Hydrangea garden planting and outdoor care types

Planting garden hydrangeas and care have their own characteristics. To admire the beautiful and lush flowering, we will learn how to properly care for this plant.

Garden hydrangea - species and varieties

There are many types and varieties of this ornamental shrub. Most of them prefer to grow in partial shade, but there are some that do well in sunny areas. The height of the bushes and the flowering period are very different and depend on the variety.

The most common types:

• Large-leaved. It blooms in the second half of summer with lush inflorescences in the form of balls. Flowers can have different shades. Height - 2 m.Requires shelter in winter, maximum tolerates temperatures up to - 10 ° C
• Pereshkovaya. Variety of creepers. It blooms with white-pink inflorescences. Requires support, otherwise it will creep along the ground. A good option for arbors and arches.
• Tree-like. The flowers are snow-white. Height - up to 3 m. Looks very impressive, but freezes in winter. The plus is that the plant recovers quickly. Requires strong spring pruning.
• Paniculata. It blooms from July to late autumn with dense panicles 30 cm long. The shade of the inflorescences varies from white to greenish. The height of the bush is 3-4 m. An unpretentious and frost-resistant variety.

On the basis of these species, many different varieties have been created, each of which is beautiful in its own way. Depending on the type, hydrangeas can be deciduous or evergreen, but in our area they are most often grown in the first version.

Growing features

Interestingly, the shade of the inflorescences can be adjusted independently by adding certain fertilizers to the soil. On neutral soil, the flowers will have a beige or cream shade. A soil with a high alkali content gives flowers a pink or lilac color, acids - a blue one.

Bright illumination is very important for the shrub, but the scorching rays of the sun are destructive for it, as well as deep shadow. Therefore, it is best to plant a flower where there is shade at lunchtime, and the rest of the time - the sun.

It is important not to overfeed the seedlings with organic matter. They will grow green mass, but are unlikely to bloom.

Landing in open ground

Hydrangea is a demanding flower. Therefore, already before landing, you need to think carefully about all the nuances.

Site and soil preparation

The landing site must be prepared in advance - about 2 weeks in advance.The soil should be acidic and well moisturized. The acidity can be adjusted independently with the help of special preparations. Depending on the variety, the flowers can grow in partial shade or in the sun. The best place for planting is light partial shade; in a strong shade, the plants will not bloom.

The hole should be small: 40 cm deep and 40 cm wide. If a group planting is planned, then the distance between the bushes should be at least 90-100 cm. Sand and fertilizers are added to the pit, mixing well with the ground. Pour some peat into the next layer.

How and when to plant?

Planting is done in early spring or autumn. It depends on the climate of each region. In cold areas, it is better to plant the bushes in the spring so that they can give new roots, get stronger and be able to survive the harsh winter. In warmer regions, planting can be done in the fall. If planting is done in spring, then annual shoots should be shortened by at least 3 buds.

It is advisable to shorten the roots of the seedling a little. When planting, you need to ensure that the root collar is not covered with earth. The planted bush is abundantly watered and mulched with peat. When watering, care must be taken that a strong jet of water does not erode the soil near the roots.

As soon as new leaves appear on the plant, this indicates that the process of the formation of new roots is in full swing.

Phantom hydrangea care

Hydrangea Phantom is one of the most beautiful of the paniculata family. It blooms magnificently throughout the season with long panicles and exudes a pleasant aroma. The variety is resistant to root diseases and frost, quickly recovers after freezing. The bush can grow in one place for many years without requiring a transplant.

Watering and feeding

"Hydrangea" translated from Latin means "yearning for water." The flower is very hygrophilous, therefore, in no case should the soil dry out. Watering should be regular and abundant. As soon as the topsoil dries up a little, the plant needs to be watered again. If the ground around the bush is mulched with peat, you can water less often, since the soil does not dry out so quickly. In the first years, 7-8 liters of water are poured under each seedling, in subsequent years - at least 18 liters.

Watering is the best time to feed. In early spring, the plant needs nitrogen fertilization, during the budding period - in potassium and phosphorus.

