Hydrangea belongs to plants of the Hydrangeaceae family. These are flowering ornamental shrubs. There are from 30 to 80 varieties of them, which today are widespread in all corners of the world. Most of the hydrangea shrubs and low trees grow in areas of East and South Asia, China, Japan, North and South America.

Hydrangea inherited its name from the name of the princess since ancient times. In modern scientific botanical literature containing the classification of plants, hydrangea is referred to as Hydrangea, which translated from Greek means “filled vessel.” This moisture-loving plant is shaped like a jug. In Japan it is called a little differently, “ajisai.” Since 1820, hydrangea has also become widespread in European countries. Since the shrub could not withstand the harsh climate in these latitudes and often died in open ground conditions, at first gardeners grew it exclusively as indoor plant. However, by the middle of the last century, thanks to the efforts of breeders, the number of cultivated varieties of hydrangea reached about a hundred garden species. In the areas middle zone About 12 varieties of hydrangea with a variety of colors are especially popular.

Most varieties of hydrangea look like a low shrub that can reach a height of 1-3 m. However, sometimes there are hydrangea trees or vines that can wrap around tree trunks to the very top. All species are divided into evergreen and deciduous groups. In our area, as a rule, deciduous hydrangeas are grown, the flowering period of which lasts from spring to late autumn. The calyx of the flower is presented in a spherical shape in the form of an inflorescence. Only internal seeds have the ability to ripen and form fruits. White flower color is common. Representatives of large-leaf hydrangea have different colors, which are significantly influenced by soil acidity. There are, for example, red, blue and lilac specimens of hydrangeas. If the soil is acidic, then they grow in it blue varieties, if alkaline - pink or lilac, and for neutral soil they are characteristic beige flowers. The fruit of this shrub looks like a multi-layered capsule filled with seeds.

In addition to the large-leaved species, tree hydrangea is often found in mid-latitude areas, which is characterized by resistance to survival in cold conditions and also has the property of regeneration. Paniculata hydrangea, which is one of the most durable varieties among all species, tolerates frosts well.

There are other varieties of the plant: serrated hydrangea, serrate-leaved hydrangea, climbing hydrangea, radiant hydrangea, petiolate hydrangea, oak-leaved hydrangea.

In addition to regular watering, fertilizing, and loosening the soil, it is necessary to trim this ornamental shrub. Less experienced gardeners and simply flower lovers mistakenly believe that, like lilacs, hydrangeas need to be constantly pruned. Such measures may only be suitable for certain varieties. Large-leaf hydrangea does not need pruning and blooms using shoots that grew last year. In this regard, young annual shoots need to be preserved for the winter so that next summer they can flower profusely. Shrubs with snow-white inflorescences can form on young shoots. After pruning, new branches appear on the bush, which will bring a large number of flowers. It is recommended to prune in early spring or autumn. This must be done with great care so as not to damage the entire bush.

All types of hydrangeas are divided into several categories according to the pruning method. The first of them includes large-leaved, serrated, prickly, oak-leaved and liana-shaped hydrangeas. They differ from other species in that they can form inflorescences on old shoots. Pruning of these varieties should be done as follows: remove old inflorescences to the first healthy buds.

Another category of plants includes species that can form buds on young stems. These include the main most common varieties of hydrangeas: paniculata and tree-like, which are pruned in the spring before flowering. Hydrangea paniculata leaves skeletal branches and shoots that grow outward. Tree hydrangea is pruned only after it reaches four years of age. Otherwise, the plant will gradually begin to dry out, and over time it may even die. This probably won't happen if you prune the bush in the fall.

Adult plants with a developed branch system are pruned at the root, leaving about 10 cm from each shoot. For large and mature plants, it is better to carry out this rejuvenation procedure gradually so that root system was able to fully recover.

Gardeners advise doing autumn pruning shrubs, since it is better tolerated by the plant. Next year you can see abundant flowering. Hydrangeas belonging to the second category have their inflorescences cut off. This must be done in the absence of any shelter, so that the graceful branches of the bush do not break in winter due to the weight of the snow cover. In tree hydrangea, thick shoots are removed, and in paniculate hydrangea, thin shoots are removed. The branches that have grown this season are shortened by several buds.

Before the cold weather arrives, almost all types of this shrub must be carefully covered and prepared for winter. Hydrangeas die in mid-latitudes without insulation. Tree hydrangea is considered the most hardy and frost-resistant species. However, if the roots of the plant survive the winter, the ends of the young branches may freeze.

