Preparing for winter hydrangea paniculata (pink) - how to cut and cover. We grow large-leaved hydrangea in a pot: everything you need to know Hydrangea in a pot outside for the winter

Once in the south I saw a chic blue hydrangea. The bush was 1.5 meters high and even larger in diameter. Lush hats caused burning envy, why don't we grow such plants?! Large-leaved hydrangea has a lot of varieties of the most different shades, but they have poor winter hardiness. There are varieties that are considered winter-hardy, but they often freeze even with shelter. All my attempts to grow this hydrangea in the Moscow region ended in "nothing". And yet, I found a way to achieve lush flowering.

GRANDMA'S WAY

For the first time I saw a "decent" blue hydrangea in our climate under Nizhny Novgorod. She was raised by a fragile grandmother of about eighty and covered with various materials at hand.

It was difficult to cope alone, and a neighbor helped her. Old jackets or blankets were used, which were thrown over the branches, a film was put on top, and boards were laid on it so that the film would not be blown away by the wind. At the same time, under the weight of the blanket and boards, the branches were bent low to the ground. In winter, they were covered with snow, and under it they hibernated.

I also tried the "grandmother's" way. But our winters are very different: sometimes frosts without snow, sometimes thaws in January. The shoots either froze, then vyprevali. My hydrangea didn't bloom every year. Then it grew back, but I realized that this method was not for me. You expect a wonderful flowering, but you get one disappointment and an empty green bush.

SHELTER HYDENSIAS IN A NEW WAY

Application modern materials spunbond type also did not bring stable results. In large-leaved hydrangeas, flowers are laid on the tops of the shoots, and they can freeze slightly until there is snow, even at the beginning of winter. Spunbond does not save from severe frosts, because the main covering material is snow.

In fairness, it must be said that for 4 years my hydrangea wintered under the shelter of a double spunbond and bloomed regularly. The bush has grown well and gained volume. It was all the more insulting to lose him almost completely, when, after a strong thaw, frosts broke out. Hydrangea froze to the ground. The bush partially recovered, but I did not want to risk it anymore.

CONTAINER CULTURE

Growing hydrangeas in pots known way. I got the opportunity to use it when we moved to new house with a great basement. Hydrangea hibernates without leaves, so it does not need light. A cellar will do.

Please note that the cellar must be dry and the basement must be cool. Often the cellar is damp, and the basement is too warm. In both cases, the hydrangea may suffer.

Temperature regime for wintering hydrangeas from 0 to +5 degrees. If you do not have such a room, allowable temperature+10С. If the thermometer reads +12..14С, there should be light in the room.

In private homes, hydrangeas can live on a cold veranda, where the temperature does not drop below zero.

In urban hydrangea houses, a warmed loggia is useful. It is not scary if the temperature drops to 12 degrees for a short time (some varieties can withstand up to 5C). But on the coldest nights on the loggia, you need to turn on the heating. Believe me, this is not a problem. Sometimes it is enough to open the door to the loggia so that warm air comes out of the room. Or turn on the standard heater.

So, a way has been found! In containers, hydrangeas reliably hibernate, bloom early and bloom profusely.

PREPARATION OF HYDENSIAS FOR WINTERING

It is very important to properly prepare the hydrangea for wintering indoors. They often make the mistake of putting it in the basement too early. The cooling period is needed for the plant to go into a dormant state. Then the winter will pass quietly.

It is recommended to wait for natural leaf fall. This usually happens after the first frost. But freezes are different. In the northern regions, the temperature drops to 5 and below. It's dangerous by freezing flower buds on the tops of the shoots, so during frosts the hydrangea can be kept in the greenhouse. And in the suburbs, the drying of leaves after a short mo

rose is a signal that it is time to clean the hydrangea in the basement. If the leaves do not fall off, they need to be cut off.

It is desirable that it was already cool in the basement. In fact, we are transferring the plant from a cold street to a cold room, and there will be no temperature drop.

WINTER HYDRANIA

AT winter period container plants are almost never watered. Just make sure the soil doesn't dry out completely. Occasionally, snow is placed in the pot or watered, but just a little.

Sometimes they make the mistake of placing the pot in a bag to reduce moisture evaporation. The soil in the bag "suffocates" and the roots can rot. To preserve moisture, it is better to put sphagnum moss in a pot. It is very good if it is not only on the surface. When planting moss is advised to add to the soil.

