Frost-resistant varieties of large-leaved hydrangea. Large-leaved hydrangea, planting and care

This representative of the flora received this name in honor of the princess named Hortense. She was the sister of a prince of the Roman Empire. But botanists often call the plant hydrangea. And from the Greek the word can be translated as "a vessel with water." And this name was given to the plant very aptly, because it loves moisture very much. Most hydrangeas grow in the form of bushes, the height of which is from 90 cm to three meters. But there are species that grow as small trees or vines. Most often deciduous shrubs are cultivated, but in nature there are also evergreen representatives of the hydrangea family. And a big plus of hydrangeas is that they bloom for a long time - from May to late autumn. Inflorescences - spherical, paniculate or similar to "shields" or "umbrellas", are formed at the ends of the stems. In some species, in the inflorescence closer to the middle there are small flowers, from which fruitlets are then formed, and larger, spectacular, located closer to the edge, they are sterile. There are also species in the "head" of which the flowers are of the same size, and, moreover, they are all capable of bearing fruit. The most common types of hydrangeas are:

• tree-like;
• Himalayan;
• large-leaved;
• oak-leaved;
• paniculate;
• petiolate (curly liana).

Usually the flowers are white. But in large-flowered hydrangea (it is also called garden), the color of the flowers can be pink, red, blue, blue, lilac. Often the color depends on the pH (the level of reaction of the soil environment) and the presence of aluminum in the soil. The petals are white or pale beige when the soil is neutral. If the reaction of the medium in the soil is acidic, then the flowers are bluish, blue. The inflorescences are lilac or pinkish if the soil is alkaline. Here are the nuances of growing large-leaved hydrangea and will be discussed further in our article.

Description of large-leaved hydrangea

In natural natural conditions(in the subtropics) this shrub can reach three or four meters in height. Cultivated hydrangeas are usually one to two meters high. Indoor forms usually grow up to 60 centimeters. Leaves are ovoid or oval with a pointed apex. Their color is dark green. From June to October, the plant is decorated with inflorescences - white, bluish, pink greenish, lilac, cream or motley. The first specimens of the thermophilic hydrangia capable of producing armfuls of flowers were brought to Europe from Japan. In Russia, at first they were kept only at home. Gradually, they learned to grow this beauty in the conditions open ground but with cover on winter time... If last year's shoots overwinter successfully, then flowers will appear on them in the summer. Now thanks to breeding work it became possible to acquire relatively winter-hardy and remontant varieties of this beautiful plant.

Large-leaved hydrangea varieties

Experienced gardeners have long learned how to successfully grow such interesting varieties hydrangia:

1. "Avantgarde" - this bush has very large, dense inflorescences, the diameter of which reaches 30 centimeters. These "caps" also surprise with a variety of shades of petals: white, pinkish, green, lilac, bluish.
2. "Blushing Bride Endless Summer" - first white buds appear on the bush, then they turn into snow-white semi-double flowers. Gradually, the petals turn pink. Therefore, the people gave the variety a different name - "The Blushed Bride".
3. "Blaumize" - since July on this compact bush (its height is about 120 centimeters) lace inflorescences, the average diameter of which is 15 centimeters, flaunt. The marginal flowers are larger than those in the middle of the inflorescence. The petals can be blue, and when the acidity of the soil under the bush changes, they gradually turn into iridescent lilac, and then into pink color... Experience shows that the variety of this hydrangea is resistant to disease, but it definitely needs a good shelter before the arrival of winter. It blooms directly on last year's shoots, so it is important to preserve the flower buds laid on them.

After 2003, in the gardens of Russians, fans of hydrangeas, thanks to the efforts of breeders, new hydrangeas began to appear. We list only a few varieties of more winter-hardy large-leaved hydrangeas:

• the series "Endless Summer" (translated as "Endless Summer");
• "Early Sensation" (can be translated as "Early sensation") - this series has several representatives;
• "Red Sensation" (translated as "Red Sensation");
• series "Forever";
• terry series "Yu-and-Mi" ("Symphony", "Romance", "Tugese", "Expression");
• "Expression" (deep pink double flowers);
• "Hovaria Hanabi Rose" (double flowers, their color is light pink, but when the pH of the soil changes, it can change to bluish);
• You & Me Love (lovely pink petals can change color too);
• "Peppermint" (pink flowers with a white border).

