The genus Hydrangea (Hydrangea Hydrangea) includes 35 species. Homeland - Southeast Asia, North and South America... Among the representatives of the genus, there are mainly deciduous shrubs with long semi-ample shoots, less often small trees. The name from the Greek words "hydor" - water, "aggeion" - a vessel, was formed in view of the obvious moisture-loving nature of this plant.
Hydrangea belongs to decorative flowering shrubs, inflorescences are mainly of corymbose shape, as a rule, consist of two types of flowers: small fruiting ones, located in the middle of the inflorescence; marginal - large, sterile, of 4-5 petal sepals, for the most part snow-white, blue or pinkish. The fruit is a capsule with numerous small seeds.
Hydrangea Hydrangea arborescens - in nature it grows up to 3 meters high, forming dense bush with large, whole leaves - about 20 cm long, with a serrated edge. It blooms with white flowers without aroma, about 2 cm in diameter, collected in corymbose inflorescences about 15 cm in size. Breeders have bred varieties with double (completely sterile) flowers, inflorescences of which are more than 25 cm in diameter, of a wide variety of shades. This hydrangea overwinters easily in middle lane Russia, is well formed by pruning, including cardinal. It grows very quickly.
Large-leaved hydrangea Hydrangea macrophylla is somewhat more modest - in nature it grows up to 2 meters high, has broad ovate large leaves (about 15 cm). It is this type of hydrangea that is called garden; several dozen varieties can be found on sale. Shield inflorescences up to 20 cm in diameter, there are varieties with extremely spherical large inflorescences up to 30 cm in diameter, sterile white, pink, red or blue flowers, each flower is up to 7 cm in diameter.
Have large-leaved hydrangea decorative forms with variegated leaves for example, the Tricolor variety - a white stripe along the edge of the leaves, the leaf blade itself is light green.
Large-leaved hydrangea is more thermophilic than tree hydrangea; in central Russia, winter shelter from frost is required (winter hardiness up to -15C).
Large-leaved hydrangea is often grown as a tub or greenhouse plant (for winter garden). At the same time, the height of the bushes reaches a maximum height of one and a half meters, more often no more than 1 meter in height. Grows well under artificial light.
You can also decorate your garden Hydrangea paniculata Hydrangea paniculata - Oriental beauty originally from southern Sakhalin, Japan and China. This is a taller, frost-resistant shrub - about 2.5-3 meters in height, in the wild up to 10 meters, has elliptical leaves up to 15 cm in length with a velvety surface. Inflorescences are dense pyramidal (panicles) up to 30 cm in length. Long bloom, from mid-summer to mid-autumn.
Hydrangea Bretschneider Hydrangea bretschneideri is a medium-sized shrub with a spreading crown up to 3 meters high, very frost-resistant (homeland - North China, adapts in Siberia and the Urals). Stems are reddish, with exfoliating thin bark on young shoots. Leaves are ovoid, fluffy on the back, 10-12 cm long.Umbrella inflorescences about 15 cm in diameter, with small flowers which change color from white at the beginning of flowering to red at the end of flowering. Fruits form on the inflorescences over time.
Another Far Eastern hydrangea - Petiolate hydrangea Hydrangea petiolaris is native to South Sakhalin, Kuril Islands and Japan, is rather an ampelous form - the plant has air measles with suckers, which allows shoots to cling to rocks or tree trunks. Without support, shoots spread along the ground, forming a ground cover form. As a shrub, this species must be started to grow by fixing the stems to a support. Leaves are broadly ovate, long-petiolate, smooth, with a finely toothed margin. Inflorescences are corymbose, 20-25 cm in diameter. Despite the fact that the petals of the central fertile flowers do not last long, the inflorescences are quite decorative, and the shrub is a real decoration of the walls of houses, gazebos and other buildings. Despite the origin, the petiolate hydrangea is less frost-resistant than the previous species; it needs shelter in severe winters.
Location
V southern regions Russia, choose a light, but protected from the afternoon scorching sun place (semi-shady). From the eastern, northwestern part of the site of the gazebo, the wall of a house or a barn.