AND IT'S SPRING AGAIN!

In March, you can get hydrangea from the basement. It is good if the temperature increase occurs gradually. We begin to increase watering. First time to water warm water, at the second watering, add fertilizer, for example, Fertiku.

If during the winter the soil was very compacted, turned gray, then the hydrangea must be transplanted. Before this, water the plant well and only after a day start transplanting.

We take out hydrangeas in open ground only when severe frosts have passed. You can do this in April, but be sure to cover it with spunbond, or keep it in a greenhouse.

All our efforts can go down the drain if the flower buds freeze in the spring. They will only bloom remontant varieties capable of laying buds on annual shoots (photo 5). But in this case, flowering will take place no earlier than August. Hydrangeas that have wintered in the basement are already blooming in June!

CONTAINER SELECTION

Which pots are suitable for growing flowers in container culture?

I use plastic or ceramic, but not glazed. plastic pots easier. This is essential when bushes grow. Lowering a pot of more than 10 liters into the cellar is not an easy task.

Good drainage holes are a must. Ceramic pots usually have one hole small size, with prolonged rains this is not enough. I prefer special plastic containers with several drainage holes.

In the summer, the pot can be dug into the ground so that it does not overheat. In a wet summer (like this year), the pots can be placed under a canopy or on a veranda, the flowers retain their decorative effect longer. This is another advantage of containers. The location of the plant is easy to change if the weather or design intent requires it.

The second winter she has to suffer in the apartment.
And where to go if in the winter in the Urals in the ground she cannot survive, there is no basement, and the room is warm ...
Here it is in full bloom. This is what it looked like at the end of November.

There is not enough space in the pot, because the flowers are too small.

Hydrangea

Blooming hydrangea and gardenia

Last winter I put it for the winter between the frames. It is cool there and she did not grow - she rested.
Only in the spring did the buds begin to open.

Spring 2013

Then she put it on a warm windowsill - and she rushed in growth.

I, as a caring mother, decided to feed this baby. And almost lost it!
It turned out that mineral food, which everyone else eats with pleasure houseplants, for example, gardenia, she did not like.
Within an hour after watering, I noticed that the leaves seemed to be cooked. Only those at the top remained intact.

Urgently rushed to wash the lump.

Spilled 5 liters of settled water. I just watered and waited for the liquid to come out into the pan. And watered again. Until the water came out completely clean.
It was not possible to transplant into fresh acidic soil: the whole lump is tightly braided with roots. Here only wash from an overdose.
And who could know that she is such a sissy! After all, the concentration was very small. I have not read anywhere that it should be fed very carefully in the spring. It was my friends who enlightened me after I did stupid things.

I had to cut off all the burnt leaves. On the two large ones, there were still slightly "scalded" edges along the edge.

But still she forgave me and grew the first bud.

I searched the net for a long time for the name of my variety and this is what I found out.

It turns out my hydrangea is a special case. Botanically, it refers to large-leaved hydrangeas that bloom on the last year's shoots.
But mine belongs to the "Endless Summer" group: unlike other large-leaved varieties, it blooms well both on the shoots of the current year and last year's.

For me, this is important news, because I have to store it in the winter in a window sill refrigerator, where a large bush can hardly fit. But cropped - completely.
So my white variety"The Bride" belongs to the same breeding series. You can cut branches, you can not cut - by choice. In any case, it will bloom every year. Which made me very happy.

Looking forward to this one :-)

And now the leaves are already larger than twice.
From a liter pot moved to a three-liter.

Summer 2014

Instead of three branches, she now has five main and several side ones.
Below in the photo it is the same - in a basin with a diameter of 50 cm.
You understand, this doesn’t fit between the frames anymore :-)

But at the end of summer, she washed the leaves from dust and put 50 cm in a basin - this is how a big bush has already become.
Next spring I will plant in a flower garden.

August 2014

It's very hot in her apartment. In order not to wither at all, you have to additionally illuminate.

But in principle, my experience proves that garden hydrangea can be preserved in warm room in winter.
And it will even bloom with additional lighting.

In the past, I already had experience growing hydrangeas. Below in the picture pink hydrangea grown by me from a tiny cutting.

Hydrangea stem

Within a year, it grew to a decent size - the main increase was in the summer.

Pink Hydrangea Summer 2008 G.