It is useful to water the bushes with acidified water once every 2 weeks. For 10 liters of water, you need to take 1 tbsp. l. citric acid. The solution is poured directly under the roots. In addition, in the spring-summer period, once every 3-4 weeks, you need to loosen the ground in order to improve aeration.

How to transplant and prune?

The plant tolerates pruning well. If you do not cut it, the bush will lose its decorative effect, and the flowering will be weak. It is best to do this procedure in the spring, when the buds are swollen. If the bushes are too old, they can be easily renewed by cutting them almost to the root.

All types of hydrangeas can be divided into two groups:

• In the first category includes those species and varieties, the flowers of which are formed on the shoots of the last year (petiole, prickly, large-leaved, serrate). They do not need special pruning, it is enough to remove old, dried and improperly growing branches.
• To the second category includes species that form flowers on the shoots of the current year (paniculate and tree-like). These bushes require strong pruning, all shoots should be shortened in early spring to 2-3 pairs of buds.

When the hydrangea is going to bloom for the first time, you need to immediately cut off all the buds so that the plant gains strength and can bloom profusely next year. Formative pruning of the bush within 5 years will produce a beautiful little tree.

It is necessary to transplant Phantom hydrangea only in extreme cases. It grows well in the same place for years. Therefore, the transplant is justified if an adult bush needs to be divided into parts and transplanted in other places.

Flower care in autumn

Caring for a garden hydrangea in autumn consists in pruning the inflorescences, while removing at least 3 buds from the top of the shoot. This must be done so that the sudden falling wet snow does not freeze on them and break fragile branches. The base of the bushes must be highlighted, and the ground around them must be well mulched. This will protect the superficial root system from frost.

How does hydrangea winter?

In the middle lane, the shrub tolerates winter well. But for a safety net, it is still better to cover it with spruce branches. In the northern regions, the flower is taken to a room with a positive temperature for the winter, since severe frosts can destroy it.

Sometimes the bushes are neatly tied, wrapped in spunbond and a mesh frame is erected near them. The space between the covering material and the mesh is filled with dry foliage. With the first breeze of heat, the leaves are removed, but the spunbond is removed only after a constant positive temperature is established.

How does garden hydrangea reproduce?

The easiest way to propagate a hydrangea is cuttings. They are cut in the spring from annual green shoots. It is necessary to cut at right angles. The length of the cuttings is no more than 12 cm. Leaves are removed from the bottom, treated with preparations to stimulate growth and planted in a greenhouse or boxes.

A good option is to multiply the flower by dividing it. This can be done both in spring and autumn. The bush is carefully dug up and divided into 3-4 parts, so that each one has several renewal buds. The workpieces are planted in pre-marked places.

Also, without much effort, you can propagate the hydrangea by layering. Young shoots are gently bent to the ground, fixed and buried in the ground, leaving the top (about 20 cm). As early as the next spring or autumn, the root cuttings can be separated from the mother plant and transplanted.

Sometimes the shrub is propagated by seeds or grafting, but these are too laborious methods. Knowing how the garden hydrangea reproduces, you can choose the appropriate method in advance and do it in a timely manner.

Protection against diseases and pests

Hydrangeas rarely get sick, while the lion's share of the disease is transferred with seedlings. For this reason, you only need to buy new plants from proven nurseries. Other causes of diseases are called plantings thickening, lack of nutrients and high air humidity.

Many fungal diseases can be fought with copper oxychloride.

One of the most common diseases is chlorosis. Due to a lack of iron, the leaves turn yellow, while the veins remain green. For treatment, drugs Agricol, Brexil are used. As a preventive measure, plants need to be fed with iron-containing fertilizers in a timely manner.

Use in landscape design

Hydrangea looks great both in single plantings and in group plantings. You just need to design in advance its location at a decent distance from other plants. Over time, the bushes grow strongly and require a lot of space.

The flower can be planted as a soloist in the front garden if it is located on the north side of the house. When choosing hydrangea companions in a mixborder, you need to take into account their characteristics. Similar requirements for moisture, lighting and soil acidity in astilbe, hosts, cuffs. If the site is large, you can plant a composition of several bushes. Their sprawling shape will create an expressive accent in the garden. These shrubs are often used to restrict areas of the garden.

Hydrangeas work well with a variety of garden styles, so they can be grown by anyone.