In the central regions of Russia and the northern regions, choose a place that is drier and more open, warmed by the sun, but keep in mind that hydrangeas do not like prolonged exposure to direct sunlight (southern and southwestern side). Try not to plant hydrangeas next to other plants with water loaves or large shrubs and trees - there is competition for moisture, the plants will have to be watered often.
Soil for hydrangeas
Hydrangea is considered one of the most unpretentious garden shrubs, however, only if it is planted on a soil appropriate for its needs: nutritious, with a sufficient proportion of humus, containing many draining particles, well filled with moisture.
If you have an uncultivated piece of land, in a hole dug for planting you need to prepare a mixture of earth, consisting of 2 parts of humus, 2 parts of leafy soil, one part of peat and one sand.
If vegetables grew in the same place, under which manure was applied, the humus part must be reduced. Hydrangea does not like dense clay soils- they are moisture-absorbing, but they dry out for a long time and are poorly supplied with oxygen, such soil must be diluted with peat. Sandy soil is poor in humus content, and it also needs to be enriched with humus and peat.
You can not plant hydrangeas on alkalized soils, with an acidity of pH higher than 6.0, the optimum pH is about 5.0.
Planting hydrangeas
It is best to plant hydrangeas in the spring, when the threat of recurrent frosts has passed. In the southern regions of Russia, it can be planted in the fall.
When planning a place for planting hydrangeas, it is necessary to take into account the size of an adult bush, leaving a distance of about 1 meter between plantings.
The size of the dug hole is about 50-60 cm wide and deep. Fill it 20-30 cm with soil, then put a 5 liter bucket inside (empty) and fill it around with earth. Compact the soil. Now take out the bucket - you will have a neat hole 25-30 cm in diameter and wide and deep. Place a hydrangea bush or a rooted stalk in it, without deepening the root collar. Sprinkle soil over the roots, not compaction too much. Water.
In 3-5 days, the earth will settle, after which it will turn into peat.
How to care for hydrangea
Hydrangeas should be watered regularly, especially in dry, hot weather. Water for irrigation should be taken soft, better than rainwater, hard water with a high proportion of hydrangea lime is contraindicated, if such water is in the well, just save rainwater in barrels.
If the weather is rainy, precipitation often falls, you need to loosen the soil around the hydrangeas at least once a week, to a depth of 7-10 cm in order to improve aeration of the roots.
In late spring, early summer, feed the hydrangeas with a diluted mullein (ratio 1:10), and after two weeks with full mineral fertilizer for flowering plants(for example, fertika Lux), or make up the fertilizer yourself from 1 tbsp. spoons, 1 teaspoon of potash and 1 teaspoon for 10 liters of water.
In the future, you do not need to make additional fertilizing more often than once a month, it is enough to periodically mulch the soil under the bushes with humus or peat.
Discoloration of hydrangeas
Many gardeners know that hydrangeas, when blooming, easily change the color of flowers when the acid composition of the soil changes. So, watering with alum gives the flowers a blue color, for this you need to dissolve 5 g of the product in 1 liter of water. Alum is sold in flower shops or pharmacies. For reference, the composition of alum: heptahydrate of aluminum and potassium salts.
In order for the flowers of hydrangeas to change color, you need to spill them with alum once a week for a month.
If the acidity of the soil is insufficient, then hydrangeas tend to acquire a pink tint, and some varieties simply lose their color - they fade and discolor. In sour peat, the flowers turn purple or blue tint, so you can water the bushes with water infused with peat.
To, on the contrary, increase the intensity of the pink color of the flowers of hydrangeas, you can water them with a weak solution of potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate).
Pruning hydrangeas
Hydrangeas form dense, lush bushes, and they bloom on the shoots of the current year. Therefore, the more branches a plant has, the more magnificent the flowering will be. Strong pruning should be carried out in the fall, after flowering along with the peduncle (cardinal pruning is permissible, especially in the case of diseases or pests, when it makes no sense to leave and try to cure diseased branches).
But young hydrangeas that have not yet formed many shoots, for better branching, need to be cut in the spring, before the buds open, shortening them by 2-3 buds, no more (otherwise, they are greatly depleted from abundant sap flow).
