Hydrangea blue tree planting and outdoor care

Do you want to decorate your garden with an unusual shrub? Try planting a hydrangea flower, planting and caring for which in the open field is simple, reproduction and growing of hydrangea is possible even for novice gardeners. You can find a fantastically beautiful flower by reading the description of the variety and considering its combination with other plants in landscape design. In the photo, the hydrangea looks like the queen of the garden.

Varieties and varieties of hydrangea

Hydrangea is an undoubted favorite among flowers in summer cottages. A long flowering period, a variety of shapes and tones attract special attention to it from gardeners and designers; more and more often, various varieties of this perennial are used in landscape design.

Blue hydrangea

Hydrangeas can be spherical, racemose, and white, lilac, red, two-colored in color. The most common in our latitudes is the tree hydrangea. Unpretentious, fairly easy to care for and grow, the plant is recommended for novice gardeners. Several varieties of shrubs have been bred by breeders:

• Bella Anna - a new variety of tree hydrangea, has rather large spherical inflorescences, the crown grows up to three meters in diameter, the color of the petals is from pale pink to purple-pink, blooms throughout the summer season and September;

Bella Anna variety

• "Anabel" - a lush blooming, spreading shrub about 1.5 m high, inflorescences in the form of a ball of snow-white color, blooms in early July and retains its color throughout the summer season until September. After the end of flowering, the leaves of the plant remain bright green throughout the fall. Variety "Anabel" is adapted for wintering, does not require special shelter for the winter, frost-resistant;

"Anabel"

• "Grandiflora" - differs in large crystal-white inflorescences, blooms for 4 months;

"Grandiflora"

• "Invincibel Spirit" - a new variety of hydrangea with pink petals;

"Invisibel Spirit"

• "Sterilis" - a variety with hemispherical, dense, heavy inflorescences, during the flowering period - from July to October - the petals radically change color: from pale green to crystal white.

"Sterilis"

Also, a fairly common perennial variety - Panicle hydrangea, planting and caring for which is quite simple. This flower is attractive with inflorescences of an unusual - paniculate - shape, frost-resistant, characterized by rapid recovery even in unfavorable climatic conditions. An interesting feature of this hydrangea variety is the particularly long flowering period, during which the inflorescence changes its color. Does not need mulching for the winter. The most common varieties of panicle hydrangea are:

• Vanilla Fraze - variety with pale white and pink petals;

"Vanilla Fries"

• "Limelight" - the plant blooms in autumn, differs in large inflorescences of a pale lemon shade;

"Limelight"

• "Pinky Winky" - hydrangea with soft red petals.

"Pinky Winky"

How to plant correctly

Growing hydrangeas in the open field is possible even for novice gardeners. If a hydrangea is chosen for a flower garden, planting and caring for it will never be a burden, they will become favorite activities. The correct location should be chosen for planting the shrub. Hydrangea does not tolerate long shading, the best place to plant it is on the sunny side. Hydrangea propagation is carried out by separate bushes or cuttings. It is recommended to plant a flower in spring (in May) or in autumn (in warm September).

Even a novice gardener can plant a hydrangea.

To plant a hydrangea with a bush in the open field, you need to dig a planting hole about 60 cm deep, about half a meter wide and long. The distance between the bushes is at least 1.5 meters. A flower, growing with proper care, will occupy a much larger area than when planted. The pits should be filled with a special mixture, including peat, sand, soil, humus (1: 1: 2: 2) and fertilizers (landscape design experts recommend combining 20 g of urea, potassium sulphide each, add about 60 g of superphosphate in granules and 10 kg of humus ).

Attention: do not add lime to the soil mixture for hydrangea - it is detrimental to this plant.

When planting, it should be borne in mind that the root collar of the plant should be at ground level. After planting the hydrangea in open ground, it must be watered abundantly.

Tip: For the first two flowering seasons, it is recommended to pick off the inflorescences. The root system of the plant will get stronger and grow, which will subsequently give the bush strength and splendor.

