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Panicle hydrangeas are one of the most beautiful and long-flowering plants at their summer cottage. At the same time, they are popular, because it does not take much time and effort to care for these perennials. And inexperienced growers can easily start planting in the garden with these flowers - and panicle hydrangeas will surely take root, pleasing the eye with their abundant flowering.
One of the brightest representatives of paniculate hydrangeas is the Vanilla Fraz variety, which is often incorrectly referred to as Vanilla Fraz hydrangea. This is a beautiful and unpretentious plant, which, at the request of the gardener, can be formed both in the form of a lush bush and in the form of a tree.
Description of hydrangea paniculata Vanilla Freise, planting methods and further care, as well as methods of pest and disease control - all this will be described below.
Hydrangea Vanilla Fraze
Characteristic features of hydrangeas
Hydrangea paniculata belongs to the genus Hortensia and the Hortensia family. Under natural conditions, these beautifully flowering perennials can be found on the Japanese islands, in most provinces of China, as well as in the southern part of Sakhalin Island.
Distinctive features of these plants:
- this tree or bushes reach a height of 1.5 to 10 m;
- the root system is not very deep, but their diameter exceeds the size of the crown of hydrangeas;
- foliage of hydrangeas is oval, in length it can reach 10-12 cm;
- flowers are collected in pyramidal paniculate inflorescences, the length of which is about 24 cm;
- flowers of two types: sterile, the size of which can be over 2 cm, the color of the petals - white with a green tint, gradually changes to pink; small, from which fruits appear later, petals on such flowers fall off quickly;
- fruits - capsules, in which there is a lot of small seed material; when ripe, the capsule cracks in the upper part;
- the first buds appear on this flowering perennial 4-5 seasons after the seedlings are planted in a permanent place.
Description of the variety
Hydrangea Vanilla Freise is one of the brightest representatives of panicle hydrangeas. Its wide-pyramidal inflorescences have a beautiful color - a mixture of strawberries with cream, the size of each inflorescence is up to 18-21 cm.
Description of the variety
The bushes are formed from shoots in the form of boles. The foliage is oval or slightly elongated, with slight pubescence, the color of the leaves is dark emerald. Hydrangea roots are located close to the surface of the earth, their size is much larger than the volume of the spherical crown.
In height, the shoots of hydrangea Vanilla Freyzi can reach 1.5 m, and the crown diameter is at least 1.4 m.The color is bright red.As the inflorescences bloom, the stems begin to fall apart under their weight, so the bush looks like a beautifully blooming ball.
It is interesting to change the color of inflorescences from blooming buds to complete wilting. At first, the petals of the buds are white with a creamy tint. Gradually, their color changes to pale pink, and by the end of flowering it becomes dark cherry. Such a change in the color of the petals is characteristic of all varieties of paniculate hydrangeas and is one of the main advantages of these flowers.
The width of the inflorescences is 29 cm, the length is 37-39 cm. Hydrangea Vanilla Freise begins to bloom from the first decade of July, and the last inflorescences bloom on this perennial at the end of September. All buds appear on the stems of the current summer season.
Another positive quality of Vanille Fraise hydrangea is its high resistance to frost - it easily tolerates frosts down to -28-29 ° C, without the need for shelter. However, experts recommend that when growing Vanilla hydrangea in Siberia, the Urals and other regions with a similar climate, before the onset of winter cold, cover the bushes with spruce branches. This concludes the description of this cold-resistant variety.
Landing
Planting this hydrangea should be done only in sunny areas, where direct sunlight will not fall on the bushes, away from large fruit trees, which actively take moisture from the soil. In addition, Vanilla Freise hydrangea, when grown in bright sunlight, will grow worse and the flowers will become smaller.
Hydrangea seedling
It is better to plant hydrangea seedlings in open ground in the spring, immediately after the snow melts and the ground warms up. It is necessary to prepare the planting pits as follows: their depth and diameter should be about 0.5 m, they are filled with a mixture of garden soil, high peat, humus and needles, taken in equal parts. But wood ash is not added during planting and further dressing - this perennial shrub does not perceive it.
When planting, the seedlings are placed in the center of the pit, carefully spreading the roots along the entire diameter. The hole is covered with soil, while the root collar should be 1-1.5 cm above the ground level.Then, 10 liters of water are added under each plant and a layer of mulch 4-6 cm thick is spread into the trunk circles. peat, sawdust or fallen needles of pine trees.
Although this plant is frost-resistant, it is still not recommended to plant seedlings in the fall - the bushes may not have time to take root before the onset of cold weather and may freeze out.
Planting hydrangeas
Hydrangea propagates by seeds or vegetative methods: cuttings, layering or dividing the mother bush.