Very old bushes of hydrangeas (and they are long-lived plants) are renewed by pruning at the root. So the bushes can be preserved for decades, not forgetting to ennoble the soil under them by introducing humus and mulch (including leaf humus).
Young plants are ready to bloom profusely in the first year after planting. But, profuse flowering can severely drain hydrangeas. Therefore, on a bush about 50 cm high, it is better to leave no more than 2-3 inflorescences, and cut off the rest.
Shelter hydrangeas for the winter
The most popular hydrangeas in our gardens - treelike and large-leaved, show good frost resistance. The most popular hydrangea of the Annabelle variety perfectly winters in the Moscow region and Leningrad region without additional.
Some varieties of large-leaved hydrangea of Dutch origin are somewhat softer, like any young hydrangeas grown from cuttings and layering - they must be mulched in autumn with peat, leafy soil, humus or a mixture of humus and sawdust to protect them from freezing. Cover the bushes themselves with spruce branches. But do not forget to remove the shelter in the spring to avoid damping out.
In regions with harsh winters, it is necessary to additionally cover hydrangeas for the winter with film or spunbond. With the onset of frosty weather, bend the shoots to the ground, mulch, cover with a film of leaf litter. It is better not to use straw, because mice love her.
In the spring, after the snow melts, remove the film cover, tie up the hydrangea shoots in an upright position, but before the warm days (until the threat of return frosts has passed), keep the burlap cover (no damping occurs under it).
Reproduction of hydrangea
Garden hydrangea is easily propagated in a vegetative way - by cuttings and layering of the bush.
For propagation by cuttings, you need to cut off more green twigs during flowering from the ends of non-lignified shoots of the current year's growth. The size of the cuttings is about 15-17 cm. Tear off the lower leaves, dip the tip of the cuttings into a root or other root formation stimulant and submerge for rooting in a container filled with a mixture of vermiculite and peat earth. Better than hydrangea take root in conditions high humidity air (in a mini-greenhouse or under a bag).
If the cuttings rot, cut fresh ones, and sterilize the rooting substrate by frying on a baking sheet.
Abundant and lush bloom from rooted branches can be expected no earlier than in 4-5 years.
The large-leaved hydrangea is often grown as home plant, therefore, it can be propagated even before winter - by separating small layers from the mother bush and planting it in a regular flower pot... Contain garden hydrangea in a pot in winter period it is necessary in the coldest place - on an unglazed balcony until frost, or on a cold window sill with an ajar frame or window window, where the temperature is not higher than 15 ° C, although the optimal wintering of hydrangeas at home is at a temperature of + 2-7 ° C.
The composition of the soil in a pot for hydrangeas: 2 parts of sod land, 2 parts of peat, 1 part of coarse river sand or fine gravel.
Sometimes growers call hydrangea a chameleon, because the color range flowering shrubs easily changes depending on the pH level of the soil. Having acquired a new copy, you should not rush to experiment. The seedling should be planted in the soil of optimal composition. After waiting for the first flowering, you can make adjustments to the pH of the earthen mixture.
It should be mentioned that flower growers successfully grow hydrangeas both in gardens and in rooms. The rules for planting, growing and caring for indoor and garden shrubs are somewhat different.
What soil does a garden hydrangea need?
Hydrangea can easily cope with the role of the queen of the garden, if you make some effort when planting a seedling. There is an opinion that an ornamental shrub does not show high demands to agricultural technology and care. However, the plant gratefully responds to the correct composition of the soil, pleasing with abundant flowering.
Hydrangea soil must meet certain requirements according to the criteria:
- Mineral composition;
- Aeration level;
- Water permeability;
- Acidity level.
Mineral composition
The soil mixture for planting hydrangeas should be prepared long before planting the seedling. Having decided on the landing site, they dig a landing hole. On heavy soils, a hole is dug a little deeper than the drainage layer necessary for arranging. Large crushed stone, broken shards are perfect as drainage. The drainage layer will prevent water from stagnating.
Separately prepare an earthen mixture for backfilling planting holes. A nutritious substrate is obtained by mixing equal amounts of chernozem, leafy, soddy soil, coarse sand, humus and peat. Rotted manure or superphosphate is added as top dressing. The resulting earthen mixture is poured into the planting pits for two to three months for the complete synthesis of mineral and organic components.
