Hydrangea is an amazing flower that pleases with its beauty. The most popular is large-leaf hydrangea, blooming on the shoots of the current year. It blooms twice a year. Growing hydrangea in Russia, especially in harsh Siberian conditions, is not easy, but the beautiful appearance makes gardeners make every effort to get a beautiful exotic flower in their garden.
Origin and appearance
Macrophiles consider China and Japan to be the birthplace of deciduous hydrangea shrubs. Hydrangea came to Europe thanks to the French travelers who brought it from the island of Mauritius.
Leaf hydrangea
Its name means a vessel with water. Scientists explain this by the fact that the macrophile is quite hygrophilous, and its seed boxes look like a jug.
This is an incredibly beautiful shrub with large flowers of various colors. Depending on the acidity level of the soil, the flowers may be white, blue, pink, red, purple. The flowering period is from spring to autumn. On one plant, up to 6 large inflorescences are formed. Their diameter reaches 30 cm.
Hydrangea is a shrub that has erect stems. In the tropics, its height reaches 4 m. When grown in Russia, where the temperature is colder, the plant grows up to 1.5 m high.
The stems have ovoid leaves with serrated edges. The color of the leaf can be either light green, almost yellow, or dark green. It has two types of colors.
Breeders identified two forms of wild hydrangea macrophylla:
- l Japanese. Has inflorescences umbrellas. Along the edges are beautiful sterile flowers, in the center are fruit-bearing.
- l Changeable. It differs in hemispherical inflorescences. A large number of varieties are distinguished from this form, differing in various colors and flower sizes.
Flowering features
So on what shoots panicle hydrangea blooms? Flowers are not formed on all shoots of the current year. Only on those that formed from the upper buds of last year's shoots.
Interesting. There are 2 types of flowers. Some - only attract pollinators, and they themselves are sterile. Their diameter reaches 35 cm. Others give fruits and seeds.
Frost resistance
Hydrangea has a fairly low winter hardiness. This is the main problem when growing in the Russian climate. But beautiful flowers compensate for the time and effort spent on caring for the flower. Hydrangea stalks go green for the winter. Only the next year they become lignified. This is due to low winter hardiness.
Unlike tree hydrangea, which is quite frost-resistant, large-leaved hydrangea was previously grown only as a houseplant or in a greenhouse. Now many frost-resistant varieties are bred. For a successful wintering, the plant only needs shelter, it is also important to protect it from early autumn frosts and spring return.
Shelter for the winter
Information on the package in which the cuttings were sold can help winter the large-leaved hydrangea. If the inscription USDA is present on it, then the variety refers to plants acclimatized to regions where in winter the temperature does not drop below -23 degrees. In Russia, many regions have winters with lower temperatures. When grown in them, large-leaved hydrangea is completely covered. It is even better to grow it in containers, cutting the plant for the winter and putting it in a cool place for wintering.
Variety of repair varieties
Repairing varieties of large-leaved hydrangea have a long flowering period. This became possible due to the fact that in the beginning flowers are formed on last year's shoots, later - on the branches of the current year. Under adverse conditions, when for some reason the buds on the old shoots have not opened, the stems of the current year compensate for their absence.
For cultivation in the Russian Federation, it is better to choose proven varieties. This will avoid the problems that gardeners encounter when growing hydrangeas. The variety of varieties will allow you to choose a seedling that meets taste preferences.
Grant's choise
Refers to winter-hardy varieties of hydrangea remontantis large-leaved. The packaging for this variety contains Persistence, Everyblooming or Re-blooming (RE).
Twist-n-shout
Repairing hydrangea Twist-n-shout is a small shrub of the same size in height and width, about 0.9-1.2 m, with large leaves. In the summer, the leaf is deep green; in autumn it turns red. It grows best in sunny areas.
The color of the flower depends on the acidity of the soil. Pink flowers can bloom on alkaline soils, purple on neutral soils, and different shades of blue on acidic soils. Inflorescences of medium size from 10 to 16 cm. In this case, the central flowers are small, large external. Flowering continues throughout the summer.
Twist-n-shout
Pink wonder
A compact bush with a height and width of up to 0.8 m. The name Pink variety has been named for similar inflorescences, the color of which does not depend on the balance of the soil. Prefers sunny areas. Responsive to watering. It does not tolerate frosts, so in winter it will require shelter, even in the suburbs.
Hamburg
Large-leaved hydrangea Hamburg prefers fertile moist soils. It tolerates frosts up to -18 degrees. In severe winters, shelter is required. In cold regions, such as Siberia, they shelter in late September.
It differs in beautiful large flowers, the color of which varies depending on acidity. On neutral soils, they are pink, on acid soils - blue. Flowering is short - from July to August.
Passion
An interesting variety that collected flowers of all shades of pink. Inflorescences are spherical.
Winter-resistant varieties of hydrangea
For cultivation in Russia, winter-hardy varieties of large-leaved hydrangea are suitable. In each region, the temperature in the winter is different, but there are varieties adapted for breeding in central Russia.
Endlees summer
One of the first repairing varieties, pleasing prolonged flowering due to the formation of flowers on the shoots of the current year. Tolerates frosts to -29 degrees. The height of the bush is 1.5 m. The color of the inflorescence varies depending on the soil acidity from blue to pink. Received an interesting name for the constant updating (every 6 weeks) of flowers.
Hydrangea inflorescences
Freepon
One of the last bred varieties. It differs from other representatives by corrugated petals. The flowers have a blue color, which gradually becomes more intense. At the beginning of flowering, the petals are pale blue, then the color becomes more saturated.
Green shadows
The variety is interesting for its unusual flowers, which are green at the beginning of flowering, then gradually change color to dark red, only the green center remains. Flavourless flowers. The bush is unpretentious, not afraid of frosts up to -20 degrees. It features fast growth.
Hopcorn
It is named so because of the unusual appearance of the flowers. They have round petal-like popcorn petals. The diameter of the bush reaches 1 m. It blooms all summer and early autumn. When growing plants on alkaline soil, the flowers are pink, on acidic - blue-violet. Without shelter, it tolerates frosts from -18 to -23 ° C, and during colder winters it requires shelter.
Mirai
An original plant with an extraordinary color of flowers. When they bloom, they have white-pink petals with a red border. Over time, the flowers turn green. A plant looks very beautiful when green and red flowers are simultaneously present on it.
The list of varieties is quite large. A variety of colors makes hydrangea remontantis large leaf popular. She looks good, both in group and in single landings. A long flowering period makes it even more attractive.
