Hydrangea Forever - all varieties of the Forever and Ever series

Gardeners often grow Forever and Ever hydrangeas in their area. She has large inflorescences, bright colors, and caring for a flower does not require much effort. In order for the bush to be a decoration of the site, you need to know the rules for planting it and the features of caring for the plant.

History of hydrangea Forever & Ever origin (Forever & Ever)

Hydrangea Forever was introduced to England and France in the 16-17th century from Asia. The flower got its name from a naturalist who saw a plant during a trip around the world. He was surprised at his beauty and named the flower in honor of his beloved Hortense, who was with him on a journey.

Hydrangeas of Forever and Ever Red and Pink varieties will decorate the garden and give it brightness

Description of varieties of hydrangea included in the Forever and Ever series

This hydrangea has many varieties, but they differ mainly in color. General description: bushes 80-110 cm in height, spherical inflorescences with a diameter of 30-45 cm, flowers about 5 cm in different colors, ovate large leaves.

Description of the features of Forever hydrangea varieties:

• Forever & Ever Pink / Blue (Early Sensation). The variety has two shades in the name, because in July the flowers are light pink, and in the fall they are pale blue. Bloom in early June.
• Forever & Ever Expression (Expression). The petals of the flowers around the edges are purple, in the middle - green or light green.
• Forever & Ever Red (Red Sensation). Hydrangea Red Forever is red, but after 2-3 months her flowers turn purple.
• Forever & Ever Double Pink (Romance). Pink Forever and Ever Hydrangea is pink or blue if the plant is in acidic soil. Flowers on inflorescences in the shape of stars.
• Forever & Ever Peppermint (Peppermint). Peppermint flowers of white or light yellow color, pink or blue strokes in the middle (in acidic soil).
• Forever & Ever Blue Heaven (Blue Heaven). In summer, the inflorescences are blue with a violet hue, in autumn they are brighter. Forever & Ever Blue hydrangea flower leaves are stiff and almost straight, without bends.
• Forever & Ever White Out (White Ball). White flowers. Coloring does not change with time, but with a change in soil. If you increase the acidity of the earth, White inflorescences will become light pink.

Peppermint variety: white petals with a pink middle

Planting large-leaved hydrangea Forever and Ever

The plant is demanding on the earth and moisture. The soil should consist of humus, river sand and peat, and not contain lime.

Preparation for planting is best started 2-3 weeks before the start of spring. The site needs to be dug up and fertilized, a week before planting, weed and level the soil.

The procedure for planting a flower:

1. Dig a hole for hydrangea in the sun or in partial shade.
2. Make a hole diameter of 40 cm and the same depth, and the distance between two holes is 1 m.
3. Put 15-20 cm of drainage in the form of broken brick at the bottom of the hole and sprinkle it with a mixture of peat, earth and sand in equal amounts.
4. Place the seedling in the soil, distribute the roots throughout the hole and sprinkle with earth so that there are no voids around the roots.

Forever & Ever Series Care

It’s easy to take care of the bushes, with proper care, the varieties can live 30-40 years.

Watering and feeding

You need to pour water under the bush, 10 liters once every 1.5-2 weeks.

Watering the bushes to refresh them

If the plant is properly prepared for planting, and the earth is saturated with organic fertilizers, the first 2 years of feeding will not be required. In the spring of the third year, 3-4 days after watering the bush, you need to fertilize the flower with potassium nitrate (50 g per bush). In the same year, in early autumn, use Superphosphate (30 g per bush).

Pruning

Hydrangea inflorescences bloom thanks to last year's shoots. If you cut the shoots, after a year there will be no inflorescences. You need to leave the branches that formed in the spring and bloomed. Delete should be:

• broken and damaged branches;
• diseased shoots;
• thin processes;
• branches older than 4-5 years.

After proper pruning, new inflorescences will appear for many more years, and the bush will become more magnificent and brighter.

Winter preparations

Large-leaved hydrangea is quite frost-resistant: it can winter without shelter at temperatures up to -15 ° C. But you still need to prepare the plant for cold time. The ground near the bush should be loosened, and the root part should be covered with mulch. The best materials for mulching hydrangeas are leaves and chopped spruce branches. After that, the bush needs to be covered.

Bush propagation

Hydrangea cultivation by cuttings:

1. In spring or summer, it is necessary to cut off the top of a young shoot without buds with 4-5 leaves.
2. Remove the bottom 2 leaves, and cut off the tops of the remaining shoots by half.
3. Cuttings should be planted to a depth of 3-4 cm in a mixture of peat and sand.
4. Spray the leaves with water, cover with a cap and water 2-3 times a week.
5. When leaves appear on the cuttings in a month, the cap can be removed.

There are other ways, but propagation by green cuttings is the fastest and most effective.

Diseases and pests, ways to combat them

Caring for hydrangea can be complicated by diseases and parasites. To avoid the death of plants, you need to constantly inspect the bushes for pathologies.

Hydrangea Forever and Ever can get sick:

• Fusarium infection is an infectious disease that affects roots or leaves. Symptom: pink-orange or orange mycelium of the fungus in the form of plaque on the leaves. Treatment: spraying with Bordeaux liquid (blue vitriol with hydrated lime) at a concentration of 35 g of substance per 10 liters of water.
• Rust is a fungal disease. Symptom: maroon or dark orange volumetric spots on the leaves. Treatment: spraying with copper sulfate in a concentration of 20-25 g per 10 liters of water.

The use of hydrangeas Forever and Ever in landscape design

Hydrangea is popular in landscape design: it is unpretentious, durable, there are varieties of all shades. Bushes are planted away from trees so that they have enough light, and they can be clearly seen.

Hydrangea bushes in a garden landscape look better if there is a lot of greenery nearby

In the composition, hydrangea is planted in the center, and around there are small bushes. For example, large-leaved hydrangea Forever and Ever varieties of Pink or Red look good against a background of green grass. So the flowers are visible even in the evening.

Hydrangea looks beautiful against the background of greenery or near a pond, so its inflorescences stand out. Bushes can be planted in groups, or can be done singly, but then the form is of great importance. If planted several in a row, varieties with different shades look good.

Growing bright hydrangea bushes is easy, you just need to follow the rules of planting and care, and then the plant will decorate the garden for decades.