Suitable care

Hydrangea care consists in weeding and loosening the soil around it, organizing a timely and correct watering regime. In addition, to prevent rapid evaporation of moisture, it is recommended to mulch the bush in early summer with peat or sawdust.

Fading flowers must be cut off so that they do not pull strength from the plant.

A perennial needs proper pruning. The plant should be pruned in the spring before the beginning of the growing season, removing old shoots and leaving young and strong ones, shortening them by 3-5 buds. Faded and dried bush inflorescences must be removed. Old perennial bushes must be cut almost at the root, leaving only low stumps, from which young shoots will develop.

Fertilizing and fertilizing hydrangeas

The hydrangea planted in prepared and fertilized soil for the first two years can not be fertilized or fed.
Then the procedure for feeding hydrangeas is as follows:

• in the spring it is necessary to apply a complex fertilizer containing micro- and macroelements (phosphorus, potassium, nitrogen) under each bush;
• the second time in a season, top dressing (potassium sulfate together with superphosphate) is applied during the period when buds appear on the bush;
• a couple of times it is advisable to feed the perennial with diluted chicken droppings or cow dung.

Hydrangea responds very well to feeding

Caution: Excessive fertilization of nitrogen can lead to greening of hydrangea petals and problems with the wintering of the plant.

It should also be borne in mind that hydrangea responds well to lactic acid, therefore it is important when growing it to periodically water the bush with soaked sour bread, milk whey, sour milk, kefir.

Propagation of hydrangea

Like other perennial shrubs, hydrangea can be propagated vegetatively (by cuttings, dividing the bush, layering) and seeds.

To grow shrubs from cuttings, it is necessary to cut the tops of young non-lignified shoots in mid-July and root them in specially prepared soil, consisting of coarse sand and peat.Experts recommend taking measures to increase soil moisture under the cuttings. For this, sphagnum moss is added to it. Cuttings are planted in such soil a little at an angle, at a small (up to 5 cm) distance and provide them with a temperature regime in the range of 16-20 ° C. 4-5 weeks are enough for rooting. After that, the hydrangea is planted in a permanent growing area and provided with proper care.

Propagation of hydrangea by cuttings

When the hydrangea propagates by dividing the bush, part of it is separated, while it is important that there are 2-3 buds on the young shoots, they are dug up and transplanted to a new place.

For the propagation of hydrangeas by layering, it is necessary to bend one of the young shoots of the growing bush to the ground and dig it into a previously dug hole (up to 15-20 cm deep). In order to prevent the shoot from straightening, it can be fixed with staples. Experienced gardeners recommend making an incision on the part of the shoot that will be in the ground to speed up the rooting process. It is necessary to regularly water the branch, it can also be mulched. After the formation of its own root system at the branch, it is separated from the mother bush and planted in a new place.

Propagation of hydrangea by layering

Diseases and pests

As a rule, hydrangea is quite resistant to all sorts of pests and diseases. However, it can also become infected with chlorosis, downy mildew, spider mites, and green leaf aphids can appear on it.

Chlorosis is expressed in a sharp lightening of the leaves of the plant, the loss of their natural color. The reason for its development is the excessive content of lime or humus in the soil. To eliminate chlorosis, it is enough to water the plant with solutions of nitric acid potassium and copper sulfate in turn with an interval of three days.

Hydrangea disease - chlorosis

The cause of hydrangea disease with downy mildew is excess air humidity. For treatment, it is recommended to treat the hardwood surface with a solution of copper sulfate with the addition of soap.

Garlic infusion will help drive aphids from the plant. It is necessary to prepare a garlic infusion (200 g of chopped garlic in a bucket of water, let it brew for 2 days), add laundry soap (40 g) and irrigate the perennial with this infusion every 5-7 days until the aphids are destroyed.

Hydrangea: combination with other plants

In a flower garden or garden, hydrangea is quite effective both by itself and in combination with other flowers. For example, panicle hydrangea looks great next to clumps of purple-leaved barberries, viburnum vesicle. The beauty of the tree-like hydrangea is emphasized by daylilies, sheared barberry, undersized juniper.

