What is a large-leaved hydrangea? Frost-resistant variety of large-leaved hydrangea: planting and care, photos and instructions for shelter for the winter.
The real queen of the garden, a magnificent decoration and a pride of every self-respecting hydrangea is large-leaved. From this article, you will learn everything about how to properly grow such a beauty in your garden and get the brightest and most abundant of it.
Description of the species
One of the most showy and deciduous of the 80 growing worldwide. Translated from Greek, Hydrangea macrophylla means “a vessel with water”, which means that it loves moist soil very much, and it takes root best in regions with high level annual precipitation. 
Appearing in Europe in late XIX century, successfully acclimatized and settled in aristocratic gardens.
Choice of lighting
Large-leaved hydrangea is best tolerated on a non-hot and cloudy day. The ideal place will be illuminated by the sun at least 6 hours per day in the morning and evening. Lunchtime summer rays can dry out the soil, and the bush blooms much later and flowering is not plentiful. It is not recommended to plant a hydrangea under a tree, as the latter will take all the moisture from the soil for itself. 
What kind of soil does the flower like
Basic rules of care
Important not only proper fit hydrangea large-leaved, but also timely care and attention.
Watering
Hydrangea is a shrub that will not survive in dry soils without adequate moisture. So, you need at least 2 buckets of water once a week. 
An exception can only be thick soil around the bush or heavy rains. Water for irrigation should be soft, ideally - rain. Tap water is also suitable, but only settled, with the addition of juice or vinegar to avoid plant disease with chlorosis.
top dressing
There are several feeding stages for growing strong, strong with lush flowering:
- in the spring, at the beginning, fertilize with a solution or another;
- in June, before budding, to obtain lush and bright flowering;
- at the end for the correct formation of kidneys for the next year.
In the first year after planting, you can feed the seedling with a solution of potassium permanganate so that rot does not appear on the roots and shoots.
As already known, the introduction of some fertilizers directly affects the color of hydrangea petals. Iron salts or alum crystals affect the "blue" hydrangea. For one bush, 8-10 potassium alum or ammonia-potassium alum is diluted in two liters of water and watered 2 times a month. Can be purchased from specialist flower shops compositions for "blueing" hydrangeas.
For greater decorativeness, you can water only one side of the plant with this mixture, then the caps flower buds there will be both pink and blue on the same bush. 
Universal for and, or acidic fertilizers such as ammonium sulfates and are also suitable.
Buds before flowering can be sprayed with a solution of 50 ml per 1 liter of water. This promotes early flowering and long profuse flowering.
Did you know? Ajisai is the Japanese word for hydrangea, which means "a flower resembling a purple sun."
How to form the crown of a plant
The main mistake of many gardeners is the full large-leaved hydrangea! This bush can't be cut, since then you will not wait for flowering. In this species, flower buds are laid on the shoots of the previous year, and it is important to keep them from frost and diaper rash during the winter.
Only the inflorescences of this year are pruned so that they do not become a home for unnecessary hydrangeas or a source. 
And after full disclosure, sanitary pruning is carried out, removing broken branches and several old shoots to stimulate the growth of new ones.
Important! Hydrangea is a favorite food, slobbering pennitsy and bedbugs that suck out the juice of stems and leaves, thereby leading him to death. In order to avoid their attack, it is necessary to carry out preventive spraying.
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 major 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 or paniculate hydrangeas, the owners of large-leaved hydrangeas will invariably be disappointed, at best, by the lack of flowering next year, at worst, they 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, flower buds are laid in autumn, which will bloom next year. That is, in the event of the death of old lignified shoots, the gardener remains without luxurious flowering hats 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 under winter shelter bush, 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 a bush, on the branches of which chic flower caps will bloom next spring, 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 felt, 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 successful wintering, correctly carried out agrotechnical measures affect the flowering of large-leaved hydrangea.
Landing
Since this plant prefers acidic soils, landing pit fill 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 its lush flowering is regular watering, since the hydrangea does not tolerate insufficient moisture. Drought can cause leaf scorch, general oppression of the plant up to death.
Hemline
In the spring in the trunk circle in without fail contribute 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. The selection of this wonderful plant has 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 varieties 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. The You & Me series has even greater frost resistance, 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 real opportunity decorate the garden with lush caps of flowering plants.
Kocheva Lyudmila Alekseevna, Russia, Moscow.
