Hydrangea Pink Lady stands out from her relatives for royal grace, tenderness and lush color all year round. The unpretentious care adds to the plant even more popularity among florists who want to plant a flower in their garden. Hydrangea pink lady will decorate any personal plot, terrace, cottage, park.
Origin of Hydrangea Pink Lady
The Dutch botanist Peter Zweinenburg worked on the development of this variety of hydrangea for almost 20 years, from 70-80. last century. He continued the development of plant breeding, begun by Robert and Elena de Belder. The British Royal Horticultural Society praised the work of scientists by placing a new variety of Pink Lady hydrangeas next to its varieties such as Limelight, Kiusu, Pinki Winky.
Hydrangea Pink Lady
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Panicled Hydrangea Pink Lady belongs to tree-like shrubs with a lush crown. It sometimes grows to 1.5-2 meters in height and up to 200 cm in volume. Its branches are decorated with large oblong dark green leaves, framed by a carved edge. The tops of each twig are crowned with conical panicles of inflorescences. From small flowers on each individual stem, inflorescences with a diameter of 15 to 30 cm are formed.
Each individual flower consists of 4 rounded petals. They are so densely and closely arranged to each other that during the period of active flowering they create the effect of an air cloud exuding a sweetish aroma.
In the process of growth and development, the buds change color, passing through several stages: white in early summer, then light green, cream and soft pink in September. The hydrangea flowering period lasts all the summer months, and sometimes until the first frost. In such a large plant, the roots are not deep, branching. It roots well and grows on soils of various types.
Subject to all agrotechnical rules for caring for 10 years, the flower will not need to be transplanted to a new place. Hydrangea perfectly tolerates winter 30-degree frosts.
Interesting. Advantages can be added to the listed positive qualities of the ornamental plant: it preserves the bush and does not decay during flowering, hard branches do not bend under the weight of volume inflorescences. About the pink hydrangea flower. Lady description of these features can be found in every gardener's guide.
Hydrangea transplant after purchase
Before acquiring a garden specimen of hydrangea, you need to get acquainted with the features of its planting and cultivation. It is simply necessary to know three important details that a planted bush should please with flowers in the first year: time, place and soil.
Time
The best time for transplanting hydrangeas is spring. You can plant a flower in the winter, but then you need to properly warm it.
A place
Hydrangea is very fond of the sun, warmth and a lot of moisture. Young plants are better protected from direct sunlight.
The best place to plant Pink Lady hydrangea is near the fence
Hydrangea will be able to reveal itself in all its glory only on a platform open for light with a slight shadow, but at the same time well protected from the winds.
Features of choosing a place for planting a seedling:
- the presence of partial shade or openwork shadow for the future flower, especially a young specimen;
- wet topsoil;
- near the fence or wall of the building, gazebo;
- protection against wind and drafts;
- lack of lime and wood ash on the site (poorly tolerated).
Important! Do not plant hydrangea next to fruit trees, as they take a lot of substances necessary for the plant from the ground.
The soil
Pink Lady grows well on any land, but especially likes sandy well-moistened soil.
After this, you need to prepare planting material purchased in a specialized store or horticultural society. Usually it is sold in containers, the roots are closed in the ground. If the seedling is healthy, then the young bark should not be damaged, cracked, stained. It is better to plant a young hydrangea no older than 5 years old. The plant should not have more than 4-5 buds.
Hydrangea seedling in a plastic container
Armed with this minimal knowledge and the right seedling, even a beginner can plant a plant in open ground.
Step-by-step landing process
Having chosen a convenient place for planting an ornamental shrub, you should prepare a suitable plot of land. Although the plant is well rooted in various soils, it blooms more abundantly on fertile loams. If there is a lot of clay in the earth, it is necessary to add humus. Compost and peat must be added to the sandstones to enrich the substrate, since it weakly retains useful minerals.
The procedure for preparing the landing pit:
- dig a hole with a diameter of 30 cm and a depth of 40 cm;
- mix fallen needles, a fertile layer of soil, decayed manure and peat;
- pour the prepared soil mixture into the pit until the substrate settles, pour a small amount of water;
Planting hydrangea in open soil
- prepare planting material: free the roots from the container, cut them and lower them into the Kornevin solution or other growth stimulator, prepared according to the instructions on the package, for a couple of hours;
- lower the hydrangea into the pit, spread the roots and fill it with the remaining substrate;
- leave the root neck above the soil surface, do not tamp, sprinkle mulch on top (with sawdust, dry needles);
- it is good to pour warm, distant from bleach water.
After planting, water the plant regularly.
Important! A pit for planting a pinky Lady hydrangea seedling is prepared in advance, in 2 weeks you need to dig it up and fill it with prepared soil. If you plan to plant more than one instance, then the distance between the bushes should be at least 3 m.
Breeding
In order not to buy ready-made seedlings, you can independently grow hydrangea from the cuttings of an adult plant or from seeds.
