Garden hydrangea - planting and care in the open field

The hydrangea flower is a hit of sales for amateur gardeners. This plant is becoming more and more popular from year to year. There are many reasons for this: long-term lush flowering, unpretentious care, a variety of varieties in shape, color range and growing method. Also, this beautiful flower can easily compete even with roses in design. This article discusses what this miracle plant is and how to care for hydrangea in the garden.

Origin

The legend tells that in the 18th century, during an expedition to Asia, there was a young adventurer from France on a ship, dressed in the clothes of a boy. Her name was Hortense. The girl's courage amazed everyone very much. She later became the wife of one of the travelers. The members of the expedition decided to name one of the plants discovered in Japan after her.

Hydrangea - queen of the garden

According to another legend, the plant was named after a princess of the Roman Empire.

The first specimens of garden hydrangea were brought to England by D. Banks in 1970. The plant quickly gained popularity and spread throughout the botanical gardens of Europe.

Description of the flower of garden hydrangeas

The Latin name for the flower is "hydrangeam", derived from the fusion of two Greek roots "hydor" (water) and "angeion" (vessel). Therefore, hydrangea is called an aquatic shrub. The plant is very fond of abundant moisture. The Japanese affectionately call it "adzisai", that is, "flower - purple sun."

The type of hydrangea has from 30 to 80 species. In the wild, this plant is found in South and East Asia, in the North of America and the Far East. It grows in small trees, woven by colorful vines and bushes. Despite the species diversity, a small-sized indoor hydrangea is grown at home - garden or large-leaved. Cold-resistant varieties are bred in garden or backyard plots.

Garden or large-leaved hydrangea has a rich color range

What does a shrub of white globular hydrangea look like?

One of the most popular varieties among gardeners is "Annabelle". This tree-like shrub grows up to 1.5 m in height. During the flowering period, from late June to September, its branches are luxuriantly decorated with snow-white balls of flowers. Inflorescences consist of white flowers 2 cm in size. The crown of shrubs is formed from oval leaves, reaching 20 cm in length. Hydrangea bushes are spherical, spreading, sometimes reaching up to 3 meters in diameter. After the color falls, the leaf cover retains a bright green color until the end of autumn.

A characteristic feature of the variety is frost resistance. This allows you to safely plant a spherical hydrangea shrub (hydrangea arborescens) in the harsh conditions of the Moscow region, the Urals and Siberia.

This variety has two subspecies. The Strong Annabel shrub is distinguished by a large number and size of inflorescences. There are so many of them that sometimes the greenery is not visible behind the flowers.Treelike hydrangea bushes "Pink Annabelle" is distinguished by a pink shade of buds and growth (no higher than 1 m).

The main advantage of all Annabelle varieties is their simplicity in care. Another feature of the flower is that it, while living up to 50 years old, does not require transplantation, while retaining its decorative appearance.

Variety "Annabel" - the most adapted of the bush hydrangeas to the harsh conditions of the middle lane

Variety of species and varieties of garden hydrangeas

Among the abundance of plant varieties, it is precisely those that are well adapted to the frosty winter and the cool short summer of the middle lane that attract attention. These are the varieties that are in demand in horticulture. These include treelike, paniculate and large-leaved specimens, as well as oakleaf and petiolate varieties. Each of them has its own unique characteristics, but they all have one thing in common: good winter hardiness and undemanding care.

The record holder in popularity among garden varieties is large-leaved hydrangea. It can grow where there are very cold winters and late springs. Large-leaved hydrangea flowers can dissolve on young and last year's shoots. For wintering, the bush can be transplanted into a large bowl (10-20 liter container). The white garden hydrangea is preserved at +7 degrees with periodic watering.

Treelike hydrangea loves abundant moisture and shade, feeding and loosening the soil around the bush. For the winter, it is worth covering only young shoots of hydrangea in the garden.

Inflorescences of Sterilis bushes are similar to the Annabelle variety, only the flowers change their light green color to white. True, this plant is afraid of cold weather. For this reason, it is worth keeping it at home during the winter.

Hydrangea bush paniculate got the name for the brush-like shape of the inflorescences. It perfectly tolerates frosts down to -25 degrees. Moisture-loving, unpretentious, frost-resistant, capable of recovering even after partial damage or death of shoots.

Panicle hydrangea blooms

Hydrangea serrata has several varieties, but the Grandiflora variety was one of the first to appear in Russia. The plant is remarkable for the color of the inflorescences, it goes through three phases during flowering: first - light green, then pure white, in autumn - pink. Like the previous varieties, it is not capricious and frost-hardy.

The Phantom hydrangea possesses the same qualities, for which summer residents love it. But, like all representatives of these varieties, he does not like direct sunlight.

Hydrangea Phantom - the favorite of summer residents

Transplanting garden hydrangeas into open ground

In order for the plant to take over well after transplanting into the ground, it is necessary to choose and save the planting material correctly. You need to carefully consider what the hydrangea seedlings look like. You should not buy them if:

1. there is no mold on the roots, and the smell is preserved (which means that it was removed in advance);
2. the stalk and its root system are damaged;
3. dry roots;
4. the root system is poorly developed.

Store early acquired seedlings in a slightly acidic soil in a pot and water once every 10 days. When the outside temperature approaches +10 degrees, put the container on the balcony or in the yard.