Aeration of the soil for hydrangeas
Coarse sand added to the substrate improves soil ventilation. Additionally, hydrangea farming includes loosening the earth, mulching to exclude oxygen starvation of the root system.
Great importance for successful cultivation ornamental shrub has soil permeability.
Hydrangeas cannot tolerate heavy loamy soil, which retains moisture for a long time and is prone to waterlogging. Also, the culture does not take root in sandy areas due to the low content nutrients.
The water permeability of the planting substrate is maintained by the content of peat and sand. These components allow water not to linger in the upper layers, easily penetrate deep into the depths, reaching the roots. It is recommended to loosen the surface layer after each watering of the hydrangea.
Acidity level
Hydrangeas prefer medium acidic or slightly acidic soil.
The most acceptable pH level is 5.5. It is strictly forbidden to lime the soil. Soil acidity will gradually decrease as the root system assimilates nutrients, which is a natural process. 
Organic and mineral fertilizing acidifies the soil. Ammonium sulfate, urea, saltpeter, inkstone perfectly increase the pH of the substrate.
If necessary, additional acidification can be carried out by adding ten grams of any food acid to ten liters of water.
Hydrangea itself informs the gardener about the change in the acidity of the nutrient medium.
The plant, like a litmus strip, changes the color of the spherical inflorescences depending on the acidity level.
Instances growing on acidic soil bloom in blue, purple and blue flowers. While on the latched area, the bush pleases the eye with bunches pink flowers... White flowering brushes are characteristic of hydrangeas growing in soil with a neutral reaction.
Experienced gardeners use unique property plants for experiments. The soil is acidified on one side of the hydrangea bush, while alkalinizing on the other to get different brushes colors on one copy.
Preparing the substrate for indoor hydrangea
Florists who do not have summer cottages successfully grow indoor hydrangea. Flowering bush serves wonderful decoration spacious room or balcony. Indoor hydrangea requires a slightly different composition of the substrate than the garden culture.
The optimal soil mix for a home specimen is prepared by mixing equal amounts of the following ingredients:
- Leafy land;
- Overripe humus;
- Peat crumb;
- Coarse sand;
- Pine needles.
Indoor hydrangea also loves slightly acidic soil, so be sure to add peat and needles. The sand must be pre-calcined in the oven or placed in the microwave for a few minutes.
When choosing a planting container, it should be remembered that the flowerpot should be wide rather than high. Indoor specimens form sprawling low bushes. Wide outdoor decorative flowerpots are perfect for planting room hydrangeas.
Particular attention is paid to the drainage layer and drainage holes on the bottom of the pot. As a drainage mixture, small pebbles, small pieces of foam plastic, broken shards are used. Broken brick and expanded clay accumulate moisture and are not suitable for planting hydrangeas. The top layer of the soil must be loosened and mulched to maintain an optimal level of aeration of the root system.
Indoor hydrangea is also sensitive to the level of acidity of the soil and responds to experiments with obtaining multi-colored spherical inflorescences. Alum, ferrous sulfate, mineral additives are used as an oxidizing agent.
In autumn, the plant stops flowering and prepares for winter rest.
The last feeding is carried out in early to mid-September, after which watering is gradually reduced. The dormant period begins in November and lasts until February. For this period, the flowerpot is transferred to a cool, lighted room, while maintaining moderate watering. The first fertilization is carried out in early to mid-February to awaken the hydrangea.
Why hydrangeas do not take root
Despite the general simplicity of decorative flowering shrubs, sometimes growers fail. Testing the substrate for acidity will help eliminate the cause of the stoppage of the growing season. Hydrangeas, both garden and indoor, react extremely negatively to alkaline soils, high lime content, and iron deficiency.
Not all types of hydrangea form flower stalks on last year's shoots. Inexperienced growers often show irrepressible enthusiasm when pruning shrubs, depriving the plant of flowering shoots. Hydrangea pruning is recommended in early spring, before the awakening of the kidneys. Top dressing is stopped in September, and watering is maintained in the same mode until early October, depending on weather and climatic conditions.