Currently, hydrangea occupies a confident place in garden plots. She conquers the hearts of the saturated colors, splendor of inflorescences and unpretentiousness in care. We will tell you about the varieties of hydrangeas of the main types.
- - the most unpretentious and persistent among their "sisters". This species is distinguished by a small number of varieties, but at the same time it is very popular among beginner flower growers.
The most common variety - Annabelle - is represented by powerful bushes up to 2 meters high. Flowering begins in early July, the bushes are covered with large snow-white spherical inflorescences. Other varieties of this species are distinguished by different colors, for example, Pink Picasson, Invisibel Spirit are distinguished by pink inflorescences, Bella Anna, Grandiflora, Sterilis will delight you with large white inflorescences.
Hydrangea- Hydrangea paniculata is also a rather frost-resistant species; it can winter with sufficient snow cover without shelter. Unlike tree hydrangea, panicle hydrangea inflorescences are represented by panicles, which also please the eye for a long time with their flowering and can gradually change color.
Hydrangea paniculata - Large-leaved hydrangea, unlike the two above species, is a little more demanding. The point is its weaker frost resistance. Therefore, until recently, only some gardeners managed to create for hydrangeas suitable conditions and enjoy the annual bloom. But science does not stand still, and new, more frost-resistant varieties of large-leaved hydrangea have already appeared. Large-leaved hydrangea has beautiful rounded inflorescences of various colors.
Hydrangea macrophylla - Himalayan or ground cover hydrangea is currently a less common species, but despite this, it is of great interest to beginner gardeners, as it requires minimal attention, and is very frost-resistant. This type of hydrangea is represented by large bushes, up to three meters high, with milky white flowers, collected in large umbrella inflorescences. Blooms annually and profusely from June to August.
- Oak-leaved hydrangea is a low-winter-hardy species that requires the choice of a protected place and shelter for the winter for planting. This variety is beautiful not only inflorescences, but also unusual leaves.
hydrangea oak-leaved - Curly hydrangea, or petiolate, is a slowly growing vine with woody shoots. It can be grown both on a trellis and as a ground cover crop. Thanks to its aerial roots and suckers, the hydrangea can attach itself to a support and rise to great heights. That is why it is successfully used for decorating arbors, walls, tree trunks.
Hydrangea curly, or petiolate Prerequisites for landing
Hydrangea is relatively photophilous, so it is best to plant it in light partial shade. Never plant hydrangea under trees, as they absorb a lot of moisture and your hydrangea may dry out. The most suitable for landing will be a relatively open place.
Hydrangea is very capricious in relation to the acidity of the soil, prefers slightly or medium acid soils. The ideal soil composition for hydrangeas is mixed in equal parts sand, humus, peat, leaf and sod land.
Hydrangea prefers slightly or medium acidic soils. Interesting fact: by changing the acidity of the soil, you can get various shades inflorescences - from pink large-leaved hydrangea on medium alkaline to blue and blue - on acidic soils.
Let's start landing
Most right time for planting large-leaved hydrangeas in open ground - spring, when the threat of frost has passed and the soil warms up sufficiently with the spring sun. When planting several hydrangea bushes, keep a distance of at least 1 meter.
For a small seedling, we dig a hole 40 × 40 × 40 cm. For a larger plant, of course, you need a few holes. large sizes. Fill the hole with soil mixture. Mineral fertilizers can be applied.
When planting several hydrangea bushes, keep a distance of at least 1 meter Then we water the soil under the hydrangea and mulch. Mulch will help the soil retain moisture longer, which is important for the plant.
Can be used as mulch sawdust, peat, needles. The layer of mulch should be about 10 cm. You need to loosen the mulch during the summer 2-3 times.
Proper watering and fertilizing
Do not forget that hydrangea is a very moisture-loving plant, so one bush per week will need at least two buckets of water. The water should be soft, hydrangeas do not tolerate lime.
Ideal for irrigation is rainwater, but in the absence of such, plumbing, settled and warmed up are also suitable. To soften the water, add lemon juice or vinegar to it periodically.
To soften the water, add lemon juice or vinegar to it periodically. And now a little about feeding. There are several phases of fertilization:
- In the spring, at the beginning of growth, top dressing is carried out with a complex mineral fertilizer with trace elements.
- When the hydrangea enters the budding period, a second top dressing is done with mineral fertilizers at the rate of 40–50 g of potassium sulfate and 60–80 g of superphosphate per 1 sq. m.
