Hydrangea as a garden shrub is becoming increasingly popular from year to year. In the Moscow region on a private territory, you can find milky inflorescences, less often panicles of a different shade. Blue hydrangea is not the result of selection, but the conditions for caring for the plant. But not all of its varieties are able to change color.
Hydrangea blue or blue
Panicle blue or white hydrangea gained popularity due to prolonged flowering. Therefore, many people call the flower "eternal summer." Blue coloring is often given to large-leaf, garden hydrangea.
Blue hydrangea
Origin and appearance of plants
The earliest information about the plant dates back 40-70 million years ago, the birthplace of hydrangea is North America. In Asia, it appeared much later, about 25 million years ago. In Europe, the flower was introduced only in the XVIII century, the first species is tree-like.
It is not difficult to recognize the plant: up to 1 m high, large leaves of a heart-shaped form of a uniform green color are located on the stem. At the end, large inflorescences connected in a hemisphere up to 25 cm in size. Flowering continues from mid-June until the first frosts come, after which the vegetative part dies.
Flowering Plant Descriptions
If you look closely, each inflorescence is a set of small elements that look like a vessel for a liquid. For this plant and got its name. Translated from Latin meaning "vessel with water." In the central part, by the end of the season, a seed box ripens. On the periphery, the flowers are barren.
The appearance of the flower depends on the variety. Panicled hydrangea has a wide base and conical shape up to 25 cm in length. Inflorescence elements reach 30 mm each, they consist of four petals, are barren.
For your information! Garden blue hydrangea is a perennial plant with a maximum height of 2 m. Petals can acquire purple, blue or white color. It blooms from August to November.
The tree-like variety is distinguished by its height, it reaches up to 3 m. The plant has oval leaves about 20 cm long, panicles consist of small flowers. Stems need annual pruning. Blue hydrangea does not occur in the garden; this species cannot be stained.
Large leaf hydrangea
Species and varieties
In addition to belonging to plant species, each has several varieties. They differ not only in appearance, but also in the degree of moodiness and content requirements.
Minnie penny
This variety, like the Prince, belongs to the garden species. There is hydrangea large-leaved blue and pink. The plant tolerates partial shade, differs in compact size. The height of the shoots reaches 80 cm. The variety is resistant to damage by the fungus.
Ramars
Also called as the Lagoon. The bush loves high humidity, requires spraying. It tolerates partial shade, refers to multi-colored varieties.
Note! Depending on the acidity of the soil, the flowers may be blue, blue or purple.
Freedom
This variety prefers location in the shade. The leaves have a dark green color, the inflorescences do not exceed 15 cm in diameter. A feature of the variety is a color change in one season: in early summer, the inflorescences acquire a pink hue, then turn into blue.
Kompeito
Flowers of this variety are lilac-blue in the periphery and white in the center. It was bred in 2007 in Japan. This species also loves moisture, so it is recommended to irrigate the bushes. On the shoot there are many small flowers up to 5 cm each.
Nikko Blue
This variety belongs to large-leaf hydrangea. The maximum height of the bush is 1.5 m. The leaves are oblong, with notches.
Greens grow rapidly, Hydrangea Blue takes on a shade of color depending on the acidity of the soil: with a low value - pale blue, high - blue.
Performance
This option applies to chameleons: it starts the season with a pink color, then goes blue. This is a repairing variety, due to which repeated flowering in the year is possible. Refers to frost resistant varieties. If early flowering is expected, then it needs shelter.
Important! The plant is unpretentious, can grow both in the sun and in the shade.
Hydrangea Performance
Jomari
Flowers of this variety are large, double. The height of the bush reaches 90 cm, which characterizes it as miniature. The leaves are large, oblong. Flowering begins on the shoots of the second year of growth.
How to give hydrangea a blue color at home
How to care for blue hydrangea in the garden so that it delights with regular flowering? It is important to follow simple rules. Compliance with care recommendations will also allow you to change the color from white to blue or its shades.
The first stage is the correct planting of the plant in the ground. You can plant a bush in spring or autumn, which is not of fundamental importance. If you do this after winter, then only when the snow melts and the soil warms up a bit.
Important! Lime soil is categorically not suitable for the plant. Soil acidity should not exceed 5.
Watering mode
Hydrangea blue in most cases requires regular heavy watering. Additionally, greens irrigation is also welcome. To ensure the optimum moisture parameter, you need to choose the right substrate. It is best to choose a mixture of sand, peat, humus and fresh foliage in a ratio of 1: 1: 2: 2.
Hydrangea blue, planting and care in the open ground involves watering 1-2 times a week. When the greenery withers, it is enough to bring water under the bush, and it will come to life. In summer, the watering regimen is increased up to 3 times a week. Irrigation of 1 bush requires about 20 liters of water.
Mineral application
For the first two years, the bush does not need additional nutrition, since it is initially planted in prepared soil.
Plant nutrition should be carried out up to three times during the active period. The first stage - after waking up, the second - before budding, tentatively in May. The third time hydrangea bleu is fed at the end of the season (in August-September). After bud formation, fertilizer is reapplied.
Supplementary Nutrition
The first nutrient medium should contain nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. The fertilizer of the second stage should consist of:
- superphosphate 2 parts;
- 1.5 parts of urea;
- potassium sulfide.
The third feeding may contain manure or chicken droppings. Also, the plant likes lactic acid, so you can add serum, kefir, yogurt to the soil.
Note! Hydrangea is a calciferous plant, so the fertilizer should not contain this macroelement.
If you add an excessive amount of fertilizing, then abundant flowering will cause breakage of the stems.
Care Features
To grow a plant in the Volga region, you need to know how to properly care for it in the active period. This is the most crucial moment. The bush in this period needs loosening of the soil, weeding, top dressing and timely watering.
Features of care at rest
After flowering, it is necessary to maintain comfortable conditions for the maintenance of the plant. If this is a decorative option, planted in a pot, then it is rearranged on the windows facing west. In open ground, a plant, if the variety is not cold-resistant, requires warming. He needs a temperature of 8-10 ° C.
Before active growth, the bush needs to be trimmed. April is best suited for this, before the start of the growing season. Old stems are cut to the root, eliminate dry flowers.
Thus, blue hydrangea is a few varieties of flowers that change color under certain conditions. The plant loves a high level of humidity, prefers half-shaded places. In the active period, flowers need watering, irrigation and fertilizer.