But in winter, she dropped all the leaves.
And since I didn’t have additional lamps then, I began to wither, and I threw it away.
And it could be saved by putting it under the lamps.

And she could grow a bush like Galina's - she grows 15 liters in a pot. Moscow region.

Hydrangea is considered winter-hardy species. Breeders and authors of varieties claim that the plant can withstand temperatures from -20 to -30 degrees Celsius. A decent experience in growing an exotic elegant shrub has been accumulated. In the conditions of the North-West, the Urals, not to mention the Moscow region, even non-insulated specimens winter well.

At the same time, the sad practice of many hydrangea lovers suggests that the shrub often freezes out in relatively warm weather - as little as 15-20 degrees below zero. Similar incidents happen in the southern regions, even in the Black Sea region. Probably every case of plant death is caused by objective reasons. This article may be useful to those who want to understand the problem and achieve results.

Varieties are different, the problem is one

The literature provides various ways warming hydrangeas. Some operations must be performed for all species, some - only for certain varieties.

There is a difference between the types of hydrangeas. For example, large-leaved plants have a longer growing season. In addition, garden microphylla lays a flower bud in September, paniculate hydrangea in March-April. In the first case, the gardener must take measures to protect the tops of the shoots from frost burns. In the second, it is enough to insulate the stems and root system: if at least one branch survived the winter, the plant will bloom.

But the reason given is just special case. The example does not explain why shrubs of the same variety have different frost resistance.

Maybe it's about relationships. Hydrangea grows to decorate: most of its flowers are barren. The shrub is wasteful: it spends too much energy on a stormy long flowering. Sometimes they are not left for development. If we immediately succumb to the charms of hydrangea and forget about tomorrow's winter, then we will face a problem: we insulated, but we did not succeed. Why?

1. Probably because our bushes are weak.
2. It is possible that the shoots are plentiful, and the roots are frail.
3. Or vice versa: the root system is powerful, and the foliage is short.

Mature stems overwinter well. This means that the plant must have sufficient energy to develop, gain strength and bloom.

Why does hydrangea freeze?

The reasons may be subtle. Here are examples.

The landing site was chosen in a lowland - and cold flows there. Or vice versa: a bush crowns the top of a blown hill.

1. Perhaps you have put organic matter under the root, and for some reason the worms do not process it into humus. It is known that plants do not absorb nutrients from undecomposed manure.
2. The composition and amount of mulch affects the survival rate: flower roots are close to the soil surface. They can partially freeze in a snowless winter.
3. Does the composition of the top dressing correspond to the stage of plant development: excess nitrogen provokes the growth of shoots, potassium and phosphorus contribute to the absorption of calcium, lignification of trunks. Disproportion generates an imbalance of development.

Based on our experience, in this article we will try to:

Select all required preparatory stages for pre-winter flower care;

Determine the list of activities at each stage;

Assess their effectiveness.

In the end, you yourself will choose which methods to use to warm the hydrangea.

General rules for care for all types of hydrangeas

Frost resistance garden hydrangeas depends on two reasons:

From the ability of the roots to provide the bush with sufficient nutrients;

From the vitality of the shoots, the strength of the structure of the branches.

From the first day of appearance young seedling the florist continuously solves the primary task - how to create the most favorable environment for the shrub for development and subsequent wintering, during which the hydrangea will not freeze out.

Seven Facets: Successful Hydrangea Care Factors

To be luxurious flowering bush not frozen cold winter you need not only to think over ways to hide hydrangeas, but also to create for it in advance optimal conditions for the growth and maturation of shoots.

1. Bush locations - where there is no draft. A corner near a fence, a windward wall of a barn, a bench, an ornamental garden structure will do.

2. Illumination - light shading. The best place where the sun is before noon.

3. Access to moisture. Hydrangea loves abundant watering. Plant it 1.5-2 m from fruit trees otherwise there will be too much competition for moisture.

4. Soil - nutritious, slightly acidic, with a fairly loose, but not sandy structure - useful material should not be washed out. The best place for nursery macrophiles is the edge of the compost pit.

5. Adaptation of the root system. Roots in the nursery are accustomed to receiving an abundance of high-calorie substrate. The depleted soil of the garden poorly stimulates secondary petioles to develop. In order for the system to grow, the hole is expanded, made more than 50 cm. The soil structure is modified:

To improve permeability, crushed stone with sand is added;

To increase nutritional value - peat, dry foliage, humus, fertilizers.

