Contents
Hydrangea Magical Fire is actively used by landscape designers in various projects. To grow it yourself, you need to know how to properly care for the bushes.
Description of the variety of hydrangea paniculata Magical Fire
The name of this plant, translated from English, sounds like “Magic Flame”. This name was given to the flower due to the changing color of the petals during flowering. Flowers that appeared in the early period are pale pink. Then they turn bright red, turning into burgundy at the base of the inflorescence. At the end of flowering, the petals seem to burn out, and the shade changes back to pink, turning into purple.
Adult “Magic Flame” has a bright red tint
Paniculata hydrangea is called because of the shape of the inflorescence. It is wide at the base and narrows towards the top. The conical shape resembles a broom. Individual flowers are small, have 3-4 petals of a rounded, slightly elongated shape. The core of each of them does not exceed the size of a match head. It is colored yellow or orange. The cone-shaped brush in an adult plant can reach 20 cm in height and 10 cm in width. After flowering, the petals fall off, and seeds ripen in their place. Their size is 5-6 mm, they look like apple seeds. The grains are colored dark brown or black.
Hydrangea Magical Fire has a strong trunk. Near the ground, it has 1 short thick leg, from which 8-15 branches grow, so the flower takes the form of a lush bush. The size of a mature hydrangea is from 1,5 to 2 m in height, 1,8 m in width. The thickness of the branches is 1-2 cm, which allows you to hold heavy inflorescences and not sag under their weight. The root system of the flower is strong and branched. There are many thin processes that are important not to damage during transplantation.
The leaves of the flower are dense and smooth with clear veins. Their shape is lanceolate, and the color is dark green. Leaves are distributed evenly on all branches. They grow in 2, each directed in different directions. The gap between them on an adult plant is approximately 5 cm.
Hydrangea Magical Fire in landscape design
Hydrangea looks good together with other plants, and can also become a decoration of the yard in a single planting. Designers recommend planting this flower in places where you want to hide a large gap between other bushes.
Magical Fire can act as a living fence, but only within the site, for example, separating a playground from a picnic area
The length of the fence that separates the site from the road or someone else’s yard, hydrangea is not suitable. Its crown is too soft, and it is easy to get through it.
The location of the hydrangea on the site depends on the overall landscape design. In Eastern styles, Magical Fire is usually planted near water (a pond or a pool). In English gardens, hydrangea is placed in the center of large flower beds. In a country-style recreation area, Magical Fire is planted as a solid wall.
The plant looks good at the facade of the house, as well as at the columns.
Winter hardiness of Hydrangea Magical Fire
This type of plant is frost-resistant. An adult hydrangea is able to survive frosts down to -35 ° C without additional shelter, but in regions where winters are more severe, it will be required. In the first 2 years of life, Magical Fire must be carefully prepared for frost. After flowering, the base of the hydrangea bush is sprinkled with mulch. And with the onset of frost from -10 ° C, it must be wrapped with a covering cloth.
Planting and caring for Hydrangea Magical Fire
You can grow hydrangea at home from seed material in February. Seeds from the package must be removed and carefully examined. They should not have white spots. The surface of high-quality grains is strong, without cracks and chips.
Procedure:
- Before planting in the ground, the seeds must germinate. This will require cotton wool and boiled water at room temperature. A cotton roll is rolled out and the seeds are laid. From above they need to be covered with a second layer of cotton wool, slightly thinner than the bottom one. Then the surface is abundantly moistened with water using a spray bottle. After 2-3 days, the grains will swell and release a white sprout.
Germinated seeds ready for planting have sprouted white sprout
- It is best to grow seedlings in wooden boxes. The soil must be fertilized. Experienced flower growers are advised to dig up forest land in the fall. In such soil there are leaves, moss and needles, which form a good humus.
Land from the forest is the best option for a pot with future hydrangea
- Grains are planted at a distance of 7-10 cm from each other. You need to make a small indentation with your finger (3-5 mm), immerse the seed and sprinkle with earth. The surface of the soil is moistened with water from a spray bottle and covered with a transparent plastic bag or plastic plate. The optimum temperature for the early emergence of seedlings is + 18-21 ° C.
When green sprouts appear above the ground, the bag or lid can be removed
- Hydrangea Magic Fire should be transplanted 2 times as it grows. After the appearance of the first three sheets and in May, when the weather outside becomes warm. Two weeks before planting in the ground, seedlings need to be accustomed to outdoor conditions. They are taken out to the balcony, first for a few hours, and later for the whole day.
Selection and preparation of the landing site
Variety Magical Fire prefers sunny or semi-shaded areas. In regions where hot summers pass, it is better to choose a semi-shaded area, and in the northern regions, on the contrary, it is recommended to root hydrangea bushes in sunny places.