Cuttings should be cut in the second decade of June. Each of the cuttings should consist of 4-6 nodes. Cut branches should be planted in an acidic substrate consisting of peat and river sand (in a 2: 1 ratio). Containers with hydrangea seedlings are placed in a shaded place and covered with polyethylene. In such a mini-greenhouse, seedlings give roots much faster. Usually, after 25-30 days, the cuttings take root, the film is removed, and young plants are planted in a previously prepared area.
Reproduction of hydrangea Vanilla Freise by layering is carried out according to the following scheme:
- A strong lower stem is selected.
- It is bent to the ground.
- It is dug in to a depth of 12-14 cm.
- The layering should be fixed in the ground with any special device (some summer residents use ordinary studs for this).
- Regular watering of the cuttings is carried out.
After 25-30 days, roots appear at the hydrangea layer, it should be cut off with a shovel or pruner from the mother bush and transplanted into a prepared place.
Propagation of hydrangea by cuttings
By dividing the bushes, hydrangeas are usually propagated when an adult bush is transplanted to a new place. For such a procedure, you need to select the bushes 5-6 years old. The division of the bush is carried out in the spring, in which case the delenki have time to take root in a new place and calmly endure the period of frost. The hydrangea bush is carefully dug out, trying not to damage the root system, the division process is carried out with a sharp shovel. Each section should have at least 3 buds.
All young plants planted in the spring must be covered for the winter in order to prevent them from freezing. Coniferous spruce branches are used as a shelter.
Basic care
Sometimes novice gardeners do not understand why the Vanilla Fraze hydrangea planted according to all the rules does not grow well or bloom well. The answer is unequivocal: although the plant is unpretentious, the proper care of these bushes was violated.
Hydrangeas love abundant watering. However, this does not mean that the plant needs to be flooded. The main thing when introducing moisture is to prevent the topsoil from drying out, in which the roots of this shrub are located. Water for irrigation should be filtered and warm.
Since these perennials bloom for a long time and abundantly, they should be regularly fed with fertilizers in order to renew a sufficient amount of nutrients in the soil. Top dressing is applied every 12-14 days, alternating organic matter and mineral fertilizers.
Fertilizers for hydrangea
Fertilizers with a high nitrogen content are applied only in the spring to activate the growth of the vegetative mass of the shrub. In the autumn, nitrogen fertilization can lead to unwanted growth of shoots, which will not have time to mature before the onset of frost and will die.
Do not add wood ash to the hydrangea trunk circles, which deacidifies the soil, because these plants grow well only on acidic soils.
Another important aspect of caring for a shrub is pruning. Hydrangea rejuvenating pruning is carried out in the last decade of October. At the same time, old and weakened shoots are removed. And what has grown in the current season is simply shortened, leaving 2-3 pairs of buds.
In the spring, sanitary pruning of shoots is carried out, while frozen, broken off and dried branches are removed. But you should not shorten the shoots in the spring.
Before the onset of cold weather, it is advisable to cover the tops of the stems and flower buds, which often freeze slightly in winter. For this, agrofibre is used, which does not allow cold air to pass through.
Shelter hydrangea for the winter
Diseases and pests, control measures
Most of the diseases of this flowering shrub are caused by an improper irrigation regime, as a result of which the soil becomes waterlogged. As a result, the hydrangea is affected by downy mildew. The main signs of the disease are:
- the appearance of spots of yellow color on the foliage, subsequently darkening;
- a gray bloom appears on the back of the leaves.
Gray mold is another disease caused by fungi.As a result, small brown specks appear on the upper part of the leaf plates, which increase over time, merging into one large spot. All rot-infected vegetative parts of the plant should be immediately removed and burned. All plants are sprayed with Rovral Flo 255 SC fungicide. Re-processing is carried out in 12-14 days.
Gray rot on hydrangea
If there is too much humus or lime in the soil, then chlorosis can hit the hydrangea. The main signs of the disease:
- sharp lightening of the color of the leaf plates with further yellowing;
- veins on leaf plates do not change their color;
- sick foliage falls off.
In this case, drugs that increase its acidity (Antichlorosis, Ferovit) should be added to the soil.
Of the pests, this flowering perennial is attacked by spider mites or aphids. What to do in this case? Fufanon (or Thiophos) is effective against the first "harmful" bug. Aphids can be fought by spraying the foliage with a solution of Intavir or Aktofit.
The drug "Intavir" for aphids
The use of the variety in landscape design
In landscape design, Vanilla Fraz hydrangea is used very often. Experts like the large size of their inflorescences, long flowering, changing color of the petals during flowering, which gives the plant additional decorative effect.
The plant is tall, so the hydrangea shrub is used as the main background, planting it in the background of flower beds (or in the center). And low flowers are planted in the foreground or at the edges.
Hydrangea in landscape design
These abundantly flowering perennials are also used as a hedge, planting around the perimeter of the site, near the entrance to the country house. These perennials look beautiful near gazebos or open terraces.
Coniferous shrubs and trees planted nearby shade the beauty of Vanilla Freize hydrangea.