Hydrangea in the design of the flower bed

Hydrangea in landscape design

Hydrangea is a fantastically beautiful flower that inspires beautiful compositions in landscaping. Taking into account the climatic conditions, in our latitudes it is recommended to plant a tree-like, paniculate and petiolate hydrangea. Hydrangea looks magical in the photo in large compositions when it grows in the squares, surprising everyone with the size and beauty of its inflorescences. To emphasize the beauty of hydrangea, you can surround it with borders of spirits, cotoneaster, and other shrubs. The hydrangea should be planted in a flower garden in the background so that it does not obscure other plants.

Hydrangea in landscape design

It is not recommended to combine hydrangea with yellow, red, orange flowers. Plants with bluish flowers, needles or leaves can successfully shade a shrub - for example, clematis, cereals, hosts, stunted junipers.
A classic landscape design is the combination of hydrangea with pink phlox with a round shape of inflorescences, thujas, microbiota. Also hydrangea is used in mixborders to create compositions along garden paths, can be grown as a hedge.

Hydrangea is the foundation of a beautiful garden.With proper care, it will delight you for years to come. Experiment with different varieties of this shrub, try to decorate your gazebo with climbing hydrangea, plant a tree-like one along the paths, create a living fence using a paniculata.

Garden hydrangea care: video

Garden hydrangea: photo

Even in a very large garden area, it is impossible not to notice a flower bed decorated with large and multi-colored hydrangea caps. This wonderful beautiful plant is so mesmerizing to the eye that you simply cannot pass by it. Hydrangeas have more than 35 species, among which there are varieties that grow well and winter in the Urals and Siberia. But in whatever latitude of our country your garden is, before buying a beauty, you need to study all the features of planting, caring for and growing it.

Garden hydrangea: photos, types, varieties

Most types of hydrangeas are shrubs, but there are vines and small trees. All of them have beautiful large or small leaves, and flowers collected in paniculate or corymbose inflorescences. All inflorescences are located at the tops of the shoots and have sterile or fertile flowers. Most often, their color can be white, pink or blue.

Among them, only tree hydrangea and paniculate hydrangea are grown as perennial plants in the gardens of central Russia.

Hydrangea tree - photo

The shrub, which grows up to one and a half meters in height, has large oval leaves, the length of which reaches 20 cm. Slightly pubescent leaf plates are distinguished by a heart-shaped notch at the base and jagged edges along the edges. From above they are green, and from below they have a bluish tint. Large sterile and small fertile flowers are collected in corymbose inflorescences, which bloom in the first half of July.

Most suitable for planting in the garden the following varieties of hydrangea tree-like:

1. Variety "White House" is a bush with a height of one to one and a half meters. At the ends of its shoots, large thyroid inflorescences are formed, consisting of snow-white sterile and creamy white fertile flowers.
2. InvincibelSpirit grows up to 0.9-1.2 m. Its large inflorescences consist of sterile flowers. At first, they have a bright pink color, and over time they fade to light pink.
3. Variety "Incrediboll" is a bush that reaches a height of 1.2-1.5 m, and has large spherical white inflorescences.
4. Heis Starburst is a short bush with slender shoots that can break under the weight of large inflorescences. The inflorescences consisting of double flowers reach 25 cm in diameter.
5. The Annabelle variety blooms with white sterile flowers, which form large inflorescences with a diameter of up to 25 cm.

Hydrangea paniculata - varieties, photo

Panicle hydrangea differs from tree hydrangea in inflorescences, which consist of large sterile and small fertile flowers, and grow up to 20-25 cm in length... During flowering, they can change color. For the first time days, the petals of flowers are white, after a while they acquire a pink tint, and by the end of flowering they turn green. Large leaves of paniculate species are distinguished by an ovoid or elliptical shape. Below they are heavily pubescent, and slightly above.

