When and how to properly plant a hydrangea seedling in spring in open ground. Garden hydrangea: varieties and photos, planting and care in the open field How to care for white hydrangea in the garden

If you are looking for a garden flower with royal appeal, hydrangea flowers are truly amazing. Heavy clusters of flowers cover this shrub in summer and spring. While growing hydrangeas may seem difficult at first glance, with proper planting and care, hydrangeas grow fairly easily.

In landscape design, the spectacular and luxurious Far Eastern shrub, the panicled hydrangea, is in great demand. Caring for it, and observing the basic rules of maintenance, will allow you to decorate your site with a scattering of delicate conical inflorescences.

Features of hydrangea

Hydrangea paniculata - a member of the Hortensia family, consists of many varieties. It grows in the form of a bush or tree, in some cases reaches 10 meters in height. Thanks to the efforts of breeders, varieties of this species are annually replenished with new worthy samples.

Features of the paniculate type of hydrangea:

• delicate flowers, up to 3 cm in diameter, are collected in lush fragrant elliptical inflorescences;
• the color scheme of inflorescences varies depending on the variety - from snow-white to pale pink or light green;
• inflorescence length - about 30 cm;
• inflorescence width - up to 20 cm;
• branches upright, spreading;
• leaves finely toothed, opposite.

In the second year after planting, the hydrangea shoots become solid, after another 1 year the plant is completely ready for flowering. Up to this point, all flowers from the seedling should be removed. The plant is frost-resistant, tolerates temperatures down to -26 °C. With proper care, it lives in one place for more than 50 years.

How to plant a hydrangea

As with most things, learning how to grow garden hydrangeas can save you time and money. By choosing the right place, properly preparing the soil, and planting it correctly, you will increase your chances of enjoying the magnificent huge flowers of your paniculate hydrangea for many years to come.

• Hydrangea is recommended to be planted in early spring, so that it gets stronger and takes root before the first autumn frosts. When planting in the fall, there is a high probability that the seedling will not survive the winter. The best time to plant is early morning or late evening. The cooler part of the day will provide better protection from heat stress. Keep the seedlings well watered until they are planted.

• Knowing where to grow hydrangea bushes is an important first step. Many grow hydrangeas next to a house or fence. These are great places because hydrangeas love the warm morning sun, but they don't like the heat in the afternoon. The best place to plant hydrangeas is in a sheltered area with morning sun and afternoon sun. And often this place is located on the north or south side of your house.

• Avoid planting directly under trees as this can lead to competition for water and nutrients. Good neighbors for hydrangeas will be small plants with fleshy roots: boxwood or. In addition, the hydrangea must be protected from the wind, because. strong winds can break branches and destroy flowers.

• When choosing a place for hydrangea, consider its preferences for soil composition. The plant loves acidic loams or fertile clay soil. Avoid planting in sandy soil, otherwise the plant will not develop well. Acidify the soil even before placing the seedling in a permanent place. For this, the rotted remains of sawdust, needles or peat are suitable.

• Illumination should be medium, preferably partial shade. The scorching sun negatively affects the plant: the bush stops developing, the inflorescences become smaller, the flowers quickly wither in the sun. Regular watering in the morning can help prevent wilting. But some varieties of hydrangeas just can't handle the excessive heat.

• It doesn't matter how well you water them - they will wither a little at noon. A thick layer of mulch can help retain moisture and keep the soil cool. You don't need to worry: your hydrangea will come to life as soon as the evening coolness sets in. Let it wilt a little at noon, than you drown it with excessive watering.

• Do not plant hydrangea in a place where deoxidizers have been introduced into the soil: wood ash, lime or crushed dolomite. In such soil, the shrub will develop poorly, and in the worst case, it will die.

• Plant hydrangea in a wide hole, the diameter of which is at least 70 cm.
• Pour water into it and add fertilizer (mineral or organic).
• Place the seedling in the hole without deepening the root neck, straighten the roots.
• Fill the hole with soil, lightly tamp, pour plenty of water.
• Between flowering bushes there should be a space of at least 1.5 meters.
• You can place seedlings closer to each other, but as they grow, the extra ones will have to be removed.

Features of planting a purchased hydrangea seedling

For planting hydrangeas, you can buy planting material. In this case, get ready for the fact that the seedling will not take root well in the open field after greenhouse conditions.

• before planting, water the seedling abundantly for 2-3 days;
• when transferring a plant from a pot to open ground, do not remove the old earthen ball from the root;
• pour a mixture of garden soil with store soil into the planting hole, otherwise it will be difficult for the plant to adapt to the new soil composition;
• for 2 months after planting, every 2 weeks, fertilize the seedling with organic and mineral supplements.

You can grow a seedling yourself by cuttings. Such seed will be more hardy than store-bought.

How to propagate garden hydrangea.

The simplest methods of growing hydrangeas are propagation by layering, dividing the bush and cuttings.

Reproduction of hydrangea by layering suitable for those who have an adult plant on the site:

• with the advent of spring, press a strong 1-year-old shoot to the ground;
• dig the shoot with the middle part to the ground;
• the top of the shoot should rise 20 cm above ground level;
• water the layers as necessary, shelter from frost for the winter;
• after 1-1.5 years, separate the layers from the mother bush, and transplant to a new place.

Division of a hydrangea bush it is used if there is an old bush on the site that needs to be dug up. In spring or autumn, remove the plant from the ground, divide vertically along the root into several parts, so that renewal buds are present on each of them. Root the resulting seedlings immediately in a new place.

Propagation of hydrangea cuttings. You can cut them from May to June:

• select a strong one-year-old shoot, and cut from it the upper part with three pairs of buds;
• cut off the 2 bottom sheets;
• dip the cutting with a cut in a growth-stimulating preparation;
• 2/3 deepen the cutting into a mixture of peat and sand (2 to 1);
• cover with a thick film or glass;
• make sure that the scorching sun does not fall on the cutting;
• spray the cuttings every day, moisten the soil mixture;
• for the winter, remove the container with the seedling in a cool place;
• when it warms up, plant the cutting on the site.

At the time of planting, the cutting should give young shoots. If flowering appears, then pluck it until next year. As soon as the seedling gets stronger and blooms, it is considered winter-hardy. Before that, cover it with a tarp or burlap for the winter.

Simple rules for the care of hydrangeas in the open field.

For violent flowering and active growth, hydrangea needs appropriate care: systematic watering, feeding and pruning. Young bushes that have not yet bloomed require winter shelter. In regions with a cold climate, it is also necessary to insulate old bushes.

In summer, water the shrub more often, as it does not react well to drought. Mulch the earth in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe bush with peat or loosen it after each watering.

Pruning rules:

1. Before the onset of cold weather, cut wilted inflorescences, improperly growing and dry stems. For good flowering in the future, it is enough to leave up to 12 strong branches.
2. In early spring, remove part of the upper buds from the shoots (2 for old, 4 for young bushes).
3. For aged and weak shrubs, rejuvenate pruning at ground level. As a rule, in 2-3 years the bush is completely restored.

Growing hydrangea in the garden is simple and profitable, because there are many varieties of this plant, and they are unpretentious in care. By studying the special needs of the flower, the gardener will be able to properly prepare the soil for planting, choose a suitable planting site, determine the best planting time and get a beautiful and healthy harvest.

Location selection

There are several types of hydrangea. Some requirements for growing conditions are the same for them, and some are different. So, for example, panicled hydrangea grows in one place for a long time and does not tolerate transplantation in adulthood. In this it differs from other species, for example, large-leaved hydrangea and serrate hydrangea, which can be transplanted painlessly if the initially chosen place was not very successful. In addition, panicled hydrangea is characterized by fragility of shoots. Therefore, it should not be planted near buildings in order to protect it from snow falling from the roof in winter.

Another special type - petiolate hydrangea has a liana-like shape, so it needs support. It is convenient to plant such a hydrangea near a fence, gazebos, walls of a country house. If you plant it in the middle of the site, you will need to install some kind of structure nearby (arch, pergola, etc.) so that the vines have something to cling to.

In the first years of life, hydrangea bushes are not very decorative. Therefore, at first it is good to plant flowering annuals near them. But it is better not to plant bulbs nearby. They have to be dug out every 2-3 years. When digging, you can touch the root system of the hydrangea, and it is very sensitive to damage to its roots. In addition to types of hydrangea, there are many more varieties of each type.

They can also vary somewhat in size, flowering time, greater or lesser resistance to frost. All this must also be taken into account when choosing a landing site. For example, less winter-hardy varieties are planted so that it is convenient to equip a shelter for the winter. We will talk in more detail about the types and varieties of hydrangeas in a separate chapter.

Most types and varieties of hydrangeas prefer diffused lighting, openwork penumbra. They need a place that is lit for most of the day, but at the same time shaded from direct sunlight. Therefore, hydrangeas grow well where at midday hours a not very dense shadow from the foliage of trees falls on them. However, they should not be planted in close proximity to trees, so that the plants do not compete for food and moisture - the hydrangea has a branched root system, and the feeding area is large enough. The petiole hydrangea is the most photophilous, it can be planted in an open place.