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, is distinguished by its 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 Freise - 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 irrigation 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 order of feeding the hydrangea 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 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). 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 excess 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, low-growing junipers.
The combination of hydrangea with pink phlox with a round shape of inflorescences, thujas, microbiota is considered a classic of landscape design. 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 a 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 hydrangea species 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-cone-shaped 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. In full shade, small inflorescences are formed.

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 high groundwater levels. 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 between one and 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 bring ash under the bushes of hydrangeas, 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

Garden hydrangea is not a frequent visitor to our household plots. And it is completely in vain, because hydrangea flowers have a wide color palette, are unusual in their shape and can become a real decoration of a personal plot.

In this article, we will take a short excursion into the past to acquaint you with the history of the hydrangea flower, tell you about the types and varieties of hydrangeas, give some recommendations on planting and caring for a garden hydrangea, and, of course, provide an opportunity to enjoy the flowers of a garden hydrangea on Photo.

Hydrangea flowers in the garden

The nature of central Russia is not rich in flowering shrubs. This gap is filled by winter-hardy plants introduced from other places. Some of them (like lilacs, wrinkled roses) are so fond of and widespread in Russian gardens that one gets the feeling that they are our “native” plants. Others are undeservedly overlooked and are still quite rare guests in the gardens. These include the flowers of the garden hydrangea, although it is difficult to find a shrub that would differ in such a duration of flowering in the second half of summer.

In addition, among the garden hydrangeas there are species that perfectly tolerate a temperate climate and are distinguished by their unpretentiousness in culture. Therefore, it is difficult to explain our “disfavor”. But the active selection of this culture, which gives us more and more diverse varieties, contributes to the fact that various types and varieties of hydrangeas in the gardens of the middle lane appear more and more often.

Garden hydrangea flowers: historical background

The Europeans got acquainted with the hydrangea at the end of the 18th century, when the participants of the first French round-the-world expedition brought the large-leaved hydrangea from the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean.It got its name in honor of the beautiful princess Hortense, sister of Prince K.G. Nassau-Siegen, a member of the expedition. There is also a more romantic version that it was named by the French physician and naturalist F. Commerson in honor of the charming lover Hortense. However, there is also a completely prosaic explanation that the name comes from the Latin word hortensis, which means "from the garden", since the shrub was found in the garden of the governor of the island of Mauritius.

Later, botanists, referring the hydrangea to the genus Hydrangea, gave it the name Hydrangia, however, the old name was preserved in another name for this species - hydrangea. The plant received a new name for its moisture-loving nature. In Greek hydor is "water", angeion is "vessel", which gave Hydrangea.

Some authors associate the appearance of the word "vessel" in the name with the fact that the seed capsules of the plant resemble a jug, others with the need to always have a vessel with water for abundant watering.

Types and varieties of hydrangeas in the photo

The genus of hydrangeas contains several dozen species (botanists still have no consensus on the number of species) and belongs to the family of the same name Hydrangeaceae.

Most species are shrubs with large leaves, less often they are small trees or vines.

As you can see in the photo, all types of hydrangea have flowers collected in large corymbose or paniculate inflorescences and are usually located at the ends of the shoots.

In most types of hydrangeas, the inflorescences contain two types of flowers: small, fertile (fertile) flowers and large sterile (sterile) flowers, which are usually located at the edge of the inflorescences. Most species are white or pink in color.

Description of panicle hydrangea and its photo

For gardening in central Russia, panicle and tree hydrangeas are of greatest interest. These hydrangeas are most often found in old gardens.

In recent years, the selection of panicle hydrangea (H. paniculata) has been quite active, and almost every year new varieties appear on the market. In the gardens of the Moscow region, its growth does not exceed 3-3.5 m. The description of the panicle hydrangea is similar to the description of the tree hydrangea, the main difference is in the shape of the inflorescences.

Wide-pyramidal paniculate inflorescences of hydrangea up to 20-25 cm long consist of small fertile flowers and large sterile ones.

Look above at the photo of panicle hydrangea - the color of the petals is white at first, then they turn pink, and by the end of flowering, greenish tones appear in their range. This sign of color change is more or less characteristic of all varieties. Large elliptical or ovoid leaves, slightly pubescent above and noticeably stronger below.