6. Hardening, training of stems during the first three years according to special agricultural technology:

The young sapling grows freely in the first summer: broken, crooked, inward-growing branches are kept for it.

They put it in the cellar for the winter. Dungeon - the optimal environment: a stable temperature of 5-7 ° C, complete calm.

In March, a pot with a one-year-old plant is returned to the room. When the leaves bloom - in late June or early July, the stems are cut off: they stimulate the growth of shoots and the development of roots.

On the next year the procedure is repeated;

In the third year after the May-June frosts, the hydrangea is planted in the ground.

7. Feeding shrubs with fertilizers in digestible form. Since fresh mullein is poison for a plant, with a lack of experience it is better to exclude manure. It will be successfully replaced by rotted grass the year before last, forest litter or the best option- biohumus. Dilute the mixture with 100 g of superphosphate - this complex will be enough for good nutrition.

Proper nutrition is the key to a successful wintering of hydrangeas

The roots are responsible for filling the stems with nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Nitrogen - construction material for proteins. Shoot cells, fruits, deciduous mass, all this is protein. Calcium, potassium - substances responsible for the protection of protein cells, for the strength of cell walls and connective tissue. Phosphorus promotes the absorption of minerals and trace elements.

The soil is needed not just nutritious. AT different time a given composition of top dressing is required. AT early period- when ripe, the plant is fed with nitrogen-containing fertilizers. In autumn, hydrangeas are fertilized with phosphates and potassium.

Signs of the abundance of each substance are determined by the color of the leaves:

1. Yellowed foliage - nitrogen is needed. Urea, saltpeter are introduced into the diet.
2. Turquoise leaves - add superphosphate.
3. There is a slowdown in growth, a light border appears on the edges of the foliage - they are fed with chloride or potassium sulfate. Complex fertilizer - Potassium humate.

Preparing (pruning) hydrangeas for wintering

Leaves are cut off the stems. It is better not to touch the inflorescences - in the spring they can be removed before the first flowering bud. The same can be said about radical molding. If the plant is too thickened, you can sanitize - remove diseased, weak shoots.

However, the final decision - to cut or not to cut remains with the owner. The next pruning will be possible only in late spring, when the green mass appears.

The choice of insulation method for hydrangeas, taking into account the basics of winter heat transfer

Bush shelter options are different. These can be pits, tubes, sheds. With any method of wintering hydrangeas in the garden, at least two layers of insulation are used.

1. The first - a mandatory layer should cover the roots. Located on the surface, they need sound insulation. A mound of peat, compost 8-10 cm thick is the most suitable thermal protection.
2. The second layer is snow. It has been proven that fluffy white mass is the best heat insulator. The temperature on the soil surface under the snow canopy is on average 10-13 degrees higher than in the atmosphere. In most cases, the soil cools down to only 5-10 degrees of frost. Therefore, flower buds will be more comfortable when they are located below the snow cover.

Frost Shields

The following technology for warming hydrangeas is considered the most effective and least labor-intensive.

On one or both sides of the bushes are laid wooden shields with protruding pegs along the edges.

A straw roller is placed under the base of the bush. The stems are carefully leaned on the straw and laid on the shields.

The shoots are fixed - with the help of a cord stretched between the pegs, or pinned. You can lay out the shoots in a fan or in a bunch.

Pour insulation - straw, foliage, peat; cover the whole structure nonwoven fabric. Fixed with another shield.

Digging in a hole

Tear off a trench next to the flower. Hydrangea is dug up, placed in a hole, covered with a box, covered with turf, straw. A shield is laid on the pit, covered with a vapor-permeable film. Pressed oppression - bricks, logs.

Frameworks

For tall climbing species, frame frames are made. This method is suitable for frost-resistant climbing or tall varieties. Allows you to keep the temperature of the bush at the level environment. Otherwise, the trunks containing moisture, due to its evaporation, will be additionally cooled - by 3o-5o relative to air. This method is categorically not suitable for garden large-leaf hydrangea.

Hydrangea pruning according to Tim Bebel - for guaranteed flowering after winter

An innovative method, discovered by an American florist, is gaining popularity every year. He suggests pre-winter pruning of hydrangeas in the summer so that the flower buds have time to ripen before the onset of cold weather. The essence of the technology is simple.

Non-flowering stems in July are shortened to the lowest lateral bud. Thus stimulate the laying of flower buds on the shoots and in the underground part of the plant.