The second important requirement for the landing site is protection from the prevailing winds. This is important both in summer and in winter. The shoots of most hydrangeas are quite brittle, so strong summer winds can damage them. In winter, even the most cold-resistant varieties need the most comfortable and protected conditions, since the frost resistance of hydrangeas is still relatively low compared to other crops. It is good to plant hydrangeas near the fences or walls of the house on the south or southwest side.

Hydrangeas (with the exception of the liana-shaped form) are most often planted in single plantings or in small groups on a lawn or in a mixborder. They coexist well with undersized shrubs (for example, astilba), hosts, all kinds of ornamental grasses and cereals, peonies, daylilies, phlox, flowering annuals.

There is no need to worry about the height of groundwater and the humidity of the site. Hydrangeas are very moisture-loving, with good care they take root even on marshy soils and in lowlands (with the exception of panicled hydrangea, which does not like waterlogging).

The soil

Hydrangeas require loose, moisture-absorbing, breathable soil with a high humus content. A special requirement is the acidity of the soil - hydrangeas prefer slightly acidic or even acidic soils, the pH should approach 5.5. Therefore, fresh manure cannot be applied under them - it shifts the acidity of the soil to neutral and alkaline. And in such conditions, plants develop leaf chlorosis, caused by poor absorption of iron. As organic additives for hydrangeas, it is better to use humus and peat. Heavy soil can be corrected by adding coarse river sand. If the soil is neutral, it is acidified with aluminum sulfate, ammonium sulfate or potassium chloride. The level of acidity can be determined by changing the color of hydrangeas. If the flowers turn pink, then the soil is not acidic enough and the plant may soon get sick.

Landing dates

The time of planting hydrangeas in the ground depends on the condition of the seedling and the climate. The optimal planting time is late spring (early-mid-May), when the ground is already fully warmed up and the threat of night frosts has passed. In regions with a warmer climate, the autumn planting of hydrangeas (mid-late September) is no less successful. It is also acceptable in temperate climates, but only if the seedling is old enough and has a well-formed root system. Young seedlings with weak roots are best planted in the spring on nursery beds. They are left there until autumn or until next spring.

Landing Rules

The size of the planting hole depends on the size of the seedling (or rather, its root system). The largest are panicle hydrangea seedlings, which are recommended to be purchased and planted in a permanent place at the age of 4-5 years, so that the plant takes root well and blooms already in the year of planting. For them, the size of the pit is 80 x 80 cm. For other types of hydrangea, the standard planting pit has a size of 50 x 50 cm.

The distance between the planting pits (or to neighboring plants with a single planting) should be on average 1-1.5 m. If the hydrangea is planted as a hedge, then the distance can be reduced to 0.7-0.9 m, but then every 1-2 years it will be necessary to do thinning pruning so that the bushes do not drown each other out. For standard forms of paniculate hydrangea, the distance is greater than for other species - at least 2-2.5 m.

If the soil is very light, sandy, a small layer of clay (2-3 cm) can be placed on the bottom of the planting hole. Next, a drainage layer is laid (5-8 cm). For drainage, you can use expanded clay, small gravel, broken brick. On top of the drainage, the pit is filled with a nutrient soil mixture. There are several options for the mixture, but the main thing is that humus and peat are present in it. Humus is applied at the rate of 10 kg per pit. The amount of peat depends on the acidity of the soil. The lower it is, the greater the proportion of the mixture should be peat. In addition, it is imperative to add superphosphate (60 g per pit) and potash fertilizers (20 g of potassium sulfate per pit) to the mixture. Nitrogen fertilizers are applied if planting occurs in the spring (20 g of urea per pit). When planting in the fall, they are not needed. Fresh manure and lime should not be added in any case - hydrangeas do not tolerate them.

Thanks to archaeologists, it became known that the hydrangea already existed at least forty thousand years ago. In Asia, this plant has been cultivated for a long time, and Europeans began to show interest in it only since 1900, although the hydrangea was brought to Europe from Japan almost a century earlier. Now this shrub is found everywhere.

Hydrangea has the unique ability to accumulate aluminum in itself, and then the inflorescences on the bushes turn blue or blue.

• How to grow hydrangea from seeds?
• How to plant a shrub?
• How to care for hydrangea throughout the season?

You will find answers to these and other questions in our article.

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Planting and caring for hydrangeas

• Landing: in autumn, sowing seeds for seedlings, followed by planting seedlings in open ground in early spring in two years. In the south, seedlings can be planted in the ground in the fall.
• Bloom: from early summer to late autumn.
• Lighting: partial shade in the southern area, bright sunlight in the middle lane and more northern regions.
• The soil: rich and moist, lime-free (pH 5.0).
• Watering: weekly and plentiful, water consumption - from 15 to 20 liters per plant.
• Top dressing: in early spring - with a solution of urea, after flowering - with complex mineral fertilizer.
• Pruning: annually from 3-4 years. Paniculate and tree-like - in March-April.
• Reproduction: seeds, dividing the bush, grafting, layering and green cuttings.
• Pests: spider mites.
• Diseases: peronosporosis, chlorosis.

Read more about growing hydrangeas below.

Plant hydrangea (lat. Hydrangea) belongs to the genus of flowering plants of the Hortensia family, which, according to various sources, includes from 30 to 80 species of shrubs, lianas and small trees. In nature, most often hydrangea can be found in East and South Asia - in Japan and China. It also grows in the Far East and North America. The hydrangea flower got its name in honor of the princess of the Holy Roman Empire, and the Latin name Hydrangea was given to the plant by taxonomists for its exorbitant moisture-loving nature (hydrangea is translated as “vessel of water”). The Japanese call the hydrangea "ajisai", which in Japanese means "flower - purple sun." Of the large variety of types of hydrangea in room culture, only garden hydrangea, or large-leaved, compact forms, is grown, all other types and varieties of hydrangea in our latitudes are grown in gardens.

Hydrangea flowers - description

Hydrangea flowers in natural conditions are shrubs up to 3 m tall, medium-sized trees and vines that can climb tree trunks to a height of up to 30 m. In addition, depending on the species, they can be both evergreen and deciduous plants, and in our climate flower growers prefer to grow deciduous. Hydrangea leaves are usually large, opposite, oval with a sharp apex, often with serrated edges and prominent venation. Hydrangea blooms from spring to frost with large spherical inflorescences, corymbose or paniculate, consisting of flowers of two types: small fertile (fertile), usually located in the middle of the inflorescence, and large sterile (sterile), blooming at the edges. There are, however, species in which all the flowers in the inflorescence are fertile.

Most of the hydrangeas bloom with white flowers, but such a species, for example, as large-leaved hydrangea (or large-leaved hydrangea), blooms not only with white and cream, but also with red, blue, lilac and pink flowers, and the color directly depends on the pH of the soil (level pH): on neutral soil, hydrangeas grow with beige and cream flowers, on alkaline soil with lilac or pink flowers, on acidic soil with blue ones due to the aluminum contained in the soil, which the plant can absorb. The fruit of the hydrangea is a 2-5-chamber box with small seeds. Sometimes plants from the closely related genus Schizophragmatic are confused with hydrangea, but you should know that the so-called petiolate hydrangea is actually a schizophragma.

Growing hydrangeas - features

Well, now we can talk about the features of growing hydrangeas in the garden. So:

• The color of large-leaved hydrangea flowers depends on the pH of the soil in which it grows: in neutral soil, the flowers will be white or cream in color, in acidic soil they will be blue or blue, in neutral soil they will be pink or lilac. Therefore, to create multi-colored bushes, it is enough to change the acidity of the soil under each of them;
• hydrangea is very moisture-loving, so take watering the plant seriously;
• bright light is very important for hydrangea, but in direct sun, delicate petals quickly burn out, so it is best to plant it where there will be light partial shade on a hot afternoon;
• the most important factor in caring for hydrangeas after a watering regimen is timely proper pruning;
• do not overfeed hydrangeas with organic matter, otherwise they, growing rapidly, will almost certainly not bloom;
• even cold-resistant varieties of hydrangeas need warm shelter for the winter, but if your beauty is frozen, do not despair: most likely, she will recover during the growing season;
• hydrangea is very rarely affected by diseases or pests.

Planting hydrangeas

Hydrangea from seeds

The seed method (generative) successfully propagates species hydrangeas. The method of seed propagation is also used for the purposes of a selection experiment. How to grow hydrangea from seeds? Very simple, but you will need time.

Hydrangea seeds are sown in autumn: hydrangea seeds are sown in a nutritious loose substrate, consisting of a mixture of leaf and peat soil with river sand in a ratio of 4: 2: 1, which are then covered with a light layer of the same mixture and moistened from a sprayer. The container is covered with glass or film, which is periodically removed to ventilate the crops and moisten the substrate, which should be slightly damp at all times. The temperature required for germination is 14-20 ºC. As soon as shoots appear (this usually happens after a month and a half), the glass can be removed.