Garden varieties bloom from June to July, and bloom for a long time. Among them are:

1. Variety "Vanilla Freise" grows up to two meters and is distinguished by a conical inflorescence, on which flowers of a strawberry-pink color are densely located.
2. The Phantom variety is a bush with a spreading crown, growing up to 2.5 m. Its pyramidal large inflorescences have a creamy white hue at the beginning of flowering, and turn pink by autumn.
3. Variety "Pinky-Winky" is a bush up to 1.8 m high, on the shoots of which openwork conical purple-pink inflorescences are formed.
4. The Limelight variety is distinguished by dense greenish inflorescences, which turn pink by the end of the season.
5. The variety "Grandiflora" has been known among gardeners for a long time for its dense inflorescences, which consist of sterile flowers.
6. The Vims Red variety is a beautifully shaped bush that reaches a height of 2 m. From the ground to the very top, it is covered with delicate inflorescences that bloom in June. At first they have a white color, then they become deep pink, and after a while - burgundy-red.
7. The variety "White Lady" is distinguished by white inflorescences, which consist of a few flowers with jagged edges. Grows up to two meters.
8. The Kiushu variety is a bush with delicate inflorescences and erect shoots up to 2.5 m high.
9. The "Great Star" variety is a plant up to two meters in height. Its shoots are strewn with inflorescences, which consist of white flowers with petals in the shape of a "propeller".
10. Earley Sensation is distinguished by its early flowering and dark purple shoots. On its openwork, wide-conical inflorescences, purple-pink flowers are formed.
11. The variety "Diamond Rouge" is a bush up to 1.8 m high. Its dense, large inflorescences very quickly acquire a red hue.
12. The Daruma variety is a low-growing shrub with reddish leaves and small openwork inflorescences. The dark pink flowers become reddish over time.

Features of growing garden hydrangea

Those who decide to grow a hydrangea on their garden plot need follow certain rules her planting, placement and care. It should be remembered that only treelike and panicle hydrangeas grow in Siberia.

Planting and leaving

The plant loves well-lit areas with little shade. In sunny areas, hydrangeas grow well and bloom quickly, but from excessive heat they suffer from drying out of the soil and lose their turgor. Small inflorescences are formed in full shade.

The soil for planting shrubs must have an acidic reaction. Alkaline soil plant will suffer from chlorosis and bloom poorly... Neutral soil for hydrangea is unacceptable.

Hydrangeas planted on nutritious loams will take root well and will grow. Therefore, it is recommended to add clay during planting at the bottom of the pit.

Hydrangea belongs to moisture-loving plants, however, it is not recommended to plant it in areas with a high groundwater level. In addition, the wintering of the shrub directly depends on the moisture intake of the plant roots. The less moisture they accumulate in the fall, the better the plant will overwinter. That is why in autumn the soil around the bushes must be partially covered from precipitation.

Planting garden hydrangeas is done in the spring in pits, approximate the dimensions of which should be 50x50x70 cm... The plant is planted after the last frost has passed.

Store-bought plants with a closed root system can be planted until the end of summer, preparing deeper and wider pits for them. After planting, the bushes are well watered, and the soil around them is 6 cm covered with sawdust or peat mulch.

The distance between plants should be from one to one and a half meters. If the group planting was conceived as a "hedge", then the bushes are planted more densely.

Watering and feeding

During the season in the open field, the bushes are watered once a week. In hot months, the frequency of watering increases up to 2 times a week.

Hydrangea care includes mandatory feeding, which produced twice a year:

1. In May or June, during the budding period, the plant is fed with nitrogen fertilizers.
2. In summer, the bushes need potassium, which is added according to the instructions.

It is better not to apply ash under hydrangea bushes, since it reduces the acidity of the soil.

Pruning hydrangea

When caring for a hydrangea, you need to be especially careful about pruning a shrub. Pruning is done every spring. Some growers cut the bushes very short, as a result of which they are removed most flower buds... This cannot be done. It is recommended to approach each bush individually.

First of all, the frozen parts of the shoots are cut out from the plant. If after this there are enough powerful shoots, then last year's branches can be cut to the upper branch. With a small number of annual shoots, only inflorescences are removed from the faded branches.