In autumn, it is necessary to remove the leaves of the shrub, retaining only the topmost ones. The shoots will gradually begin to thicken and become stronger. Then fertilize the soil with fertilizers containing phosphorus and potassium. The final stage is the shelter of the hydrangea.

How to cover a hydrangea for the winter

In order to decide how best to insulate hydrangea for the winter, it is worth taking into account the climate. Bushes of plants grown in the southern regions can simply be hilled up before the onset of cold weather. In areas where severe winters occur, they must be covered. Low bushes are covered with peat, and the surface is covered with film. Under such a peculiar winter blanket the plant will be protected from freezing.

Another no less effective and proven method is the following method of shelter. The plant is tied with a rope and carefully placed on boards with nails to which the branches are tied. After which the bush is left in this position for the winter, covering it with spruce paws or sawdust. To protect such a structure from the wind, spunbond or iron sheet is laid on top.

The method of covering the tree trunk circle with spruce branches is often used. To do this, the branches are bent in a radial position to the ground, and the base of the bush is covered with peat. To secure the shoots, they are secured with wooden or metal staples. The branches are covered with spruce branches and then with lutrasteel, which must be pressed down with some heavy objects. Bricks or boards work great. Hydrangea insulated in this way may not be afraid of severe frosts.

If the bush is already quite old, then its branches cannot be bent and covered in this way. Therefore, it is wrapped in lutrasteel and secured with rope. Then a metal carcass in the form of a grid, which is covered with sheets of roofing material. Dry leaves are poured inside the frame.

Over time, hydrangea's tolerance to unfavorable conditions increases, so adult shrubs do not require special shelter. However, young plants should not be left unprotected over the winter.

Large-leaved hydrangea: care, shelter for the winter (video)

Hydrangea- Very beautiful plant, which can decorate the garden for many years. If, of course, you take care of it properly. One of the most important points in plant care is preparing for winter: pruning the hydrangea and building a warm shelter for it.

In gardening, three types of hydrangea are most common: paniculate, tree-like and large-leaved, and each of them has its own characteristics and care requirements for growing conditions. But there are also characteristics common to all types, for example, an increased need for water. However, when preparing any of the hydrangeas for the dormant period from the beginning of autumn, watering is stopped, and leaves are removed from the lower part of the shoots to speed up the lignification process. The upper leaves will protect the buds from freezing.

Of all three species, the tree hydrangea is the most winter-hardy, but in very cold winters it is advisable to cover it. Paniculate hydrangea is also cold-resistant, but large-leaved hydrangea needs full shelter every year.

Pruning hydrangea

In paniculate and tree-like hydrangeas, buds form on the shoots of the current year. In autumn, the shoots of these plants are shortened, leaving no more than two or three buds on each. In addition, you need to do a sanitary cleaning of the crown: cut out all diseased, damaged, poorly flowering, dried shoots and branches that thicken the crown.

Large leaf hydrangea forms inflorescences on last year's escapes, so in the fall only wilted inflorescences are cut off from it.

The base of adult bushes of paniculata and tree hydrangea is covered high with dry soil for the winter, and this for normal wintering even in very coldy will be sufficient. One-year-old seedlings of both types should be covered reliably - using an air-dry method, which is used to cover large-leaved hydrangea.

If you do not protect large-leaved hydrangea in winter from low temperatures, next year it will not bloom. This plant needs even more reliable shelter, than roses. There are two ways to save the plant until spring:

• laid out around the bush wooden boards, hydrangea shoots are bent to them and fixed. The shoots are laid out randomly on the flooring - radially or in a fan. Then a layer of boards is carefully laid on the fixed branches and covered with several layers of agrofibre or other nonwoven material, which is thrown with leaves, sawdust or spruce branches. The colder the winter is expected, the more layers the hydrangea should cover;
• The hydrangea bush is tied with a rope, wrapped in spunbond or lutrasil and a frame made of metal mesh, which should be 10-15 cm higher than the bush. The space between the mesh and hydrangea is filled dry leaves, sawdust or spruce needles. Then the frame is wrapped with film, roofing felt or other waterproof material. The same air-dry shelter protects young tree-like and paniculate hydrangeas from frost.

With the onset of warmth, the shelter is removed from the plant gradually, layer by layer.

