On my own garden plot you can grow the most different plants. Decorate household territory can flowering shrubs, attractive herbaceous crops and vines. With the right combination of such plants in accordance with the flowering period, you can get an attractive garden that will delight the eye throughout the season. And a large-leaved hydrangea can be an excellent option for a personal plot, let's clarify how it is planted, and what care it needs in open field, we will also give a photo of such a plant.

The large-leaved hydrangea flower is a very attractive plant that can grow into luxurious shrub. The peculiarity of such a culture is that many of its varieties are able to bloom on last year's shoots, as well as on the shoots of this year. Thanks to this, the hydrangea remains attractive every season.

In the photo, large-leaved hydrangea

Large-leaved hydrangea has large, opposite leaves that are ovoid in shape. In spring and summer, they are painted in bright green tones, but closer to autumn, their color changes to red, which adds to the attractiveness of the plant.

Flowers can reach three centimeters in diameter, they are mostly colored in pink tones, although some varieties can bloom white, pink and even blue. Sometimes flowers change their color during the season, in addition, the color may change depending on the acidity of the soil. The flowers are collected in rather large inflorescences, their diameter is fifteen to twenty centimeters.

Planting large-leaved hydrangea in open ground

Large-leaved hydrangea is planted in the spring - after the threat of return frosts has completely passed and the soil has warmed up sufficiently. Readers of "Popular about Health" should choose right place for its cultivation.

Hydrangea is a fairly light-loving plant, it is better to plant it in a small penumbra, but not under the trees. In bright sunshine, this culture may suffer from excessive dryness of the soil, and in a shaded place, flowering will occur later and will not be so plentiful.

As for the optimal soil, then given plant feels good on weak or moderately acidic soils (no more than 5.5 pH). When grown on slightly alkaline soil, the flowers look pink, and with increasing acidity, their color can change to blue and even blue. The soil mixture can be made up on your own from equal shares of soddy and leafy soil, sand, peat and humus.

When planting seedlings in open ground, you need to keep a distance of one meter between them. small plants can be placed in fairly small holes - thirty-five centimeters deep and wide. But larger seedlings require correspondingly larger holes. Good drainage plays an important role. And fill the hole with the prepared mixture. Experienced gardeners before planting, it is advised to soak the root ball of the plant in a bucket - in ordinary water, so that it is possible to straighten the roots and carefully remove the old soil. Organic and complex mineral fertilizers should be added to the prepared new soil mixture, they will ensure the full formation of flower buds for the next season.

Planted seedlings need to be watered, after which it is worth mulching the soil with needles, peat or sawdust. The optimal thickness of the mulch layer is ten centimeters.
After the planting, it is worth shading the plant, for example, with lutrasil. It will need to be removed after one to two weeks on an overcast day.

Large-leaved hydrangea care

Such a plant is very moisture-loving, so you need to constantly ensure that the soil under it remains moist. This task will be facilitated by the carried out mulching. When using mulch or during short rains, shrubs are watered once a month, and in other situations - once a week. For each plant use a couple of buckets of water.

It is worth noting that large-leaved hydrangea is best suited for watering rainwater. Tap water should be defended for a long time and periodically add lemon juice or vinegar to soften it. With prolonged use tap water leaf chlorosis may develop, to prevent this phenomenon, it is worth adding iron salts to the soil, for example, iron chelate or inkstone.

As for plant nutrition, it should be carried out in the spring - at the stage of active growth. It is also worth using fertilizers in the summer - during the laying of flower buds. For top dressing, you should use the full mineral fertilizer for hydrangeas. Some gardeners add iron salts and alum to the soil to change the color of the plant's flowers to blue or blue.

Growing in open ground, large-leaved hydrangea must be properly prepared for winter. In early autumn, the shrub should be well watered if the weather is dry. It is also worth spraying it using a Bordeaux mixture, this will help prevent the development of fungal diseases.