Too old and thickening shoots are completely cut out. Annual shoots are not recommended to be cut out at all. It should be noted that inflorescences for bouquets can be cut during the entire period until autumn.

What to do to make the hydrangea change color?

Experienced growers know that by feeding bushes with pink inflorescences with certain fertilizers, as a result, you can get a plant, blooming with blue or blue flowers... To do this, starting in September, once every two weeks, the following is added to the soil:

• aluminum alum solution (2 pcs. for 1 liter of water);
• iron or aluminum sulfate (20-50 g).

If fertilizers are applied irregularly, then both blue and pink inflorescences will begin to form on the shrub.

Preparing hydrangeas for winter

Unfortunately, without shelter in the Urals and Siberia, hydrangea will not be able to overwinter. Therefore, caring for her in regions with cold winters includes preparing the bushes for wintering.

Before sheltering the plant, it is necessary to feed with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers and remove all the leaves from them, leaving only the upper ones. This will help speed up the process of lignification of the shoots.

The panicle and tree hydrangea grown in the southern regions can be simply huddle high or cover with peat... For regions with unpredictable and cold winters, you can choose one of the proposed methods:

1. Cover the trunk circle with spruce branches. Bend the shoots away from the center, secure with staples and cover with spruce branches. Cover the center of the bush with peat. Lutrasil is laid on top, which is pressed with bricks or boards.
2. Young small bushes are tied with a rope and carefully, without haste, are attracted and tied to boards lying on the ground, in which nails are driven. From above, the plants are thrown with sawdust or spruce branches, and covered with spunbond, lutrasil or a sheet of iron.
3. It will be difficult to pull powerful bushes to the ground, so a different method of shelter is used for them. The shoots are wrapped in lutrasil, fixed with tape or rope. A metal mesh is installed around the bush. Dry leaves are thrown inside the armament, and everything is covered with polyethylene or roofing material from above. The frame should be 10-15 cm higher than the bushes.

When growing hydrangeas, you should know that every year it winter hardiness increases... Therefore, in some regions, over time, you can refuse to shelter bushes for the winter. But it is imperative to cover young plants.

Diseases and pests of garden hydrangea

The plant is resistant to diseases and pests, however, may be amazed:

1. Aphids, which can be driven away by infusion of garlic. To do this, 200 g of chopped garlic is infused in a bucket of water for two days. You can add 40 g of laundry soap to the solution, and spray the plant once every 5-7 days.
2. Powdery mildew infects hydrangeas with excess air humidity. When it appears, the plant is treated with a solution of copper sulfate with soap or special fungicidal agents.
3. Sharply clarified hydrangea leaves indicate plant chlorosis. The leaves can lose their natural color due to the excessive content of humus or lime in the soil. Chlorosis is eliminated by alternately watering the plant every three days with copper sulfate and potassium nitrate.

Beautiful hydrangea plant excellent suitable for single and group plantings, goes well with low conifers and looks great against the background of stones. With proper planting and caring for it, you can admire the magnificent flowering and be proud of your flower garden all summer until autumn.

Garden hydrangea

Blue hydrangea is a flowering garden shrub. It looks great in landscape compositions, it is suitable for decorating hedges, decorating gazebos, paths. Currently, many varieties have been bred that easily endure winter and delight with their flowering for many years. There is no separate type of "blue hydrangea". The plant got this name for the shade of its flowers. Large-leaved varieties of hydrangea are covered with blue and blue inflorescences, mainly. There are two- and three-color species that change their shade throughout the season. Today we will talk about planting and leaving blue hydrangea.

Blue-flowered hydrangea varieties

As a rule, these are large-leaved hydrangeas. They differ in rounded inflorescences, long and abundant flowering. Initially, flower growers saw large-leaved hydrangeas in potted versions. Such crops were not suitable for outdoor cultivation. They just froze. And only much later frost-resistant varieties were bred. Which ones have blue flowers?