The species and varieties are distinguished by very long flowering. Early varieties bloom in June, most bloom in July.

But the most late-flowering hydrangea variety "Tardiva" ("Tardiva") should not be started, because it blooms in October, and simply does not have time to prove itself. It is worth noting that often under this name the variety "Floribunda", which is very widespread in the West, is on sale.

Hydrangea paniculata "Grandiflora"

Most often, the old hydrangea variety "Gmndiflom" ("Grandiflora"), or, as it is also called in the West, "Pee Gee" (from the abbreviation of the name Paniculata Grandiflora) is grown in the gardens. Hydrangea paniculata "Grandiflora" has large, dense inflorescences, consisting of sterile flowers.

Hydrangea paniculata "Limelight"

Hydrangea "Limelight" - the first variety with dense inflorescences of sterile flowers with a distinct greenish tint, turning pink by the end of the season.

Hydrangea paniculata "Limelight" reaches a height of 1.6-2 m. A reduced copy - "Little Lime" ("Little Lime") up to 1 m high.

Hydrangea paniculata "Pinky Vinky"

Hydrangea "Pinky Winky", syn. "DVPinky" ("Pinky-Winky"), has conical openwork inflorescences with a large number of sterile flowers that acquire a purple-pink color.Hydrangea paniculata "Pinky Vinki" reaches a height of 1.5-1.8 m.

Hydrangea paniculata "Phantom"

Hydrangea "Phantom" ("Phantom") is a large shrub up to 2.5 m high with a spreading crown and very large pyramidal creamy white inflorescences. By autumn, the inflorescences of hydrangea paniculata "Phantom" evenly turn pink.

Panicle hydrangea "Vanilla freise"

Variety "Vanille Fraise" ("Vanilla Fraz") has a very dense, large conical inflorescence, quickly acquiring a pleasant strawberry-pink color. A real vanilla strawberry dessert. A shrub up to 2 m high. A reduced copy of the Vanilla Fraise panicle hydrangea variety is the Sundae Fraise variety, reaching a height of 1-1.2 meters.

Varieties of hydrangea paniculata

Now the market offers a large number of varieties of panicle hydrangea, differing in the density and color of the inflorescences, the height of the bushes, and the flowering period.

"Dharuma" ("Daruma") is probably the shortest variety. Small creamy openwork spherical-flattened inflorescences turn dark pink over time. The leaves also take on a reddish tone, complementing the red color of the shoots.

Hydrangea "Diamant Rouge" (Diamond Rouge) is distinguished by large dense inflorescences and very quickly emerging juicy red color. The plant is 1.5-1.8 m high.

Variety "Early Sensation", syn. "Bulk" ("Earley Sensation"), blooms very early in wide-cone-shaped openwork inflorescences. Fertile flowers quickly turn purple-pink, harmoniously complementing the dark purple shoots. By the fall, the leaves also take on a purple hue.

Great Star, syn. "Le Vasterival" ("Great Star") - a variety with very large white sterile flowers with elongated petals in the shape of a "propeller", soaring above the bulk of small fertile flowers. The height of the bush is up to 2 m.

"Kiyushu" ("Kiushu") is an old variety up to 2.5 m high, characterized by erect shoots and delicate inflorescences. It was not necessary to catch the described smell.

Hydrangea "White Lady" ("The White Lady"). Long openwork inflorescences adorn a few large flowers with jagged edges of the petals. The flowers retain their white color for a long time. The height of the bush is up to 2 m.

The variety "Wim" s Red " ("Weems Red") - a beautifully shaped bush up to 2 m high with large openwork inflorescences covering it from the top to the ground. Blooms in June with white flowers, which then become deep pink and, finally, burgundy red.

Hydrangea tree and her photo

Another beauty, firmly enduring our climate, H. arborescens. It is a short shrub up to 1.5 m high with a neat rounded crown and slightly pubescent shoots. Hydrangea leaves are tree-like, large, ovate or elliptical, serrated along the edge, with a heart-shaped notch at the base. The leaf is green above, bluish below.