Somewhere in the second or third decade of October (when night frosts appear), it is necessary to spud the plants by thirty centimeters. At this stage, you can cover the bushes with agrospan or a perforated film folded in two layers. But closer to the beginning of November, you need to bend the stems of the hydrangea to the ground and cover it with dry leaves, and also cover it with spruce branches. Place a box or box on top. In the spring, the plants need to be opened in stages.

Growing hydrangeas is a very exciting activity, and a luxurious shrub can be an excellent decoration for a personal plot.

True gardeners prefer to arrange on their site not only vegetable beds, but also plant various ornamental shrubs. Among the great abundance of species and varieties, the leader is hydrangea large-leaved – ornamental shrub, blooming in large armfuls of small delicate flowers.

It should be noted that the care and planting of large-leaved hydrangea is also possible at home - in indoor colored pots, this plant grows in small bushes, which also bloom in small clusters of flowers.

If you plant a plant in a garden plot, you can achieve the formation of a large and neat bush that will bloom during almost the entire warm season.

Varieties of large-leaved hydrangea

Before purchasing seedlings for planting, you should study the characteristics of each variety, whether the one you like is suitable for planting in your own region.

Large-leaved hydrangea has a huge number of varieties, which are divided into cultivar series, which include similar varieties of ornamental shrubs and have the same features in growth.

It is recommended to plant in the garden those varieties that can survive the winter, in some regions you will have to resort to additional shelter. The most suitable for planting and growing in the garden include the following cultivars:

Endless Summer - the variety series has the second name "Endless Summer". This is due to the flowering of the plant, which occurs from late spring to early autumn. The variety series includes many varieties that differ in shade of flowers: Twist-and-Shout, Blashing Bride, Original ( Baimer), Bloom Star.

ForeverandEver - the variety series includes varieties Peppermint, Blue Heaven, Red Sensation, Pink / Blue ( early sensation), White Ball. Varieties bloom for several years in a row with the same strength, gardeners see large inflorescences, and are often planted at home.

YouandMe - Japanese series includes such varieties as Together, Romance, Expression, Forever, Symphony, Eternity, Love. Last new variety (Love) - pink hydrangea - was artificially bred only in 2015, but immediately gained popularity due to its color - these shrubs bloom with pink large buds, which resemble that Japanese beauty, which is habitually observed on all kinds of landscapes of the corresponding subject.

As it became clear above, a large number of varieties of large-leaved hydrangea is explained by the artificial breeding of breeders different countries. Each group prefers to create only those varieties of plants that take root well in their climate.

So it is noted that varieties of North American groups are able to survive the winter with frosts of -15 degrees without additional shelter.

For planting in the eastern part of Russia, it is better to use varieties of European selections - they are able to withstand frosts down to -20 degrees. But in order to avoid the death of the shrub, experts advise nevertheless to cover it for the winter.

Large-leaved hydrangea. Features of flowering and care, video:

Planting hydrangeas in the garden

Planting on the garden plot of large-leaved hydrangea occurs in the spring. If desired or necessary, seedlings can be planted in the fall, but no later than mid-September, so that the root system has time to strengthen in the ground. In order for the shrub to bloom perfectly during the summer, you should choose places slightly shady and protected from the winds.

But it is important that the plant gets sunlight- due to the biological clock of hydrangea, it will be better if the sun illuminates the bush in the morning and evening.

Sun exposure time per day should not be less than 6 hours in total.

It is also important that the hydrangea does not coexist with such bushes and plants that have to be constantly uprooted and planted again. This is necessary to preserve the root system, since this ornamental shrub does not tolerate damage. Otherwise, the planting of large-leaved hydrangeas is carried out in compliance with the following recommendations:

Immediately after planting, hydrangeas are watered, and plentifully, so that the soil is thoroughly saturated with water. In conclusion, mulching should be carried out - sprinkle the landing site with peat and sawdust. Mulching retains moisture in the soil for long time, and in the case of this ornamental plant, an acidic environment is preserved.

Care

Beginning gardeners are afraid to take on planting hydrangeas in the garden, believing that a lot of care is required for its growth. In fact, this shrub is unpretentious - it is enough to water it every time the top soil dries up. In order for the hydrangea to bloom well, its soil must always be moist. Also for better growth and flowering are fertilized. Feed the shrub three times:

• in the spring before the leaves bloom from the buds or when planting a seedling;
• before bud ripening;
• in early autumn, when flowering begins to end.