You need to dive hydrangea seedlings twice: the first time in the stage of development of cotyledon leaves, the second - in May. Moreover, during the second picking, each seedling is planted in a separate pot with a diameter of 7 cm. After the second picking, young hydrangeas for hardening are exposed to fresh air during the day in a place where direct sunlight, rain moisture and drafts do not reach. In the evening, seedlings are brought into the room.

At home, hydrangeas are grown for two years, in winter - in a bright, cool room, and in summer, exposing them to fresh air as much as possible and removing emerging buds so as not to weaken young plants with flowering.

Hydrangea seedlings

Two years later, in early spring, and if you live in a region with a cold climate, then in the fall, the grown seedlings are planted in open ground in a permanent place. When choosing a site for hydrangeas, keep in mind that all species of this plant, without exception, love sunlight, but species such as rough hydrangea, ground cover, treelike and Sargent feel good in light shade. The soil is preferably neutral or slightly acidic, loose and rich in organic matter. Alkaline soil can be acidified with high-moor peat or Acid plus acidifier.

Make sure that shrubs or trees with the same superficial root system as the hydrangea do not grow near the area allotted for hydrangea, since in the future there may be a struggle between them for moisture and nutrients in the upper soil layer. Planting a hydrangea begins with digging a hole, which should be twice the size of an earthen coma of a hydrangea seedling. In the finished pit, add peat, mineral and organic fertilizers mixed with soil. Remove the seedling with the clod from the pot, carefully shake off the soil, straighten the roots, lower into the hole and cover with soil mixed with compost so that the root ball protrudes slightly above the level of the plot. Tamp down the soil, water the plant and mulch the area with needles or bark.

Hydrangea care in the garden

How to care for hydrangea

Caring for hydrangeas in the garden is not difficult at all, but there are mandatory items that must be followed strictly. The most important condition for caring for hydrangea is properly organized watering - it should be plentiful, approximately 30-50 liters of warm settled water for each adult plant twice a week during hot weather. If the soil is mulched with peat, then you can water less often, because the peat stays wet for a long time.

To improve the aeration of the roots, it is necessary to loosen the soil around the bush several times during the spring-summer period to a depth of about 5 cm. Do not forget to cut off faded shoots.

Hydrangea fertilizer

If you want the hydrangea to bloom in full force, it is necessary to carry out complex top dressing at least twice a year - before and after the hydrangea flowering period. In early spring, the hydrangea is fed with a solution of 20 g of urea per bucket of water, on the basis that three buckets of such a solution will be needed to feed an adult plant. After flowering, the hydrangea is fed with complex mineral fertilizers.

Throughout the summer, you can fertilize the hydrangea from time to time with slurry, but follow the measure so as not to overfeed the plant, otherwise large inflorescences can break fragile branches with their weight. Just in case, tie up the shoots so that this does not happen.

Hydrangea pruning

Hydrangeas that have reached the age of three to four are subject to pruning. Those species that bloom on the shoots of the current year are pruned in early spring, before bud break and sap flow begins, so that the plant does not expire with juice and die. But too early pruning makes cuttings obtained after it unsuitable for rooting. Therefore, you need to guess for pruning such a time when the kidneys only swell a little and take on a “live” appearance.

• The tree-like hydrangea is cut first - it wakes up earlier than other species. Its long shoots are cut off at a height of three or four buds, the cut off parts are cut into cuttings.
• Panicle hydrangea is cut much more carefully: last year's shoots are only a third, but excellent cuttings are obtained from these segments.
• The large-leaved hydrangea is practically not pruned, only slightly rejuvenated, removing every fourth shoot annually, especially if it grows inside the bush, and, of course, dead or broken branches.

Reproduction of hydrangea cuttings

From the shoots you got after pruning, cut the pieces with two knots so that there is an oblique cut under the lower knot, and a straight cut above the top one. There should be a distance of 2-3 cm from the node to the cut. Plant the cuttings in a container-greenhouse with peat-sandy soil, immersing the lower part in the soil by 3 cm, water well. Then cover the greenhouse with a "house" made of polyethylene.

Spray the cuttings with a spray bottle to keep the soil moist at all times. As soon as the cuttings take root, they are planted in open ground in a permanent place, where they will have time to grow enough before the fall to courageously survive the coming winter.

Hydrangea after flowering

When the hydrangea has faded, it's time to prepare the plant for winter. Young seedlings growing in pots are transferred indoors, and wilted inflorescences are removed from garden hydrangea species so that suddenly falling wet snow does not stick to them and break the fragile branches of the plant. In addition, you will need to pile up the base of the hydrangea bushes high and mulch the area where they grow in order to reliably protect their surface root system for the winter.

The most cold-resistant of hydrangeas are paniculate and ground cover. Their shoots become completely lignified by autumn, so it is easier to endure winter cold even without shelter, if you do not live in a cold climate. It can endure a harsh winter without shelter and tree hydrangea.

wintering hydrangeas

Preparing hydrangeas for winter

In warm snowy winters, even heat-loving large-leaved and serrated hydrangeas can winter without man-made shelter, but no one will tell you for sure to what temperature the thermometer column can drop in winter and how high the snow cover will be in the coming winter. Believing in assumptions and making a mistake means ruining your garden, so it’s better to be vigilant and maybe even distrustful of forecasts, but sleep peacefully on frosty nights, knowing that your plants are also fast asleep under their warm shelter.

So, how and when to cover hydrangeas for the winter? It is better to do this after the first frost, during October. Very young bushes simply fall asleep with dry earth to the top. Older bushes are bent to the ground and covered with lutrasil or roofing material, which are pressed down with bricks so that the wind does not rip them off. Adult bushes will require a lot of effort from you: the bush is carefully tied and wrapped with lutrasil or spunbond. Then a frame is built around it in the form of a cylinder of metal mesh at a distance of 20-25 cm from the bush, and the frame should be 10 cm higher than the plant. The space between the mesh and the hydrangea is filled with dry foliage, which at this time of the year in the gardens is more than enough. In the spring, in April, the frame with foliage can be removed, and when a stable positive temperature is established, the spunbond is also removed.

Hydrangea in winter

It is up to you to cover your hydrangeas for the winter or not. We offer shelter options in the event of a harsh, and most importantly, snowless winter. If there are no severe frosts in your area, then the shelter may be symbolic, and if your hydrangea also belongs to winter-hardy species, then it may not need to be protected from frost. But if the hydrangea in your garden is not a cold-resistant species, and winters in your area are unpredictable, use our tips in the fall to sleep peacefully in the winter, see how the hydrangea awakens to life in the spring, and admire its incomparable, beautiful flowering in the summer. .

Types and varieties of hydrangeas

Before you plant a hydrangea in your garden, you need to know which of its types is right for you, since each of them has its own requirements in agricultural technology. Growing panicled hydrangea, for example, differs in some important ways (pruning, preparing for winter) from growing tree or large-leaved hydrangea, so the more you know about the species, the easier it will be for you to care for any of them. So...

Hydrangea tree (Hydrangea arborescens)

A species widespread in the gardens of our climatic zone. Tree hydrangea is a shrub that reaches a height of one to three meters. Inflorescences are formed at the ends of annual shoots, at the beginning of flowering the flowers have a greenish tint, but when they bloom, they become white or cream.

Popular garden forms are Invisible Spirit - pink hydrangea, Sterilis - white hydrangea, characterized by abundant flowering, Annabelle hydrangea and Grandiflora hydrangea with large snow-white inflorescences (just do not confuse this variety of tree hydrangea with the paniculate hydrangea variety of the same name).

Hydrangea paniculata (Hydrangea paniculata)

In nature, it grows as a shrub or tree with a height of two to five meters. In garden culture, it is one of the most sought-after species. In one place paniculate hydrangea can grow for more than forty years. Its shoots become woody quickly, which makes this species resistant to cold. Inflorescences are formed on the tops of the shoots of the current year, so the flowering is very plentiful, although the buds that appear already at the end of June open only by August or September. Hydrangea inflorescences are paniculate pyramidal in shape, the flowers at the very beginning of flowering have a greenish tint, then turn white, become pink in the fall, then brick, and at the end of flowering again become greenish.

The most famous garden forms: Grandiflora, Hydrangea Vanilla Fraze, Kuishu, Tardiva.

Large-leaved hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla)

Which is called garden, most often grown in the garden, but there are compact varieties that can be grown in containers on terraces and even indoors. This species has dense foliage of bright green color, the shoots of the current year are herbaceous, so the plant has a very low cold resistance. However, the buds for the shoots of the current year, at the ends of which the inflorescences bloom, are laid the previous autumn, so it is believed that the large-leaved hydrangea blooms on last year's shoots. The shape of the inflorescences is usually umbellate, viburnum, which is commonly called Japanese, or hemispherical. The color of the flowers depends on the pH level of the soil.

