Decorating a homestead plot is not a simple task. After all, the novice landscaper needs to fill an ordinary plot of land with a variety of plants that bloom almost all year round and have a stunning appearance. One such outdoor shrub is the hydrangea, a thermophilic flowering plant native to Asia.
Gardeners do not consider Hydrángea fastidious compared to other flowering families of bed representatives. However, Hydrángea blossoms only when special rules of care are followed.
The main nuances of hydrangea care
Like other plants, the magnificent shrub is demanding:
- to the quality of the soil;
- lighting;
- temperature control;
- Moisture and watering;
- fertilizing;
- pruning.
Soil
Soil for hydrangeas is a treasure trove of nutrients. Interestingly, their concentration affects not only the development of shoots and stems of the plant, but also the color of the buds. In ordinary infertile dense soil Hydrangea bush can grow, but to reveal all its attributes, much less bloom it will not be able to. Hydrángea takes root in acidic soils, the ideal value for a flowering shrub is 5 рН.
Before planting, it is advisable to find out what kind of soil on the garden plot, because its quality determines the choice of planting place for hydrangeas. This can be done with a special device for determining the pH of the soil. If there is no such a device in the house, you can use folk methods – determination of acidity with baking soda. A teaspoon of baking soda is added to a cup of slurry. A positive reaction of baking soda indicates that the soil is acidic.
If the soil is neutral, it is enriched with coniferous litter, peat and decomposed sawdust before planting the shrubs.
To improve the fertility of the soil where Hydrángea will grow, add leaf soil, humus and river sand in a 2/2/1 ratio.
You should know that you should not add lime and ash to the holes where hydrangea seedlings are planted. They reduce the pH of the soil, which adversely affects the development of ornamental shrubs.
Lighting and temperature
All Hydrángea varieties are very light-loving, but the excessive influence of ultraviolet light has a negative effect on the formation of buds. Therefore it is better for hydrangeas to choose moderately lit areas of the garden or flower beds. In the penumbra, moisture is retained longer in the soil, which the plant needs all the time.
Of course, it can also be planted in open areas of the lawn. But in that case regular abundant watering of the bushes is needed.
Hydrángea is very sensitive to temperature changes.
The most favorable indicator for its growth and flowering is +20 ° C. Therefore for its planting it is appropriate to choose areas that are well illuminated by sunlight in the morning and evening, and in the afternoon hide in the penumbra.
Watering, fertilizing and pruning
Humidity is a special requirement of hydrangea. Without water, it dies. It should be watered once a week with warm, water-drained water. Water consumption per adult bush is 1.5 buckets.
If the hydrangea bush grows in an open sunny area, the regularity of watering is increased to twice a week. At the same time, organize a daily refreshing spraying of the shrub’s foliage with water.
If hydrangea bushes are planted in fertile soil, they do not need additional fertilizing for several years. If the soil turned out to be neutral, then in order to provide the plant with favorable conditions for development and flowering, it should be regularly fertilized with potassium sulfate, superphosphate, urea.
The first fertilization is performed in early spring, subsequent ones before the flowering of buds and in mid-autumn.
Excessive fertilization can also have a negative effect on hydrangea growth, so you should strictly adhere to the recommendations listed on the nutrient packaging.
During the active phase of growth, hydrangea is watered with an infusion of cowpea, which is rich in nitrogen, which is necessary for the plant to form new shoots and strong inflorescences. The procedure is performed once a month. When applying, the rate should always be respected, because excessive nitrogen fertilization can lead to the formation of too large buds, which can provoke the breakage of the branches of the shrub.
You can regulate the shade of the buds with fertilizer.
Adding potassium permanganate to the soil gives a pink hue, while iron and aluminum give a blue, blue or purple hue. The higher the acidity of the soil, the brighter the flowers, the lower – the paler.
Hydrángea is a bulky shrub, so many gardeners resort to its seasonal pruning. This procedure allows to get rid of weak, old, damaged, sick, frozen shoots in spring, as well as dried inflorescences in autumn. When pruning, the rule is that the weaker the shoot, the shorter it is cut off.
Where to plant Hydrangea
Choose a place for planting hydrangeas, based on their needs.