For top dressing, you do not have to purchase any substances for self-mixing - it is enough to purchase complex mineral top dressing designed for hydrangeas in a specialized store. Dilute the solution strictly according to the instructions. In certain situations, you can use humus or manure.

Features of growing at home

As mentioned above, hydrangea grows well at home. To do this, you must purchase ready ground with a medium acidic environment and plant the seedling in a pot, the width of which does not exceed the height. It is better to put the pot on the east side so that the hydrangea can get enough sunlight, but at the same time was not burned by him. Recommended for home growing make diffused light.

Hydrangea large-leaved at home does not grow to large sizes - the maximum allowable volume of a pot for a shrub is 7 l. Of course, if you wish, you can grow a whole bush, which will not differ in size from garden specimens. Shrub care is no different - here they also make three top dressings during the warm season, and also water well throughout the growth.

True, unlike the garden specimen home plant should not be covered for the winter - at this time, the hydrangea is not recommended to be removed from the windowsill and should not be fertilized.

It is important to simply prevent the soil and root system from drying out. Often, hydrangeas when grown at home bloom twice.

pruning

To form a beautiful and neat bush, garden or home hydrangea must be pruned. Trimming the bush for conservation correct form, and also for the possibility of strong branches to germinate and bloom. Therefore, the shrub must be inspected periodically - as soon as weak and dried branches are found, they are removed at the root.

In summer, the bush is checked to maintain its shape - for this, all branches that grow inside the bush are removed. At the end of flowering, you can notice new branches at the bottom of the bush - they are removed to the lower new growths.

Pruning large-leaved hydrangea in the fall. Video:

Reproduction of hydrangea

Seeing the beauty of hydrangeas, gardeners wish propagate shrub, which is carried out in several ways: by seeds, layering, cuttings or dividing the bush. Planting layering or dividing the bush is popular - in this way it is faster to grow a new seedling for planting in open ground.

The division of the bush

The division of the bush is the most fast way get a new seedling. The donor bush, of course, will become much smaller, but this The best way reproduction, especially if everything is carried out in one garden plot. A similar division is carried out in the spring - preferably before the buds ripen.

For reproduction, it is necessary to carefully dig up the shrub and divide it into several seedlings so that each of them contains the buds of a new growth. Otherwise, the new hydrangea seedling will turn into old bush, which will not bloom with the abundance as it should.

The separated seedling is transplanted into appropriate place, having previously cut off 3-4 cm from the root system. It is also important to consider all the roots during transplantation - if there are rotten ones, they must be removed. Before planting, they also work with shoots - they are shortened to 3-5 buds from the rhizome. If everything is done in the spring, in the fall the new seedling will take root completely and calmly endure the winter.

Reproduction by layering

Reproduction by layering easier, because it does not require painstaking work with the root system. Layers are young shoots that can be found near the root neck of the main hydrangea bush.

The shoots have a thin stem with leaves, which must be separated from the bush without tearing it off, and simply dig it into new holes nearby.

In the place where the layering went deep into the ground, it is necessary to tear off all the leaves from it carefully, without damaging the stem itself. The pre-dug hole should be about 15 cm deep. The layering should also be prepared before deepening into the ground - for this, a 2-3 cm incision is made in the stem and a match is inserted.

This will help the root system to germinate faster. Layers are added dropwise with the same mixture that was used to plant the main seedling. The layering remaining on the surface should be tied to a peg dug in next to it. By autumn it will go root system, but for now, he is provided with the same care as for the main hydrangea.

When the roots hatch in the fall, the layers can be separated. Such a hydrangea is planted only in spring - after wintering with the main shrub. A year later, you can admire the ripening of the buds and not abundant flowering.

How to prepare large-leaved hydrangea for winter?

Since the weather in Russia can be harsh on plants, it is important to know how to cover a large-leaved hydrangea for the winter - this will help avoid the death of a bush.

