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hydrangea belongs to the family of shrubs, famous for the beautifulspherical inflorescences. It grows in Asian countries, China and Japan. It has more than 70 species of ornamental trees and vines. In Russia, compact large-leaved garden species are most often grown.
Types of hydrangeas for summer cottages
Not all types and varieties are suitable for Russian gardens. Plants are divided into deciduous and evergreen. The latter grow only in regions with a warm climate.
Deciduous species are distinguished by large oval-shaped leaves with a pointed tip. The edges of the foliage are flat or jagged, depending on the type of plant.
The inflorescences are divided into types:
- with small petals of both sexes, forming seeds;
- with 4-5 large petals that are barren.
Hydrangea care includes regular soil moistening, fertilizer and pruning. It is better to plant young plants in early spring, so that they have time to take root and better transferred the first wintering. Cuttings planted in the fall may die.
The shape of the inflorescences varies depending on the type of flower: in the form of a pyramid, a ball, a hemisphere or flat. Fruiting inflorescences are located in the center, and on the edges are sterile flowers. There are varieties in which all the inflorescences form seeds, or vice versa, are fruitless.
Hortensia paniculata
Paniculate hydrangea came to us from the Far East. It is a shrub about 150 cm high. This species grows well in areas of central Russia, often used for gardening and decorating garden plots.
Hydrangea flowers reach sizes in diameter up to 30 cm. Bisexual petals of small size, after pollination, quickly fall off. Infertile petals grow to 3 cm, bloom for a long time, gradually changing color from light beige to greenish-pink with a reddish tinge.
For full growth, the soil must be clay, acidic. Alkaline environment leads to the occurrence of diseases.
The plant loves moisture, moisturizes the earth within a radius of 1.5 m from the trunk. Requires regular fertilizing with mineral and organic fertilizers.
Planted out hydrangea paniculata in areas with good illumination by sunlight protected from the winds.
In late February or early March, the branches of the bush are pruned. In order for the shoots to grow faster, cut off their tips. In order for the plant to flourish it is necessary to cut the shoots as short as possible.
You cannot trim when buds and leaves appear. Pruning during the movement of the juice weakens the hydrangea, the plant is sick and does not bloom in the current year.
Breeding hydrangea pancakes:
- layering. Make a recess, bend the branch to the ground. Throw a thick layer of soil so that the tip remains on the surface. She is tied to a vertical support. A year later, the root system is formed and the seedling can be transplanted. This operation is carried out in the spring or early fall.
- Grafting. After pruning, branches with 3 to 5 nodes are selected. Put them for several days in an aqueous solution of weak potassium permanganate. Before landing in the ground process the lower sections of growth stimulant. Shoots are planted in a prepared soil, deepening by 2/3 of the length. You can cut cuttings from green shoots and plant in pots. The containers are covered with plastic wrap to create a greenhouse effect.
Soil for planting cuttings are prepared from a mixture of 2 parts of peat and 1 part of sand. Peat is poured at the bottom of the tank, and sand is placed on it. The cutting is inserted so that it does not reach the bottom layer.
Pots with planted shoots put in the basement, regularly moisten the soil. In the spring young shoots appear on the cuttings, then they are planted in a permanent place of growth.
The first three years require more serious care for hydrangea. Young plants harbor for the winter. They gradually harden, become resistant to freezing temperatures. 
If the hydrangea froze, it leaves well enough and releases new shoots in the spring.
Hydrangea Tree
North America is the birthplace of hydrangea tree. The plant is a shrub reaching a height of 1 to 3 m. It is distinguished by large inflorescences in the shape of a ball or a triangular panicle. The color is usually white, but can be cream, pink, blue, depending on the variety and the degree of acidity of the soil.
Tree hydrangea has many varieties. Their types, characteristics and photographs are presented in the table:
| Grade | Characteristics | Photo |
| Anabel | It tolerates frosty winters. It grows to a height of 1.5 m, has a cream-white inflorescences and pointed leaves. Flowering period from late July to September. |  |
| Sterilis | Loves moisture, but water should not stagnate in the ground. Requires drainage and regular watering. |  |
| Terry | Different greenish-white colors, resembling furry fluffy balls. |  |
| Pink Pinkuschen | Inflorescence of a reddish shade in shape, reminiscent of a pyramid. |  |
| Bounty | The lush inflorescence consists of many small white flowers. |  |
| Hyers Starburst | Has large white inflorescences. The flowering period continues until the first frost. It tolerates harsh winters. |  |
| Incredibol | Throughout the entire period of flowering changes color from greenish to white. |  |
| Grandiflora | Loves moisture, does not tolerate the scorching sun. Plant this variety better in the penumbra. Hydrangea flowers are distinguished by a triangular shape. |  |
| Strong Anabel | It has very lush inflorescences of spherical shape. |  |
| Pink Anabel or Invincible | Pink fluffy inflorescences resemble the color of lilac. |  |
As seen in the photo, the varieties of hydrangeas differ in hue, shape and size of the inflorescences.
