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Hortensia Dolly attracts the hearts of gardeners with its beauty and unpretentiousness. Seeing its lush flowering, it is difficult to resist the temptation to purchase a seedling and plant it on your site. Subject to the rules of agricultural technology, the shrub will not cause much trouble, and will delight with flowers for a long time.
Description of the hydrangea variety Dolly
Hydrangea paniculata Dolly (Hydrangea paniculata Dolly) is a deciduous shrub with a compact and lush crown, the diameter of which reaches 1,2 m. The height of an adult plant is no more than 1,5 m, the leaves are green, oval.
Dolly’s hydrangea blooms for a long time – from early July to October
The inflorescences are cone-shaped, up to 30 cm long, consist of many white fragrant flowers, which turn pink and then red in autumn. Powerful shoots do not bend under the weight of flower caps, they are covered with a grayish bark.
Hydrangea Dolly in landscape design
Dolly hydrangea is perfect for different styles of garden decoration. Its white-pink inflorescences well set off the greenery of coniferous shrubs and trees. Hydrangea is planted at the entrance to the front garden, along the garden paths, in the most prominent place in the recreation area, near the benches in the garden. Single and group plantings look beautiful, the number of bushes depends on the size of the plot.
In the mixborder, next to Dolly’s hydrangea, plants are placed that have similar requirements for soil, watering, fertilizing and lighting. Good neighbors for her will be cuffs, hosts and astilbes.
Winter hardiness of hydrangea Dolly
Panicled hydrangea Dolly occupies a leading position in terms of frost resistance, it is suitable for growing in 3-4 climatic zones. Adult bushes endure frosts down to -29 ° C, they winter best under snow cover. Flowering of this variety occurs on the shoots of the current year. For a successful wintering, it is enough to mulch the root system and carry out an autumn pruning of the inflorescences so that the snow adhering to them does not break off the branches.
Planting and caring for hydrangea Dolly
If panicled hydrangeas are already growing in the garden, it is very easy to determine the time to plant a new variety of Dolly. When buds open and leaves appear on the bushes in spring, it is time to plant the plant in open ground.
Hydrangea Dolly, although unpretentious, requires a special soil composition, special fertilizers, and regular watering. Withered inflorescences are cut annually, year-old shoots are shortened for better branching.
Selection and preparation of the landing site
For the normal growth and development of the shrub, the correct choice of landing site is important. Panicle hydrangea Dolly in the southern regions is best planted in partial shade, where during the midday heat it will be closed from the sun by trees, buildings or a fence.
If the land on the site is fertile, a hole for a small seedling is prepared for about 30×30 cm. Since the plant will grow in one place for a long time, a nutrient mixture is applied when planting.
Rules of landing
Dolly hydrangea is planted in the garden only after the threat of return frosts has passed. Before planting, the container plant is soaked in water.
Description of the process:
- Hydrangea Dolly is a moisture-loving plant, but does not tolerate stagnant water at the roots, therefore, if the soil is heavy, drainage is poured into the bottom of the pit.
Use expanded clay, broken brick or pebbles
- A layer of sand, coniferous litter and sour peat are poured over the drainage.
- Add 60-70 g of superphosphate, 2 tbsp. l. potassium sulfate, 1 tbsp. l. urea, a handful of rotted horse manure.
Fertilizers are added in accordance with the instructions on the package.
- Pour into the pit, the soil chosen from there, and mix with litter, peat, fertilizers. Well watered.
- The seedling is taken out of the container along with a clod of earth, the roots should be light, dark and rotten must be cut.
- The seedling is placed in a hole, and the roots are covered with earth with sour peat.
The root neck of the hydrangea can be slightly deepened
- The soil is pressed around the plant, watered and mulched with coniferous litter with a layer of 6-8 cm, stepping back from the trunk by 3-4 cm.
For better survival, Dolly’s hydrangea seedling can be watered with any growth and rooting stimulator.
Watering and top dressing
Hydrangea Dolly loves water, but excessive watering can lead to rotting of the root system and death of the plant. You need to water the shrub regularly, but in moderation.
Dolly hydrangea needs acidic soil. Seasonal rainfall leaches the nutrients stored in the planting hole and reduces acidity. The plant needs regular soil acidification for normal growth. In the year of planting, it is not necessary to fertilize the seedling if the pit was well filled. In the future, fertilizers intended for hydrangeas are used for top dressing.
