How to grow hydrangeas - breeding and care tips

I remember how in my childhood my mother bought pots with a flowering hydrangea.

For large pink inflorescences, there were almost no leaves.

In fact, these were “one-time” flowers: they bloomed - and that’s all, there was nowhere to plant them, but in the house there was nowhere to keep ...

From capricious hydrangeas to more persistent

Over time, the popularity of these wonderful colors subsided.

In the gardens, one could often find a hydrangea large-leaved with pink inflorescences, which requires much attention when growing outdoors. The fact is that it blooms on last year's shoots, which are not always manageable. It is necessary to cover well, that the apical shoots (on which the flowers are formed) do not freeze over the winter.

If it is unnecessarily sheltered, they can support it and there will be no flowering either. Well, if only a few small inflorescences appear by the end of summer. It's hard to keep a middle ground ...

Now there are many new varieties that do not require such careful care. The first I bought in a flower shop a few years ago, I was surprised by the color and shape of the inflorescence.

Flat inflorescence with a single-row wreath of dazzling blue large flowers, and inside there is a small placer in the form of underdeveloped flowers. The second bush had inflorescences similar in shape, but with pink flowers, slightly smaller than the previous ones. And they were arranged not in one row with a wreath, but in the middle of the general background there were still, as it were, interspersed with blossoming flowers. In the third pot there were spherical inflorescences of dark beet color. The names of the varieties did not interest me then, and the sellers did not know them anyway ...

When I transplanted the plants into large buckets and set them at the entrance to the house, they showed themselves in all beauty!

By winter, the question arose: what to do with them next? I had to land in an open ground, sprinkle roots with coniferous litter, bend the shoots and wrap them in a spunbond. In the spring, the shelter took off and slightly raked the mulch. Flowers appeared not only on old shoots, but also on newly growing ones. The spectacle was extraordinary!

TO MAKE SUMMER ENDLESS

After that, I contracted hydrangeas and eventually gained experience in caring for them. I found out that this is a sortseries large-leaved hydrangeas titled 'Endless Summer'. It is also called repair, that is, blooming both on last year's shoots, and this year.

This series of hydrangeas is considered non-covering. Of course, you can not hide, but flowering will only be on the newly grown shoots, and this must be expected. So isn’t it better to shelter and get longer flowering due to early flowering on old shoots and later flowering on new ones ?! So endless summer will turn out.

In addition to the above-described varieties, acquired a terry blue Together. The bush is stunningly beautiful! Each flower is small, but the inflorescence forms a large one.

'Dolce Kiss' is also very beautiful, with reddish spots on the leaves. Inflorescences are flat, with a wreath of large flowers around the middle. And they are light pink, with a red border on the petals. At 'Magical Amethyst' the petals are emerald green along the edge, and the middle of each flower is white.

Grade Magical Sogal, unlike the previous one, with a pink middle, Magical Revolution - with red. In my collection, hydrangeas with red flowers, with red and white rims along the edges of the petals, burgundy. There are two varieties of covering: sawtooth 'Blue Bird' - with light blue flowers, a wreath and a blue middle and variegated with similar flowers, but with a pink middle.

RED, BLUE, BLUE - CHOOSE ANY!

Before landing in the open ground in the pit, I pour around a bucket of coniferous litter and aluminum sulphate, which promotes the acquisition of flowers in blue. The degree of acidity of the soil depends on the color - from pink through lilac to blue. Blue coloring is given not so much by the acidity of the soil as by the presence of aluminum in it.

To obtain a blue color, it is undesirable to make phosphorus-containing fertilizers and bone meal, but, on the contrary, more potassium.

If you need a pink color, you can add superphosphate, which will prevent the entry of aluminum from the ground.

I planted my hydrangeas on a small plot in front of the house on the north side along a low trellised fence. When they are all covered with colorful hats of flowers, there is no one indifferent, they come even to specially admire this miracle.

Hibernation of hydrangeas

Due to the fact that hydrangeas are planted compactly, it is not difficult to cover them for the winter. After flowering, I cut off the inflorescences to a well-developed bud under the inflorescence. I try to save all the shoots - in the spring I’ll figure out what was frozen, what rotted, what broke ...

With the onset of frost, the leaves freeze, part falls off by itself. If there are still leaves in front of the shelter, cut them off with scissors. I cover young low bushes with plastic vegetable crates, I bend higher bushes with low arches. Those that are taller and difficult to crouch are arcs from summer greenhouses. In addition, you can install two racks on the end sides, on which to fix the rail in the form of a ridge over the roof of the house. This will partially weaken the snow pressure. I cover with a common “blanket” - a span bond from above, and with the onset of frost I additionally throw a film. At first I keep the ends open for ventilation.