Cuttings
In order to grow a seedling from a stalk, in the spring you need to cut off the shoot with four buds and plant it in a container with an earthen mixture. After a while, the branch will take root, after which it can be planted in open ground. At first, for the acclimatization of the seedling, it is necessary to make shelter. With systematic watering, a young plant will take root in the ground. When the buds open, it can be opened.
Interesting. It is impossible to see when an escape in a container with soil gives roots. To do this, you can place the same cut shoot in a glass dish with a solution that stimulates growth and observe the formation of its root system. This will help to see when the first roots appear.
A variation of the cuttings is the method of using bends. Tilt the lower branch of an adult plant to the ground, fix it with a bracket and sprinkle with soil. With regular watering, roots form in the place of contact with the earth's surface.
Cutting method of reproduction
By the fall, they will form a strong root system, which will allow the tap to be transplanted to a new place.
Seed cultivation
Propagation of hydrangea by seed method is a longer and more laborious process, which can be done by an experienced gardener.
Sowing of seeds is carried out from April to June. Grown seedlings need to dive after the appearance of 3 leaves. Repeat picking in May, when seedlings grow by 7-8 cm.To take care of it according to the general rules for hydrangea cultivation: timely watering with settled water, feed the soil no more than 2 times a month, keep it in the light, but not in direct sunlight.
Seed propagation method
The main task of growing hydrangea from seeds is selection. You can use seed shoots to create a room flower. If there are no cuttings or seedlings, then seedlings can also be grown on the site according to the general scheme. You can only plant Pink Lady in two years.
Care
It is not difficult to take care of young plantings and adult bushes. However, in order to get a magnificent flowering hydrangea requires compliance with certain rules for care. These include regular watering, fertilizer, loosening and mulching.
Watering mode
The hydropic plant hydrangea requires abundant watering. The soil around the bush should not be allowed to dry out. When weekly morning or evening watering under an adult bush, you need to pour up to 30 liters of water. In cool rainy weather, reduce the rate to 10 liters.
Complex fertilizer in hydrangea granules
Depends on the quality of watering, how the inflorescences will form, and whether the whole bush will develop. After each watering, you need to loosen the earth. To prevent the roots from opening, sprinkle them with a mixture of dry leaves or sawdust, peat and humus.
Top dressing
The roots of pink lady's hydrangea are close to the surface, so they cannot get their own food from the ground. Therefore, a decorative bush must be provided in a timely manner with both organic and minerals. You need to feed the plant 4 times a year, introducing a variety of fertilizers into the soil. Food is carried out according to the following scheme:
- spring feeding (before the opening of the first kidneys) consists of bird droppings or mullein in a ratio of 1:15;
- summer fertilizer during the formation of inflorescences (ammonium nitrate, superphosphate and water in the proportions of 35 g: 20 g: 10 l);
- in late July - early August, top dressing from special granules (30 liters of a solution prepared according to the instructions for each bush);
- in the fall, at the end of flowering, add 50 g of superphosphate and potassium salt under each plant.
Important! Do not use nitrogen fertilizers.
During flowering
In the phase of active color, the main task of the grower is to create comfortable conditions for preserving bushes and inflorescences. In addition to observing all agrotechnical requirements, plants must be protected from pests and diseases. During summer cooling and rains, powdery mildew affects the bushes. Sick leaves and branches should be sprayed with a solution prepared according to the instructions from the preparation "Fundazol".
The most pernicious enemy for hydrangea is aphid, the infusion of garlic or onion husks will help get rid of it.
On a note. One important aspect of hydrangea care is pruning. It usually only takes place in spring, towards the end of March, to stimulate growth and the formation of larger buds during flowering. In the summer season, the pruning procedure is not carried out.
During rest
In late autumn, when panicle pink hydrangea is preparing for winter, it is necessary to carry out preparatory work with her bushes:
- Cut dried inflorescences and remove dry leaves.
- Correct bushes by pruning and removing broken branches and shoots.
- Reduce the rate of watering and gradually completely stop.
- Where necessary, prepare shelters, especially for young seedlings.
- The roots of hydrangea during the summer and autumn can be exposed, so you need to warm them with a layer of dry leaves and humus.
Winter preparations
Pink Lady Hydrangea is bred in all regions of Russia, including Siberia and the Urals. Although this plant tolerates low temperatures well, it is necessary to create light shelters, especially if frosty, snowy winters are expected. Carefully need to warm the root system.
Pink Hydrangea paniculata Lady in landscape design
Cover the shrub with a special coating or just a bag. Throw the first snow that fell, creating a semblance of a snowdrift. Such events in the south are usually not held.
Panicled Hydrangea Pink Lady is widely known not only for its excellent agrotechnical characteristics, magical beauty and delicate aroma of flowers. This decorative shrub can decorate any area both independently and in a compositional solution.
Looks great next to evergreen and coniferous trees. He will be a good neighbor to the plant, which will share his requirements for light and shade, composition and moisture of the soil.