- The third and fourth feedings are carried out in the summer with a solution of mullein (1:10), spending 10 liters per adult plant.
In the first year, the soil can be watered with a weak solution of manganese to protect the shoots from rot.
Getting ready for winter
It is necessary to start preparing hydrangeas for winter closer to autumn. If the weather is dry, then the plant must be watered. If the hydrangea receives enough moisture in the fall, then in the winter it will better tolerate frosts. Spray the branches with Bordeaux mixture to keep them from sagging under cover.
Making a shelter for hydrangeas As soon as night frosts begin, large-leaved hydrangea must be spudded to a height of up to 30 cm. As long as the frosts are not very strong, the bush can be closed perforated plastic wrap in 2 layers. With the beginning of November, the bush is bent to the ground, covered with spruce branches or dry leaves, and a box or box is placed on top.
pruning
It should be learned that the large-leaved hydrangea does not need pruning, as it blooms on the tops of the last year's shoots.
It should be learned that large-leaved hydrangea does not need pruning Therefore, the main and priority task for you will be to keep the branches intact so that the flower buds at the ends of the branches do not rot and freeze. You can cut hydrangea only with decorative purpose and only young plants.
Pests and diseases - how without them?
Like all plants, large-leaved hydrangea is susceptible to disease. Let's talk about the most common.
- If the leaves of the hydrangea began to lighten, turn yellow, but the veins are still green, then the reason is most likely chlorosis, which develops with an alkaline soil reaction. It is necessary to carry out measures to acidify the soil - fertilizing with iron, a solution of potassium nitrate, iron sulphate.
- On the underside of the leaf, a cobweb was found, the leaves dry up and fall off? Culprit - spider mite. Spraying the plant with Actellik will help get rid of it.
- Oily, yellowing spots appear on the leaves, which gradually darken and increase in size? Reason is false powdery mildew. The solution is to spray the plant with fungicides or copper-containing preparations.
Planting and caring for large-flowered hydrangea will require a lot of effort and effort from you. In conclusion…
We told you about the main points of planting and caring for large-leaved hydrangea. Finally, I would like to say a few more words about the large-flowered hydrangea.
It has received somewhat less distribution due to its low frost resistance. It is used most often as a pot culture for decorating gardens.
Needs excess heat and moisture, does not tolerate prolonged cold spells, grows on acidic soils. If grown indoors, it is necessary to ensure sufficient light supply, optimum temperature+20 degrees.
During the growth period, it needs top dressing, frequent, plentiful, but without stagnant water, watering. At the end of September, for 2 months it is necessary to clean in a dark place, watering is reduced. After 2 months, care is resumed by cutting off weak shoots. Repotting is required every 2 years.
As you can see, planting and caring for large-flowered hydrangea will require a lot of effort and effort from you. But believe that the efforts will not be in vain, and the hydrangea will delight you with a long and lush flowering!
Large-leaved, rather thermophilic and very effective varieties of large-leaved hydrangea were first obtained in France.
Further selection, aimed, among other things, at obtaining cold-resistant forms, led to the appearance of such hydrangeas that are able to overwinter. in open field middle lane - truth, with obligatory winter shelter.
These hardy varieties include:
- grade "Alpengluchen" characteristic slender lush bush, which in June-July is covered with rich red caps of inflorescences.
- Line of terry varieties U&M combines in inflorescences different ages light and rich shades of pink.
- "Forever and Ever" glitters with flowers of various colors: pink, white, red, blue.
- Hydrangea "Endless summer"(Endless Summer) is able to bloom again.
Large-leaved hydrangeas are also grown in room culture, which solves the problem of wintering, but does not allow the bushes to reach those impressive sizes that they are potentially capable of.
A photo
Landing and care
Location selection
For abundant and friendly flowering requires a sufficient amount of sunlight. However, in the sun, the “vessel of water” dries quickly.
Therefore, the landing site must be slightly shaded. One of suitable options: Bottom part bush is shaded, and the top is in the sun. neighborhood with large trees undesirable, because their powerful root system quickly absorbs soil moisture, which hydrangeas need so much.
Priming
The soil must be slightly or medium acid, moderately loose and quite nutritious. Its composition can be as follows: peat, humus, turf, leafy soil and sand in equal amounts. They also use an "equivalent" mixture of peat, humus, rotten needles and garden soil.