For example, such varieties from recently bred cold-resistant varieties are interesting: Endless summer - blue hydrangea if it grows on acidic soil, and lilac if it grows on neutral soil; Renata Steinger - blue hydrangea; variety forms with double flowers Romance and Expression.

Oakleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia)

A very attractive look, but, unfortunately, not winter-hardy at all, therefore, it requires thorough warming for the winter. It impresses not only with lush flowering, but also with leaves of a beautiful shape unusual for hydrangeas. Oakleaf hydrangea grows up to two meters in height, has paniculate inflorescences 10-30 cm long with white flowers at the beginning of flowering, and eventually purple flowers that bloom in June-July.

Ground cover hydrangea (Hydrangea heteromalla)

Or hydrangea - frost-resistant species, reaching in nature two to three meters in height. In culture, it is often used to form a standard form. Dark green leaves 20 cm long have a smooth surface and a woolly, pubescent underside, the inflorescences are loose, corymbose, white at first, but turning pink towards the end of flowering. Blooms in late June or early July. Especially popular is Bretschneider's ground cover hydrangea, which blooms profusely with large milky-white inflorescences.

Hydrangea, planting and care - are of no small importance when growing, since an unsuccessfully chosen place and soil composition of the soil can lead to illness and poor development, in some cases death. In addition, you need to properly care for the shrub after planting in order to achieve lush flowering and healthy growth ...

Site selection and soil preparation

When to plant hydrangea? The best time for planting is spring, the moment when the ground thaws, the buds have not yet blossomed, and autumn - in the month of September. When choosing a place for an ornamental leafy plant, keep in mind that it is better to plant a hydrangea in the shade or partial shade, as the bright sun causes slow growth, as a result of which the inflorescences become smaller.

Some types of hydrangea can be grown in open sunny areas, but this requires abundant watering. It is desirable to protect young shrubs from the bright sun and high winds. It is not recommended to place under trees that absorb water heavily.

The soil for hydrangea should be well-drained and moist, consist of a balanced mixture of humus, leafy soil, peat chips, river sand (2: 2: 1: 1). Regardless of the type and variety of hydrangea, remember that lime in the soil adversely affects development. The soil should be with a Ph level of approximately 5.0.

Planting hydrangeas in open ground

In the northern regions of the country, it is preferable to plant hydrangeas in open ground in the spring, in the southern regions, including the Kuban, the procedure is also carried out in the fall. It is recommended to equip a planting hole for a beautiful shrub, the dimensions of which are 0.4 m in diameter and a depth of 0.4-0.5 m. When planting, be guided by the size of the root system, if it is too large, increase the volume of the hole. It is worth noting that the roots of hydrangea are quite branched.

choosing a place and planting a hydrangea with a closed root system - in the photo

It is necessary to bring the prepared soil mixture into the pit and make a small mound, on which the seedling is then carefully placed and the roots are straightened, they fall asleep without deepening the root neck, which should be flush with the soil. A slight penetration is acceptable, but not more than 20-30 mm; a too deep landing can subsequently lead to neck rotting.

The soil in the near-trunk zone must be well compacted. Watering the hydrangea after planting is mandatory, it is necessary that the water seeps well to a depth of 30-40 cm. Watering is best done in the hole next to the plant.

Top dressing and mulching as the basis of care

To retain moisture after planting in a permanent place, the hydrangea is mulched in the trunk circle. Mulch also keeps weeds from growing and protects the roots from overheating. As a mulching material, peat chips, wood chips or bark are used, having a uniform layer of 8-10 cm.

Mulch will decompose over time and become part of the soil, slightly acidifying it. Mulching is best done in late spring, when the ground is warm but still damp.

watering hydrangeas - pictured

In order for the shrub to grow well and please with abundant flowering, the garden hydrangea is fertilized when planting, then in the spring in the third decade of May or in early summer - the first days of June. Use a solution of mullein or chicken manure diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10. Do not forget to fertilize with a complex of mineral fertilizers or add at least the most basic components - 20 g of superphosphate, 10 g of potassium nitrate and urea. Subsequent feeding of hydrangeas is carried out with an interval of 17-20 days and ends at the end of July, so that the young shoots have time to lignify by the winter.

For strong and flexible shoots, ornamental shrubs are watered with a solution of potassium permanganate of a faint pink color. In addition, garden stores sell special fertilizers for hydrangeas, which include magnesium and iron, which are necessary for the plant.

mulching hydrangeas with wood chips - pictured

Paniculata hydrangea, large-leaved and ground cover predominantly have pinkish, creamy colors that can be changed if desired. The color of the hydrangea is directly determined by the acidity of the soil. If the soil is slightly alkaline, then the flowering will be pink and raspberry in color; on acidic soils, the hydrangea blooms with blue flowers.

To obtain blue flowers in alkaline soil, the shrub is watered with solutions of iron salts. To get a more intense blue color under the hydrangea, rusty metal cans should be buried.

Hydrangea pruning - continue to care

Do I need to prune hydrangea and how to do it? In order for the care to be correct, it must be remembered that the pruning of large-leaved, serrate, prickly, Sargent, liana-shaped, oak-leaved hydrangeas is carried out taking into account the fact that flowers appear on the shoots of the second year, which means that you need to cut old branches and weak ones, to strong buds.

Pruning paniculate and tree hydrangeas involves removing old and faded shoots, which are also weak. At the same time, experienced gardeners do not recommend removing a large number of shoots at the same time, it is better to stretch the procedure for a year or two so that the plant does not lose strength and does not die from excessive cutting operations. The main branches, as a rule, do not touch, cut only those that are bad and grow inside the bush.

autumn pruning hydrangea - pictured

You can prune hydrangeas in spring and autumn, but preferably in autumn, as sap flow slows down, and cutting will help lush flowering in spring. In the spring months, improper pruning can slow growth and delay flowering. In addition, in the spring, processes begin to actively start at the shrub, juice is released during pruning, so be careful not to harm the plant. In spring, pruning is best done as early as possible, before the buds swell and constant heat is established.

Hydrangea pruning for the winter is carried out as usual, with only one difference - it is better not to touch young shrubs and let them winter without surgical intervention, otherwise you risk ruining the plant. Hydrangea, planting and caring for which is not at all complicated, will surely delight you with its lush flowering if you suddenly decide to grow an unpretentious plant in your garden.

Gotensias: related photos

We describe the planting and care of hydrangeas in spring and autumn (tree-like, large-leaved (garden), paniculate and petiolate). Consider the place, soil, planting rules and step-by-step instructions, as well as watering, fertilizing, pruning and preparing for winter (Moscow region, North-West, Urals, Siberia and southern regions).

Planting hydrangeas in open ground: place, soil, distance and depth

The plant is heat-loving, fast-growing and needs fertile soil and sufficient moisture.

We describe planting in open ground for any type of hydrangea: oak-leaved, large-leaved (garden), paniculate, serrate, tree-like, petiolate, Sargent and others.

Landing place

Hydrangea (all types) is a photophilous plant, it grows well in a sunny and open place, but bright sun and strong wind should be avoided. Therefore, at the peak of the heat, light shading is necessary, she loves diffused light very much.

At the same time, the shrub is able to grow well in light penumbra, in this case it blooms later with fewer flowers. The presence of sunlight in the morning, in the first half of the day is very important. Therefore, the east side is better suited than the west.

Soil and acidity

Hydrangea grows well in fertile, humus-rich clay soils. It develops worse on red soils, and sandy soils are contraindicated.

The optimum level of acidity is pH 5.2-6.0 (slightly acidic soil). The maximum brightness of the inflorescences is observed precisely on acidic soil, and on neutral soil, slow development and pale color.

Alkaline soil leads to chlorosis (yellowing of leaves). When the bush grows on alkaline soil, there is often a lack of iron and magnesium, which is manifested by a light and pale color of the leaves.

Therefore, acidify the soil or treat the bush with an iron chelate. In past centuries, gardeners buried iron objects (nails, a can, a horseshoe).

When planting, a special balanced soil mixture with fertilizers is prepared.

soil mix

Compound: humus, turf land, leaf land and peat - equal parts or humus, garden soil (chernozem), peat and sand - 2: 2: 1: 1. As well as nutrients: 20-25 grams (table + teaspoon) of carbamide (urea), 24-29 grams of potassium sulfate (two tablespoons) and 60-70 grams of superphosphate (150-250 grams of bone meal).

If spruces and pines grow nearby, then under them you can dig up light, loose and slightly acidic soil. Some gardeners successfully grow flowers in such soil, even without fertilizing when planting.

A complete ban - lime, chalk and wood ash.

landing distance

Large-leaved - 120-160 cm, and paniculate 140-240 cm between bushes, and from the nearest large shrubs and trees - 230-300 cm. If you want to plant hydrangea in a row (hedge, "mixborder"), then you can dig a trench wide 90-110 cm.

