Hydrangea shrubs are often used for landscaping a personal plot. A large number of varieties of ornamental plants - they are cultivated in gardens, apartment environments and on balconies, while having their own characteristics. Spectacular panicled Hydrangea Grandiflora is no exception.
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Panicled Hydrangea Grandiflora - description
The variety, the opening date of which is considered to be 1862, is represented by deciduous shrubs or small trees with a maximum height of 3 m. Dropped shoots forming a rounded crown with a diameter of 2.5 m are covered with green elliptical leaf plates with pointed edges.
Grandiflora hydrangea tree-like is especially decorative during flowering periods when flowers that do not give fruits bloom, gathered in large pyramidal inflorescences in the form of panicles. The color of the flowers changes over time - from white-cream at the beginning of flowering to greenish red at the end of the period.
Among the main characteristics of the variety, which hydrangea owes its wide distribution, stand out:
- lush flowering;
- frost resistance - tolerates lowering temperatures to -30 ° C;
- fast growth - annual growth is 25 cm;
- resistance to harmful organisms.
Outdoor landing
Cultivation of hydrangea Grandiflora involves the provision of favorable conditions for its development, which allows each year to admire the lush and colorful flowering.
Site and soil preparation
When choosing a place, it is worth considering the negative attitude of the culture to direct sunlight, drafts and calcareous soils.
Therefore, the most suitable is a shaded area, protected from the wind, with acidic or slightly acidic, fertile soil. To increase the fertile layer and improve drainage, the area where hydrangea will grow is prepared in the fall: when digging, peat, sand and humus are added.
Attention! Due to the undemanding to air quality, hydrangea can safely land in urban conditions, where there is a high gas contamination.
How and when to plant?
Planting of two to three year old seedlings can be carried out both in spring and autumn.
Wherein:
- On a previously prepared site, a pit 40 x 40 x 50 cm in size is dug. The size can vary within 10 cm depending on the composition of the soil.
- A drainage layer of 15 cm made of gravel or broken brick is placed at the bottom of the landing pit.
- A sapling with spreading roots is placed on top and covered with earth so that the neck is flush with the ground surface.
- Soil in the near-stem circle is compacted and moistened at the rate of 15-25 liters per specimen, depending on the soil composition.
Grandiflora Hydrangea Care
To maintain decorativeness, it is necessary to carry out a simple, but systematic care, which includes a number of mandatory measures.
Watering
Despite the fact that this variety of hydrangea is considered drought tolerant, to obtain a large number of large inflorescences, the plant needs systematic hydration. Starting from the budding period, watering is carried out weekly at the rate of 20 liters per bush.
Attention! In rainy weather, the frequency of humidification is reduced to avoid overmoistening of the soil and stagnation of moisture, which can provoke the development of fungal diseases.
Top dressing
Panicled hydrangea develops well on rich soils, the high level of fertility of which helps to provide systematic top dressing.
Soil enrichment with nutrients is carried out in several stages:
- With the arrival of spring heat for the formation of a dense crown, fertilizing with rotted manure with a high nitrogen content in an accessible form is carried out.
- In the budding phase, the plant needs phosphorus and potassium, which hydrangea can get when superphosphate and potassium sulfate are added to the soil with a norm of 35 g of each agrochemical.
- During flowering, to prolong it, hydrangea is fed a nitroammophos in the amount of 30 g per 10 l of water.
Pruning
The pruning procedure in the spring is an obligatory event, stimulating the formation of new shoots and large inflorescences.
If the purpose of cutting is to accelerate the formation of the crown, then the shoots are shortened by no more than ⅓. When the gardener wants to achieve violent flowering, all old branches are removed from the hydrangea to the base.
Advice! To prolong flowering, cut off faded inflorescences that consume nutrients, reducing the duration of the phase.
How to care for hydrangea in autumn, winter
Since September, the preparation of the bush for the onset of cold weather begins:
- leaves are removed, except the top;
- the bush is fed with phosphorus-potash fertilizers.
After the first frosts, panicled hydrangea is highly earthed up, which helps to protect its shoots from freezing.
Protection against diseases and pests
Among the harmful organisms to which the variety has good immunity, powdery mildew and aphids are sometimes noted.
With manifestations of the disease, the bush is treated with a fungicidal preparation. If hydrangea was attacked by aphids, then in addition to insecticides, you can try to cope with folk methods in the early stages - a soap solution.
Propagation of hydrangea grandiflora
Panicle hydrangea is propagated by vegetative methods:
- Division of the bush is the most common and very simple technique, carried out before the start of sap flow or after flowering. With it, part of the shoots with the superficial root system, which develops very quickly, is separated.
- Cuttings - harvesting of apical cuttings is carried out only in June-July, after which planting material for rooting is buried in loose soil in the shady area and covered with a glass cap. While rooting, plantings are systematically ventilated and moistened. New specimens are transplanted to a permanent place only after final rooting.
- Cuttings - with this method, foliage and part of the bark are removed on the selected shoot, after which cuttings with a damaged area are dug in a groove 15 cm deep. After the formation of a good root system, cuttings are separated and planted at a constant place of growth as a new plant.
Use in landscape design
Landscape designers often resort to using Grandiflora varieties in different forms for landscaping various objects:
- front staircases are decorated with standard forms;
- small bushes expressively look near buildings with columns;
- in gardens, the natural bushiness of hydrangea is in perfect harmony with the rowan or mockup planted behind;
- fences and nondescript supports are perfectly decorated with this plant.
So, panicle hydrangea Grandiflora is a bright representative of its kind, well adapted to growth in urban conditions, and quite undemanding. Compliance with simple agricultural regulations will allow the gardener to decorate the garden with beautiful, lush bushes with large inflorescences for many years.