Now in nurseries and at many flower growers on the plots, you can see remontant varieties, for example - Bloom Star, Mini Penny, Hobergin, White Ball, Coco Blank, Firewax White, David Ramsay, Ripple.

Such bushes first (in May or in the first weeks of June) buds appear on those shoots that have overwintered. And a little later, the buds open on the grown shoots of this year.

Large-leaved blue hydrangea is obtained in a slightly acidic soil environment from varieties - "Nikko Blue", "Mini Penny", "Jomari", "Hopcorn Blue", "Freepon".

If you want colorful hydrangeas, then look for Freedom, Compeito, Ramars, Expression, Magic Sunfields, Shloss Wackerbarth, Sweet Fantasy.

White flowers without pigment are formed on varieties - "Shniebol", "Koria".

Let's start planting a large-leaved hydrangea

The best time to plant this plant is spring (when the rays of the warm sun will warm the soil), but it is allowed to do this in the first two weeks of September. It is great if the area that you set aside for the hydrangea will be with a slight penumbra, which is somehow protected from the currents of the prankster wind. It is very good if the sun's rays fall on the bush for six hours a day (preferably in the morning and evening). It is better not to place hydrangia under tall trees, otherwise such large neighbors will take all the water from the soil, depriving the moisture-loving modest neighbor. The depth, width and length of the planting pit should be about 50 centimeters. Prepare the mixture with which you will fill the pit, for example, from the following components:

• light garden soil (two parts);
• horse peat (two parts);
• humus (one part);
• fallen needles (one part).

If your soil is clay, then be sure to place drainage on the bottom of the dug hole, for example, small pebbles, expanded clay.

Hydrangeas develop well on those soils where the reaction of the environment is acidic. If you expect flowers of blue, blue and lilac color, then aluminum sulfate should also be sent to the pit. If you plant varieties whose flower color is declared pink or red (for example, varieties "Alpengluchen", "Red Baron", Early Sensation "," Red Sensation "), then these forms need an alkaline environment.

First, the roots of the seedling need to be held in a bucket of water for some time, and only then start planting. Place your seedling in the prepared hole, straighten its roots and then sprinkle them with the mixture that you prepared earlier. The root collar of the plant can be deepened only a little, because the lower buds are located on it, capable of producing young shoots. Water the soil compacted under the plant generously so that it can be well saturated. To keep the moisture longer, sprinkle the soil near the bush with a layer of mulch, using chopped bark or peat needles that have fallen from the conifers. It is this mulch that will also contribute to the acidic reaction of the environment. If you have several seedlings, then there should be a distance of at least a meter between them.

Let us remind once again that for good development and flowering hydrangea bushes need a lot of moisture. Therefore, you will have to make sure that the soil around them is moist, watering in a timely manner. For a safe wintering, it is important that the large-leaved hydrangea receive a lot of moisture in the fall. Best for watering rainwater from a barrel in the sun. If you do not have such water, then fill in the barrel in advance tap water so that it warms up in a day. Before watering, add a little to hard water citric acid(or diluted 9% vinegar).

Be prepared for the fact that a young bush will not immediately give you armfuls of flowers. He will first develop root system, and only then with each next year there will be more and more flowers. To avoid root rot, during the first season, pour a few crystals of potassium permanganate into the watering bucket so that the solution turns pink. The first three seasons do not cut the hydrangea bush. You can only remove dried twigs. Then every spring you will need to prune. Cutting is carried out to the first living bud, cutting off the old inflorescences left on the bush for the winter. If you cut a branch of a remontant variety in the spring, then a little later (in the same season) several peduncles will form on the same branch from the side buds. Thus, the number of inflorescences in varieties of the remontant type of hydrangeas is increased. If you cut off the branches of an ordinary hydrangea in this way, then you will see new inflorescences on these branches only in the next season.