If you want to achieve earlier flowering, then when planting, dig holes closer to each other (70-80 cm), and after 2-3 years thin out the bushes if necessary.

landing pit

Depth - 36-45, width - 51-65 cm. The roots grow mainly in breadth, extending much further than the crown.

planting depth

The root neck should be at the level of the soil, a maximum of 2-3 cm below, otherwise the flower will develop poorly.

Step-by-step instructions for planting hydrangeas

1. Dig a hole of the desired size 15-30 days before planting.
2. Prepare the potting mix and backfill the planting hole.
3. Dig a hole and place the seedling on the cone of the soil mixture at the desired depth and straighten the roots. Gradually backfill the hole and compact the soil.
4. Water the bush with 8-12 liters of water and sprinkle with bark, sawdust or peat - 6-8 cm thick and 16-20 cm in diameter.
5. Cover the flower from direct sunlight during the day and strong winds.

When is the best time to plant hydrangea? Spring or autumn?

Best planting time: spring - early May and autumn - September. At the same time, the most favorable period to plant hydrangea in a cold climate is only spring, and in more southern regions it can be planted in spring and autumn.

Hydrangea care after planting

Preparing for flowering

For the first two years, cut off the inflorescences at the bud stage (“pea”). And then the plant will direct all its efforts to the development of the root system and the aerial part, which will ensure better flowering in subsequent years.

• Watering, fertilizing, pruning and preparing for winter - see the relevant sections.

Caring for garden hydrangea: the secrets of growing

Flower care consists of watering, fertilizing, pruning and preparing for winter. Spring is the best time to add mulch to the trunk circle to retain more moisture. Scatter sawdust, peat, needles or wood chips in a 7-8 cm layer, with a diameter of 24-30 cm.

top dressing

When planting hydrangeas in a soil mixture with fertilizers, you can not feed them for the first two years. The general rule of fertilizing until July is acidic fertilizers (ammonium sulfate, potassium sulfate), and from July to October potassium-phosphorus (bone meal, superphosphate).

The plant's need for nutrients is high as it grows quickly and blooms powerfully.

1. Comprehensive nutrition for growth. In early - mid-May, feed with complex mineral fertilizer - 25-35 grams per 10 liters of water. Or separately a tablespoon (15 g) of urea + 25-30 g of superphosphate (2 tablespoons) and a tablespoon (15 g) of potassium sulfate.
   Mineral fertilizers can be supplemented with organic: infusion of mullein or bird droppings - 1:10. Repeat top dressing after 13-16 days.
2. Potassium-phosphorus top dressing for flowering. 12-16 days before flowering (beginning - mid-June), liquid top dressing is carried out: dissolve 65-75 g of superphosphate and 41-49 g of potassium sulfate in water and water the bush.
3. During flowering. Repeat the previous top dressing at the time of mass flowering to prolong it and ensure the laying of new flower buds.

• For top dressing, it is not recommended to use wood ash. Fertilizers are well suited for heather species and rhododendron.
• Do not allow an excess of nitrogen, which leads to a decrease in winter hardiness, deterioration of flowering and promotes the development of rot. Apply only in April-May.
• Important! An overabundance of fertilizers, especially organic ones (mullein, droppings) will do more harm than a lack.

Watering hydrangeas

The flower is moisture-loving and needs regular watering. Drought is contraindicated, the lack of sufficient moisture leads to impaired development.

In dry and hot weather, water every 7-8 days with 15-20 liters of water. The usual schedule is every 13-16 days 15-25 liters of water, and if it is rainy in summer, then 4-5 times per season.

The lack of moisture in autumn reduces the winter hardiness of the plant, so if there is little rain in autumn, then additional watering is required.

Periodically add 2-3 grams of potassium permanganate to the water for irrigation to prevent the development of rot. Soft water is best for irrigation.

It is better to water in the morning or in the evening in the near-stem circle, when there is no scorching sun. After each watering, it is desirable to loosen the soil 5-6 cm deep around the plant.

Proper hydrangea pruning: spring and autumn

All species tolerate pruning well and need it, but each has its own characteristics. Pruning in the spring can be carried out only from 3-4 years of age. The most common types of hydrangeas in Russian gardens are divided into two groups according to the type of pruning.

Group No. 1 (large-leaved hydrangea (garden), prickly, serrate, oak-leaved, Sargent and petiolate)

These species bloom on last year's shoots and need sanitary and cosmetic pruning. The optimal pruning time is that as soon as the buds swell a little, there is no active movement of juices, plus such cut shoots can be rooted. Let's talk about the example of garden hydrangea.

Large-leaved hydrangea (macrophila) cannot be cut, but can only be rejuvenated. Every spring, cut every fourth branch older than 3 years, especially growing inward, so that the bush does not thicken, as well as dead, weak (thin) or broken stems under the root. Such pruning, in addition to giving a more decorative shape, improves flowering.

Spring pruning of garden hydrangea (large-leaved)

Exception: modern varieties from the series "Forever and ever", "You & Me", as well as varieties "MiniPenny", which bloom on the shoot of the first and previous years. They are pruned depending on the condition of the plant and the past wintering.

• Petiole hydrangea is lightly pruned: long stems are shortened for better branching.

Group No. 2 (tree-like and paniculate)

These species that bloom on young shoots (current season) are pruned every year before bud break. Best moment: mid-end of March (as soon as the snow melts). Annual formative pruning is required, as if the flower thickens, the inflorescences will become smaller.

1. Hydrangea arborescens wakes up first. Shoots are cut to 2-3 buds from the ground. On a powerful and mature bush, sometimes only one pair of buds is left. To form a decorative shape of the bush, weak and inward-growing shoots are pruned.
2. Hydrangea paniculata needs more gentle pruning. Last year's shoots are shortened by a third.

Tips

• To thin out the bush, completely remove old, weak and inward-growing shoots annually.
• Cut frozen stems to the first living bud.

Bush rejuvenation

It is easy to rejuvenate an old bush with the help of special pruning: cut all shoots at a height of 5-7 cm from the ground level (“under the stump”) or to the level of perennial wood. Next spring, young shoots will begin to grow, and the decorative effect of the bush will be restored.

Should I prune hydrangeas for the winter?

In autumn, faded inflorescences are cut off from the hydrangea without fail so that the branches do not break under the weight of snow.

stamp form

Panicle hydrangea has the ability to grow in the form of a tree - a low trunk. Choose one of the most developed shoots on a two-year-old plant grown from the apical cutting, and cut the rest. Then prune this shoot to the strongest bud each year in the spring until it reaches 100 cm in height.

To form a crown in the following years, pinch the top of the shoot, and remove new shoots completely. In the future, weak shoots are pruned annually and only 4-5 strongest branches are left for bushiness.

An example of a standard form of paniculate hydrangea

Hydrangea care in autumn and preparation for winter

After flowering, autumn care for hydrangeas consists in removing faded inflorescences and preparing for winter.

• Tree-like hydrangea for the winter can not be covered, mulching is enough - it has high winter hardiness.
• In the conditions of the Middle Strip, the Moscow Region, the North-West, the Urals and Siberia, be sure to cover the hydrangea for the winter, and it is better to dig out the large-leaved hydrangea, transplant it into pots and bring it into the house.
  Since this species can be grown in those parts where the temperature in winter is not lower than -23.5 ° C. The exception is some modern winter-hardy varieties mentioned in the section - “pruning”.
• In more southern and warmer regions, hilling and mulching can be dispensed with.

Preparing for winter and sheltering hydrangeas

Inflorescences appear on last year's shoots (large-leaved hydrangea), and the goal is to completely preserve them from frost and decay.

Since the leaves and flowers of large-leaved hydrangeas die from small frosts at night, preparations for winter begin in mid-late October (after the first frost).

• Hydrangea garden paniculata and large-leaved must be covered for the winter.

1. To do this, a bush is spudded with earth, and the trunk circle is mulched with rotted manure, needles or peat.
2. Then the stems are bent to the soil and covered with sawdust, spruce branches or dry leaves. And on top of the bush put a box (box).
3. After the end of spring frosts (April), the winter shelter is dismantled and pruned.
4. It is better to carefully tie a large bush and make a frame shelter (“hut”) above it by 8-12 cm and pour dry foliage inside it.

Preparing hydrangeas for winter Hydrangea shelter for the winter The top layer of winter shelter for hydrangeas

In case of short-term frosts, it is convenient to cover with lutrasil, white burlap or a double layer of film.