Landing
The best time to plant this bush in open ground is end of spring(warmed soil and no frost). The planting hole should be the size of the seedling's root system. For medium-sized plants, in particular, 35 cm in length, width and depth is sufficient.
At the bottom of the pit, if the soil is clayey, a drainage layer of pebbles, expanded clay, brick or ceramic batt is laid. Place a layer of prepared soil mixture and carefully straightened root system, previously soaked in a bucket of water.
Fill up the soil, carefully compacting it, make organic and complete mineral fertilizers, which will contribute to the formation of flower buds.
Watered, then the surface of the earth is mulched fallen needles or crushed bark. This last operation necessary to ensure that the soil under the bush retains moisture longer. Hydrogel is also added to retain moisture in the soil.
The distance between several seedlings should be at least one meter.
Irrigation water must be soft, as this plant does not tolerate hard, calcareous water.
The ideal option is watering with rainwater. Water from water supply network should be well settled and warmed up, and periodically it is useful add some acidifier lemon juice or vinegar.
In the summer, if there is no rain, each bush should receive two buckets of water weekly.
top dressing
The plant responds well to mineral supplement complex for heather, rhododendrons and azaleas. The best option – special mixtures designed specifically for hydrangeas.
The timing of fertilizer application takes into account the main phases of growth and development:
- spring dressing promotes the formation of young shoots;
- June contributes to the abundant formation of buds;
- summer, during the flowering period, prolongs flowering and provides the laying of flower buds that will open next year. Potassium and phosphorus components should be added to this top dressing, and nitrogen should be reduced.
- autumn, before shelter, consists of superphosphate and potassium.
pruning
Large-leaved hydrangea, as a rule, is cut slightly, limited to the spring removal of weak, damaged and thickening shoots. This gentle mode is due to the fact that flowering provide only last year's lignified shoots which should be preserved as much as possible.
Lines of varieties Forever and Ever, U&M, Endless Summer bloom with shoots of both the past and the current year, so these bushes can be subjected to significant pruning not only in spring, but also after flowering- half the length of the shoots or more.
How to cover for the winter?
In August-September, if the weather is dry, the hydrangea should be watered abundantly. A well-moistened plant will more easily endure future frosts. At the same time, as a prevention of rot under cover, spraying with a Bordeaux mixture is carried out.
In October, with the onset of night frosts, spud bushes to a height of 0.3 meters.
In the beginning of November branches are bent to the ground, covered with dry foliage, covered with spruce branches.
You can put on top box or crate of suitable dimensions, which will provide an air heat-insulating pillow, or install low arcs and cover them with plastic wrap.
In the spring this shelter follows take off gradually.
Bloom
The standard flowering time is in the summer months - June and July.
In order for the hydrangea to bloom 2-4 weeks earlier, and its inflorescences to become more powerful, the plant is sprayed with a solution of growth accelerators, gibberellins, in water, at a concentration of 50 mg / l twice, with an interval of four to seven days.
The color of the inflorescences depends on the reaction of the soil and changes from pink in neutral soil to blue and blue in an acidic substrate.
This property is widely used, especially since acidified, soft water is coming for the benefit of plants.
The presence of small amounts of aluminum and iron in the soil creates an additional play of color. In particular, in order to obtain a stable blue, it is recommended to water the plants every two weeks with two liters of alum solution - potassium alum or ammonia-potassium - at a concentration of 3-5 g / l.
Faded "hats" immediately do not delete: in winter they will provide additional protection growth and flower buds. Eliminate these dry flowers only after wintering, at the beginning of next spring.
Seeds of large-leaved hydrangea do not have time to ripen during the summer of the middle lane, so they propagate it exclusively vegetatively: layering and cuttings.
- Reproduction by layering carried out in the spring: bending a suitable branch to the ground, fix it in the middle and dig in. By autumn, the buried part forms a sufficient root system, but the new plant is separated from the mother plant only next spring.
- Reproduction cuttings and is successful in early spring (parts of lignified stems) and summer (segments of green shoots). With the use of growth stimulants, under conditions high humidity, at a temperature of 14-17 degrees, cuttings with two to four nodes quickly form roots in a substrate of leafy soil and peat with sand or in coniferous soil.
Withering in summer with sufficient watering observed in the sun when the temperature rises above 30 degrees. To prevent this from happening, the place for planting hydrangeas should be slightly shaded.
Hydrangea in a site with optimal conditions for it is resistant to disease.