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1. Hydrangea "Mini Penny". Repaired grade. Blooms on the shoots of the current year. It has juicy green foliage and pale blue flowers, collected in globular inflorescences.
2. "Ramars". A small compact bush. Refers to multi-colored varieties. Some species are covered with purple or violet flowers. Others are spectacular bright blue and white.
3. Freedom. Bicolor variety. At the beginning of flowering, pink flowers appear against a background of rich greenery. Then their middle turns blue, and the edges turn white.
4. "Compeito". Hybrid variety with large purple-blue flowers, the middle of which is white.
5. "Performance". The pink-like flowers are pink at first. Then the hue changes to blue.
6. Hopcorn Blue. A short bush up to sixty to eighty centimeters with tulip-like blue flowers. Blooms on the shoots of the second year.
7. Jomari. Compact bush with blue double flowers. It also blooms on the branches of the second year.

When to plant blue hydrangea

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

Preparing the soil for planting blue hydrangea

The soil for hydrangea should be well-drained and moistened, consisting 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 has a negative effect on development. The soil should have a Ph level of about 5.0. Alkaline soil leads to chlorosis (yellowing of the leaves). When the bush grows on alkaline soil, there is often a lack of iron and magnesium, which is manifested by light and pale color of the leaves. Therefore, acidify the soil or treat the bush with iron chelate. In past centuries, gardeners buried iron items (nails, a bank, a horseshoe). When planting, prepare a special balanced soil mixture with fertilizers.

Planting blue hydrangeas outdoors

An empty planting pit must be thoroughly spilled with water. The surrounding soil must be saturated with moisture. To do this, at least 3 buckets of water are poured into the pit. After a day, you can start planting the plant. For planting, mix the amount of soil substrate required to fill the pit. Dry mineral fertilizers (50 g of fertilizers per 1 plant) are added to the specified soil composition and mixed thoroughly. You can also use specialized fertilizer for hydrangeas. The planting hole is filled with a prepared soil substrate, slightly compacting it. In the center, a hole is made the size of an earthen lump on the roots of the seedling.The bush is set in a hole, the roots are buried in earth. The earth around the bush is compacted with hands. If, after compaction, the planting pit turns out to be insufficiently filled, a substrate is added from above. After planting, the blue hydrangea is well watered so that the entire volume of soil in the pit is saturated with moisture. Following this, the soil is covered with a layer of mulch. It contains crushed bark or sawdust of deciduous trees. Mulching the soil is necessary to retain moisture in the soil.

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When planting several hydrangea bushes, the distance between them should be at least 1 m. This is necessary so that the bushes, growing, do not shade each other. If you want to plant a hydrangea in a row, then you can dig a trench 90-110 cm wide.If you want to achieve an earlier flowering, then when planting, dig holes closer to each other (70-80 cm), and after 2-3 years thin the bushes at necessity. Planting pit Depth - 36-45, width - 51-65 cm. The roots grow mainly in breadth, extending much further than the crown. Planting depth The root collar should be at the level of the soil, a maximum of 2-3 cm lower, otherwise the flower will not develop well. Now that you know how to plant a hydrangea correctly, you need to take care of the plant in a timely manner.

Blue hydrangea care

Hydrangea care consists in weeding and loosening the soil around it, organizing a timely and correct watering regime. In addition, to prevent rapid evaporation of moisture, it is recommended to mulch the bush in early summer with peat or sawdust.

In autumn, plants are fed with complex fertilizers, and in spring with urea (2 tablespoons per adult bush, diluted in 2 buckets of water and water). This allows them to develop and form large panicles.

During the growing season, the plant can be fertilized with slurry, but if you overdo it with organic fertilizing, then the branches of the bush can break off under the weight of the inflorescences.

Pruning blue hydrangea

It is important to form the shrub correctly. Gardeners do not like to prune branches, but in the case of panicle hydrangea without strong pruning, you can not wait for abundant flowering.

