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Hydrangea Magical Vesuvio is a rather unpretentious variety of Dutch origin. It blooms well in the middle lane and in the south of the country, but the plant can also be grown in more northern regions if it is provided with a reliable shelter. The shrub does not need special care.
Description of Hydrangea Magical Vesuvio
Hydrangea Magical Vesuvio (Magical Vesuvio) – a variety with abundant flowering and compact bush size. The height of the plant can reach 100-130 cm, while the diameter of the shrub is on average 100-150 cm.
The flowers are large, collected in dense, tall inflorescences of a pyramidal shape. At the very beginning of budding, their petals are painted in white and light pink colors. Toward the end of flowering, they are filled with a rich pink hue with an admixture of red.
Hydrangea shoots have a red-brown color. In their structure, they are quite rigid, so you do not need to tie up the bush. The leaves of the Magical Vesuvio variety are ovoid. The leaf color is dark green.
The flowering period lasts from late June to late August or early September.
In the Urals, a variety can bloom twice – in July and in the second half of August
Hydrangea Magical Vesuvio in landscape design
In landscape design, the hydrangea Magical Vesuvio is used both in single plantings and to create group compositions. The variety is perfect for decorating small gardens and narrow flower beds, as the plant is quite compact. Also from the hydrangea Magical Vesuvio, spectacular borders are obtained.
It is best to grow a shrub in a standard form
Winter hardiness of hydrangea Magical Vesuvio
The winter hardiness of the Magical Vesuvio variety is average – the plant withstands temperatures around -25-28 ° C, therefore it is recommended to cover the plantings for the winter, especially in the northern regions. In the south of the country, adult bushes can not be insulated.
Planting and caring for hydrangea Magical Vesuvio
The optimal time for planting the Magical Vesuvio variety in open ground is early spring or the first days of September. In the northern regions of the country, seedlings are transplanted to a permanent place only in the spring, so that they have enough time to take root. During autumn planting, the root system may freeze with the onset of cold weather.
During the hot season, plantings are regularly watered, although the culture is generally drought-resistant. Further care for panicle hydrangea consists only in periodic top dressing. Sometimes the bush is thinned out, removing dry and damaged shoots.
Selection and preparation of the landing site
Hydrangea varieties of Magical Vesuvio are planted in places that are as protected from the wind as possible. Illumination is better to choose medium, but you can place a flower bed in the sun. In this case, during a period of intense heat, the plant is artificially shaded.
Hydrangea Magical Vesuvio does not impose special requirements on the soil composition, but the shrub blooms best on acidic soils. So the flowers will turn out brighter and more saturated. In addition, the plant reveals its fullest potential in fertile, drained areas.
Rules for planting hydrangea paniculata Vesuvio
Planting hydrangea Magical Vesuvio is carried out in the following sequence:
- First you need to dig a planting hole for seedlings. Its depth should be 50-60 cm, width – about the same.
- If the soil in the area is clayey, the bottom of the planting pit is laid out with a drainage layer. To do this, you can use small pebbles, expanded clay, broken bricks or clay shards. If the soil is sandy, then a layer of clay is placed at the bottom of the landing pit.
- Then an earthen mixture for hydrangeas or rhododendrons is poured into the recess. If the soil is not acidic enough, rotted spruce or pine litter is added to the planting hole. Chalk, wood ash or lime must not be added.
- The next step is to lower the hydrangea seedling onto the soil mixture, gently straightening the pre-moistened roots. In this case, it is impossible to deepen the root collar.
- After this, soil is poured into the pit, carefully tamping it down.
Additionally, seedlings can be mulched with chopped bark or humus to better retain moisture in the soil.
Watering and top dressing
Water the hydrangea of the Magical Vesuvio variety moderately, focusing on the condition of the soil. If the weather is rainy, watering is completely excluded from caring for the plant or reduced to a minimum. In extreme heat, on the contrary, water consumption is increased. On average, one plant takes 1-2 buckets of water.
It is best to use soft water for watering Magical Vesuvio. The most suitable option is rainwater. It is also allowed to water the hydrangea with settled water from the water supply network. You can soften it with a little lemon juice or vinegar.