Hydrangea shelter should be resorted to only before severe frosts, which on average occurs in October or November. Depending on the size of the bush, there are two ways to shelter hydrangeas for the winter.

If the bush has not yet found big sizes, it can be hidden special insulation. To do this, the entire shrub should be raised and a layer of sawdust or leaves lined around the trunk - this is important to protect the root system from frost. Next, the hydrangea branches are lowered down and attached with special wire staples.

From above, the entire bush is covered with a special agrofibre, the free ends of which are dug in with earth. Additionally, you can cover the hydrangea with a sheet of slate - this will protect it from excess moisture, which may be still in the autumn, and will also begin in the spring.

The second method is used when the hydrangea has grown to a significant size and its branches can no longer be attached to the ground - they will simply break. In this case, the branches are lifted, tied, laying twine around, and covered with insulating material in 2-3 layers.

Take a look at this stuff -

A frame is built around the resulting "mummy" - you can use a simple metal mesh, which is placed around and fastened. Inside the frame, on top of the wrapped hydrangea bush, spruce branches or dry foliage should be poured, completely to the full height. The entire structure is covered with a film or roofing material, they are also fixed and left until spring.

A little about pests and diseases

Despite its grandeur and beauty, large-leaved hydrangea is rarely affected by pests or diseases. Often it is a "victim" of infection from a nearby plant. To the most common problems with hydrangea include:

• Chlorosis is a disease that provokes lightening of the leaves, which leads to increased alkali in the soil. To cope with the problem, it is necessary to increase the acidity in the soil.
• False powdery mildew - oil spots appear on the leaves, which turn yellow after a few days. The plant withers, flowering may stop. To avoid this, you should immediately pour the hydrangea with a mixture, mixing 150 g of soap and 15 g blue vitriol. The resulting mixture is poured into a bucket of water with a volume of 10 liters.
• Spider mite - this disease has a name corresponding to the species - the leaves of the shrub are covered with a characteristic cobweb. After a short time of illness, the hydrangea throws off the leaves. You can get rid of the disease only by spraying the entire shrub with a special solution. To do this, ascaricide is purchased in the store and diluted according to the instructions.

More than twenty years ago, large-leaved hydrangeas began to be grown in Russia. There is currently huge selection varieties of macrophiles - more than seventy. All of them can, with proper care, be grown in the south and beyond. Let's talk about large-leaved hydrangea, planting and care in the open field.

This beautiful plant was brought to Europe from Japan. But the variety Hydrangea macrophylla was already bred in France. Despite the fact that this variety turned out to be not as frost-resistant as the others, with due winter shelter the plant survives even the cold winter.

Large-leaved hydrangea loves moisture, and it is not without reason that in translation its name means "a vessel with water."

Macrophila has large, oblong leaves. They are saturated green, turning red in autumn, which gives the plant decorative look. Flowers are located on large inflorescences. The diameter of the inflorescences reaches 20 centimeters. There are varieties with pink, blue, red flowers. Flowers in this variety of hydrangea appear in mid-summer. They can change their color when the acidity of the soil changes.

Macrophila loves the light easy shading, it also grows, but there are fewer inflorescences, flowering occurs much later. For the normal development of hydrangeas, medium acidic soil is required, in which sand, peat, leafy soil, and turf must be present.

When grown in alkaline soil, there is a risk of chlorosis, in which the leaves turn yellow.

Terms of planting hydrangeas

Planting hydrangeas is carried out both in autumn in open ground (in September) and in spring (in May), but this applies to regions where there is no severe frosts. For planting macrophiles under conditions northern regions it is better to choose a warm season. It is ideal to land at the end of May.

Preparing for landing

Macrophila loves warmth, it needs an abundance of moisture and quality soil.

Choosing a landing site

You need to choose an open sunny place, better in the eastern part of the garden. In this case, it must be taken into account that the plant must be protected from direct sunlight and wind. Let the sun warm it in the morning, and diffused sunlight falls in the afternoon.

preparing the ground

Hydrangeas are contraindicated in sandy soils. Not suitable for its cultivation and krasnozem. It is better to choose a soil rich in humus. When measuring soil acidity, the device should show no more than pH 6.0, but not less than 5.2. On such soil, inflorescences will be maximum bright color. If there is not enough acidity, the plant develops slowly, the inflorescences become faded.