The rest of the stems are cut in October - only a third of the length. It turns out a compact bush, which is easy to insulate. Such - they bloom with a 100% guarantee.

Shrubs formed by this method require enhanced fertilizing with organic and mineral fertilizers- from spring to August.

Beautiful hydrangea flowers. And unassuming. They decorate gardens with a luxurious bright variety, and in return they demand ... attention. Agree: it is difficult to call the usual human attitude to the flower "care".

To perennial ornamental plants pleased the owners of the site abundant flowering they need to provide good conditions and in Russian frosts. Wintering large-leaved hydrangea in the basement allows you to protect the buds on last year's shoots from freezing. Thanks to this, the gardener can enjoy the flowering of the shrub for almost the entire season.

Basement preparation

The basement before transferring the hydrangea to storage must be prepared in the same way as for laying the root crop:

If the basement in which the hydrangea will winter is intended for storing vegetables and pickles, then it is best to give the plant a place where the temperature does not rise above + 2 ... + 3 ° С. Do not place a container with large-leaved hydrangea where air flows from the inlet ventilation opening. Due to the constant draft and changing conditions on the street, the temperature fluctuations of the earthen coma will be too sharp. This can lead to freezing of the root system or early awakening of the kidneys.

When wintering in the cellar, attention should be paid to the humidity in the room. In a storage place that is too damp, large-leaved hydrangeas that are sensitive to dampness easily rot. If the temperature in the basement or other room where the plant hibernates is higher than indicated, then shoot growth will begin in the middle of winter. A large-leaved hydrangea will not die during early forcing, but it will need lighting and watering, which will cause the owner unnecessary trouble.

It will be possible to reduce humidity by ventilating the basement (through a window or open ventilation). To adjust its level, it is suitable and quicklime, containers with which you need to arrange in the basement. Ventilation helps to regulate the temperature.

The container in which the young large-leaved hydrangea will winter should have good drainage holes so that water does not stagnate during winter watering. If there is no suitable container for a large bush on the farm, a spandbond or lutrasil, wrapped several times around an earthen clod, will replace it very well. Cannot be used for this purpose polyethylene film: airtight material will cause insufficient ventilation of the root system and its underheating.

Preparing for storage

The key to a good wintering is the maturity of the wood of the shoots. To achieve this, you need to start preparing large-leaved hydrangeas for a dormant period in September. At this time, the gardener removes some of the leaves from below. You need to remove them to about ½ the height of the bush. Many varieties of large-leaved hydrangeas are still blooming at this time, but the removal of foliage does not affect the decorativeness of the plant.

After the first frost or in the case of a persistent drop in temperature to +5 ... 0 ° C, deciduous heat-loving plants stop growing. It is easy to understand this by changing color or falling leaves. Large-leaved hydrangea stops flowering, but cannot shed its leaves on its own.

At this time (for central Russia - the beginning of October), the next stage of preparation for winter begins:

• you need to remove the remains of hydrangea inflorescences from the shoots;
• cut off the remaining leaves from the stems;
• feed the plant with a fertilizer solution with phosphorus and potassium.

When removing foliage, cut off the petiole, leaving a small part of it on the stem. After 7-10 days, these residues will crumble themselves. Before transferring to storage, make sure that they do not remain on the branches, as their presence will lead to mold.

Do not cut or break the ends of the shoots. Large-leaved hydrangea varieties belonging to the Endless Summer or Forever and Ever series begin their first flowering in May-June, on last year's branches. To prevent the buds from freezing during preparation for storage, leaves should be left at the ends of the shoots. With proper wintering, the buds with planted buds are well preserved.

How to dig up a hydrangea bush?

Keep large-leaved hydrangea you need with a clod of earth, the volume of which may be large. So that the plant has time to go into a dormant state, dig it out in the fall after the air temperature drops to 0 ° C. Before digging, you need to remove some of the old shoots.

Hydrangea should be dug in a circle at a distance of about 40 cm from the center of an adult bush up to 1 m high. If the bush is small, an earthen ball can be the size of a large-leaved hydrangea crown projection.

Deepen the ditch by 40-50 cm and start digging the root system from below. This should be done with an assistant who will support the large-leaved hydrangea in a comfortable position and help remove the heavy bush from the pit.

