroma, collected in long and wide inflorescences, in which there are more fertile flowers than sterile ones. Blooms from mid-July to September.

Sort "Pinky Winky". Distinguished by conical pure white inflorescences, acquiring a purple-pink hue.

Shrub about 2 m high with a dense, not collapsing rounded crown. Young shoots are reddish-brown, slightly pubescent. The leaves are green, on the underside, pubescent along the veins, elliptical with a pointed apex and a serrated edge. Blooms from July to September. Inflorescences with a large number of sterile flowers, conical, pure white, then turn into a purple-pink hue.

Sort "Mega Mindy" They reach a height of no more than 1.6-1.8 m. They have strong and straight, hard, well-branched shoots of bright pink, and by autumn a rich wine-red color. Sterile flowers are very large, 6-7 cm in diameter, sometimes 8-10 cm. Blooms profusely from June to September, do not lose their decorative effect until winter. The flowers have a rather strong honey aroma.

Grade "Early Sensation". A beautifully shaped shrub that blooms very early. A bush 2 m high, 1 m in diameter, blooms earlier than other varieties, in June and blooms until September, the flowers are white, then quickly turn pink, collected in wide-cone-shaped inflorescences, strong stems that do not droop. Cut flowers are used as dried flowers.

The natural habitats of this hydrangea are the territories of the southern coast of Sakhalin, the islands of Japan and China. There it can reach ten meters in height. In our latitudes, it also grows remarkably well, adapted to both heat and frost. But its height is usually no more than two or three meters. With careful care per year, the bush adds 25 centimeters. Even if some of the shoots suffer in harsh winters, this hydrangea will quickly recover. The shoots are brown-red, grow straight, sometimes spread out, from the second year the stems become debilitated.

This representative of the hydrangea family looks very picturesque from mid-summer to October frosts, when wonderful flowers open in its panicle inflorescences, reaching a length of up to 35 centimeters. They can be of two types:

• sterile (about three centimeters, do not fall off for a long time);
• bisexual (they are smaller in size, after pollination happens, they quickly lose their petals).

The first flowers on the paniculate hydrangea appear at the age of three years.

In many varieties of panicled hydrangea, during flowering, a change in the color of the petals occurs. They may be creamy at first, then turn pink, and then turn red or green. It happens that there are so many flowers that under their weight the branches bend and even break if supports are not put in time. The leaves of this plant are bright, large (up to 15 centimeters in length), elliptical in shape, with a pointed tip and small teeth along the edge. They have a pleasant velvety texture, there is pubescence. The veins are strongly depressed. All branches are abundantly covered with closely spaced leaf blades. The age of these centenarians can reach up to 60 years. Hydrangea can adapt to adverse conditions environment, for example, if there are increased levels of gas and smoke in the air.

Which hydrangea to choose?

First, we will give the names of varieties of panicled hydrangea, which flower growers have been successfully growing for a long time:

1. "Limelight" - grows like a neat shrub, keeps its shape even without props. The height is within two meters. In partial shade near the flowers lime shade. If this plant is constantly under the influence sun rays, then the flowers will be white, and in the final stage they will turn a little pink. In autumn, the leaves turn from green to purple. A plant of this variety needs loose soil with an acid reaction of the environment, where lime was not added.
2. "Kyushu" - the crown is sprawling, fan-shaped, the height of the plant is about three meters. From the white-pink flowers comes a pleasant aroma. The color of the leaf stalks is reddish.
3. "Matilda" - the height of the plant is within two meters, and the width is about three. During long flowering, it is interesting to observe how the color of fragrant flowers changes - from cream to pink-green.
4. "Grandiflora" - pleases with large pyramidal "panicles", but they bloom a little later than other varieties. At first their color is cream, then white, later a pink tint appears, but in autumn the color is reddish-green.
5. "Floribunda" - shoots up to two meters, decorated with creamy white lush inflorescences. The flowers are large, located on long stalks.

