How to plant a garden hydrangea in the Urals: conditions for growing, how to care

Compatibility with other plants

But as good as hydrangea is in itself, it is usually grown alongside other crops. Ferns are a logical addition to her. Together with them, an exotic guest will reveal all its depth and allow "to play" in contrasts. You can create ensembles with dissimilar elements and a variety of aesthetic content.

Quite often, hosts are grown together with hydrangeas. Joint cultivation of hydrangeas with roses, with other large flowers and skeletal crops is also practiced. Perennial crops are combined with hydrangeas both in flower beds and in flower beds, and simply in plants planted by a group in the garden.

Ground cover plants designed for wet soil can also be planted with hydrangeas. Among them are ivy and periwinkle. For more variety, it is advised to sometimes use the tenacious and pachisandra. If there is interest in low perennials, a soft cuff is the best choice. Its bright light greenery, the splendor of a bush that looks like a cloud, gives a "shine" to plant compositions.

Badan turns out to be a sharp and even unexpected "companion" of hydrangea. The leaves of this plant are simply enormous. The tenderness of its flowering will also be an attractive feature. This external combination is especially good in autumn.

You can also decorate a composition with hydrangeas using cereals. By combining these plants, they achieve a modern look for the garden space. The gaps between large colors are filled in:

millet;
miscanthus;
reed phalaris;
haonechloa.

Such a duo looks so attractive that it is impossible to look away from it. But you can also consider the idea of compositions with the participation of white-flowered crops. Astilba will add splendor, anemones look quivering, physostegies create an unexpected effect. There is no need, however, to be limited to just white. It is perfectly acceptable to use other shades and colors.

Lovers of blue compositions should use aconite. Other popular options that go well with hydrangea are:

rogersia;
crocus;
iris;
day-lily;
volzhanka;
euonymus;
shrub cinquefoil;
boxwood.

How to distinguish between types and varieties of hydrangea

Hydrangea has many species and varieties, which in some ways can be completely identical. For this reason, it is often difficult to determine which species a particular plant belongs to.

Important! To identify a shrub belonging to a particular variety, you need to study the bush during the flowering period. This is due to the fact that it is important to take into account several features (the shape and shade of the inflorescence, the size of the flowers, the shape and size of the leaves, the level of lignification of the branches)

This is due to the fact that it is important to take into account several features (the shape and shade of the inflorescence, the size of the flowers, the shape and size of the leaves, the level of lignification of the branches)

Hydrangea paniculata or treelike - which is better

When choosing a suitable variety for planting in a local area, many gardeners are wondering which type of ornamental bush is better. It is impossible to answer this question unequivocally. First you need to study how the panicle hydrangea differs from the tree hydrangea. Given these characteristics, the choice will be easy.

Plant structure. The treelike hydrangea is a typical shrub, while the panicle variety may look more like a small tree (both multi-stemmed and single-stemmed) in shape. The shape of the plant (its crown) depends on this feature.
Frost resistance.Paniculate varieties may differ in that new shoots are quickly covered with bark. This makes them more resistant to low temperatures. In other words, such shrubs can easily survive the winter, even in regions with a cold climate. In the tree type of such plants, new branches do not have time to get stronger during the summer season, therefore, in the absence of insulation, they completely freeze in winter.
Appearance. In addition to the structural features and care, differences in the appearance of representatives of this family should also be taken into account. In paniculate varieties, the inflorescences are large, conical, and in tree varieties, they are spherical. In landscape design, these plants will look different.

The advantages of growing hydrangea paniculata on the site

Many people opt for paniculate subspecies, which is explained by a number of advantages.

Such a plant does not tolerate direct sunlight, so you need to choose a slightly shaded garden for it. However, the complete absence of the sun has a bad effect on the condition of the shrub - it begins to grow more slowly, and the inflorescences become smaller.
Undemanding in care. In order for the hydrangea to bloom regularly, it is enough to water the bushes 1-2 times a week, fertilize 3-4 times over the summer and periodically loosen the soil.
A wide variety of varieties. The list of representatives of this species includes several dozen subspecies.
Long flowering period, which lasts from June until the coldest days. Throughout the summer, the bush acts as a decoration of the garden.
It tolerates frost well and does not require additional insulation.