As you can see in the photo, the hydrangea tree has a corymbose inflorescence, consisting of small white fertile flowers and relatively large sterile ones. Blooms for a long time from the first half of July. In very harsh winters, it can freeze slightly.

Treelike hydrangea varieties: photos and descriptions

As in the case of Paniculata, in the gardens, usually there is not a natural species, but a variety of hydrangea tree-like "Annabelle" ("Annabelle"), blooming with large (up to 25 cm in diameter) inflorescences of white sterile flowers.

The forms of this hydrangea "Gmndiflom" ("Grandiflora") and "Sterilis" ("Sterilis") with similar dense hemispherical inflorescences of sterile flowers.

Hayes Starburst, syn. "Double Annabelle" (Hayes Starburst) - the first variety of hydrangea tree-like with double flowers filling rounded inflorescences up to 25 cm in diameter. The flowers are greenish at first, then turn white. The bushes are low, thin shoots often do not withstand the severity of the inflorescences. The height of the bush is 0.8-1.2 m.

Incrediball, syn. Abetwo " ("Incrediboll"), - a variety that strikes the size of globular white inflorescences. The height of the bush is 1.2-1.5 m.

Sort "InvincibelleSpirit", syn. "Invincibelle" (InvincibellSpirit "), conquers with large pure pink inflorescences of sterile flowers. Over time, the flowers fade to a light pink color. The bush is 0.9-1.2 m high.

Variety "White Dome", syn. "Dardom" ("White House"), differs in large corymbose inflorescences with creamy white fertile middle and snow-white sterile marginal flowers. The plant is 1-1.4 m high.

In addition to these two species, other hydrangeas can also find a place in our gardens.

First of all, this is the city of Bretschneider (N. bretschneideri). Some botanists do not distinguish it as a separate species, but consider it a variety of ground cover (H. heteromalla). It is not as decorative as the species described above, but it has high winter hardiness. Reaches a height of 2.5-3 m and forms a lush dense bush with a wide-rounded crown with large dark green leaves. It blooms profusely from the end of July with wide umbellate inflorescences, consisting of small fertile flowers, which are adorned with white large sterile flowers along the edge, acquiring a purple-pink color by the end of flowering. Thanks to the juicy beautiful foliage and delicate dull inflorescences, the shrub is good for creating a background and in informal living hedges.

Hydrangea leaves and their photos

Hydrangea attracts not only with flowers, but also with beautiful juicy foliage. At the same time, there are plants that have especially decorative leaves. In g. Radiant (N. radiate) - sometimes it is described as a type of tree hydrangea - large foliage, dark green above and white-tomentose-pubescent below. If the plant is planted in a windy place, then it will be possible to observe the "overflow" of foliage colors. Blossoms from July with corymbose inflorescences with numerous white marginal sterile flowers. Hardy enough, but the root system should be covered, and the shoots should be bent to the ground. Then, in the event of freezing of the shoots, the plant will quickly recover. The variety "Samantha" ("Samantha") was bred with large leaves and a contrasting silvery reverse side.

Pay special attention to the photo of the leaves of the oak-leaved hydrangea (N. quercifolia). Unlike other species, its leaves are not whole, but lobed, resembling oak leaves, for which it received its specific name. In autumn, they take on a very beautiful reddish-purple color, adding to the charm of the bush. In addition, this species blooms with large beautiful paniculate inflorescences. Many decorative and flowering varieties of this hydrangea have been obtained, but it is not winter-hardy enough in our climate, and it is easier to get by with varieties of paniculate. But the species itself and especially varieties with decorative foliage can be used as decorative deciduous plants, growing them as perennials. In this case, it is enough to cover the root system before winter, and in the spring new shoots with beautiful foliage will grow.

Hydrangea variety "Burgundy" ("Burgundy") is distinguished by a particularly bright purple autumn color of the leaves, while the "Little Honey" ("Little Honey") it attracts with golden yellow tones.

Stalked hydrangea and her photo

Seeing the petiolate hydrangea in the Baltics, or H. petiolaris (H. petiolaris = H. scandens), some gardeners try to grow it in our country, forgetting that winters in the Baltics are milder. In our climate, this species can be used either as a ground cover plant, or by removing it from supports before winter. Additional shelter will not hurt either, since shoots may suffer in winters with little snow.