The soil at the planting site should be rich in peat and have medium moisture. In dry soil, Magical Fire hydrangea develops slowly, and in too wet soil, its roots rot.
The site must be cleaned of weeds and a hole 30-40 cm deep must be dug. The width of the recess should be 2 times greater than the ball of plant roots. If you plan to plant several bushes of Magical Fire hydrangea, then the distance between the pits should be at least 1 m. A layer of fertilizer should be laid out in each pit: a mixture of peat and humus. Chalk can be crumbled along the edges.
Hydrangea Planting Rules Magic Fire
To successfully transplant paniculate hydrangea, you must follow the following procedure:
- Before pulling a flower out of the pot, it must be watered abundantly. When the soil softens, the container is carefully turned over to the canopy, holding the seedling at the roots with your hand.
If the earth with roots comes out tight, you need to lightly shake the pot
- When the roots are completely extracted, they are lowered into the prepared hole and sprinkled with earth. Then you need to lightly tamp the ground under the base of the hydrangea bush.
It is important that the roots do not remain above the soil surface.
- The seedling is watered and the soil is loosened.
Watering and top dressing
Hydrangea Magic Fire accepts top dressing well, and with timely fertilizer, the plant blooms more abundantly and more magnificently. After planting at the end of May, the bushes can be fertilized by watering slurry with water in a ratio of 1:10, as well as minerals that should be purchased at the store. The powder is dissolved in water, corresponding to the dosage indicated on the package, and the flower is watered.
Top dressing is repeated after 2 weeks. When the first buds appear on the branches, you need to use fertilizers containing phosphorus and potassium. This top dressing is repeated 2 times, during periods of changing the color of the leaves.
Magical Fire love damp soil, so watering is required once a week, provided there is no rain. One bush needs 1 liters of water. If the climate is normal, and doji go every week, then it is enough to check the soil moisture and water only once a month.
Pruning hydrangea paniculata Magic Fire
Pruning allows Magic Fire hydrangea bushes to grow more lush and beautiful. In the spring, it is necessary to remove all dead branches with a pruner, and shorten healthy shoots to 2-4 buds.
When the hydrangea begins to gain color, you need to cut off the weakest inflorescences. This will help direct all vitality to the development of healthy flowers. If pruning is not carried out in time, then the buds will develop slowly, as the hydrangea will begin to nourish the damaged flowers, and the nutrition of healthy brushes will be reduced.
Preparation for winter
Before the first frost, Magical Fire should be hilled, burying the stem 20-30 cm. This will help prevent freezing of the upper part of the roots. It is advisable to cover the root zone with a thick layer of mulch. Young seedlings are best wrapped before the first snow with a special covering material.
Adult hydrangea bushes Magical Fire require such protection only at temperatures below -35 ° C. It is not recommended to water the flower 2 weeks before the expected date of the onset of frost. A layer of mulch holds all the necessary water, and excess moisture can cause frostbite to the roots.
Mulching seedlings in the fall will allow hydrangeas to survive even a harsh winter.
Reproduction
Hydrangea varieties Magical Fire reproduces in the same way as other species from this plant family. The table below describes the propagation methods in more detail:
Cutting | From an adult plant at an angle of 45 °, the green part of the branch is cut off, on which there are 4-8 leaves, the top is left flat, without a slope of the cut. Germination is carried out in home pots filled with a mixture of peat, sand and distilled. |
Division of the bush | Large Hydrangea Magical Fire bushes can be neatly divided. To do this, find a place where there is a second thick leg. The earth at the roots is slightly dug up, after watering abundantly. The separated part is pulled out and transplanted to another place. |
offspring | A young shoot is found at the roots and carefully separated from an adult plant, trying not to damage the roots. Offspring can be transplanted immediately into open ground. |
Layering | In the spring, before the buds appear, grooves are dug near the adult hydrangea, where the extreme, young branches are laid. They are sprinkled with earth and fixed with horns. By autumn, the branches will take root, and new shoots will begin to sprout. |
Diseases and pests
Paniculata hydrangea is susceptible to two types of diseases: powdery mildew and aphids. In the first case, the leaves become covered with yellow spots, and the flowers fade. To help an infected plant, it must be sprayed with Bordeaux mixture or foundationol.
Powdery mildew infects hydrangea leaves, covering them with a white bloom
When aphid settles on Magical Fire bushes, it spins a sticky web, gnaws leaves and flowers and twists them. To get rid of pests, you need garlic tincture. It needs to be sprayed with hydrangea until the aphid is completely gone.
Flowers affected by aphids quickly wither and dry.
You can learn more about hydrangea diseases from the video:
Conclusion
Hydrangea Magical Fire is an unusual variety of flowering bushes that is suitable for decorating any site. The main thing is to properly land and follow the recommendations for care.