Shelter of a large-leaved hydrangea for the winter from a gardener from the Moscow region

1. In autumn, before the arrival of night frosts, cut off all the leaves from the bush. If you leave them, then the flower will begin to rot. Leave only the flower buds at the tips of the branches, with a maximum of two leaves protecting them.
2. Tie all the branches on the bush, 3-4 pieces of approximately the same size, into separate bundles with elastic material (elastic band, tights, strips of fabric).
3. Bend the bundles as low as possible to the soil and secure with metal staples (electrodes, thick wire). Bend the hydrangea to the ground carefully so as not to damage the shoots. In some varieties, they are very lignified and it is better to bend them down gradually, starting with a slight slope.
4. Before the onset of cold weather (mid-November), cover the hydrangea with any non-woven material (burlap, agrofibre).
5. Before the onset of severe frosts, remove the shelter and cover the flower with dry peat, compost or leafy soil. The base of the bush is less afraid of frost than the fragile tips of the shoots, so it is sprinkled quite a bit.
6. Place arcs over the plant and stretch the covering material again, and put a piece of film on top so that the ends remain open and there is no high humidity inside the winter shelter.

Shelter for the winter of a young hydrangea

Young seedlings are not pruned, but simply brought into the house in pots for the winter or spud with earth and additionally cover 11-16 cm for the winter with a layer of peat, dry foliage, needles or sawdust.

When can I open hydrangea after winter?

In the spring, you need to remove the winter shelter from the hydrangea at the right time to prevent the shoots from drying out.

1. In mid-March, remove the film and covering material, rake the peat or earth and cover again with burlap.
2. In early April, when the night frosts end and stable heat sets in, remove the cover from the large-leaved hydrangea completely.

Approximate terms for the Moscow region are indicated.

Winter hardiness of hydrangea

Now large-leaved hydrangea is increasingly grown in the conditions of central Russia and in the Moscow region, in the Urals and Siberia. However, not all winter-hardy varieties are able to bloom in any area due to different microclimates.

The plant withstands up to -23 ° C, and the most winter-hardy are tree-like, paniculate and ground cover hydrangeas.

The winter hardiness of the plant increases if it received enough water in the fall, as well as potassium-phosphorus top dressing.

Diseases and pests

Hydrangea is very resistant to diseases and pests, but sometimes it is still affected by powdery mildew, spider mites and aphids (often indoors).

1. HOW TO FIGHT POWDER DEW? INSTRUCTIONS, PRODUCTS AND FUNGICIDES.
2. HOW TO FIGHT APHIDS? FIGHT RULES AND THE BEST DRUGS!

Why is the hydrangea not blooming in the garden? What to do?

We list the most common reasons for the lack of flowering.

1. Deficiency or excess of nutrients, especially nitrogen. With excessive feeding, especially with organic fertilizers, flowering is very difficult to achieve. Apply nitrogen only during the active growing season (April - May).
2. Improper pruning or winterization. The plant blooms on last year's shoots (upper buds). They often suffer from winter cold and are sometimes removed when over-pruned. If you have a large-leaved hydrangea, then read how to cut it correctly - the “Pruning” section.
3. Too much direct sunlight. Ambient light is ideal for hydrangea, but if it grows in a sunny place without shading in the midday heat, then flowering worsens and shortens.

How to speed up the flowering of hydrangeas?

To make the bush bloom faster, spray it as soon as the inflorescences are 2-4 cm in diameter twice with an interval of 5-7 days with gibberellins - 50 mg / liter of water. This treatment allows you to bloom 2-4 weeks earlier and get more massive and decorative flowering.

How to change the color of hydrangea flowers?

The flowers of the plant can change their color depending on the acidity of the soil, and the ability to accumulate aluminum.

Water the bush with a solution of potassium alum (100 g / 10 liters of water). To change the color, you need to carry out 3-4 waterings every 12-15 days. Therefore, they begin to water 50-70 days before flowering.

After that, white or pink flowers (slightly alkaline soil) will turn blue or blue, depending on the concentration. At the same time, alum reduces acidity, so you need to carefully use them. The price of 100 grams of alum is about 30-50 rubles.

• If you want to dry the hydrangea inflorescences for the winter, then cut them off immediately after the blooming of all the flowers. Tie in small bundles and hang down with flowers in a dark place to dry.
• Hydrangea can be grown at home as a pot culture. In autumn, it sheds its leaves, for the winter it is cut off and transferred to a cool place (+ 4-6), and in late February - early March it is placed in a bright and warm place without direct sunlight. In summer, the flower can be taken out into the open air and left until September.
• Experts advise planting ground cover species in the trunk circle: stonecrop, saxifrage moss and others.

ADDITIONS TO THE ARTICLE:

1. REPRODUCTION OF GARDEN HYDROANGIA: ALL WAYS!

2. TYPES AND BEST VARIETIES OF HYDENSIA WITH PHOTO AND NAMES!

We wish flowers to cheer you up and make you a little happier!

The garden blooms with unusual colors in spring, and this continues until autumn. This hydrangea blooms endless summer and gives pleasure with its appearance and aroma. Planting a garden hydrangea and caring for it in the open field will not require special knowledge and costs, because it grows and reproduces beautifully. And if you select varieties by color, size, combined with other plants, you will get a lot of pleasure for the whole summer. Hydrangea is recognized as the queen of the garden!

When to plant hydrangea: mastering the rules of planting

When choosing this flower as a backyard decoration, you will not need complex and time-consuming pruning procedures, greenhouse wisdom. The most important thing is to choose the right place for planting, water abundantly and fertilize on time. Hydrangea should be planted in open ground in a sunny and calm place. This flower does not like shaded places. Landing in open ground should take place in the month of May or September.

How to plant a hydrangea to get a lush bush

At the site of planting, hydrangeas dig a hole in the ground half a meter deep and about 60-70 cm in diameter. When planting and growing several bushes in the garden, a distance of about one and a half meters should be laid between them. The plant, if properly cared for, grows and occupies a decent area. The recesses are covered with a special compound consisting of 1 part sand, 1 part peat, 2 parts soil, 2 parts humus. Add fertilizer containing urea, potassium sulfide, superphosphate and humus.

It is important! Do not add lime to the mixture for feeding the roots of a flower - this will destroy a fragile plant.

When planting a bush, it is not necessary to deeply deepen the root neck - it should be slightly below the surface level. The plant requires abundant watering.

Beginners are often interested in what year the bush blooms after planting. We answer: with proper planting and care of the hydrangea, it will bloom the very next year. But in the first season, it is recommended to cut off the flowers so that the plant gains strength, grows and gets stronger for the next flowering.

How to care for hydrangeas in the garden

This is an easy care plant. The main activities are reduced to abundant watering, periodic loosening of the soil around the bush, weeding and fertilizing on schedule. If you mulch the bushes with sawdust or peat mixture when planting, then you will not have to water often. Peat and sawdust retain moisture for a long time, which is sufficient for the development of a closed root system.

Perennial shrub requires competent pruning. Prune it before the start of the growing season. Pruning hydrangeas in the garden is necessary to get rid of old shoots, leaving young and vigorous ones. Fresh shoots need only be shortened to 4-5 buds. Withered inflorescences periodically remove. Bushes planted on the site 5-7 years ago should be cut to stumps, which will then give strength to new shoots.

How to plant a hydrangea: mastering top dressing and fertilizers

Planting hydrangeas in fertilizer-rich soil will allow the first 2 years not to worry about fertilizing and top dressing.

Then the rules for planting and caring for hydrangeas in the open field suggest the following:

• in the middle of spring, phosphorus-potassium and nitrogen-containing fertilizers are required at the base of each bush;
• it is necessary to feed with potassium sulfate and superphosphate for the second time in the season during the swelling of the buds;
• over the summer, this honey plant is fed several more times with a solution of cow chicken manure.

It is important! An excess of nitrogen in root feeding can affect the color of the inflorescences to a pale green tint.

About methods of reproduction

Along with other shrub perennials, this miracle shrub propagates vegetatively using cuttings, dividing the rhizome, rooting layering and sowing seeds.

When propagated by cuttings in the middle of summer, young shoots not yet covered with bark are cut off and rooted in a special turf. The composition of the soil includes coarse sand and peat. It is advisable to add crumbled mossy sphagnum to the soil for greater looseness and moisture retention. Planted cuttings with a slight slope every 5-6 cm and strictly monitor the temperature (+ 17 + 20C) and humidity. After a month and a half, shoots with roots are planted in the chosen place for planting and provide all of the above care activities.

When dividing a bush, it is important that young shoots have 3-4 buds. The rhizome is carefully divided, and the shoots are planted in a place prepared in the garden.

Hydrangea propagates in the garden with the help of layering: young shoots from a common bush are pressed to the ground in a place where a hole was dug in advance (up to 20 cm), and added dropwise. For a tighter connection, the elastic shoot is sometimes fixed with staples. To speed up the process of root formation, it is recommended to cut the shoot slightly in the area where it will be buried. The new formation needs abundant watering. As the roots develop, the connecting link is cut, and the young bush is planted in the place allotted to it.

About possible diseases and pests

The plant is resistant to diseases and pests. But it is also susceptible to infection. Downy mildew, chlorosis, the appearance of spider mites and leaf aphids are the most common ailments of garden hydrangea.

Have the leaves lost their natural color, become lighter? This is chlorosis, which develops due to an excess of lime or humus in the ground. Add potassium nitrate, copper sulfate to the watering, and alternate these two solutions after two days on the third.