Pruning rules:

1. All inflorescences are cut in autumn.
2. In the spring, all weak and frozen branches growing inside the bush are cut out on the ring.
3. In the spring, the one-year growth is shortened, leaving no more than five pairs of buds on each.

Such pruning contributes to the fact that every year the bush will bloom more magnificently. What does "profuse flowering" mean in the case of panicle hydrangea? A five-year-old specimen, with good care, will delight the owner with several dozen panicles, and a twelve-year-old one with several hundred! The plant lives in the garden for 50 years or more. A specimen over 20 years old can be rejuvenated by cutting the bush into a stump. But even such pruning will not prevent the plant from blooming in the same year.

Protecting blue hydrangeas from pests

Blue hydrangea is only affected by aphids and red spider mites. These pests feed on the sap of the plant and are capable of multiplying in large numbers. Very often, the lack of control of them leads to the death of the plant.

• Leaf aphids accumulate at the tops of the shoots and petioles of the youngest leaves. Gradually multiplying, it sucks out the sap of the plant, which leads to twisting and drying of the tops of the shoots. Only purchased insecticidal preparations for the destruction of aphids can help in the fight against them.
• Spider mites are harmful arachnids. Ticks are very small and often invisible to the naked eye. You can only notice the cobwebs on the youngest leaves of the plant. To combat this dangerous pest, there are drugs - acaricides and insecto-acaricides, which destroy harmful arachnids.

Sowing calendars for 2017

Dormant period of blue hydrangea

Novice growers may be alarmed when they notice that the leaves of the hydrangea are falling. If this happened in winter, then there is no reason to worry.The flower has begun a dormant period that lasts about 3 months. Of course, it is difficult to recognize a blooming beauty in the bare branches, but if you wait for summer, you can be sure that this is the same beautiful blue hydrangea. How to care for a wintering flower? The process is very simple. Watering is significantly reduced, but the earthen clod must not be allowed to dry. Fertilizing is not needed. Until March, the hydrangea is harvested in a cool, dark place. Young plants, whose shoots are not lignified, do not shed their leaves and hibernate without entering a state of dormancy.

How to grow a blue hydrangea

Blue hydrangea is a flowering garden shrub. It looks great in landscape compositions, it is suitable for decorating hedges, decorating gazebos, paths. Currently, many varieties have been bred that easily endure winter and delight with their flowering for many years.

There is no separate type of "blue hydrangea". The plant got this name for the shade of its flowers. Large-leaved varieties of hydrangea are covered with blue and blue inflorescences, mainly. There are two- and three-color species that change their shade throughout the season.

In addition, the large-leaved hydrangea is easy to "recolor". You just need to create the appropriate conditions. What varieties have blue inflorescences? How to choose planting material? How to grow a hydrangea? You will find the answers to the questions in the article.

Varieties with blue inflorescences

As a rule, these are large-leaved hydrangeas. They differ in rounded inflorescences, long and abundant flowering.

Initially, Russian flower growers saw large-leaved hydrangeas in potted versions. Such crops were not suitable for outdoor cultivation. They just froze. And only much later frost-resistant varieties were bred. Which ones have blue flowers?

1. Hydrangea "Mini Penny".

   Repaired grade. Blooms on the shoots of the current year. It has juicy green foliage and pale blue flowers, collected in globular inflorescences.

2. Ramars.

   Small compact bush. Refers to multi-colored varieties. Some species are covered with purple or violet flowers. Others are spectacular bright blue and white.

3. Freedom.

   Bicolor variety. At the beginning of flowering, pink flowers appear against a background of rich greenery. Then their middle turns blue, and the edges turn white.

4. "Compeito".

   Hybrid variety with large purple-blue flowers, the middle of which is white.

5. "Performance".

   The pink-like flowers are pink at first. Then the hue changes to blue.

6. Hopcorn Blue.

   A short bush up to sixty to eighty centimeters with tulip-like blue flowers. Blooms on the shoots of the second year.

7. Jomari.

   Compact bush with blue double flowers. It also blooms on the branches of the second year.