Hydrangea large-leaved and tree-like: differences

After describing the main species of this plant, one cannot ignore the question of how the tree hydrangea differs from the large-leaved one. Note! At first glance, the varieties of these shrubs may seem completely similar, however, upon a more detailed study, a number of features are noticeable

Note! At first glance, the varieties of these shrubs may seem completely similar, however, upon a more detailed study, a number of features are noticeable

The inflorescences of a tree-like shrub are white, milky or pinkish. Representatives of the garden type can have both white and colored petals (red, purple, pink, lilac).
Varieties of tree hydrangea can winter without insulation in Central Russia and the Urals. For broad-leaved varieties, such a climate in winter will be destructive, so they need autumn preparation and additional insulation.
When forming the crown, it is necessary to know the growth characteristics of different types of hydrangea. In tree-like inflorescences, they form on shoots formed in the new year (they develop from lateral buds). Garden subspecies of inflorescences are formed on those shoots that continue to grow from the upper buds of last year's branches. Thus, frozen or cut tops this year will not give flowers.

The above characteristics make it clear that large-leaved and tree-like hydrangea have differences not only in appearance, but also in the features of care.

Hydrangea Care Silver Dollar

Care for hydrangea Silver Dollar involves proper watering, feeding and preparation for the cold.

Watering mode

In spring and autumn, it is enough to water the hydrangea every other day, in dry weather without precipitation. In hot weather, the plant is watered every day, 20-30 liters of water are poured onto 1 bush at a time. The shrub is watered in the morning or evening, water is poured under the roots, it should not fall on foliage and inflorescences.

Chlorinated water should not be used for irrigation in order to prevent chlorosis of the leaves. The running water from the tap must be defended for at least 12 hours in buckets in the open air so that the excess chlorine evaporates. In order for the soil to retain moisture longer, it is covered with bark and branches of coniferous trees, sawdust or shavings.

Note! Hydrangea Dollar does not tolerate dryness, so it should always be in moist soil. In areas with significant differences in the relief, it is advisable to choose places for planting in the lowlands, in which moisture will accumulate

Top dressing

Top dressing should be carried out several times during the season:

For the first feeding in April, nitrogen fertilizers are used, urea and manure are also taken in a ratio of 1:10 to water;
In early June, the plant is fed with fertilizers containing potassium;
After the hydrangea has faded, the last feeding is carried out with potassium-phosphorus fertilizers.

Features of care during flowering

It is not difficult to take care of the hydrangea, it is enough to provide the shrub with partial shade and regular watering. During the flowering period, it is necessary to loosen the soil to a depth of 4-6 cm, 3-4 loosening per season is enough.

Features of care during the rest period

The presented species should have a rounded bush shape, for this every year it is necessary to shorten the longest shoots by 1-3 buds. In early spring, before sap flow has begun, the shrubs are pruned. Frozen and deformed branches, dried inflorescences are removed. If the shrub did not have time to cut, the next pruning is carried out when the first leaves are blooming.

Pruning dry inflorescences

Preparing for winter

Hydrangea Silver Dollar is winter-hardy and can withstand up to -25 ° C. In latitudes with a temperate climate, shrubs are not covered for the winter. At the end of autumn, the base of the shrub is covered with dry grass and leaves. You do not need to cut off the shoots, otherwise the hydrangea will not bloom.

In regions with cold winters, the plant is sheltered from the cold. A frame of boards or wire is built around the shrub, after which it is tightened with a film, and it is covered with dry foliage or grass from above.

Hydrangea Silver Dollar is an unpretentious plant that does not require large physical and material costs for planting and care. The bush inflorescences have a noble silvery-greenish color and can decorate any garden or suburban area.

When and where to plant it.