Pruning Hydrangea Dolly
Panicle hydrangea Dolly can be cut in autumn or spring. It is preferable to carry out this procedure in the second half of October, because with untimely spring pruning, the plants “cry”, juice flows out of the branches.
First, thin branches are cut, then all the rest are shortened. The cut is made at the top branch, leaving 1-2 or 3-4 buds if you need to get a taller bush.
Finish pruning shrubs in the first half of November. If you cut the branches in early autumn, when it is still warm, young shoots will begin to grow that cannot survive the winter.
Preparation for winter
They begin to prepare the shrub for wintering at the end of August – potash-phosphorus fertilizers are applied so that the shoots have time to ripen before the onset of cold weather. If in winter the air temperature does not drop below -29 ° C, the adult hydrangea Dolly is not covered. In late autumn, water-charging irrigation is carried out, and the trunk circle is covered with mulch. Only young seedlings are covered with spruce branches or non-woven fabric stretched over a frame to protect from the cold.
Comment! In severe frosts or overfeeding with nitrogen fertilizers, the upper part of the shoots freezes, it is cut off to a healthy tissue before the start of the growing season.
Reproduction
Hortensia Dolly reproduces well vegetatively. Strong green branches are suitable for obtaining cuttings, they are cut into several parts, leaving two internodes on each segment. The leaf plates are shortened by half to reduce the evaporation of moisture.
The lower cut of the cutting is made oblique to increase the area of contact with the soil.
Description of planting cuttings:
- Drainage material is poured into the pot, then light soil mixed with sand.
Make a drainage layer about 1,5-2 cm high
- The prepared stalk is dipped in water, then in Kornevin. They are stuck into the soil at an angle of 45 °, watered.
- After planting the cutting, the ground in the pot is sprinkled with 2 cm of sand to reduce the evaporation of moisture.
- Cover the plant with a cut plastic bottle or jar on top.
A mini-greenhouse from a jar helps retain moisture and heat
For successful root formation, a temperature of + 20 … + 22 ° C and a bright place without sun are needed. The rooting process will take about three weeks. Once a day, open the cap on the bottle for ventilation, and monitor the soil, it should always be slightly moist.
Do not rush to transplant the rooted cuttings into open ground. In the first year, he should winter in a bright room, for example, on a non-freezing veranda with a temperature of +3 … +5 ° C. Only the following year, a well-developed, strong stem of Dolly’s hydrangea can be planted in open ground. A weak plant is best kept for another year in a container.
Diseases and pests
Unfortunately, hydrangeas are affected by diseases and pests. The incidence is affected by air temperature, thickened plantings, improper feeding.
In conditions of high humidity, common fungal diseases develop:
- Powdery mildew. At first, yellow spots appear on the leaves, which darken over time, and a white powdery coating is visible on the reverse side of the leaf plates.
- Septoria. The leaves are covered with small, irregularly shaped spots, in place of which holes are then formed. Gradually, the spots merge, the leaf dries up and disappears.
- Gray rot. Brown spots covered with gray moss form on the shoots. The rot then spreads to leaves, buds and flowers.
At the first signs of fungal diseases, plants are treated with fungicides. Severely affected shoots are cut and destroyed.
For preventive spraying, fungicide “Skor” is used.
Another threat to hydrangeas is a variety of viral infections, they manifest themselves in the form of all kinds of patterns on the leaves. There are no cures for this disaster, the affected plants are burned.
Insects are carriers of viruses. Therefore, it is necessary to destroy aphids and other pests on Dolly hydrangea leaves using insecticides. The tick likes to settle on the bush. Its presence can be identified by small yellow dots on the leaves. In a state of neglect, a cobweb is visible on the back of the leaf plates. Acaricides are used to control ticks.
With improper care, Dolly’s hydrangea suffers from chlorosis. A sign of this disease are yellow leaves with bright green veins. Chlorosis develops with a lack of iron. The reason for the lack of this element in the diet may be the scarcity of the soil or insufficient acidity of the soil. In the latter case, the plant loses its ability to absorb nutrients.
Conclusion
Hydrangea Dolly is a beautiful and undemanding ornamental shrub. It is important to choose the right place when planting a seedling. Further care consists in watering, fertilizing, pruning, protection from pests and diseases. If in winter the air temperature drops below -29 ° C, it is advisable to build an air-dry shelter for the hydrangea from non-woven fabric on the frame.