Gradually, other varieties spread in gardens and parks:

• "Tardiva" - this three-meter bush blooms from August to October. Looks good in group compositions. At first, the cone-shaped "panicles" are creamy white, by the end of flowering they are pink-purple.
• "Vanilla Fraise" - by the beginning of autumn, white-pink inflorescences turn crimson, and in October they turn purple, while the top remains white. Such a wonderful variety was created by Jean Reno, a breeder from France.
• "Fries Melba" is another unpretentious and frost-resistant "brainchild" of the Frenchman Renault. Strong shoots (up to two meters), supporting large inflorescences without supports, where white and crimson colors contrast.
• "Candelight" - a dense, profusely flowering bush, whose height is not more than 150 centimeters. Conical inflorescences, first with yellow-green flowers, which then change color to golden-cream, and by October - to reddish.
• "Brussels Lace" - fruiting white flowers are so delicate that the bush is compared to the beauty of the bride. Wine-colored shoots, less than two meters.
• "Baby Lace" - easy to grow, resistant to powdery mildew. Its height is not more than 120 centimeters. The inflorescences are small (up to 15 centimeters), initially their color is white, then turning into pink tones.
• "Pink Diamond" - over time, the inflorescences become almost red.
• "Pinky Winky" - the color of the "panicles" is first white, then pink-red, purple-pink. The stems are strong. In autumn, the color of the leaves turns purplish-purple.
• "Unique" - has fragrant snow-white wide-conical inflorescences that turn pink by autumn.
• "Diamond Rouge" - at first the inflorescences are white, and in the fall they are cherry red.
• "Silver Dollar" - its landscape designers place it in parks next to others ornamental plants. Inflorescences are greenish-white, by autumn they turn into silver-pink.
• "Mega Pearl" - looks good both on the lawn and in combination with other bushes.
• "Dolly" - its "height" is just over 150 centimeters, white inflorescences flaunt on strong stems, turning pink by autumn.
• "Sunday Fries", translated as "Strawberry Ice Cream" - compact bush, whose height is not more than a meter. The inflorescence consists of sterile greenish-white flowers, then in the lower part the inflorescence changes to a strawberry color.
• "Weems Red" - on strong shoots, whose height is up to 180 centimeters, large inflorescences look amazing, some of them are 35 centimeters long. From June to September, you will see them first cream, then pink, then turn into a more intense pink, and finally wine red.
• "Bombshell" - the entire dwarf shrub is covered with white flowers.
• "Bobo" - does not grow more than 70 centimeters in height, already at the end of June, the first flowers in dense cone-shaped inflorescences open on it. At first, their color is white or with the presence of a lemon tint, then pink.
• "Little Lime" - greenish flowers open on one and a half meter shoots, which turn pink by autumn.
• "Phantom" - against the background of velvety dark green foliage, large creamy inflorescences stand out, in which most of the flowers are sterile. At the ends of the inflorescences, a pink "blush" is noticeable.
• "Polar Bear" - a frost-resistant bush with an abundance of snow-white "panicles".

Varieties that need a lot of sunlight and moisture: Unique, Levana, Diamond Rouge, Phantom, Diamantino.

The most suitable varieties of panicle hydrangea for the Moscow region are: "Bobo", "Grandiflora", "Vanilla Fries", "Pinky Winky", "Limelight", "Tardiva", "Kiushu", "Polar Bear", "Mega Pearl", " Phantom", "Fries Melba".

It is difficult to single out the best varieties of paniculate hydrangea, they are all good in their own way. We only note that the varieties bloom delightfully - Great Star, Vanilla Fries, Airlie Sensation, Magical Candle, Diamond Rouge, Magical Fire, Fries Melba.

Let's plant panicle hydrangea

It is very important to choose the right place for the seedling on the site. Some varieties grow well in partial shade, while others need plenty of sun. As for the soil, it should be clay or loamy, but necessarily fertile. Sandy soils are not suitable for hydrangeas. Most hydrangeas need an acid reaction of the environment, then the color of the flowers will turn out bright, and there will be a lot of “panicles”. To acidify the soil, you can take semi-rotted needles (from spruce or pine), brown peat, sawdust. Under this culture is not introduced dolomite flour, ash, lime.