Look at the photo of petiolate hydrangea - this plant has large, corymbose, loose inflorescences, consisting of fertile flowers with marginal sterile flowers. A mass of aerial roots and suckers is formed on the shoots, with the help of which this hydrangea is able to climb up to 25 m in the south. Due to its large, heart-shaped, dark green leaves, when grown as a ground cover, it forms a dense green “blanket”.

Large-leaved hydrangea and her photo

Of course, the most beautiful and desirable is the large-leaved hydrangea, with which the story began. Unlike other ratenias, it strikes with a variety of colors, and not only in different colors: white, pink, red, purple, blue, violet, but also in their combinations.

As you can see in the photo of large-leaved hydrangea, this variety of colors is added to the variety of flower and inflorescence shapes.

However, its winter hardiness does not correspond to our frosts, and choosing a reliable shelter option is not an easy task. If the shoots are not covered well enough, then they will freeze, if they are covered tightly, but it will be wet, the shoots will trample. Covering too late or opening too early in spring will kill the flower buds. The most reliable option is when the hydrangea is grown in a greenhouse, then planted in open ground, transferred to the greenhouse again in the fall, and removed to the basement for the winter.

In recent years, new "winter-hardy" varieties have appeared, distinguished by remontant flowering.

These are the popular Endless Summer series, abbr. ES (Endless Samme), and Forever & Ever, abbr. FE (Foreve Eve). Sellers made them “hibernating without shelter”, since flower buds do not withstand frost, and shoots often freeze out. The main difference from the old varieties is that they can bloom again on the shoots of the current year. But this is for the 7-8th climatic zone.

If you want to have flowering on the shoots of last year, then the bush must be covered for the winter, and everything that was described above remains true for these varieties. If you still managed to save the shoots, and your hydrangea bloomed, then this does not mean that it will flourish a second time. In our zone, the season is shorter and the sum of positive temperatures is lower, so the plant may not have time to bloom a second time. For this to happen, it is necessary to create a greenhouse over the bush in the spring, so that the plant begins to vegetate earlier; cut off flowering shoots as early as possible; the bush should be planted in a sunny place and watered abundantly; carry out regular feeding and have a "warm" microclimate on your site. In this case, you may be able to achieve re-flowering.

Planting and caring for garden hydrangea

Plants are unpretentious, but it is better to choose open places or partial shade for planting garden hydrangeas (for colored varieties, a little shading is desirable at midday). The place should be well-drained, especially for insufficiently winter-hardy species.

When planting and caring for garden hydrangea, you do not have to worry about the special saturation of the soil with minerals, this plant is not demanding. However, it grows and blooms better on loose fertile moisture-absorbing soil with an acid reaction (pH about 5-6). Therefore, peat is necessarily introduced into the substrate.

Hydrangeas are calcephobes, which should be considered when choosing partner plants and using fertilizers. When the soil is alkalized or lime gets in, chlorosis develops in plants. As the name of the genus suggests, hydrangeas are demanding on soil moisture and prefer abundant watering, especially on hot sunny days.

When caring for garden hydrangea, the soil must be mulched to retain moisture. Planting is mulched before winter to cover the root system. To ensure the lush flowering of hydrangeas in the open field, regular feeding is necessary. In the spring, after pruning, nitrogen fertilizers are applied, later (in May-June) they are fed with a complex fertilizer that does not contain calcium and chlorine, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers are introduced into the budding phase, and at the end of August - potassium sulfate. It is good to use manure infusions with superphosphate as top dressing.

Growing hydrangeas requires pruning in the spring (April-May). The height of the bush can be adjusted to a certain extent by the degree of pruning. Without pruning, the bushes thicken, which is reflected in the abundance of flowering and the size of the inflorescences.

Insufficiently winter hardy species need winter shelter.The most reliable is pot culture, when the plants are harvested in the greenhouse in the fall and then transferred to the basement.

Today, a sufficient number of varieties have been bred so that you can choose a plant for your garden. Hydrangeas are grown not only singly or in groups, but also together with other plants. Due to its late flowering, it is indispensable for creating flower beds that delight us at the end of the season.