With a lack of iron in the soil, the hydrangea bushes will begin to wither, the leaves will turn yellow. Previously, gardeners buried horseshoes and nails in the soil to provide the plant with iron, but now it is enough to purchase a balanced soil mixture. You can prepare the soil yourself. This will require:

Sand - 1 part

Peat - 1 part

Garden soil - 2 parts

Humus - 2 parts

Urea - 25 g

Potassium sulfate - 27 g

Superphosphate - 65 g

If the garden is in close proximity to a pine forest, loose soil can be dug up there. It is ideal for growing hydrangeas without additional fertilization.

Important! In the soil in which hydrangeas will be grown, it is forbidden to add wood ash, chalk and lime.

Making landing holes

It is necessary to decide whether hydrangeas will grow in a row or in separate bushes. When planting for hedges, it is best to dig a trench, approximately 100 cm wide.

Planting holes should be made at a distance of about 150 cm. You can make them closer, then the hydrangea will bloom earlier, but after a couple of years it will be necessary to thin out the planting, as the bushes will grow strongly. From large trees it is better to retreat 2-3 meters so that they do not obscure the flowers.

The width of the landing pit itself should be at least 51 cm, and not more than 65 cm. Depth - about 43 cm. After all, the root system of hydrangeas develops more in breadth than in depth. If the soil is clayey, drainage should be laid at the bottom of the planting hole.

Planting a large-leaved hydrangea

1. It is necessary to carefully remove the plant along with a clod of earth from the pot.
2. Gently straighten the roots, remove the old earth with your hands. AT landing pit pour prepared soil.
3. Place the bush in the planting hole to root collar located at least 2-3 cm from the soil surface.
4. Sprinkle with soil, compact.
5. Each bush must be shed with water (10 liters / bush).
6. Mulch the soil with peat, sawdust or bark with a layer of about 7 cm.
7. cover the flower garden strong wind and sun.

Hydrangea care during the growing season

During the growing season, hydrangeas require careful care. This encourages flowering. AT compulsory work includes: fertilizing, watering, pest control.

Feeding hydrangeas

Spring. The first feeding of hydrangeas is carried out in the spring, back in March. It is needed for the formation of a green mass in a plant. It is recommended to make potassium sulfate and urea. Bushes are watered with a diluted mixture (5 l / bush), or slurry with water (1:10).

The second feeding is carried out when the buds begin to form. To get many, many flowers, you need to prepare an aqueous solution with superphosphate or any other fertilizer containing potassium and phosphorus.

Three times in the spring you need to spray and water with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. This will help the shrub become strong and flexible.

Summer. In the first month of summer, the bushes are treated with a mixture of Agricola and Nitrofoska. This will increase the number of buds.

In July, diluted nettle infusion is poured under each bush. Such organic fertilizer promotes an increase in flowering time. You can also use complex fertilizers (Kemira for flowers).

In August, it is better to exclude complex fertilizers, since most of them contain nitrogen, and the plant does not need it during this period. You can water the bushes with slurry or a solution of bird droppings. The plant also responds well to the introduction of non-standard dressings (whey or kefir with water 1: 3)

In autumn. Potassium and phosphorus are two elements that a plant needs before hibernation. It is necessary to dilute potassium sulfate and superphosphate in water (1 tablespoon / 10 l each). One bush will require about 7 liters. It is useful to decompose organic matter near the bushes: peat, compost. This will protect the roots of the plant from freezing, feed the hydrangea with nutrients.

Watering hydrangeas

Watering hydrangea bushes should be regular. The plant does not tolerate drought well. For irrigation, it is better to use separated warm water. It is necessary to follow that upper layer in the near-stem circle was always slightly damp.