In order to keep moisture under the crown longer, ground covers are placed near the hydrangea, for example, stonecrops, saxifrage.

Paniculata hydrangeas are planted in open ground in early spring or September. It is still advisable to buy a paniculate hydrangea in the spring, then it will take root very quickly and go to active growth. You can do this at flower fairs, nurseries, garden shops and centers. When planting this plant in the fall, there is a risk that a rapid cooling will prevent the hydrangea from settling in and taking root in a new place for it. Make a hole for planting a paniculate hydrangea wide (at least 70 centimeters in diameter) and deep (about 50 centimeters). Add a portion of fertilizer (mineral or organic) to the recess. fertile land moisturize it. When the water is absorbed, distribute the roots on the mound, and then cover them with the remaining soil so as not to accidentally deepen the root collar. It should remain level with the ground. Tamp the place under the hydrangea and water abundantly. If you have several seedlings, it is recommended to leave a distance of 150 centimeters between them (for tall plants) or 70 centimeters each (for compact and dwarf forms).

Recommendations for the further care of paniculate hydrangea

1. Water the hydrangea regularly and plentifully. If the weather is hot, without precipitation, then at least twice a week. Avoid cracking the ground under the hydrangea, loosen the soil shallowly after rain or watering, while pulling out weeds.
2. Mulching with needles or peat chips will help retain moisture in the soil layer longer.
3. It is desirable to carry out top dressing every ten days, alternating organic with mineral complexes. Organic is diluted slurry or chicken. You can add a little fermented nettle infusion to the water for irrigation. AT flower shops special fertilizers are sold, designed specifically for hydrangeas, in which all dosages are verified. In August, all feeding stops. If top dressing is rare or not carried out at all, then few inflorescences are formed, and the color of the petals turns out to be faded. To make the color more vivid and expressive, you can use mixtures for hydrangeas created on the basis of alum.
4. Pruning is also an important element of hydrangea care. Let's dwell on this in more detail.

How to prune paniculate hydrangea?

Annual pruning for Hydrangea paniculata is very important, as it helps to ensure that the bush looks lush and blooms profusely. In autumn, it is necessary to cut off all the "panicles", as well as weak and old shoots, branches, the growth of which is directed inside the crown. From 10 to 12 of the strongest shoots are left for wintering.

Spring pruning should be done before bud break occurs. For 2-3 buds, adult shoots are usually cut, and young stems - for 3-5 buds. As a result, the bush will gain strength, by August it will give an abundance of inflorescences. Do not forget to shorten frozen shoots and those that look weak or sick in the spring. For gardeners who do not prune paniculate hydrangea, it may not produce flowers. If your bush is old and you want to rejuvenate it, then cut all the shoots under the "stump". In two years, the bush should be restored.

Possible difficulties in growing paniculate hydrangea

It happens that the gardener diligently moisturizes his pet, but the leaves on it still droop, the bush looks lethargic. Probably, under your hydrangea, the soil and the roots located in its upper layer are overheating. Be sure to mulch the soil with peat, crushed bark or wood chips.

Another nuisance is the yellowing of the foliage on hydrangeas. At the same time, the color of the veins does not change - they are green. These are signs of chlorosis. And it occurs if the soil environment is alkaline. Symptoms will go away when you acidify the soil by feeding the hydrangea with iron sulfate.