If the soil is limed or oversaturated with humus, the plant may develop chlorosis, in which the leaves, with the exception of the central vein, become yellow-light. In this case, watering potassium nitrate solution with a concentration of 4 g / l, and after 3 days - iron sulfate solution the same concentration.
downy mildew, in which dark oily, gradually spreading spots form on the leaves and stems, it affects the hydrangea at a temperature of 18-20 degrees in combination with high atmospheric humidity. An effective remedy from such a disease is spraying with a copper-soap solution: 15 g copper sulfate and 150 g green soap to a bucket of water.
In open ground, the plant is practically not affected by pests, with the exception of snails, which can eat leaves and buds. In this case, the snails and their clutches are collected, destroyed and specialized preparations against mollusks are used.
In general, large-leaved hydrangea, as an open field plant, belongs to the rather unpretentious inhabitants of the site.
Wintering presents some problem - even cold-resistant varieties will hardly endure winter temperatures at minus 18 degrees. However, those growers of the middle lane who provide their hydrangeas with adequate winter shelter will be rewarded with regular abundant flowering of lush bushes. In autumn, their leaves, before falling for the winter, acquire a rich red color, bringing their accent to the golden autumn outfit.
Large-leaved hydrangea from the Forever&Ever series - Red Sensation
For several years of my stay on the site, I met questions in which people often asked why their hydrangea did not bloom or how to change its color. The correct answer, and even in a nutshell, can be difficult to give if you don’t know what kind of hydrangea we are talking about. Often a person buys a plant without knowing the variety, without knowing its genetic predisposition and not always understanding how it will grow in its particular conditions and on its particular soils.
There are five main types of hydrangeas , which are grown in gardens: paniculate, tree-like, petiolate, ground cover and large-leaved. Large-leaved hydrangea (lat. Hydrangea macrophylla) are also called "broad-leaved", "garden" and "macrophile".
In this post we will talk about large-leaved hydrangeas - macrophiles, blooming on the shoots of the current year that grow in our garden near Moscow.
Let me tell you about my experience of growing these wonderful flowers. I will tell you about the successes and failures that I had to face, and thanks to which I acquired my personal experience. You can successfully grow macrophiles if you understand the nature of these plants.
In regions with warm winter there are no problems with the cultivation and flowering of large-leaved hydrangea, but our winters make their own adjustments to the conditions for growing these wonderful flowers.
The first unsuccessful attempts to grow these beautiful flowers in the garden were undertaken by me 20 years ago. These were large-leaved hydrangeas that bloomed on the run from last year and which, despite all my tricks with sheltering plants for the winter, refused to bloom in the summer. The problem was to keep flower buds in winter. In these macrophiles, the flower bud, laid down this year, blooms only the next (second) year, which is why it is difficult to preserve it in winter. The tops, where the flower buds are located, are the most unripe part of the plants, and in winter they most often froze and had to be cut off along with the dead flower buds.
However, the world selection does not stand still and in last years large-leaved hydrangeas appeared on the market, blooming on shoots of the current year. With the advent of these varieties, most macrophile lovers have a real opportunity to see them. lush bloom in your garden.
In these macrophiles, a flower-bud, laid in the spring on a young shoot, blooms in the same year in the second half of summer. This aroused great interest in them, since there was no need at all costs to preserve the entire shoots in winter time. Even if in winter it is not possible to save the entire shoot and in the spring it is necessary to remove the dead part of the plants, then after such pruning from the axils of the remaining lower part of the old shoot, young shoots of the second order with flower buds begin to grow, which will bloom in the same year.
In addition, these new varieties of macrophiles that bloom on the current year's shoots, as a rule, have increased winter hardiness (down to -30ºC).
These varieties include macrophiles from the series Endless Summer (Endless Summer), Forever & Ever and You & Me.
However, frost resistance down to -30ºC refers to frost resistance root system but not to flower buds. They also freeze, like all other macrophiles. But in the aforementioned varieties, the speed of flower bud ripening is much higher than in other varieties. The bud, formed in the spring on the shoot of the current year, has time to mature and bloom by the end of the same season. That's the whole point.
At the dawn of my passion for macrophiles, I accidentally came across a book on growing hydrangeas by an American author, Dr. M. Dirr (Dr. Michael Dirr from the University of Georgia), which helped me in many ways to understand these plants and find them mutual language. The author of the book is called "" - Guru in the field of hydrangeas. It’s a pity that we don’t sell these books in translation yet, there are a lot of interesting and useful information for growing hydrangeas.