Plant the shrub in areas that are comfortable for it, viz:
- In the penumbra or in sunny plots of the homestead (location is determined depending on the requirements of the variety);
- on the east or south side of the homestead, if you choose north or southwest, you should assess the intensity of sunlight hitting the site, often the north side is always in the shade;
- on a site with an acidic and moderately humid environment;
- on estates closed from draughts with good moisture permeability;
- on fertilized soils;
- away from garden trees with large crowns that draw moisture from the soil and form shade, since hydrangeas die in the shade and without a moist environment;
- not near other bedding plants, because Hydrángea is a spreading shrub that grows very quickly and crowds out the shade of its stems and inflorescences from the flowers planted next to it;
- in spacious garden segments – if there is an open area in the garden not more than two meters in diameter, it is better to plant within it just a hydrangea, because its crown can spread out to three meters;
- Away from water-loving plants;
- On hills and hillocks if there is a high groundwater table on a homestead;
- in windless areas near buildings and outbuildings, but with a distance of several meters from the roofs so as to prevent snow and hoarfrost from getting on the shrubs in winter
- along the perimeter of garden paths at a distance of a few meters from them.
When to plant
When choosing where to plant a magnificent hydrangea, it is also important to consider the timing of planting.
Young seedlings are best planted in the ground in mid-spring, after the pore of spring frosts. During the active growth phase, they have time to acclimatize and root.
But adult perennial shrubs are recommended to transplant in early autumn. A fully formed plant with a developed root system is more resistant to wintering.
How to properly plant a flower shrub
When planting hydrangeas on the plot, it is important not only to consider favorable conditions for the plant, but also to comply with all the rules of its planting.
The sequence of operations is as follows:
- Determining the planting site, the future location of hydrangea bushes, checking the soil for pH;
- digging holes for planting with dimensions of 40cm*40cm*40cm for young seedlings, 50cm*50cm*50cm for perennial shrubs with observing the distance between them of about 1.5 meters
- Filling the planting holes with enriched soil mixed with mineral fertilizers;
- creating hilly hills of soil in the hollows;
- pruning the elongated roots of young seedlings;
- pruning shoots and withered inflorescences from old bushes if planting is done in the fall;
- positioning of seedlings on hills, straightening of roots;
- backfilling the hollows with the remaining soil, with the last layer not to cover the root neck of the shrub;
- abundant watering;
- tamping the soil;
- mulching with wood bark and sawdust.
If seedlings are planted in autumn, take care of their feeding and covering for winter after a month. The earth around the seedling is covered with lapniks, peat, dry leaves. The bush itself in order to protect the shoots from frosts is covered with a greenhouse film, which is fixed with a greenhouse thread. If the branches of the bush are long, they are neatly tucked up and tied together for the convenience of sheltering from the cold.
Which species are preferred
There are cases when the place for planting hydrangeas is chosen correctly, and all the recommendations for planting hydrangeas in the ground are followed, but the bush still does not take root on the homestead. This can be due to both diseases Hydrángea, and the peculiarities of the species, which are more demanding to the natural and climatic conditions. When buying seedlings, preference should be given to cold-resistant hydrangea varieties.
The following species have adapted well in the natural and climatic conditions of Russia:
- large-leaf hydrangea – characterized by large globular inflorescences and egg-shaped foliage, reaches a height of 2 meters, resistant to temperatures of -10 ° C;
- petiolate – a liana with twenty-five meter shoots, has large inflorescences (20-25cm), grows in the penumbra, cold-resistant;
- Bretchneidera – a shrub 3 meters high with umbrella large inflorescences, resistant to both drought and low temperatures;
- Sargentha – shrub height of 4 meters, is attractive with interesting bicolor inflorescences, velvet dark green foliage;
- tree-shaped – distinguished by lush flowering, oval large foliage, prefers windless places to grow;
- panicle – a shrub 5 m high, has large pyramidal inflorescences (25 cm), the most frost-resistant species;
- oakleaf – attracts attention with foliage similar in appearance to the shape of oak leaves, has cone-shaped inflorescences, forms a falling crown;
- serrated – shrub height of one and a half meters, has dense inflorescences, narrow leaves of oblong shape.
Many professional florists, before deciding where to plant Hydrángea, recommend deciding on its species and variety.
Thus, the most popular are the following varieties of hydrangea garden:
- Melodious ‘Grandiflora’, ‘Pink Diamond’, ‘Limelight’, ‘Phantom’, ‘Pinky Winky’, ‘Vanilla Frase’, ‘Dimont Rouge’;
- woody ‘Sterilis’, ‘White House’, ‘Burgundy’, ‘Annabel’, ‘Grandiflora’, ‘Hayes Starburst’;
- Large-leaved ‘Espression’, ‘Endless Samer’, ‘Red Station’, ‘Ever Peppermint’.