There are serious diseases that can disturb hydrangeas that are in the shade or heavily thickened:

1. Gray rot - it is characterized by fast-growing brown spots. In inclement, rainy weather, gray mycelium can be seen on such spots, spores of the pathogen fungus can quickly spread to other crops. garden plot. Therefore, immediately, as soon as you notice the listed symptoms, take measures to save the hydrangea and prevent the spread of the disease to other plantings.
2. Powdery mildew - begins with the fact that a gray coating appears on some leaves. Gradually it becomes more, it darkens. Other leaves are also affected, which then wither and leave the hydrangea. If a powdery mildew falls on young shoots, then purple spots are noticeable on them, these parts of the plant die off. Such shoots are unlikely to survive the winter.
3. White rot - hydrangea roots suffer from it, as a result of which it does not receive necessary nutrition from the soil, wither and may die.
4. Tracheomycotic wilt - the lesion begins with the root system. Soon the fungus passes to the entire vascular system of this plant. Some of the shoots turn yellow, wither, and all this can lead to the death of the bush.

You can try to cope with the listed diseases with the help of special preparations called fungicides.

What does the drying and falling of leaves on a bush indicate? To get started, pay attention to bottom side sheet plates. Gossamer - a sure indicator that they settled on hydrangeas spider mites. To combat them, the Aktellik tool is suitable.

There are other pests on hydrangeas:

• snails that feed on leaves;
• aphids sucking juices from leaves;
• bedbugs, pennitsy, also sucking out vital juices;
• weevils, leaf beetles, leafworms that feed on foliage;
• root-eating nematodes.

From these pests you can try folk remedies or special insecticides.

How does hydrangea winter?

Now many wonderful varieties have been created that winter well without any shelters. But young seedlings should still be covered with spruce "paws". If you live in regions where winters are harsh, then it is better to play it safe and cover even adult hydrangea bushes in panicled autumn.

How can this species be propagated?

There are a few possible ways breeding hydrangea paniculata:

• seeds;
• layering;
• dividing a bush that has grown over the years;
• cuttings.

We will immediately warn you that the hydrangea has very tiny seeds, their germination is low, and grading may be lost. Such a seedling blooms only after four years. Usually flower growers resort to cuttings. Cutting (or pinching off) cuttings from panicle hydrangea is carried out in June (from the 10th to the 15th) from annual shoots (ripe, at this time buds appear on the plant). If the cuttings were cut in the spring or autumn months, then their rooting is poor. There must be at least three pairs of buds on the handle. From the lower kidney, you must leave a distance of two centimeters, and only then make a cut. On short shoots, upper cuts are not made. But if the shoot is long, then the upper cut should be made so that five more centimeters remain above the upper kidney. The lower leaves must be removed, and it is permissible to leave one or two leaves on the top, cutting them off in the middle. For several hours (possibly a day), hold the cuttings in water with a growth stimulator (for example, "Heteroauxin"). Fill the containers with a mixture of peat and sand. Bury each cutting into the substrate by three centimeters. Cover the cuttings with clear plastic cups. For rooting to be successful, keep the substrate in the container moist. Every day, the cups are removed so that it is possible to water the cuttings and sprinkle. You will notice signs indicating rooting in about a month. For the winter, such containers are transferred to a cool room where they will not freeze. Such cuttings can already be transplanted to their designated places next year, in August. If a small bush tries to give buds at this time, then you will have to cut them off so that the plant does not waste energy on flowering, but uses them to prepare for winter. Such seedlings are covered in autumn, winter hardiness will come to them after flowering (after four years).

By layering this hydrangea is propagated like this. Next to the adult bush, make a groove 20 centimeters deep. Bend the one-year-old shoot there, first making small cuts in the place where the roots may grow. The layer must be attached to the ground with a bracket. Top part must be vertical. Backfill the groove so that the top remains unfilled. Water this place periodically. A year later, the grown young growth can be cut off from an adult bush and transferred to another place.

If you have already developed good bush, which you want to divide into two or three parts, then dig it completely in the spring (you can at the very beginning of autumn), and then divide it. At the same time, several kidneys should remain on each part, from which renewal will begin.

Landscape designers often combine panicle and tree hydrangeas to create spectacular compositions. These plants are combined with conifers, lilacs, spireas, irises, peonies, roses, astilbes, Goryanka, anemones. In parks and squares, hydrangea is alternated with plantings of birch, maple, and willow.

Hydrangea paniculata, photo