Of course, you can plant a hydrangea, as well as other plants, both in spring and autumn. But as far as Siberia is concerned, it is better to do it in the spring. This is done so that the seedling can take root well over the summer and get used to a new place where it will have to grow for many years. During this time, the seedling will also have time to grow up and endure the winter well. It is in Siberia, when a plant is planted in autumn, there is a high probability of losing it, because it can simply freeze out.

Likewise, in the spring, hydrangea can be planted only when the frost has completely stopped, and there will definitely not be repeated ones. This mainly happens in the second half of May. This is all necessary because although hydrangea is frost-resistant, it can hardly endure temperature fluctuations, especially when it is young, or even just planted.

Regardless of the variety or species, any hydrangea loves acidic soils most of all. If it is not acidic enough on your site, then to correct the situation, special fertilizers are applied twice a year. this should be done in early spring, before the hydrangea has bloomed. And in the fall, when preparations for winter begin. It is the composition of the soil that plays a very large, and practically the main role in the cultivation of hydrangeas. After all, if the soil on your site does not suit it, then it will not develop correctly, and even more so it simply will not bloom.

Also, the right choice of place has a very important role in planting shrubs. Since hydrangea does not really like transplanting, the choice of a place must be taken with full responsibility. Hydrangea is very fond of light and warmth, so the area on which it will grow should be well illuminated by sunlight, only these should not be direct rays, but a little scattered.Although this shrub can easily adapt to almost any conditions, so if it grows a little in the shade, it will not affect flowering in any way.

Mostly hydrangeas are planted as a separate plant. it is rarely planted in a flower arrangement. And all because the shrub is very large and all other plants will very quickly be lost against its background. Hydrangea is often planted as a hedge and is often used in landscaping.

After you have chosen the place where the hydrangea will grow in the future, the first step is to prepare a hole for planting. It should be at least half a meter in length and height. this size is simply necessary for the root system to develop well and have enough space. Before lowering the seedling into the hole, you first need to add special fertilizers to it, or simply mix organic matter with minerals. Also, there must be sand in the soil of the mixture, thanks to it the soil will be lighter and looser.

Before lowering the seedling into the hole, its roots must be shortened a little with a sharp tool. And the shoots are best cut off a little. Planting a hydrangea seedling should not be too deep. The root collar should be practically on the ground. After you have lowered the plant into the center of the planting pit, it must be carefully covered with earth, and then tamped well. And after you have done this, the newly planted plant must be watered with warm water. After all this, the land under and around the bush is best mulched, and peat is best suited for this purpose.

Diseases and pests

There are several dangerous creatures that can seriously harm hydrangeas.

Aphid. This insect feeds on juice, after which it leaves a sweet discharge. Reproduction is very fast. For the fight, you can use folk remedies.

For example, you can take 150 grams of crushed garlic and pour 3 liters of water over it. After two days, you need to add ½ part of grated laundry soap. Spraying with this tincture must be carried out until the aphid is completely gone.

The spider mite lives on the leaves, more precisely, on their inner side. In this case, they begin to turn yellow, patterns resembling a spider web appear on them. For the fight, you can use both folk remedies and chemicals.
Slugs most often appear on too dense bushes. They eat the leaves, which makes the hydrangea completely unattractive. You can use molluscicide to fight.

Here are the most common problems and their causes.

Yellowing as well as leaf fall is common. Leaf problems are caused by direct sunlight. The reason may also be waterlogging of the soil, lack of fertilizers, low acidity of the soil.
Blackening of the leaves occurs as a result of using hard water when watering. In addition, this phenomenon is possible in the event of a sharp temperature drop or the appearance of strong drafts.
Peronosporosis is a disease characterized by the appearance of small oily spots on the plant. To prevent the disease, you need to treat the entire bush with a solution of copper sulfate and soap. It is best to spray in the evening.
Chlorosis appears on a plant when there is not enough iron. In this case, the leaves become much lighter, and the veins remain the same dark. In addition, some shoots dry up and the buds curl. To combat this disease, you can use popular drugs purchased in specialized stores, for example, "Ferovit" or "Antichlorosis".

Alternatively, you can use a potassium solution. Enough will be 35 grams of this substance in a bucket of water.