Downy mildew appears if the air humidity is high. Processing the leaves of the plant with copper sulphate with the addition of laundry soap will help get rid of the disease.

Garlic tincture is not capable of overcoming the army of aphids. It is prepared as follows: garlic (200 gr.) is crushed and infused in a bucket of water for 2 days, then laundry soap (40 gr.) is added. This solution is sprayed onto the bushes once a week until the pests are completely destroyed.

Varietal and species classification

The plant is rightfully considered a favorite of all other country garden flowers. A long flowering period of 4 months until October, various shades and shapes of inflorescences create an excellent image for this plant and make it desirable for owners of country houses, summer cottages, designers who successfully use the advantages of shrubs in creating landscapes.

The flowers are shaped like balls or tassels, the petals are white, lilac, red, pale pink and even two-tone. The most popular in the Moscow region, and throughout the country, is a tree-like form. This bush is unpretentious, easy to care for and propagate, it is recommended for breeding even for beginners. Up to 30 varieties of this flower are known. But the most popular among land owners are varieties:

• "Anabel" is a bush with a lush color, reaching a height of up to 1.5 m. Its snow-white spherical inflorescences bloom from the beginning of summer and bloom until September. Stays green until winter. Adapted to the conditions of our winters, does not require insulation.
• "Grandiflora" has large snow-white flowers, flowering period from June to October.
• Sterilis, with its hemispheres of pale green and white from mid-summer to October, cannot fail to please homeowners with lush color and aroma.

• "BellaAnna" is a novelty among other varieties. The flowers are in the form of balls, hydrangea bushes in the garden grow up to 3 m in diameter. It happens with pale pink and purple flowers, the flowering period is until October.

• "Invincibel Spirit" is attractive with a delicate pinkish tint of petals.

Paniculate and tree-like hydrangeas are very popular. Their flowers have an original shape, bloom for a long period, and can change color. The plant is frost-resistant and endures even the most severe winters in the north of the country. These include varieties:

• "Vanilla Fraise", which has delicate white-pinkish petals;
• "Limelight" blooms only in autumn, the flowers are large, delicate lemon shade;
• 'PinkyWinky' is attractive with pale red petals.

Hydrangea in landscape design projects

Excellent compositions are constructed by modern designers using various shapes and colors. Considering the climatic conditions of the territory of Russia, professionals advise choosing varieties of tree-like, paniculate and petiolate hydrangeas for planting.

Experts do not advise using flowers in compositions with yellowish, red, orange hues. Plants blooming in pale blue, conifers, leaves, cereal family, juniper, clematis will successfully highlight the advantages of bushes.

This plant is deservedly recognized as the basis of a beautiful garden. With good care and cultivation, the hydrangea will be a treat for the eyes for many years.

Garden hydrangea planting and care have their own characteristics. To admire the beautiful and lush flowering, we will learn how to properly care for this plant.

Garden hydrangea - types and varieties

There are many types and varieties of this ornamental shrub. Most of them prefer to grow in partial shade, but there are those that do well in sunny areas. The height of the bushes and the flowering period are very different and depend on the variety.

The most common types:

• large-leaved. It blooms in the second half of summer with lush inflorescences in the form of balls. Flowers may vary in color. Height - 2 m. Requires shelter in winter, tolerates temperatures up to -10°C
• Chereshkovaya. Liana variety. It blooms with white-pink inflorescences. Requires support, otherwise it will spread along the ground. A good option for gazebos and arches.
• Treelike. Flowers are snow white. Height - up to 3 m. It looks very impressive, but it freezes in winter. The advantage is that the plant recovers quickly. Requires heavy spring pruning.
• Paniculata. It blooms from July to late autumn with dense panicles 30 cm long. The shade of the inflorescences varies from white to greenish. Bush height - 3-4 m. Unpretentious and frost-resistant variety.

Based on these species, many different varieties have been created, each of which is beautiful in its own way. Depending on the type of hydrangea, they can be deciduous or evergreen, but in our area they are most often grown in the first version.

Growing Features

Interestingly, the shade of the inflorescences can be adjusted independently by adding certain fertilizers to the soil. On neutral soil, the flowers will have a beige or cream hue. Soil with a high alkali content gives the flowers a pink or lilac color, acids - blue.

Bright lighting is very important for a shrub, but the scorching sun's rays are detrimental to it, as well as a deep shadow. Therefore, it is best to plant a flower where there is shade at lunchtime, and the rest of the time - the sun.

It is important not to overfeed seedlings with organic matter. They will grow green mass, but are unlikely to bloom.

Landing in open ground

Hydrangea is a demanding flower. Therefore, before landing, you need to think carefully about all the nuances.

Site and soil preparation

The landing site must be prepared in advance - about 2 weeks in advance. The soil should be acidic and well-drained. Acidity can be adjusted independently with the help of special preparations. Depending on the variety, flowers can grow in partial shade or full sun. The best place for planting is light penumbra; plants will not bloom in strong shade.

The hole should be small: 40 cm deep and 40 cm wide. If a group planting is planned, then the distance between the bushes should be at least 90-100 cm. Sand and fertilizers are added to the pit, mixing well with the ground. The next layer is poured a little peat.

How and when to plant?

Landing is done in early spring or autumn. It depends on the climate of each region. In cold areas, it is better to plant bushes in the spring so that they can give new roots, get stronger and be able to survive the harsh winter. In warmer regions, planting can be done in the fall. If planting is done in the spring, then annual shoots should be shortened by at least 3 buds.

In a seedling, it is desirable to slightly shorten the roots. When planting, you need to make sure that the root neck is not covered with earth. The planted bush is abundantly watered and mulched with peat. When watering, make sure that a strong stream of water does not wash away the soil near the roots.

As soon as new leaves appear on the plant, this indicates that the process of forming new roots is in full swing.

phantom hydrangea care

Hydrangea Phantom is one of the most beautiful of the paniculate family. It blooms profusely throughout the season with long panicles and exudes a pleasant aroma. The variety is resistant to root diseases and frost, quickly recovers after freezing. The bush can grow in one place for many years without requiring a transplant.

Watering and feeding

"Hydrangea" in Latin means "yearning for water." The flower is very moisture-loving, so in no case should the soil dry out. Watering should be regular and plentiful. As soon as the topsoil dries out a little, the plant needs to be watered again. If the ground around the bush is mulched with peat, you can water less often, as the soil does not dry out so quickly. In the first years, 7-8 liters of water are poured under each seedling, in subsequent years - at least 18 liters.

Watering is the best time to feed. In early spring, the plant needs nitrogen fertilizer, during the budding period - potassium and phosphorus.

It is useful to water the bushes with acidified water once every 2 weeks. For 10 liters of water you need to take 1 tbsp. l. citric acid. The solution is poured directly under the roots. In addition, in the spring and summer, once every 3-4 weeks, you need to loosen the ground to improve aeration.

How to transplant and prune?

The plant tolerates pruning well. If it is not cut, the bush will lose its decorative effect, and flowering will be weak. It is best to do this procedure in the spring, when the buds swell. If the bushes are too old, they can be easily updated by cutting them almost to the root.

All types of hydrangeas can be divided into two groups:

• To the first category includes those species and varieties whose flowers are formed on the shoots of the previous year (petiolate, prickly, large-leaved, serrated). They do not need special pruning, it is enough to remove old, dried and improperly growing branches.
• To the second category includes species that form flowers on the shoots of the current year (paniculate and tree-like). These bushes require heavy pruning, all shoots should be shortened in early spring to 2-3 pairs of buds.

When the hydrangea is about to bloom for the first time, you need to immediately cut off all the buds so that the plant gains strength and can bloom profusely next year. Formative pruning of the bush for 5 years will help to get a beautiful little tree.

Phantom hydrangea should be transplanted only in extreme cases. It grows well in the same place for years. Therefore, a transplant is justified if an adult bush needs to be divided into parts and planted in other places.

Flower care in autumn

Caring for garden hydrangea in autumn consists in pruning inflorescences, while removing at least 3 buds from the top of the shoot. This must be done so that suddenly falling wet snow does not freeze on them and break fragile branches. The base of the bushes should be high up, and the ground around them should be well mulched. This will protect the superficial root system from frost.

How does hydrangea winter?

In the conditions of the middle zone, the shrub tolerates winter well. But for safety, it is still better to cover it with spruce branches. In the northern regions, the flower is removed for the winter in a room with a positive temperature, as severe frosts can destroy it.

Sometimes the bushes are neatly tied, wrapped with spunbond and a mesh frame is built near them. The space between the covering material and the mesh is filled with dry foliage. With the first breath of heat, the leaves are removed, but the spunbond is removed only after a constant positive temperature is established.

How does garden hydrangea reproduce?

The easiest way to propagate hydrangea cuttings. They are cut in spring from annual green shoots. Cut at a right angle. The length of the cuttings is no more than 12 cm. Leaves are removed from the lower part, treated with preparations to stimulate growth and planted in a greenhouse or boxes.