In the spring, the large-leaved hydrangea needs feeding. For her, it is better to use special mineral complexes designed for hydrangeas. Perform the second feeding at the moment when buds appear on the plant. The third top dressing is done in autumn (September), shortly before the end of flowering. You can also add humus under the plants. One of the dressings can be done by adding diluted fermented manure to the water for irrigation.

And now a little about the diseases that sometimes develop on hydrangeas:

1. Chlorosis - it can be suspected if the leaves on the hydrangea bush suddenly begin to turn yellow, while their veins remain green. The disease develops if the soil is alkaline. To eliminate the symptoms, you need to acidify the soil by feeding iron vitriol, a solution with the addition of potassium nitrate.
2. False powdery mildew- oily specks that appear on the leaf plates, which turn yellow over time, testify to it. Gradually, these spots grow in size and darken. In this case, spray your bushes with fungicidal preparations.

If some of the leaves on the hydrangea began to dry out and fall off, then carefully examine the leaves from the bottom side. If there is a cobweb, then these are signs of the appearance of spider mites on the bush. "Actellik" or other insecticidal preparations will help to cope with them.

How to propagate a large-leaved hydrangea?

There are three ways to easily propagate your favorite hydrangea:

1. Dividing the bush in the spring. Prepare some holes to accommodate the newcomers. Dig up your overgrown bush. Divide it into several parts so that growth buds are present, which will then give young shoots. You can trim the long roots a little and shorten the shoots.
2. Bending back the layers at the beginning of May. Bend several flexible branches from an adult bush, fix them in the hole with a bracket. The hole should be approximately 15 centimeters deep. Tear off the leaves where the twig is in contact with the soil. At this point, scrape the bark with a knife to "start" the root formation process. And only then cover the hole with earth. The tip of such a twig can be tied to a small peg so that it stands upright. Visit your cuttings and constantly moisten the soil around them. By autumn, the twigs will take root. You can cut them off from the bush. Plant these young, independent plants next spring.
3. Cutting - it is carried out in June. Slice in the morning with annual shoots segments, the length of which is 10 centimeters. Make the bottom cut obliquely. Tear off the lower leaves, and cut the upper ones to the middle. Put them at home in a glass with Kornevin, it will stimulate the formation of roots. In a day lower part send each cuttings to a moist substrate. If possible, carry out cuttings in mini greenhouses or cuttings. If they are not there, then you can use a shaded bed. Then cover the cuttings with a cap by cutting plastic bottle in half. Periodically remove the caps, moisten the substrate, and lightly spray the cuttings. In about a month, you will see how young leaves begin to grow. This means that the roots have already grown in the ground.

Is it possible to change the color of large-leaved hydrangea flowers?

There are varieties of hydrangeas that can change their color from red or bright pink to lilac, blue, blue. The color will change if the soil under the bush is made with an acidic reaction of the environment. To achieve this result throughout the season, once a week, aluminum sulfate must be added to the water for irrigation (two tablespoons of this are measured for two liters of water chemical compound). It is necessary to feed such hydrangeas only with those fertilizers where there is little phosphorus, otherwise the excess of this element will bind the aluminum present in the earth, which will interfere with the color change of flowers.

Another way to change the color of the petals is to water the plants twice a month with water mixed with iron salts or potassium alum (ammonia-potassium) alum (5 grams of alum must be placed in two liters of water). Special blue dyes and a soil acidifier called Asid Plus are now on sale in garden stores.

If you want the hydrangea to continue to give bright pink or red inflorescences, then maintain the alkaline reaction of the environment by pouring ash under the bush or pouring it with water in which it is mixed dolomite flour... And fertilizers for these bushes, respectively, need those where the phosphorus content is high.

How does large-leaved hydrangea winter?

If the winters in your region are warm, then there will be no hassle with hydrangea. But in regions where winters are cold, a number of activities will be required.