In order for the beautiful hydrangea to decorate the garden with its blooms every year, it needs to be pruned regularly. In addition, some types of crops are particularly heat-loving in nature; they require mandatory shelter for the winter.

However, many gardeners, especially beginners, often do not know how to do this correctly. This confusion arises because different types Hydrangeas have their own pruning characteristics and need for shelter, in particular, the white and colored varieties. In turn, these plants, especially at the beginning of flowering, are very similar to each other, for example, in paniculate hydrangea, the inflorescences are initially white, but by autumn they turn pink and can turn bright crimson. But colored hydrangeas require completely different pruning than white-flowered varieties. What is the difference between cuttings of different types of plants, how do they winter in open ground and how to prune hydrangeas depending on the variety, we’ll talk about this today.

Pruning hydrangea paniculata

If you are not sure whether your hydrangea is white or colored, look carefully at the buds at the beginning of autumn: if in the summer they were white, and in the fall they turned slightly pink or acquired a rich crimson color - this is a clear sign (it still has inflorescences collected in paniculate brush). These types of plants bloom only on the shoots of the current year, so they should be cut low, removing more than half the length of the shoots. In addition, they are characterized by high winter hardiness and winter well without shelter, even in the central zone.

Paniculate hydrangea can be grown without pruning, but it is worth considering that this will affect the number and size of inflorescences: there will be more of them, but the clusters will become much smaller.

Pruning hydrangea tree

Tree hydrangea can be distinguished by its round, spherical inflorescences. As for color, most varieties are white with a slight transition to green tint towards the end of flowering, although pink species also exist.

It is also necessary to prune tree-like varieties of hydrangea low, almost to the stump, in order to obtain large inflorescences. They do not need special shelter as such.

Pruning large-leaved hydrangea

This variety of plant is one of those that are afraid of frost and therefore need shelter for the winter. The color of its buds is most often blue or pink, but there are also white varieties.

Most varieties of large-leaved hydrangea bloom on last year's shoots. If the bush is not covered, the apical buds, on which there should be flowering next season, die.

As for pruning, accordingly, cutting should not be done for such species, so as not to lose flowering; the maximum is to remove frozen inflorescences and leaves. The exception is varieties that bloom on the current growth, but they also need shelter.

The nuances of pruning and the need for winter shelter for different types of hydrangea

Hydrangea (lat. Hydrangea) – flowering plants of the Hydrangeaceae family, of which in nature, according to various sources, there are from 30 to 80 species. Among them there are shrubs and small trees, growing mostly in East and South Asia, China, Japan, Far East, as well as in the Americas. The plant was named after Princess Hydrangea, whom no one remembers for a long time; later, when botanists were engaged in systematizing plants, hydrangea received the Greek name Hydrangea, which translates as “vessel with water” - the shape of the plant’s seed pods resembles a jug, and the plant itself is very loves water.

The Japanese call hydrangea "ajisai", which means "purple sun flower". It was from Japan that hydrangea was brought to Europe in 1820, and at first it was grown only as a houseplant due to low winter hardiness, but breeders became so keen on cultivating hydrangea that by the middle of the 20th century more than 100 garden varieties. In our latitudes, garden hydrangea is represented quite widely - twelve popular species.

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Hydrangea flower - description

Most of the hydrangea species are shrubs with a height of 1 m to 3 m; among hydrangeas there are both trees and vines that climb tree trunks to a height of up to 30 m. Among the representatives of the genus there are evergreen species, and there are deciduous ones, but in our latitudes they are grown namely the latter, blooming from spring to late autumn. Two types of flowers are collected in spherical inflorescences at the ends of the stems - sterile at the edges and fertile in the middle of the inflorescence. The flowers are most often white, but a species such as large-leaved hydrangea is represented by varieties with pink, blue, lilac and red flowers, and the acidity of the soil determines the color of the specimen. For example, in acidic soil hydrangeas grow with blue flowers, in alkaline - with lilac and pink, and in neutral - with soft beige. The fruit of hydrangea is a multipartite capsule with seeds.

In addition to large-leaved, tree hydrangea grows well in our climate, known for its winter hardiness and ability to recover well from severe frosts. Paniculata hydrangea also overwinters well, known for its longevity - it can grow in one place for up to 60 years.

In addition to these three most popular species, such species as serrate hydrangea, serrate hydrangea, climbing hydrangea, radiant hydrangea, Sargent hydrangea, petiolate hydrangea, oakleaf hydrangea and others are known in floriculture.