Last year I had a good piece of sintepon, I used it instead of spunbond. Covered from above with a film, protecting from excessive wetting, but from all sides the edges were long elevated.

Wintered hydrangeas under such a shelter perfectly. And although there was a lot of snow last winter, the shelter withstood the pressure and only a few shoots broke - they went on cuttings.

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See also: Hortensia - cultivation and varieties

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Fertilizing hydrangeas

Most often I use special top dressings for hydrangeas, conifers, rhododendrons, as well as special colorizers for changing colors. In early summer, you can feed the plants with nitrogen fertilizers, in the summer - potassium-phosphorus (see above - what color is desired).

For top dressing, I additionally use herbal infusions: I take 200/1 of chopped grass (dandelion, wormwood, celandine, etc.) on a 3-liter barrel, add copper and iron sulfate (1 tbsp each), boron and manganese (1 hour each). spoon), a little less than a bottle of iodine, 100 g of Baikal, 1 kg of chalk, 0,5 kg of sugar or jam, 1-2 buckets of humus. All this wanders for a week, during which the mixture is periodically mixed. Then I spread 2 liters of infusion on a bucket of water and water everything that grows in the garden. I spread the sediment under the bushes. This infusion can also be sprayed. Very useful fertilizer - contains almost all the main trace elements. Two gas stations leave for a season. Such an infusion can be done in half size.

Reproduction of hydrangeas

I breed hydrangeas mainly in the summer. I cut cuttings with 2-3-me pairs of leaves. I take shoots from the middle of the bush where there are no buds of flower buds. The lower pair is removed obliquely, retreating from the lower kidneys at about 1-1,5 cm. Above the top retreat to 0,5-1 cm and make a straight cut. Sheet plates are shortened by half. I lower the lower ends of the stimulator and plant it obliquely into loose soil with the addition of coniferous litter. Single cuttings can be covered with 5-liter bottle without plug. I water well and throw a piece of spunbond on the bottle, protecting the cuttings from the bright light. They take root well.

With the awakening of the upper buds, the bottle can be removed and, if necessary, transplanted cuttings into a pot or in a permanent place. Hybrid varieties take root much worse.

Important:
The older the hydrangea bush, the more water you need (up to 2-3-x buckets). Hydrangea is very fond of water! Watering should start from early spring, without waiting
appearance of buds.

Note
In order to obtain a stable blue color, it is necessary to introduce several times soluble aluminum sulfate (15 g per 4 L of water) into the watering water several times. You can use alumokalievye alum (30-40 g per bucket of water). Some advise to use ordinary table vinegar.

On a note:

My friend, seeing the dried inflorescences of large-leaf hydrangeas, was surprised by their color and asked how I was able to paint my bouquets so beautifully. She dried a white tree-like hydrangea and received nothing of the sort. I explained to her that these varieties of large-leaf hydrangeas themselves retain such a variety of colors.

© Author: T. Ledeneva

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HYDRANIA - LANDING AND CARE, ADVICE AND FEEDBACK

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WINTERING LARGE-LEAVED HYDENSIAS

From November, the plants begin a dormant period, which lasts until February. To keep them until spring, you need to choose the right conditions. Instances that grow in the garden are covered with the advent of cold weather, bending the shoots to the ground. And what about containers? Everything is simple!

Most often, hydrangeas in flowerpots are picked up by a cool, dark wintering place, such as a basement or cellar. If the temperature in the room can drop below zero, they are additionally insulated with foam or wrapped in a blanket. Water rarely and little by little.

In the spring they take it out of storage, do not water it for a week or two. If the soil is dry, moisten sparingly. Keep in a cool bright place until "moving" to the garden.

Indoor specimens are placed for wintering in a cool, bright (not sunny) place, for example, on an insulated balcony or loggia. Rarely watered. Top dressing is resumed only with the advent of heat.

If it is not possible to create the conditions described above, the bushes can be stored at room temperature. Containers with plants are rearranged on the northern windowsill away from the batteries. Rarely watered and do not feed until spring. This will not affect the further vegetation and budding in any way, on the contrary, hydrangeas will have time to bloom even twice.

© Author: Natalia MOROZOVA, head of the Hydrangea Factory private nursery

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