Gardeners often leave hydrangeas directly in containers, taking them out to summer period to the garden. In this case, digging the bush is not required. It will only be needed for transshipment into a larger container. This procedure is carried out as needed.

Ways to store large-leaved hydrangea

If there is no basement or cellar, then the large-leaved hydrangea bush can be preserved until spring in other ways:

1. On a warmed veranda or loggia, where temperature fluctuations are insignificant, hydrangeas will winter no worse than in the basement. During cold wintering light and watering is not required (or you can cover the soil surface with snow once every 2 weeks). With warming and early awakening of the kidneys, one should not try to transfer large-leaved hydrangea to an even warmer room or increase watering. The bush is still at rest, and at temperatures up to +10 ° C, leaf development will not occur.
2. Small bushes or seedlings with flowers and leaves acquired in winter can be kept even in the room. It is better to put them on the windowsill and provide additional lighting. With a high degree of certainty, it can be predicted that they will have to be hardened for a long time before planting in the ground. This method of caring for flowers involves taking out a pot with large-leaved hydrangea on Fresh air at first for 30-40 minutes a day. The residence time of the flower on the street is gradually increased.
3. A large plant during wintering in the basement or on the veranda is difficult to place without pruning. But do not worry: large-leaved hydrangeas also bloom on the shoots of the current year. Therefore, for the winter, the bush can be cut at a height of 20-30 cm from the soil level. In this case, flowering will begin in the second half of summer (August-October).

Preparing for landing in the spring

Large-leaved hydrangea is planted only after the return frosts, which also occur in April, have passed. Planting of vegetative seedlings is carried out in late spring, after preliminary hardening and accustoming to open sunlight.

You can get large-leaved hydrangeas from the basement no earlier than March. Raise the temperature gradually. Large-leaved hydrangea should be watered room temperature. The next watering should be done in 7-10 days. Dissolve in water when watering complex fertilizer(Kemira, Fertik, etc.).

How to care for a planted hydrangea?

Before planting in the ground, you can trim and form a bush. It is advisable to remove broken, podprupshee or not overwintered branches as soon as the buds begin to swell.

Among the problems of the gardener now are late frosts after a relatively warm period. Until mid-May, you should follow the weather reports, and in case of a cold snap, cover the planted bushes with spadbond. This can be done in the same way as conifer shelters are made:

• install a frame made of wire or wooden slats near the bush;
• pull covering material on it;
• when hard frost(below -5°C) additionally close the large-leaved hydrangea with burlap or cardboard.

If a successfully overwintered hydrangea can be saved from spring freezing, then it will begin to bloom at the end of May.

Conclusion

How to save hydrangea in winter can only be understood on own experience. With careful care of the plant in winter time it is easy to see under what conditions buds begin to awaken on a large-leaved hydrangea, after which wintering the flowering is most abundant, how you can lose all the buds due to spring frost. Subject to simple rules preparing for wintering and disembarkation in middle lane Russia will be able to grow the most capricious varieties of large-leaved hydrangea.

Hydrangea is good even in autumn. Some species retain inflorescences until late autumn. And how beautiful are the hydrangea bushes with large burgundy leaves! Unfortunately, not all species are winter-hardy and can overwinter in open field without reliable insulation.

THE MOST POPULAR HYDROANGIA TYPES

treelike and paniculate hydrangea grow in many areas. They overwinter in open ground without much loss. Huge armfuls of inflorescences of tree-like hydrangeas remain on the bushes until the very end of autumn. True, they are no longer as white or light cream as before. Their color has a greenish tinge. Inflorescences fluff up and increase in size by autumn. It is a pity to cut them off, although it is time to prepare the bushes for the winter.

In paniculate hydrangeas, white, cream or pinkish inflorescences are conical in shape. In autumn, white inflorescences turn pink (less often they can remain white-cream). Some panicled hydrangeas have more pink hue in inflorescences than others. Sometimes rusty nails are specially buried in the ground under paniculate hydrangea bushes so that the inflorescences become intense pink. In autumn, heavy broad-pyramidal hydrangea inflorescences paniculate variety'Vanilla Freize' turns pink-red. For the winter, it is better to sprinkle the ground under tree-like and paniculate hydrangeas with peat, to which they add loose garden soil. These species are lovers of acidic and slightly acidic soils. For the winter they can not be covered. Except where the snow is blown by the wind. Then the branches are bent and covered with spruce branches.