Choosing the best place

To prevent subsequent problems with the care and cultivation of hydrangeas in the garden, you need to follow the recommendations:

• the soil of the planting site should be moderately moist;
• a place for growing must be chosen with the right lighting: active sunlight - in the morning and in the evening, at noon - partial shade;
• the territory of the flower garden must be protected from a cold draft;
• the soil for planting should be moderately acidic (pH 5-6), loose, well fertilized;
• when planting along the path, do not place it close to the edge, so as not to touch the buds when walking.

A hedge of hydrangeas along the path

Step-by-step planting process

1. Prepare the place 3 weeks before planting, but it is better to do this in the fall, to clean it of debris and roots.
2. Pour a bucket of peat per square meter, dig up and level.
3. Dig a hole 50x50 cm in size for annual and biennial cuttings, 60x60 cm for perennial seedlings, taking into account the addition of a dressing that deoxidizes the ground.
4. Put dry needles on the bottom, then some ordinary earth, then - buckets of compost and peat, add 60 g of superphosphate to the mixture and pour into the pit.
5. Mineral fertilizers will be a good top dressing: urea (15 g) and potassium sulfate (25 g).
6. If there is clay soil on the site, then ¼ of a bucket of river sand must be added to the above mixture. Do not add lime to the soil for hydrangeas - the plant will die.
7. Mix well and water the substrate in the planting hole.

The scheme of planting hydrangeas in the planting pit:

• Put the roots of the seedling on a small mound and spread them.
• Cover with a mixture of ordinary garden soil with peat.
• Leave the root collar flush with the ground, tamp the earth.
• Pour 3 buckets of water into one well. It is recommended to add a solution of any root growth stimulator to the water.
• If the soil in the pit has sunk after watering, it must be added.
• It's a good idea to add any mulch on top: dry pine needles or sawdust or peat.
• If the seedlings are planted from a pot with an earthen clod, then first you need to remove long or diseased roots. After such pruning, the plant is better accepted.

Preparing a planting pit and planting hydrangea seedlings

Reproduction of garden hydrangeas

There are two ways to propagate a plant: cuttings and seeds.

Cutting method

It is very easy to grow a hydrangea from a cuttings. The best period is spring. The main task is to choose the right planting material. You need to choose a young root shoot that has grown on the sunny side of the bush. A healthy plant should not be older than 10 years, and the branch itself should not be older than 1 year. The pruning shears cut off cuttings 15-20 cm long, 7 mm thick, on which there should be at least 4 buds. Placed in a solution of any root biostimulant for 2 hours. Then the cuttings are placed in prepared soil of sand, peat and garden soil. Another option is 200 ml of water and 1 tablespoon of cinnamon. Roots will appear in a month. Can be planted in separate peat pots, after 3 months - in open ground.

Hydrangea cuttings

Seeds

Usually breeders use this method to breed new species. But you can also grow seedlings from seeds for propagation at home. Sowing is carried out in the fall in a substrate of soil, peat and river sand in a ratio of 4: 2: 1. Sprinkle the seeds with earth, sprinkle with a spray bottle. Germinate under film or glass, periodically airing and watering at 15-20 degrees of heat. In a month and a half, the seeds will sprout. It is necessary to plant it twice: first, after the appearance of cotyledon leaves, again in May in separate pots.

Within two years, young herbaceous shoots grow at home. Planting and caring for hydrangeas at home does not differ from that which adult garden flowers receive.

Two years later, in the spring, young seedlings can be planted in open ground.

Propagation of hydrangeas by seeds

Caring for garden hydrangeas

The capacious concept of "hydrangea garden planting and outdoor care" includes all the subtleties and nuances of a gardener's work on growing this beautiful flower. This is weeding and loosening the soil, timely watering, fertilizing and mulching.

Watering

This is the most important action for a hydrangea. You need to moisten the soil under the bushes daily, in the heat - 2 times a day.

Top dressing

Hydrangea has a special relationship with fertilizers. For active growth, you need to add a mixture of ammonium and potassium sulfate and superphosphate to the soil. It is not necessary to add organic matter, because hydrangea does not like fresh manure.You need to fertilize hydrangea three times in spring, summer and autumn.

During flowering and dormancy

During the period of active color, care for the hydrangea plant is not difficult. Timely watering, nutrition and enrichment of the roots with oxygen by loosening the soil under the bush will give the flower the strength to delight with its beauty all round summer. To prevent the plant from wasting its juices in vain, pruning of wilted flowers is required. During the dormant period, when the plants are preparing for winter, you need to cut off all dry branches, remove leaves and buds.

Preparing for winter

Flowers that grew in pots need to be brought indoors for the winter. Hydrangeas wintering in the garden also need preparation. It is necessary to mulch and insulate the roots. Paniculate and tree-like specimens, like many bulbous perennials, do not need insulation. Some varieties are not quite adapted to frost, so they need to make special film coatings attached to the frames.

It is impossible to learn everything about hydrangea in one article, but it is not difficult to show how to organize work with planting material, to tell how a hydrangea blooms. If you apply all knowledge in practice, then you can grow this overseas and already native miracle flower in your garden. Then the beautiful hydrangeas will burst into blue, red, pink and white flames in the garden.

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