Instructions
Hydrangea is recommended to be replanted annually for better flowering, each time replacing the potting soil. It should be fertile, not gritty, and there should be good drainage in the pot. This flower prefers acidic soils to all others and will not grow in alkaline. On poor, sandy soils, growth will slow down and flowering, most likely, will not occur. For indoor maintenance, hydrangeas choose a wide pot of shallow depth, since root system hydrangeas are fibrous and superficial. You will need to transplant the plant immediately if you purchase it in the store. Hydrangea is very often affected by the worm, and the fact of its presence must be excluded by revising the roots immediately after purchasing the plant. A special soil for azaleas is suitable for transplanting, and expanded clay balls should be used as a drainage layer.
The planned transplant is carried out in early spring, until the period of active growth begins. Before replanting, choose a suitable pot with a diameter of 1-2 cm larger than the previous one, and dry the soil of the transplanted hydrangea for 3-4 days. Then on the work surface, wide windowsill, on a table or directly on the floor, spread newspapers, polyethylene or paper, so that later you can easily collect all the spilled earth. The pot with the plant is placed in the center of the place prepared for the transplant and the hydrangea is carefully taken by the base of the trunk. At the same time, the pot is tilted, removing the plant along with a lump of earth. If, for some reason, the hydrangea remains in the pot, you need to separate the earth from its walls. To do this, put the pot on its side and lightly tap the side walls to help extract the plant. You can use a thin ruler or knife for this, carefully inserting them between the earthen ball and the edge of the pot and drawing in a circle.
After removing the hydrangea from the old pot, you cannot shake the soil from its roots. If the hydrangea is bought in a store and the roots need to be checked, it is placed in a basin of water and the soil is very carefully washed off the root system. With a planned transplant of a hydrangea, it is transferred to a new pot along with a lump of earth from the old one, unless the dry earth crumbles itself. A layer of drainage with a thickness of at least 3 cm is laid on the bottom of the new pot, and a layer of chopped sphagnum or neutral peat is sometimes placed on it. The soil is poured onto the peat with a layer of about 1 cm and an earthen lump with hydrangea is placed in the center. After that, you can, holding the flower by the base of the stem, add the earth to the right level... At the same time, you should not deepen the hydrangea more than before, from this its stem can rot. In no case should the ground be tamped after planting, this can damage the roots of the flower. The hydrangea is sprayed and placed in a permanent place, starting with a little water from the next day.
Sources:
- Indoor hydrangea - care, reproduction, transplant
Hydrangea needs to be replanted every year, best time for this it is considered early spring... Adult bushes are prepared for transplanting in the fall, they are tied with a rope, then a trench is dug around them and filled with compost.
Instructions
If you properly prepare for transplantation, the plant will transfer it painlessly and quickly take root. First, you need to tie a rope around the branches so that they do not interfere. After that, outside the root system, an annular trench should be dug, in length and width it should be equal to the bayonet of the shovel.
The trench must be filled with compost and moistened. After this procedure, the hydrangea will take root in the compost. Before transplanting, the plant must be dug along the outer edge of the trench, and then the bush must be removed, being careful not to damage the young roots.
For hydrangeas with pink, red or white flowers, soil with low acidity is suitable, for blue varieties better to prepare highly acidic. If the land on the site is not acidic enough, before transplanting it is necessary to add brown peat, sawdust or coniferous soil, it is best to use half-rotted spruce and pine litter. Lime, chalk, ash and other deoxidizers are contraindicated for all varieties of hydrangeas.
If the land into which you are going to transplant the plant is heavy clay or loamy, it is first dug up, after which a bucket of peat is added, river sand and bedding coniferous... You should also add one tablespoon of potassium sulfate and superphosphate.
Decorative perennial grows as a bush, and sometimes in the form of a tree that adorns curbs, lawns, houses. Has two types of flowers: small fruiting? located in the middle of the inflorescence, and large marginal ones are sterile. The first years after planting, the plant is of short stature and other low-growing flowers can be planted to it.
Place and soil
The place and soil for planting hydrangeas should be with a very high humus content, loose and permeable. Mandatory observance of the PH, it should be within 5.5. It is quite easy to control the pH of the soil; with a slight deviation, the hydrangea flowers change their color. With increased acidity of the soil, the flowers turn blue, and if the level deviates to the alkaline side, the flowers are pink. You can read about how to determine and correct soil acidity here.
