Large-leaved blue hydrangea is successfully grown in the garden and indoors. This plant has the unique property of changing the color of flowers depending on the acidity of the soil. Growing such a hydrangea in central Russia is quite troublesome.
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Description of varieties and species
The list of popular varieties:
- Yuendmiforeve is a terry hydrangea about 90 cm high. It blooms on the shoots of the current year and last year. It blooms with pink and lilac flowers with a white center, if the soil is acidic, the color will be closer to purple.
- "Aisha." It begins to bloom in creamy-white flowers, then becomes pale pink or sky blue. It reminds in its flowering lilac with large flowers. The variety smells very nice. Suitable for container growing, grows in the garden in summer, and in a cool room in winter. The height of the bush is about 1.5 m.
- The Blues Mays. This hydrangea grows rapidly, the height of an adult bush is 150 cm. Spherical peduncles reach 20 - 25 cm in diameter. This is a blue hydrangea, the color of which can vary from sky blue to purple, depending on the acidity of the soil.
- "Peper Mint" - hydrangea blooming on the shoots of this year and last year. This is a miniature plant about 60 cm high. The flowers are pink with a white edge. If the soil is acidic, the flowers are blue or purple with the same border.
- "Blue popcorn" - this hydrangea is always blue, regardless of soil acidity. If the soil is neutral, its flowers will be painted in light blue. The height of an adult bush is about 1 meter.
Planting blue hydrangea in open ground
Almost all varieties of blue hydrangea love shade, they can not be planted in bright sunshine.In the area illuminated most of the day in direct sunlight, the plant will begin to oppress, and stop growing. The best time for planting is spring, mid or end of May.
The color of the inflorescences depends on the acidity of the soil. If the soil is alkaline or neutral, then there will be pink, pale pink or bright pink inflorescences. In acidic soil, hydrangea will be of several shades, from pale blue to dark purple.
You can achieve the appearance on one bush of pink and blue inflorescences using special mineral fertilizing, acidifying the soil. And also increase the acidity of the soil with alum.
Agrotechnics of cultivation and care
With incorrect pruning, the bush will not bloom, since most varieties of flowers are formed on the shoots of last year. For winter, it is necessary to make good shelter to protect heat-loving flowers from frost - the culture can not be called frost-resistant.
Large-leaved hydrangea is a moisture-loving plant. Therefore, it is watered in a dry summer 2 or 3 times a week, pouring up to 40 liters of water under an adult bush. The soil under the bush must be mulched with coniferous litter, pine bark or acid peat.
In June, the active formation of buds begins. Therefore, the plant needs to be fed; during this period, it especially needs phosphorus and potassium. Nitroammophosk or superphosphate is suitable for feeding. It is enough to take 1 tbsp. l fertilizers per 10 l of water, 1/2 cap of a special top dressing for hydrangeas, which contains the necessary trace elements for the plant, is also added to the solution.
A weak pink solution is prepared from potassium permanganate and a hydrangea bush is spilled 3-4 times during the season. This will strengthen the shoots.
It is also good to use green fertilizer in June - an infusion of weeds. The second stage of feeding is carried out when the flower brush is visible, and buds begin to form.
Hydrangeas are fertilized only on moist soil, after rain or watering. 10 l of water with diluted fertilizer is enough for a large bush. It is good to carry out foliar top dressing on a leaf if the plant is weakened.
Preparing flowers for wintering
Blue hydrangea is less winter-hardy than roses. Shelter for it needs to be made warmer, multi-layer, where the last layer of foam duct can go.
Preparation for shelter begins in mid-September. Lower leaves are removed from shoots, watering is reduced. All cut foliage is removed from under the plants.
When at the end of September the air temperature will be 8 - 9 ° C, and at night about 2 ° C, you can start hilling the bush and wrapping it with covering material.
The density of the covering material should be at least 60 units. If the plant during the warm season was sick with fungal diseases or was affected by pests, it is necessary to carry out treatment with fungicides and insecticides. Only then can hydrangea be covered.
- The size of the mulching layer is 25-30 cm, for young hydrangea it can be more.
- As a mulch, sour peat and horse manure are used.
- Immediately before shelter, all leaves are cut from the shoots, leaving only the apical. Inflorescences can also be left until spring.
- The branches are tied with a rope so that the bush does not fall apart, then they are wrapped in several layers with covering material. Top material tied with a rope.
When stable minus temperatures are established (up to minus 5 ° C), hydrangeas are covered from above with an additional foam box or a thick film. Shelter is not made too high for snow to fall on top of.
In the spring, open the bush gradually, in layers. It is desirable to remove the last layer on a cloudy day.
Read also:hydrangea bobo
Methods of propagation of blue hydrangea
There are several ways to propagate garden hydrangea:
- cuttings;
- by seeds;
- layering;
- dividing the bush;
- root offspring.
For cuttings, the best time is the first half of summer.Young lateral shoots are cut without signs of disease, they are divided into several parts so that 2 to 3 pairs of leaves are left on each. Root in water or a mixture of peat and sand, covered with a jar. For better root formation, the lower cut is treated with Kornevin.
Seeds collected independently from the bush for propagation are not suitable.
Plants grown from them will not inherit parental traits. Seeds need to be bought at the store.
Application in garden design
Hydrangea is the queen of the garden, which is pleasant to admire during flowering. Its large-leafed variety requires more careful leaving and obligatory shelter for the winter. It blooms from July to the very frosts, this must be taken into account when choosing a floral arrangement.
A short, large-leaved hydrangea will look great in the foreground in the flower garden.
It goes well with junipers and blue spruces, due to shade tolerance it can grow in the shade of tall trees.
Low-resistant varieties are planted in containers, installing them near the house or along the highway. In winter, plants are brought into the room. Watering and feeding container crops should be more frequent.