These are the most popular varieties. Many of them change color during one flowering period. Pink hydrangea can be purchased, planting and care provided in accordance with the requirements. And then the flowers turn blue. This is the peculiarity of the variety. We just didn't pay attention to it.

The hydrangea color changes easily. During the budding period, the bush must be watered with aluminum alum (for two liters of water - a teaspoon with a slide). Then the white color will become blue, pink - lilac, purple or blue-blue.

How to plant

For planting, seedlings of three-, four-year-old shrubs are ideal. It is better to buy them in specialized real or online stores. The root system of the seedlings must be protected and hidden in some material. In the store, containers are used for these purposes. Growing up consists of:

A place.

1. Hydrangeas love partial shade. Open sunny spaces do not like moisture-loving shrubs. In the shade, hydrangea blooms poorly, blooms later. This plant needs a middle ground.

2. When planning group plantings, it is necessary to take into account that the shrub requires space for growth and development. The optimal free diameter around each hydrangea is two meters.

The soil.

Beautifully flowering shrubs love acidic, moisture-consuming and loose soils. Such conditions can be provided in the following ways:

• bring soil from the forest (you need to dig the ground under the pine trees along with needles);
• mix equal amounts of high-moor peat, leaf and sod soil, sawdust compost, sand.

Hydrangeas don't like lime in the soil!

Landing.

Dig a hole the night before (width, length and height - half a meter). Pour in five buckets of water. The next day, add the prepared substrate, place the seedling, gently spread the roots and cover them with earth. Water well and cover with pine needles or peat.

Care

Decorativeness, color saturation, elasticity of leaves and shoots depend on proper watering, pruning, dressing.

Watering.

Hortense loves water. With a lack of moisture, it withers, blooms poorly. If you give several buckets of water under such a plant, it immediately comes to life.

The optimal frequency of watering is once or twice a week. Three to four buckets should be given for each bush. If, after watering, you mulch the soil around the hydrangeas, then water it once every ten days. The mulch will retain moisture for longer.

Conclusion: in no case should the soil around the hydrangeas be allowed to dry out.

Fertilization.

Large-leaved blue hydrangea loves feeding and responds very well to them. Fertilizers need to be applied depending on the period of plant development:

• at the end of spring - the first feeding of superphosphate, potassium sulphide and urea (2: 2: 1.5);
• in the middle of summer (during the formation of inflorescences) - the second feeding of superphosphate and potassium sulphide (2: 1);
• in late summer - early autumn (during the period of active flowering) - the third top dressing, organic (compost or rotted manure).

To protect the hydrangea from disease, it is recommended to periodically add any fungicide to the irrigation water (especially in the first year after planting).

Conclusion: hydrangeas need mineral fertilizers; during the period of active flowering - organic. Under no circumstances should ash be brought in!

Pruning.

This is a mandatory step in caring for shrubs. Regardless of the variety. Treelike, Grandiflora, Paniculata, Japanese, Phantom hydrangea ... Planting and leaving will not be complete without pruning.

Almost all varieties of large-leaved blue hydrangea bloom on last year's shoots. This must be taken into account when pruning. It is important to keep the flower buds at the ends of the branches.

Do not touch the inflorescences in the fall. They will protect flower buds from winter frost. They can be removed in the spring:

• in April, completely cut off a quarter of old shoots that are more than three years old;
• the rest have only last year's inflorescences;
• remove weak, diseased and overly exposed branches.

Conclusion: it is impossible to shred a large-leaved hydrangea, since inflorescences appear only on last year's branches.

Wintering of blue hydrangea.

1. Water the plant actively from late summer. It should meet the winter strong enough. To prevent the shoots from stifling under cover, treat the bush with Bordeaux mixture.

2. At the end of October, when light frosts are observed at night, the hydrangea can be covered with perforated polyethylene or agrospan. In early November, tilt the shoots to the ground, cover with spruce branches or dry leaves. And put the box on top.

Conclusion: blue hydrangea varieties are prepared for winter, like roses (they reliably protect from frost).