2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Hydrangea (Latin Hydrangea) - a flowering ornamental shrub or tree of the Hortensia family. Under natural conditions, hydrangea grows in North and South America, East Asia. Two types of plants are found in Russia. Currently, there are about 80 species.
Characteristics of culture
Hydrangea is a deciduous or evergreen shrub, less often a tree or liana, 1-3 m high. The leaves are dense, green, sometimes glossy, most often elliptical or ovoid, opposite. The flowers are numerous, collected in large corymbose or conical panicles, can be white, cream, blue, red, lilac or pink. Flowers on hydrangeas, as a rule, are of two types: at the edges - large and catchy, in the middle - small and fruiting. The fruit is a 2-5-split box. The seeds are small.
Growing conditions
Hydrangea is a rather demanding plant in terms of growing conditions. The culture prefers semi-shaded areas, it has a negative attitude to direct sunlight (except for Large-leaved Hydrangea and Panicle Hydrangea, these species develop well in sunny areas). Soils for growing hydrangeas are desirable moist, loose, fertile with an acidic pH.
Does not tolerate calcareous soils and areas with a close occurrence of groundwater. Alkaline soils are not suitable for growing crops, and require preliminary acidification. Most varieties of hydrangeas are highly frost-resistant, however, unripe shoots are frozen in severe frosts.
Reproduction and planting
Hydrangea is propagated by seeds, cuttings, dividing the bush, layering and grafting. The most effective and easiest way to propagate is by cuttings. More laborious is the seed method. Sowing is carried out in March-May in seedling boxes filled with a substrate consisting of leafy soil, peat, humus and sand (2: 1: 2: 1). Seeds do not need preliminary stratification. Crops are regularly watered with a spray bottle. Seedlings appear in about 30 days. Seedlings are periodically fed with liquid complex fertilizers. Seedlings are planted in open ground with the appearance of 2-3 true leaves on the seedlings. For the winter, young plants are covered.
The best time for successful rooting of crop cuttings is the flowering period, that is, mid-July. Cuttings are cut from one-year lateral shoots. Too thick and strong shoots from hardwood are not suitable. Cuttings are rooted in a light moisture-absorbing substrate consisting of high-moor peat and coarse sand (2: 1). Often sphagnum moss is added to the substrate, this is necessary to increase the moisture capacity. Before planting, the cuttings are treated with growth stimulants. The cuttings are deepened into the substrate by 2-3 cm. The distance between the cuttings should be at least 3-5 cm. The cuttings take root after 3-4 weeks. Young plants are planted in a permanent place after 1, 5-2 years.
Care
Hydrangea is moisture-loving, it needs systematic and abundant watering (at the rate of 15-20 liters per one shrub). To retain moisture and acidify the soil near the trunk zone, it is mulched with chips, bark, leaves or needles. Plants treat compacted soil negatively, therefore, it requires regular loosening to a depth of 5-6 cm. Hydrangea responds positively to fertilizing with mineral and organic fertilizers.
Pruning is carried out only by panicle hydrangea and petiolate hydrangea. It is impossible to prune large-leaved hydrangea, since the buds are formed on last year's shoots. In the above species, inflorescences are formed on new shoots. Pruning is carried out in March-April, but before the buds swell. Late terms of this procedure can extremely negatively affect the plant, they may not bloom and will develop poorly. Shrubs that are too old need strong anti-aging pruning.
For the winter, hydrangea requires shelter, especially for thermophilic species. A few days before the onset of stable frosts, the shrubs are spud, mulched with dry peat and covered with lutrasil or plastic wrap (in two layers).
Application
Hydrangea is a highly ornamental flowering shrub that will always take its rightful place in household and summer cottages. The culture is used in both single and group plantings. Hydrangeas look great in tapeworms and hedges. Low-growing forms go well with roses, irises and clematis. Some types of hydrangeas are used in vertical gardening for decorating the walls of houses, household and other buildings.
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