Large-leaved hydrangeas, or garden, have huge flat or spherical inflorescences. White, crimson, pink, blue and even blue. This view is trickier. In the Moscow region, it is safer to grow them in pots, which are transferred to cool rooms in winter. Large-leaved hydrangeas can also winter in open ground if they are well insulated. So that the bushes do not suffer from decay. Large-leaved hydrangeas also grow on slightly alkaline soils, so you can add regular water to them. garden soil.

There are other, not so popular types. I have winter without any shelter petiolate and oakleaf hydrangea. True, they grow in those places where a lot of snow accumulates in winter, but melt water does not stagnate. Fast-growing creepers of petiolate hydrangea are suitable for decorating arbors, they can climb buildings and climb on tall trees. If there is no support nearby, then the shoots spread along the ground. In the shade, the petiolate hydrangea blooms worse than in the sun or in partial shade. The oak-leaved hydrangea is decorated with both inflorescences and beautiful large "rough" leaves, resembling oak ones in shape. In autumn they turn purple. White inflorescences, which turn intensely pink at the end of summer, do not last long in autumn. You have to cut them off. At the end of autumn, I tie the branches so that they do not break off under a heavy snowdrift. These hydrangeas can be sprinkled with loam mixed with peat and humus, or ordinary garden soil. With age, the winter hardiness of these types of hydrangeas increases markedly.

WHEN TO PLANT?

I try not to plant hydrangea seedlings in the fall. The only exception is a transplant, when it is inevitable. It is better to leave young plants in the school. Newly acquired seedlings can be moved to a cool place in the house and planted on permanent place already in the spring. In the southern regions they are planted in the fall. Many roots are located at the very surface of the soil, so the bush is not buried when planting.

WHEN TO CUT HYDROANGIAS?

Without pruning bushes treelike and paniculate hydrangea"vymakhyut" and over time bloom worse, their inflorescences become smaller. In autumn, I only prune upper part shoots, remove all inflorescences. I do the main pruning in the spring, during the swelling of the kidneys. Then you can see which parts of the shoots are frozen and which are alive. I start by thinning out the bush, removing broken, old shoots lying on the ground and thickening the crown. I leave no more than 12 strong shoots, which I greatly shorten (up to 2/3 of the height). In these species, inflorescences appear on the shoots of the current year, which justifies a bold pruning. A completely different approach to large-leaved hydrangeas. This species blooms on last year's shoots. They are protected and cut out only by the oldest branches and thickening shoots. It is important not to remove the upper buds. I form oak-leaved hydrangea and petiole by removing broken, dried and thickening shoots. I do this in the spring, when the state of the bushes is clearly visible.

WINTERING LARGE-LEAVED HYDENSIAS

Large-leaved hydrangeas that remain on the site for the winter must be thoroughly insulated. Lapnik and (or) dense non-woven material. The branches are pre-stretched with ropes. Better yet, pin the bushes to the ground. Those large-leaved hydrangeas that winter in the ground bloom in the second half of summer. Large-leaved hydrangeas growing in flower pots bloom much earlier.

I grow such a hydrangea, brought from Svetlogorsk (Kaliningrad region), in flower pot. For the summer I dig it into the ground, for the winter I take it to a semi-dark basement. Even near Kaliningrad, where the climate is milder, these hydrangeas freeze out in some winters. Until February, a pot with a bush prepared for wintering stands in the basement at an air temperature of plus 5 - 6 ° C. I reduce watering, but do not allow the soil to dry out. In February, I put the hydrangea on the windowsill. I am waiting for the awakening of the kidneys and the growth of basal shoots. Already in April - May, all inflorescences bloom. You can postpone flowering to a later date. To do this, leave pots with large-leaved hydrangeas in the basement (or other cool, dark room) until May. Such bushes will bloom only by mid-summer.

The color of the inflorescences of large-leaved hydrangeas varies depending on the acidity of the soil. In acidic soil pink flowers turn blue, in neutral or slightly alkaline soil they turn pink. In the Kaliningrad region, there are many bushes of large-leaved hydrangeas, in which some of the inflorescences are blue in color, and some are pink. Previously, the soil was acidified with alum. Now there are special fertilizers for hydrangeas that affect color. The woman from whom I bought a seedling of my hydrangea said that for the blue color she acidifies the soil with water in which peat is soaked for several days. Pink inflorescences of large-leaved hydrangea are obtained when the bush grows on the sand.