Endless Summer varieties (Endless Summer) and Red Sensation (Red Sensation) from the Forever & Ever series grow in our garden, so we will talk about them.
Chromamacrophile
The color of macrophiles depends on their genetic predisposition. Genetically red and white hydrangeas do not change color. That is, you cannot make blue from red or red from white. Depending on some features of the soil and air temperature, these hydrangeas can only change the color saturation. In addition, as the flower ages, the color of red (at the beginning of the season) may change to red-violet (at the end of the season).
Red Sensation from the Forever&Ever series
But those hydrangeas that were originally pink or blue can change color in one direction or another.
The color of such hydrangeas is affected by:
- soil acidity (pH);
- the presence or absence of free aluminum in the soil;
- the presence of soluble iron in the soil.
“The minimum content of soluble iron (assimilable) is observed at alkaline pH values. Therefore, acidic soils are more enriched in soluble inorganic iron than neutral and alkaline ones” (Kabata-Pendias, Pendias, 1989 “Trace elements in soils and plants”).
Since there is little soluble iron in alkaline soils, and aluminum in an accessible form is practically absent in them, hydrangeas in such soils will be pink. At the same time, due to a lack of iron, they can suffer greatly from chlorosis.
In acidic and slightly acidic soils, more enriched in soluble inorganic iron, there can be both a lot and a little of aluminum in an accessible form. If there is a lot of aluminum, the flowers will be blue-blue, and if there is little aluminum, the hydrangea will show pink or a mixture pink-blue flowers.
Simply put, in order to get blue hydrangea from pink, you need a combination of acidic soil and the presence of aluminum and iron ions in the soil in an easily digestible form. Aluminum helps the iron to go into a soluble state, thereby enabling the plant to absorb it. In other words, in order for a pink hydrangea to turn blue, you need to lower the pH of the soil, add aluminum sulfate (aluminum alum) and an iron chelate (for example, Ferrovit). You can also use special fertilizers to bluish macrophiles.
In order to get pink from blue hydrangea, it is necessary to increase the pH of the soil, but this is fraught with chlorosis.
In general, hydrangeas can grow on soils with different pH - from acidic to neutral and even slightly alkaline. But on the latter you will have to try very hard and run "with tambourines".
change and maintain desired color macrophile works well when grown in a pot culture. In the garden, due to the leaching of microelements from the soil, this is more difficult to achieve, it is necessary to constantly maintain the desired soil pH and make the necessary microelements. It is quite difficult to get a very blue one from a pink macrophile, as they sell in a garden center. My color changes, but not so much. More often the bushes are in pink-blue and pink-lilac shades.
Macrophila with flowers different color looks very attractive and picturesque.
If someone has a blue-blue hydrangea in the garden without any tricks, it means that he initially has acidic soil in the garden with the necessary content of aluminum salts and iron ions in it.
I once planted a blue Endless Summer hydrangea. Our soils are sod-podzolic , slightly acidic and in the first year after planting it bloomed with beautiful blue caps.
I had to repot it the next year and it bloomed right away. pink flowers. And this despite the fact that I prepared acidic soil for planting. I realized that acidic soil alone does not provide of blue color, iron and aluminum ions are needed. Cuttings from a blue hydrangea planted in a regular garden soil, also bloomed with pink flowers.
Landing and care
It is better to plant macrophiles in the sun, but it should be remembered that these are very moisture-loving plants and they will have to be watered much more often and more abundantly in the sun. We have them grow where the sun is from lunch to evening. It happens that on very hot days they even have flower “hats” hanging, but in the evening after watering they quickly recover. I want to try to solve this problem by planting in a hydrogel substrate.Macrophiles, despite their small stature, have a large root system. I found out about this when I needed to transplant a 5-year-old bush to another place. There were no assistants around at the time. I decided that I could handle it myself. I dug around the plant and couldn't get it out. For me, it turned out to be unbearable. Then a "mouse-norushka" in the form of a healthy male neighbor came running to my aid, and together we pulled out this "turnip". He dragged the bush onto a sheet of iron and on this sheet dragged it to a new landing site. Since then, I have not been transplanting adult bushes. And I prepare pits for new plantings ~ 60 cm wide and ~ 50 cm deep.