Prevention and treatment of hydrangea

Chlorosis. Sometimes hydrangeas begin to turn yellow leaves, while the veins of the leaf remain dark. Buds are deformed. The reason lies in metabolic disorders, the plant is sorely lacking in iron. Most often, chlorosis occurs on plants that have been growing in one place for a long time. To get rid of adversity, you need to feed the hydrangea with iron-containing preparations: Agricol, Antichlorosis, Ferovit.

Gray rot. Grows well in rainy weather fungal diseases, For example, gray rot. It damages the tissues, which become watery. Spraying with Fundazol will help. But all damaged areas must be removed and burned.

Powdery mildew. When yellow spots appear on the leaves, it is necessary to spray copper-containing preparations. You can use fungicides (Fitosporin, Skor), they also help to cope with powdery mildew.

Ring spot. The leaves begin to wrinkle, the plant fades. This is viral disease not yet fully understood, so there is no drug treatment. It is necessary to remove infected bushes and burn. The cause of the disease can be insects, infected planting material.

Spider mite. If the leaves begin to fall off, drying up, and on inside leaves have a cobweb, then it is necessary to spray the plant with Aktellik.

To prevent the development of diseases, to protect the hydrangea from pests, it is necessary to focus on preventive measures.

• In early spring, as well as in autumn, the bushes must be treated with Bordeaux liquid.
• All planting material, especially if purchased from an unknown gardener, must be treated with copper sulphate.
• It is recommended to apply insecticidal preparations to the soil when planting.
• Regular weeding of the garden is required so that pests and infections do not multiply on the weeds. The remains of plants are best burned.

Preparing for winter hydrangeas

At the end of August, you already need to think about how broad-leaved hydrangea will winter. She can't do without shelter. In early autumn, it is necessary to reduce watering so that the plant begins to gradually shed its leaves. You can remove the lower leaves yourself to speed up the lignification of the shoots. Before the first frost, the leaves on the middle part are also cut off. For the winter, only the topmost leaves should remain, which protect the buds from freezing.

Any material is suitable for shelter. Hydrangeas, unlike other plants, do not die. But the thickness of the shelter should be significant. At the first cold snap, it is necessary to start work, otherwise the kidneys will freeze.

There are several ways to shelter hydrangeas for the winter:

1. Air dry. Each bush must be wrapped with lutrasil. Then, stepping back 25 cm, put metal carcass from the grid. It should be ten centimeters higher than the bush. Fill the frame with dry leaves, and lay a piece of roofing material on top or simply cover with a film.
2. Prepare a wide board with driven nails. It is placed next to a hydrangea bush. The plant is tied with twine and tilted onto the board. The ropes are fixed, on top the bush is covered with lutrasil and film.
3. The bush can also be laid on spruce branches, spruce branches. This should be done in a circle, using thick wire staples to fix the shoots. From above it is necessary to sketch a spruce branch, which is covered with lutrasil. You can use sawdust or peat, and then spruce branches. But the whole structure must be covered with waterproof material.

With proper care, the large-leaved hydrangea, the planting of which we described, will delight you with lush and colorful flowering.

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Our studio landscape design seeks to preserve and improve the natural environment that has developed on the site. In this regard, each tree, shrub or part of the relief, according to your desire, will become an integral organic element of the new garden design. Our experts love their work and will be happy to provide any assistance!

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If you look through some recommendations regarding the cultivation of hydrangeas, it becomes clear why following them leads to failure in an attempt to keep these beautiful plants in the garden. Often, when describing the cultivation technology of this crop, the authors use common name"hydrangea", thereby making fundamental error.

Difference from other types of hydrangeas

Currently, we grow in our gardens five main types of hydrangeas: tree-like, paniculate, petiolate, ground cover and large-leaved. If the technology for cultivating the first four is very similar, then caring for large-leaved, the most spectacular of all hydrangeas (other names are "broad-leaved", "macrophile"), significantly different. Following the cultivation technology of tree-like or paniculate hydrangea, owners of large-leaved will invariably be disappointed, in best case, the lack of flowering the next year, at worst, will receive the death of the bush as a whole.