The heat-loving bushes of this type of hydrangea must be reliably prepared for winter so that frosts of more than 18 degrees do not damage their shoots. First, before the arrival of stable frosts, spray the bushes with Bordeaux liquid to prevent them from drying out. Next, choose one of the winter shelter methods:

1. Sprinkle on the bush good slide from peat. Put spruce branches on this elevation. If the shoots are short, then bend them to the soil surface. Secure them with a wire frame. Throw a non-woven material (for example, Lutrasil) on top, cover with spruce branches or compost soil. Next, lay the roofing material to protect it from precipitation.
2. If the branches of your bush are already high, rigid, they cannot be bent to the soil, then tie them together with improvised means, shifting with large spruce branches. Then wrap them up with several layers of agrofibre (Agrospan). Pack everything on top under a thick film.
3. An original idea for a flat dry shelter. In October, lay out your garden hydrangea bush as a "sun". To do this, tilt all the shoots and place them in diameter (as the rays of the sun are drawn in the picture). When the parts of the bush are laid, pour a bucket of peat in the center. If it is not available, then pour out a bucket of garden soil. This will protect the roots of your hydrangia from the cold. Next, cover the spread hydrangea with Lutrasil. Sketch dry foliage on top, and the last layer will be a thick film. Fix its edges with bricks or boards. In the spring, when the sun begins to actively bake, after you have completely removed all the layers of the shelter, then gradually the shoots will rise by themselves.

In the spring, remove the layers of shelter from the hydrangea gradually, because sometimes there are significant nighttime drops in temperature.

Tim Bebel is a hydrangea specialist working in an American horticultural center, selling the seedlings of this plant and also growing them in his own garden. Many admirers of hydrangeas often complained to him that they diligently look after their hydrangeas, but they increase the green mass, but do not give flowers. What should be done to ensure that hydrangeas bloom stably and luxuriantly? In his book, Tim Bebel provides the following guidelines for gardeners who grow large-leaved hydrangeas in colder climates:

1. At the beginning of July, cut one third of the non-flowering branches on the hydrangia bush so that their height from the ground is from five to twenty centimeters, while leaving one of the lowest buds on the shoot.
2. In the fall, before the arrival of frost, shorten the highest branches of your bush so that later you can mulch them. Carry out mulching with drying foliage and those branches that were cut.
3. Around mid-October, mulch the hydrangea bush well using peat, chopped bark. You can then put large branches of spruce on the "hill".
4. In late April or early May (be guided by the weather), after all spring frosts, carefully rake off the mulch. Be careful not to damage the fragile buds on the branches. In the first week of June, you can trim off those parts of the branches that look dry.
5. From May to mid-August, once a week, when watering, add to the water you are going to moisten the soil under the hydrangea with a fertilizer containing many trace elements and nitrogen, for example, "Miracid".

Method of growing large-leaved hydrangeas in containers

If you purchased a wonderful variety of hydrangea in a nursery or flower shop, but are afraid if it will overwinter in your country house, you can try growing it in a container or big pot... Place small stones on the bottom of the container first, creating a drainage layer. Then fill it with the substrate and move the purchased seedling there. The substrate must certainly be loose. To do this, mix in equal parts:

• garden land;
• needles with conifers brought from the forest and half-matured;
• high-moor peat.

From May to the end of September, expose these containers in the garden, placing them near the house, gazebo, on the veranda, in the recreation area. Cut off the blossomed inflorescences in September. After the foliage on the bush dries up, begins to leave the bushes, carefully tie all the shoots and transfer them to the basement or another room, where the temperature will be about plus five degrees. In March, these hydrangeas can be transferred from the cellar to a warmer room, watered warm water, apply fertilizer. Then coniferous litter can be poured into the containers, which will contribute to acidification of the soil and a longer preservation of soil moisture. Every five years, it is advisable to transplant such bushes into a new substrate in the spring. You can put them in the garden in early May. But if forecasters warn about the arrival of frost, then you will have to throw Spunbond on the hydrangea.

For diligent care and attention, the large-leaved hydrangea bushes will annually delight you all summer with their delightful flowering.

Large-leaved hydrangea, photo