For good growth plants and partial shade is necessary for flowering, but in no case direct sunlight. Since the soil on them dries out very quickly, and the flowers themselves become much smaller. It is not recommended to plant hydrangea under trees and shrubs, as the root system will not have enough moisture.
Planting hydrangeas
You can plant a hydrangea in the fall only if the seedlings have a good root system. Otherwise better fit engage in the spring. Before planting, it is recommended to add a sufficient amount of sand, needles, ash to the soil. It is also necessary to install drainage system... The depth of the planting pit should be at least half a meter, in order to protect the root system from damage. When filling the hole, sawdust must be added to the soil to help keep the soil moist.
Fertilizing the soil... Before planting, it is necessary to make a sufficient amount of organic and complex mineral fertilizers mineral fertilizers. In the spring, add urea to the soil. Moderate application of manure is obligatory. Since with an excess of it, there will be very large inflorescences that can break off the branches.
Dissolve 8-10 gr. ammonia-potassium or potassium alum in 2 liters of water. This solution is enough to feed one bush. Also for coloring hydrangea flowers in blue color you can use a bluing substance that is sold in flower shops.
It is better to forget about feeding the hydrangea with ash right away. In addition to alum and iron salts, mineral fertilizers are suitable for heather crops, rhododendrons and azaleas.
In the first year of planting large-leaved hydrangea in the ground, the plant can be watered with a slightly pink solution of potassium permanganate. This measure will prevent damage to the base of the shoots by rot. Also for this purpose, you can use fungicides, for example, "Fitosporin".
When caring for a hydrangea, it must be remembered that the plant responds well to all feeding. In the spring, at the beginning of growth, a Riga mixture with microelements is introduced or per 1 sq. m give 20 - 25 g of urea, 30 - 40 g of superphosphate and 30 - 35 g potassium sulfate... During the budding period, a second feeding is made at the rate of 60 - 80 g of superphosphate and 40 - 45 g of potassium sulfate per 1 sq. m; the third and fourth feeding - in the summer. Hydrangeas are moisture-loving: 15 - 20 liters for each plant are given once a week, when it rains, once a month is enough. To enhance the strength of the shoots of the plant, it is recommended to water with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
When caring for a hydrangea, it should be borne in mind that it is advisable to mulch the soil with peat or sawdust with a layer of 6 cm and leave them for the summer, raking them off the stems of the plant. Loosening to a depth of 5 - 6 cm is carried out together with weeding and watering 2-3 times per season.
There are two ways to artificially transform hydrangea flowers from white to blue. First, aluminum sulfate is poured around the roots. The second is that the bush is watered with a special bluing agent that can be bought at a gardening store.
Pit... It must be of sufficient size so that the root system is not damaged during planting. For a seedling that is about 5 years old, the depth should reach up to 40 cm, and the width should be at least 50 cm.
Creating a hedge... If you create hedge, then the distance between the seedlings themselves should be about one meter. After a few years, it is necessary to prune the plant and thin it out.
Planting season... It doesn't really matter if your area doesn't have harsh winters. Otherwise, it is better to transplant in the spring.
Spring planting... Has its own characteristics. First of all, you need to remove annual shoots(leaving only a few buds), then shorten the roots of the seedlings. Obligatory plentiful watering after planting and mulching the soil with peat.
Unfortunately, errors are periodically encountered in articles, they are corrected, articles are supplemented, developed, new ones are being prepared. Subscribe to the news to stay informed.
If something is not clear, be sure to ask!
How to knit the following patterns: Fabulous openwork. detailed instructions with explanations ...
Knitting. Fine alternation. Vertical coupler. Drawings. Patterns ...
How to knit the following patterns: Fine alternation. Vertical coupler. Detailed ...
A sulfur-yellow mushroom - tinder fungus. Description. Signs, appearance. Distribution ...
Is the sulfur-yellow tinder fungus edible, where it grows, what it tastes like, how and when it is harvested ...
Knitting. Butterfly. Drawings. Patterns ...
How to knit a pattern - Butterfly. Detailed instructions with explanations ...