A good option is to propagate the flower by division. This can be done both in spring and autumn. The bush is carefully dug up and divided into 3-4 parts, so that each has several renewal buds. Blanks are planted in pre-marked places.

Also, without much effort, you can propagate hydrangea by layering. Young shoots are carefully bent to the ground, fixed and dug in with earth, leaving the top (about 20 cm). Already next spring or autumn, layering with roots can be separated from the mother plant and transplanted.

Sometimes the shrub is propagated by seeds or grafting, but these are too time-consuming methods. Knowing how garden hydrangea breeds, you can choose the appropriate method in advance and do it in a timely manner.

Protection against diseases and pests

Hydrangeas rarely get sick, while the lion's share of the disease is transferred with seedlings. For this reason, you need to buy new plants only in proven nurseries. Other causes of disease are thickened plantings, lack of nutrients and high humidity.

Many fungal diseases can be combated with copper oxychloride.

One of the most common diseases is chlorosis. Due to the lack of iron, the leaves turn yellow, while the veins remain green. For treatment, drugs Agricol, Brexil are used. As a preventive measure, plants need to be fed with iron-containing fertilizers in a timely manner.

Use in landscape design

Hydrangea looks great both in single plantings and in group. You just need to design in advance its location at a decent distance from other plants. Over time, the bushes grow strongly, and they need a lot of space.

A flower can be planted as a soloist in the front garden if it is located on the north side of the house. When choosing companion hydrangeas in a mixborder, you need to take into account their features. Similar requirements for moisture, lighting and soil acidity in astilba, hosta, cuff. If the plot is large, you can plant a composition of several bushes. Their sprawling shape will create an expressive accent in the garden. Often these shrubs are used to limit garden areas.

Hydrangeas are well suited to different styles of garden decoration, so everyone can grow them.

Hydrangea is a flowering shrub and a favorite of gardeners. It blooms from mid-summer to late autumn, covered with huge inflorescences, behind which leaves are not visible.

There are several dozen types of hydrangeas and all are deciduous shrubs and vines. At home in the subtropics, plants reach 4 meters in height, but as they move north, their sizes become more modest. Hydrangea in a temperate garden looks like a small bush about a meter and a half high.

In recent years, flower growers have been promoting a highly ornamental plant further north, breeding winter-hardy varieties and working out new technologies for winter shelters. The border of cultivation runs along the middle lane.

In the middle lane, you can grow 3 types of hydrangeas:

• treelike;
• paniculate;
• large-leaved.

Paniculata is a large bush or tree on a trunk with huge white, pink, burgundy or lilac inflorescences in the shape of a pyramid with a wide base. A feature of the species is the ability of inflorescences to change color during the season. They can be white at the beginning of flowering, then turn pink, and become transparent light green by autumn.

New varieties of plants appear every year. In the gardens of our country, the Grandiflora variety is more common with white inflorescences reaching a quarter meter in length. In this group, it is worth noting Kyushu as the only variety that has a smell.

The flowering of this species is long. Mass flowering begins in July, but there are early varieties that bloom in June.

treelike in our climate it is grown in a wide bush about a meter high. Its inflorescences-balls reach a diameter of 25 cm. The most popular variety is Annabelle, with white round caps of inflorescences.

Large-leaved or garden- the plant is sold in garden centers as a potted plant, we see it in the flower beds, coming to rest in Gagra, Sochi and other resort cities of the Black Sea coast. It is popular in southern Europe - a rare garden in Spain or France does not have this plant.

In large-leaved hydrangea, flowers are collected in round inflorescences of large, up to 3 cm in diameter flowers. The diameter of the inflorescence in the best varieties reaches 20 cm. The flowers are snow-white, pink or blue, open from mid-summer to September.

The subtropical plant, thanks to the efforts of enthusiasts, has moved north and is grown in the Moscow region only under winter shelters. Hydrangea cannot be called a plant for beginners, as it requires careful care and some special knowledge.

This species is easier to grow in the garden in a container culture, bringing the plants indoors for the winter with positive temperatures.

Preparing for landing

All types of hydrangeas love acidic soils, so soil preparation begins with the introduction of acidic high-moor peat into the planting pit. You need to stock up on needles and bark of coniferous trees for mulching.

Planting pits for hydrangeas are prepared before planting in the spring. The size of the hole depends on the size of the seedling. The root system should fit freely in a hole with straightened roots.

Panicle and tree hydrangea seedlings are purchased at garden centers, so preparation for planting consists only of choosing a place and digging a planting hole.

These species love light and look great as tapeworms. For them, choose the most prominent place - on the lawn or at the entrance to the building. The main thing is that it be in the light and protected from the winds.

Hydrangea arborescens can grow in partial shade, but it does not tolerate heavy shading.

Before planting, the seedling is taken out of the package and the roots are soaked for several hours in warm water or in a weak solution of trace elements. This technique accelerates survival and the plant will bloom faster, perhaps as early as next year.

Large-leaved hydrangea is demanding on soil and moisture. The place for planting is chosen carefully, since the peculiarities of the microclimate affect the overwintering and the possibility of flowering. It happens that in one place the plant grows for years and does not bloom, but transplanted into a lowland, where more snow accumulates in winter and it is always humid in summer, it begins to bloom.

The area for these hydrangeas should be lit. In partial shade, the plant will bloom later and not as abundantly as in the sun.

In a large-leaved plant, planting begins in mid-May. When choosing a time for planting specimens that have overwintered indoors on flower beds, you need to keep in mind that if there are late spring frosts to 0 and below, then the flower buds will die and the plant will not bloom this year.

The cuttings are rooted in a mixture of sand and high-moor peat using green cutting technology. Roots are formed at a temperature of 16-21 C after 3 weeks.

In stores you can buy seeds of all kinds. They are sown in February in bowls with acidic soil: the purchased tofo soil "Hydrangea", "Azalea" and "Cypress" is suitable. After sowing the seeds, the substrate should not be allowed to dry out, so the bowls are covered with glass and daily moisten the surface of the soil with a spray gun.

Seedlings dive into pots, and with the onset of warm weather, they are transplanted into the garden to a permanent place. Propagating hydrangea seeds is troublesome and unreliable, since there is no guarantee of compliance with the grade.

Planting hydrangeas

Hydrangeas are planted only in spring. Compost or humus is added to the pit, heavy soils are loosened with sand, on light soils clay is added to the bottom of the pit.

paniculate

When planting, garden soil is abundantly seasoned with organic matter and mineral fertilizers, given that the plant will stay in one place for several decades. The pit is prepared voluminous, since the roots of the plant will grow strongly over time. Fertilizers are poured to the bottom of the pit and mixed with the ground, then covered with a layer of unfertilized earth.

When laying a hedge, they do not dig holes, but a meter-wide trench. There should be a distance of 2.5 m between the seedlings. If the hedge needs to be obtained earlier, then the plants are planted every meter, and when they grow, they are thinned out.

In seedlings, before planting, the tips of the roots are cut off so that they branch better, and the one-year growth is shortened, leaving 2-3 pairs of buds on each branch. After planting, the trunk circle is filled with water and mulched with peat, needles or pine bark.

Sometimes it is important for landscape design that the hydrangea in the open field bloom quickly. Then they acquire a 5-year-old specimen and plant it in a hole measuring 70 cm in diameter and 40 cm deep. The plant will bloom in the year of planting, if transplanted with a clod of earth.

large leaf

It is planted in spring in planting pits 30x30x30 cm. The distance between adjacent specimens is 100 cm. The pit is filled with fertilizers and organic matter and fertilizers are mixed with the ground. The roots of the seedling are shortened a little, the root neck is not deepened. After the hydrangea garden planting is over, cut off the shoots, leaving 2 pairs of buds each. The bush is poured with water and mulched with needles, peat or bark.

treelike

Planting a tree hydrangea in open ground begins in early spring, as the plant is not afraid of cold weather. Wintered seedlings in the nursery can be planted immediately after the soil thaws, and grown in greenhouses - only when the threat of frost has passed. The pit must be spacious. On sandy soils, clay is laid on the bottom so that the water stagnates slightly.

For this species, it is important that groundwater does not reach the roots, therefore, if their height exceeds 1.5 m, then the seedling is planted at the highest point of the site. 50 g of phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen fertilizers and half a bucket of humus are added to the pit. Fresh manure cannot be added. If the seedling has a pronounced stem, then it is planted to the level of the root neck. Saplings in the form of a bush are best planted with a slight depth.

Hydrangea Care

Care for different species will be different. The only thing that is common is that all species are in dire need of watering. No wonder the second name of hydrangea is hydrangia, which translates as "a vessel with water."

paniculate

In autumn, plants are fed with complex fertilizers, and in spring with urea: 2 tbsp. l. on an adult bush, dilute in 2 buckets of water and pour. This allows them to develop and form large panicles.