Top dressing is carried out 3-4 times for the entire season. The following scheme should be followed:
- In March or April, the soil is fertilized with organic matter with a high nitrogen content, this component is necessary for an intensive set of green mass. To feed hydrangeas at this time, a urea solution is used in a proportion of 10-20 g of the substance per 10 liters of water.
- During the period of flower formation, the shrub is fed with potassium-phosphorus compounds. For these purposes, a solution of superphosphate is suitable: 1 tbsp. l. substances are diluted in 10 liters of water.
- When the flower bed fades, ready-made potassium-phosphorus mixtures and complex mineral top dressings are again added to the soil under the hydrangea.
The splendor of hydrangea flowering and the life expectancy of a shrub directly depend on the regularity of top dressing.
Hydrangea pruning Magical Vesuvio
For abundant flowering of the hydrangea of the Magical Vesuvio variety, it is recommended to carry out an annual spring pruning before the start of the growing season. Additionally, you can prune damaged and dry shoots in the fall, while old branches are also subject to removal.
In the spring, the bush is carefully inspected and all frozen and weak shoots are cut off.
Preparation for winter
Variety Magical Vesuvio is recommended to be warmed in autumn in most regions of the country. The only exceptions are the southern regions with mild winters.
The procedure is as follows:
- Hydrangea shoots are collected and carefully lowered to the ground, securing them in this form with metal staples.
- The soil in the near-trunk circle is mulched.
- The shrub is completely covered with insulating fiber, additionally sprinkling the base with fallen leaves, spruce branches or dry grass.
In the spring, the insulation is removed gradually, not at a time, so that the hydrangea does not freeze after returning frosts. The last layer is removed after the establishment of a stable weather regime.
You can learn more about the features of growing hydrangeas in open ground from the video below:
Reproduction
Hydrangea Magical Vesuvio can be propagated by dividing the bush, layering or cuttings. You can also plant a shrub with seeds, but they have extremely low germination. In addition, with this method of propagation, the plant will lose a significant part of the varietal characteristics, so it is better to breed hydrangea vegetatively.
One of the most convenient ways is propagation by layering. To do this, in spring or August, it is necessary to bend the lower shoot to the ground and fix it, slightly deepening it. In a year, it must form its own root system, after which the cuttings can be separated from the mother plant.
Diseases and pests
If the hydrangea Magical Vesuvio was planted in accordance with all the rules of agricultural technology, and the site meets the minimum requirements for growing this crop, then the plant rarely gets sick. A significant threat to the shrub is only chlorosis, which develops in hydrangeas with a high lime content in the soil. This is also facilitated by the abuse of humus as a top dressing.
The fact that the bushes were struck by chlorosis can be recognized by the condition of the leaves – they are covered with yellow spots, although the central vein remains intact. In this case, plantings are watered with a solution of potassium nitrate, which is diluted in a proportion of 4 g of the substance per 1 liter of water. After 3 days, the bushes are watered with a solution of ferrous sulfate, diluted in the same concentration.
Chlorosis spots usually do not affect the central vein on hydrangea leaves.
Downy mildew is an infection in which dark, oily spots form on the leaves and shoots of hydrangeas. Spraying with a copper-soap solution will help to cope with the disease: for this, 10 g of copper sulfate and 100 g of green soap must be diluted in 1 bucket of water.
Downy mildew infects shrubs at a temperature of 19-20 ° C in rainy weather
Gray rot, which develops on hydrangea leaves from June to August in conditions of high humidity, forces the bush to be cut. It is necessary to cut off all the affected shoots and hydrangea leaves, after which the flower bed is sprayed with fungicides.
Parts of the plant damaged by gray rot become covered with a grayish bloom.
If the air humidity is low, spider mites can settle on Magical Vesuvio hydrangeas, but they can be easily removed with soapy water. If the lesion is extensive, the flower bed is sprayed with systemic fungicides.
As a prophylaxis against spider mites, you should regularly weed the flower bed from weeds.
Conclusion
Hydrangea Magical Vesuvio is one of the most unpretentious varieties for outdoor cultivation. It is relatively frost-resistant and tolerates high levels of air pollution well, which makes it possible to plant shrubs within the city. Under the conditions of the middle zone, it is enough to water the plantings from time to time during a period of prolonged drought and feed them 1-2 times a season to get lush flowering bushes.