Why hydrangea does not bloom

The fact is that, unlike the tree and paniculate hydrangeas, whose inflorescences appear on the shoots of the current year, the broadleaf blooms on the branches left over from last year. At their ends in the fall they are laid flower buds, which in next year will give flowers. That is, in the event of the death of old lignified shoots, the gardener remains without luxurious flowering caps which happens very often in our gardens.

What to do to save flower buds on hydrangea branches

To do this, it is desirable to fulfill the following conditions:

• first, produce annually underwinter bush cover, allowing to preserve the integrity of last year's shoots with the beginnings of flower buds;
• secondly, to implement optimal feeding and watering allowing hydrangeas to develop well and how to prepare for wintering;
• thirdly, to carry out correct pruning plants;
• fourthly, it is necessary select varieties, allowing you to have flowering plants even under adverse conditions.

How to make shelter for the winter

Unfortunately, large-leaved hydrangea, especially old varieties, have insufficient winter hardiness. To save the bush, on the branches of which next spring chic flower hats will bloom, it must be protected. To do this, in late October - early November, a bucket of peat is poured into the center of the bush, the branches are carefully pinned to the ground without cutting. From above, the bush is covered with a dense spunbond, on top of which a layer of fallen leaves is poured. A layer of waterproof material is laid on top of the foliage: film, roofing material, etc.

Under such a fur coat, hydrangea is usually keeps flower buds well. In April, the shelter is gradually dismantled, trying to completely remove the shelter only after the spring frosts have passed.

Hydrangea macrophylla care

No less than a successful wintering affects flowering large-leaved hydrangea correctly carried out agrotechnical measures.

Landing

Since this plant prefers acidic soils, the planting hole is filled with a mixture of compost, sand and high-moor peat, after planting, the plant is thoroughly watered and the soil under the shrub is mulched with a mixture of acid peat and compost.

Watering

Sine qua non good development plants and his lush flowering is regular watering, because the hydrangea does not tolerate insufficient moisture. Drought can cause leaf scorch, general oppression of the plant up to death.

Hemline

In the spring, it is mandatory to bring into the near-trunk circle complex fertilizer containing nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and essential trace elements. If you do not do this, you can hardly count on abundant flowering.. Convenient to use special mixtures nutrients designed specifically to feed hydrangeas, they gently acidify the soil, creating favorable conditions for the life of the bush. Fertilizers of the companies "Pokon", "Green Bool", "ECOstyle" proved to be excellent.

Be sure to feed you need to consider the color of your hydrangea- pink or blue, because fertilizer mixtures can be designed for a specific shade. If there is a desire to change pink color on blue, use mixtures with the inclusion of aluminum or iron alum. On the contrary, the transformation of blue hydrangea into pink is achieved by slightly alkalizing the soil.

In summer, feeding with potassium and phosphorus is repeated 1-2 times, not including nitrogen in the mixture to create a plant optimal conditions to prepare for the winter.

How to prune a large-leaved hydrangea

In this case, we can say: almost nothing. It is important to remember: the macrophile, in contrast to the tree and paniculate, do not get pruned! The exception is the spring sanitary, very slight thinning of the bush. Only broken, weak, thickening shoots are removed. It is worth recalling again that this type of hydrangea blooms on last year's, lignified shoots, so it is so important to keep them intact.

What is remarkable about new varieties of hydrangeas

If someone constantly has problems with overwintering macrophiles, do not be upset. Breeding this wonderful plant led to the emergence of new series of hydrangeas, blooming on the shoots of both last year and (hooray!) this year. They are called repairers. Such plants are not afraid of the frozen tips of the shoots; they will successfully bloom on young stems. Of the particularly successful variety series of remontant hydrangeas, one can note "Endless Summer" (Endless Summer), numerous varieties of which winter relatively well, and in case of freezing, they flourish beautifully on newly grown stems. Even greater frost resistance is possessed by the "You & Me" series, which not only tolerates winter well, but also pleases gardeners with luxurious double flowers.

With the advent of these wonderful varieties, most hydrangea lovers have a real opportunity to decorate the garden with lush caps of flowering plants.

Kocheva Lyudmila Alekseevna, Russia, Moscow.