Pruning hydrangeas after flowering

Caring for hydrangea involves, among other things, pruning it. Some amateur flower growers claim that hydrangea is like lilac - the more you prune, the more luxuriantly it blooms the next year. This is not entirely true, since this statement is true for paniculate and tree hydrangeas, but colored (large-leaved) hydrangeas cannot be pruned. Large-leaved hydrangea blooms on last year's shoots, so young branches that grew this summer must overwinter, and only next year they can bloom.

As for the species with white flowers, namely paniculate and tree hydrangeas, they bloom on annual stems, so after pruning, as stated, they will have many young shoots that will produce more colors. It is recommended to prune hydrangeas in the spring, but this must be done carefully, since sap ferments in the plants, and they “cry” when pruned. Many gardeners believe that it is better to prune hydrangeas in the fall.

Based on these differences between species, hydrangeas were divided into two groups based on pruning quality. The first group includes species that bloom on last year's shoots, such as the already mentioned large-leaved hydrangea, as well as serrated, prickly, Sargent, oak-leaved and petiolate liana-shaped hydrangeas. Pruning of these hydrangeas can only be cosmetic, removing last year's inflorescences down to the first pair of strong buds and weak, old shoots completely.

The second group includes species in which buds form on the shoots of the current year: paniculate hydrangea and tree hydrangea. The main pruning of these types of hydrangea is usually done in the spring, before the start of the growing season. Tree hydrangea is subjected to the procedure only if it is already four years old, otherwise it may die, bleeding juice. However, if you prune in the fall, this problem will not happen. An adult, and especially an old plant that needs to be rejuvenated, is cut “to the stump”, that is, only 10 cm are left from each shoot.

If the bush is too large and old, there is no need to prune it at once, otherwise the short shoots will not be able to feed the large root mass. Rejuvenate the bush in parts over three years.

Paniculate hydrangea is pruned sparingly, like a tree, without touching the skeletal branches: of the several shoots that grow from one point, only those that grow outward are left.

Pruning hydrangeas in the fall is absolutely safe and will ensure your plant blooms luxuriously next year. In hydrangea species of the second group, the inflorescences are cut off so that the fragile branches of the plants do not break under the weight of the snow that sticks to them in winter - this is the case if you do not intend to cover the hydrangea for the winter. In addition, old thick stems are removed from tree hydrangea, and weak thin shoots from paniculata hydrangea, and annual growth is shortened by 2-5 buds.

Preparing hydrangea for winter

Caring for paniculata hydrangea in the fall (and other species too), on the eve of the onset of cold weather, involves covering the hydrangea for the winter. Unfortunately, not a single type of hydrangea can winter in our area without insulation, so preparing garden hydrangeas for winter must be thorough. The tree hydrangea is the most winter-hardy, but it also needs shelter for the winter, otherwise the ends of its young shoots may freeze.

Start preparing in mid-September: remove all leaves except the top ones in order to speed up the process of lignification of the shoots, and feed the plants with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers (hydrangea is not fertilized with nitrogen in the fall). Now you can cover the hydrangea.

How to cover a hydrangea for the winter

There are several methods of shelter, but it all depends on what kind of winters are in your area. In the southern regions, it is often enough to simply hill up a bush of tree or paniculate hydrangea high. If your winters are unpredictable, then it is better to play it safe and still cover your hydrangeas. Small plants can be completely covered with peat and covered with a film on top - don’t be afraid that the plant may get wet, this probably won’t happen.

A well-proven method that allows you to cover medium-sized young plant and at the same time not harm it: tie a rope around the bush and pull it slowly, without jerking, to the boards laid on the ground with nails driven in, to which you tie the plant. Then cover it with spruce branches or sawdust, and cover it with a sheet of old iron, lutrasil grade 30 or spunbond.

Another way: trunk circle covered with spruce branches, hydrangea shoots are bent to the ground radially, away from the center of the bush, the bases of the laid shoots are secured with brackets made of wood or metal and the center of the bush is covered with peat, spruce spruce branches are placed on top of the lying shoots, which is covered with lutrasil. Lutrasil needs to be pressed down with boards and bricks to prevent it from being blown away by the wind. This hydrangea shelter can withstand temperatures of -40 ºC.

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Pruning hydrangea in the fall - how to ensure lush flowering next year?