Cultivation of tree hydrangea
Hydrangea tree grows well in shady areas with loamy acidic soil. For group planting of a hydrangea garden, the space is marked so that around each bush there is 2 m of free space left.
Propagated plant:
- division of the bush. You need to be careful not to damage the whole bush. Moisturize the soil.15 cm from the stems dig up the ground with forks. Shrub tilt without removing from the bore. Cut off part of the shoots with the root with a sharp knife or a ground shovel.
- Cutting. The cut stalk is placed in water with a weak solution of potassium permanganate for several days. Then planted in a land well-fertilized with humus and watered abundantly.
When planting hydrangea in the ground, the lower 2 leaves are cut off, and the upper shoots are cut to 2/3.This will prevent excessive evaporation of moisture and the plant will be applied more quickly.
For a quicker adaptation, a small greenhouse is constructed of metal or wooden rods, onto which a dense polyethylene film is tensioned.
Pruning of the hydrangea of the garden is done in the fall and spring, all sections are treated with a solution of manganese, and coated with wax on top.
Hydrangea is planted in a third year for a permanent growing place.
Nitrogenous fertilizers are used with caution, with their high content in the soil the stem is weakened, the resistance of the plant to negative temperatures decreases, leading to diseases of the shrub.
Chereshkovaya hydrangea
An interesting variety of shrubs is petiolian hydrangea. It differs in that it does not have a trunk, it refers to varieties of creepers. It is popular in the design of landscape design.
There are many varieties that differ in leaf shape, color and height. Planting and care of pedicel hydrangea in the Moscow region is carried out according to the general rules. The plant loves moist acidified soil, poorly tolerates sunlight, so it is better to plant it in partial shade.
The most popular varieties of hydrangeas, their photos and characteristics are presented in the table:
| Grade | Features | Photo |
| Petiolaris | The most tall hydrangea with glossy green leaves. It can travel up to 25 m in height. In the absence of support, creeps on the ground, and reaching elevation creates a semblance of a bush. Inflorescence with a diameter of 20 cm, light cream, corymbose. Looks beautiful in the form of a hedge. |  |
| Kordifoliya | Dwarf variety, shoots are capable of reaching a height of 1.5 m. In a year it grows by 10 cm. The inflorescences of white shade are in the form of a panicle. In the center are smaller flowers, and larger at the edges. The color has a distinct honey aroma. |  |
| Curly Vine | Reaches a height of 3 m. White inflorescences are in the form of umbrellas. Flowering begins in early June. It is used for gardening arbors, low walls, balconies. |  |
| Miranda | Reaches a height of 10 m. It has wide leaves, decorated with yellowish or cream edging with pointed tips. On the center of the leaves are pale white streaks. White flowers have a sweet smell. | |
Liana can climb along the ground or envelop vertical surfaces. It is used to design arches, fences, facades of country houses.
The place to disembark is chosen very carefully, in a few years it will be very difficult to tear off shoots from the support along which they spread.
The optimal soil for a pedal hydrangea consists of mixed in equal proportions:
- peat;
- sand;
- turf land.
Like the varieties described above, the stalked hydrangea reproduces by cuttings and branches.
So that the plant does not freeze and become unwell, it is covered for the winter. Well-rooted plants tolerate cold quite well, but on the windy side they can freeze. In this case, the bloom will not be so lush. To remedy the situation, damaged shoots are pruned in late winter or early spring.
The plant's root system is not able to feed itself, therefore, it is necessary to fertilize the soil with mineral and organic compounds 4 times a year. To acidify the soil poured a mulch layer of rotted leaves, tree bark, needles, sawdust.
Influence of soil composition on the coloring of hydrangea
Hue inflorescences depends on the level of acidity of the soil. Pink color predominates in plants growing on a soil with low acidity, the higher the PH, the bluer the shade is present in the inflorescences.
If you add alum or iron salts to the soil 2 times a month, the inflorescences change the shade to bluish or blue.
To achieve a change in the color of the hydrangea, you need to increase the PH to 6.5.When acidity is less than PH 6, iron deficiency occurs in the soil.
Hortensia is grown to decorate houses, parks. This plant is indispensable when making landscape design. The ornamental shrub exudes a marvelous honey aroma and pleases those around with lush large flowers. Caring for the hydrangea is not difficult, to grow a beautiful bush under the force of even a novice gardener.
