Planting hydrangeas in the garden – one of the most favorite actions. The reason is clear – the beauty of the plant on the homestead territory can not help but attract the eyes of visitors, guests and simply passersby. And who among us does not like to be attractive and do original things? For years, breeders have been working with great pleasure to create new varieties.
One of the favorites was, is and still is the variant called endless summer. So why and when does summer have to be endless? It’s simple – provided the favorite blooms twice. This mutation is considered by everyone to be one of the most successful.
A little about Hydrangeas
The tall bush was named hydrangea macrophylla. Its height can reach 2.5 m in height and up to 1.5 m in width. The ancestors of this shrub grew in the territory of America, and now it delights the gardens of Russia with its beauty. The plant is widely distributed for the fact that it is quite unpretentious to the conditions of growth, as well as for the beauty of flowers, which appear on it twice. It is for this reason it immediately acquired the name All Summer.
The natural beauty of the shrub is when you can marvel:
- Strong foliage with a dark green hue;
- Resistant to powdery mildew on the leaves;
- spherical, large inflorescences (10 – 15.5 cm) in varying shades of blue to pink;
- frost-resistance of the plant;
- The rapid emergence of shoots in spring;
- the parameters of the shrub, which is incredibly beautiful in places with morning sun and afternoon shade;
- The appearance of balloons, the time for which is summer;
- Waves of blooms no more than six weeks apart.
As with many, this hydrangea variety blooms in shades that depend on the level of acidity of the soil.
On an alkaline one, it will be pink. And the more alkaline the soil, the more purple the hydrangea flowers will be. Hydrangeas will turn blue on acidic soils. The more aluminum oxide in the soil, the bluer the blooms will be.
This variety was developed in Minnesota in 2003.
It was immediately clear that it was suitable for the cold climate of zone 4. But its history goes much deeper, almost 20 years. In 1982, there was an incredibly cold winter in the state. The sharply invading Arctic air didn’t leave for almost a month. Many plants froze. But there was a man who lived next door to a nursery employee whose garden was blooming in the spring with hydrangeas. That was the reason for the scrutiny of the shrub.
After 3 years, a cuttings from this plant appeared in the nursery. The shrub struck by its strength, power, resistance to temperature variations and at the same time incredible flowering, which occurred not only on fresh shoots, but also last year. Even now produce the development of this variety of hydrangea. The goal of experimentation is to achieve an even more frost-resistant variety. And also to create an opportunity to blossom this shrub with terry flowers.
Attention for the shrub.
It is a large-leaf hydrangea. This accounts for the similarity of the conditions for cultivation. They are so simple that even an amateur gardener can cope with the care. It is best planted in a draught-free location.
The love of lots of light does not mean that hydrangeas will be happy with direct sunlight. Openwork penumbra is the best choice for planting if there is a large tree growing nearby. The more shade, the smaller the size of the inflorescences will be.
Special attention to the shrub is:
- Abundance of sunlight (the plant likes to have a lot of space for it, so it is used both for hedges and for solitary planting, but in any case, the penumbra will be a lifesaver).
- Sufficient watering (the plant needs that the soil under it is always slightly moistened, even a brief drought can have a negative effect on the appearance of the shrub).
- Regulation of soil acidity (too strong sharp alkalization will provoke leaf diseases, too much acidity – root diseases).
- Providing the necessary conditions for wintering (Hydrangea is so frost-resistant that it will survive even without shelter, but it will take longer to recover, and the flowers will appear on the branches much later).
- Fertilizing (care involves the introduction of fertilizers twice during flowering, the first time – complex with a predominance of nitrogen, and in summer – potassium, but this is not always a mandatory factor, the plant is so strong that if the gardener will forget about the introduction of fertilizers, calmly tolerate this fact).
- Removal of weeds, mulching, loosening the soil.
It also happens that with regular sheltering, the hydrangea begins to produce new shoots parallel to the ground on which it is growing. For this case, there are shrub holders in stores. This helps to give the plant the desired shape.
One of the most beneficial options for fertilizing and mulching is the ECO Style “Hortensia-AZ” organic-based fertilizer and a sprinkling of coniferous mulch or fallen leaves. The above fertilizer consists of bactosol, bone, algae and feather meal, and bard. In addition, soil microorganisms are included. The optimum soil temperature for their activation would be plus 6 degrees Celsius or higher. So that the hydrangea summer flowering, which occurs twice a season, will receive comprehensive attention and will be quite happy with the care, which will be reflected in the shade of leaves and vigorous flowering.
A homemade version of the shelter can consist of peat, wooden pallet and lapnik.
Tied branches of the shrub should be ducked to the ground and covered with a box, wrapped twice with spunbond. It should be remembered that blowing slits are a prerequisite for the plant not to rot in winter. The top is covered with lapnik. Then, covered with snow Hydrangea feels great all winter.
Variety of bud colors
Hydrangea called Eternal Summer can have inflorescences of different colors. This fact is changed almost every year. But some experimenters get the flowers to be different shades on the same plant.
Ammonium sulfate is known to result in blue coloration. Without its addition, the flowers can be white, pink, purple. Either way, both look gorgeous. Ammonium sulfate is consumed, depending on the size of the shrub, in an amount of 15 to 50 grams. In addition, stores already have ready mixes, which directly affect the shade of flowers.
It is impossible to achieve different shades of flowers on the same shrub, if on the one hand to alkalize the soil, and on the other – to oxidize.
The root system of the plant is unified, so the absorbed substances will be spread to all tissues. At the same time, if the hydrangea has already bloomed, about mid-summer you can apply ammonium sulfate, this will make the earlier buds remain in pink shades, and those that will appear in the second flowering – blue.
Cuttings
The seed method is only possible for breeders. The most common option for breeding endless summer hydrangeas was, is and still is cuttings. The best will be a seedling on which there are already 2 – 3 shoots. The height of such planting material should be 70 cm, and the age of about 2 – 3 years. If there are several of them, it is quite suitable for the purpose of growing a hedge. It is necessary only not to forget about the distance between the holes of 1.5 m.
To make the small cuttings quickly give their roots and actively grow, starting in May, there is a certain sequence of actions, quickly bringing results:
- From cuttings of 10-15 cm of future cuttings, it is imperative to remove foliage;
- plant them at the edge of the planting container (the reason for diseases arising from the contact of leaves on young cuttings);
- arrange a mini greenhouse (cover the pot with a plastic bottle, a bag and set in a sufficiently warm place, without direct sunlight);
- provide frequent watering so that the soil is slightly moist;
- transplant to the open ground already rooted cuttings (in 14 – 28 days);
- Ventilate periodically, once a day, preferably in the morning, for an hour planting material.
If the cuttings are planted in late August – early September, this planting material should be semi-timbered. Sometimes in warmer than the Moscow region, this is done with cuttings on which there are already several (up to five) pairs of leaves. In such a case, the difference is that the entire pot with planting material should be dug in the garden. The place is chosen shaded.
It is necessary to create greenhouse conditions. A cut of a plastic bottle is most suitable in this case. Warming is created on the same principle as for an adult plant. Before spring, the cuttings will not only acquire roots, but also begin to grow. Only in April, not before, and provided that there will be no more frosts on the ground, remove both the cover and the bottle. Sufficient root system of cuttings will allow them to actively develop until the fall, turning gradually into young bushes.
Whatever shade the hydrangea began to bloom, but twice appearing flowers during the summer, will please any gardener and his guests.
This makes it possible to actively use the plant to design plots, accentuate your own design, if the shrub is used as a hedge or becomes the central single plant in the garden.