For my hydrangeas, I prepare an acidic substrate. I usually add a mixture of high-moor peat, sand, humus and leafy soil or forest litter to the planting hole. If there is a special soil for rhododendrons, then I add it. Added complete mineral fertilizer and to ensure longer acidification of the soil, I added colloidal sulfur (1 sachet - "Teovit Jet"). Because I like to have flowers on one bush different shades, also added iron chelate - this is the preparation "Ferrovit" (1 sachet) and aluminum sulfate - these are aluminum alum. I buy aluminum alum at a pharmacy, this is a remedy for sweating))) and is called "Burned Alum".
I water the planted bush well and mulch with coniferous litter from the forest, fortunately giving in the forest. Mulch is needed to keep the soil moist. In the future, I try to carry out watering with acidified water.
If the plant is potted, then I plant it in the same way as rhododendrons, after soaking the roots in water and straightening them.
I try to water with rainwater from a barrel or acidified water with the addition of apple or 9% vinegar (30-40 ml per bucket), citric acid(3-4 g per bucket of water), etc.
To maintain the blue color on the flowers, I water them no more than once a week with a solution of aluminum alum (1 tablespoon per bucket of water) or special fertilizers for blue hydrangeas (according to instructions).
As necessary, I feed the plants with fertilizers with trace elements. I try to buy soluble fertilizers designed specifically for hydrangeas.
Just like with rhododendrons, once a year, in the spring, under an adult bush (around), I pour 1 sachet of colloidal sulfur - Teovit Jet.
With such agricultural technology, chlorosis does not occur in plants. But if someone plants grow on neutral or even slightly alkaline soils, then in case of chlorosis they must be watered with acidified water with the addition of aluminum alum. Alum helps iron in the soil to move from a bound state to an absorbable one. You can also add phosphorus-potassium fertilizers.
wintering macrophile
As I already wrote, the frost resistance of the root system of those macrophiles that grow in our garden up to -30ºС, but this does not apply to flower buds. I cover hydrangeas in October, without waiting for severe frosts. I cut off all the flowers and leaves (I do this more than once) and then pin the shoots to the ground in thin arcs, placing pieces of lutrasil under the arcs so that the iron does not touch the branches. Bending the shoots, I tie them into bundles with a ribbon and lay them out on two sides (left and right), that is, it turns out like a line. I put arcs along the line and cover with double lutrasil. I tried to leave the macrophylls to winter with the foliage - I didn’t like the result, all the stems under the shelter were covered with slippery, rotten leaves. Open in spring when danger of frost has passed. View just now open hydrangeas not very presentable, but do not be afraid.
Immediately, after opening the plants, I do not do any pruning. I wait until the buds begin to move forward, then it becomes clear which part of the shoot overwintered and which did not. As a rule, I have to cut the crowns to the first (top) strong green kidney. And as I wrote above, young shoots begin to grow from the axils of the remaining lower part of the shoot, which will bloom in the same year.
Regardless of what sellers or manufacturers say about the variety, in the conditions of central Russia, macrophiles must be covered for the winter.
For example, I will give a couple of cases from my own practice.
A few years ago, I arrived in early May for a weekend at the dacha, opened hydrangeas to see how they overwintered. They were in normal condition, the kidneys have awakened and have already moved into growth. While I was minding my own business, I decided to leave them for a few hours without shelter to ventilate. But just before leaving, friends came in and, distracted from pressing matters, I completely forgot to cover the bushes back. She got into the car and left. And on weekdays there was a severe frost. This frost killed all the awakened buds, and the stems died with them. For sleeping buds, frost is not terrible, but for those who started the growing season it turned out to be disastrous. The bushes themselves did not die, but they recovered from the root for a long time, having spent all their strength on it, and as a result, at the very end of summer they gave out a couple of small flowers.
In the case of a snowless winter, even covered with double lutrasil, the kidneys may die. I also have my bad experience. For the kidneys, it is not so much frost that is terrible, but temperature fluctuations, the transition from plus to minus and vice versa, when the kidney cannot “fall asleep”.
This is how the dead stems of the Endless Summer macrophylla looked like in the snowless winter of 2015-2016.
By the end of summer, the hydrangeas were fully restored, new shoots grew from the root, but did not bloom.
I hope my experience of growing large-leaved hydrangea in a garden near Moscow will be useful to someone.
I myself continue to study, update my knowledge and follow with interest the experience of other gardeners, but experience most often comes through a “rake”. After all, not without reason A.S. Pushkin wrote: "And experience is the son of difficult mistakes."
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