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Hydrangea Silver Dollar is one of the most popular plant varieties among gardeners. The shrub is distinguished by its unpretentiousness to the soil, it tolerates harsh winters and hot summers well. It has high resistance to fungal diseases and insect damage.
Hydrangea variety description Silver Dollar
Hydrangea varieties Silver Dollar (Silver Dollar) is a sprawling shrub with a lush crown. In adulthood, it reaches up to 1,5 m in height and up to 2,5 m in diameter. This must be taken into account when planting Silver Dollar hydrangeas on the site: enough space should be allocated for the shrub among other plantings.
The species belongs to the group of ornamental perennials. The plant has straight, even shoots with dark green oblong leaves, slightly pointed at the edges. Inflorescences are even, pyramidal. Their bases are slightly expanded, with a green color, which turns into white closer to the edges.
Silver Dollar is characterized by large light flowers that turn lilac or slightly pinkish in autumn.
During flowering (from mid-July to September), the inflorescences become heavier and denser in structure. Due to its unpretentiousness, the variety is suitable for cultivation in containers. The plant does not need a garter.
You can get acquainted with the external differences of the species in more detail by watching the video:
Hydrangea Silver Dollar in landscape design
Hydrangea Silver Dollar is one of the most suitable varieties for composing mixborder compositions. For this, gardeners use more than three shrubs.
Naturally sprawling form, as well as airy large flowering plants give a wave-like shape to the site, emphasizing its dimensions
Multi-colored tops of Silver Dollar hydrangeas go well even with coniferous specimens.
Winter hardiness of hydrangea Silver Dollar
Hydrangea Silver Dollar has a fairly high level of winter hardiness. Can withstand temperatures down to -25 in winter оC and is able to grow and develop normally without additional shelter in temperate regions. However, the maintenance of culture in the regions of the Urals or Siberia will not do without additional protection, since in these parts the temperature can drop to -30 оC.
Before covering, faded inflorescences must be removed, and the soil under the bush should be sprinkled with hay or dry foliage. After that, a wire frame should be built over the plant, wrapped with a film, and a layer of spruce branches should be placed on top.
Planting and caring for hydrangea Silver Dollar
Despite all the unpretentiousness of the Silver Dollar hydrangea, the maintenance of the plant on the site has several features and nuances. It is necessary to choose the right place and soil for planting, as well as strictly adhere to the rules of watering and feeding the bush.
Selection and preparation of the landing site
Hydrangea Silver Dollar is not picky about the composition of the earth: the culture can be planted in loamy, slightly acidic and fertile soil. However, the shrub does not take root well in calcareous soil, so it needs to be more saturated with humus and peat before planting.
Silver Dollar grows and develops best in slightly shaded areas.
Rules of landing
Hydrangea of the Silver Dollar variety should be planted in a previously prepared pit, ranging in size from 30 * 30 * 30 cm. When planting in slightly acidic and acidic soil, a mixture with earth, humus and sand is first poured into the recess.
The composition of the soil should correspond to the following proportions:
- 2 parts of garden land;
- 1 part humus;
- 1 part of the sand.
When planting a shrub in soil with a neutral reaction, a deeper planting recess with parameters from 50 * 50 * 50 cm will be required. In this case, it is necessary to use soil containing:
- peat;
- garden/leaf land;
- sand;
- humus
After the Silver Dollar hydrangea is placed in a hole, its roots must be straightened and sprinkled with earth. It is important to monitor the position of the root neck: it should not be buried too deep. After planting, the shrub must be watered regularly, not forgetting to mulch the near-trunk circle with sawdust, chopped tree bark, and peat.
Watering and top dressing
The correct watering and fertilizing scheme plays a significant role in the development of Silver Dollar panicled hydrangea. In the summer, it is necessary to water the plant daily or every other day (depending on the air temperature) with a large volume of water – 2-3 buckets per shrub. You need to proceed from the size of the plant itself.
To slow down the process of moisture evaporation, it is necessary to mulch the soil under the hydrangea using pine bark, needles, shavings or sawdust.
It is strongly not recommended to water the Silver Dollar with chlorinated water, as this can cause foliage chlorosis. The best option would be to use settled: for this you need to collect a few buckets and leave them in the sun for a while. When the liquid becomes warm and the chlorine has evaporated, you can water the shrub with it. You need to do this twice a day, in the morning and evening. It is important to pour the liquid under the root so that it does not come into contact with the foliage and inflorescences.
The time of the very first feeding of paniculate hydrangea is in the spring, namely in April. A small part of the nitrogen mixed in the irrigation water is added to the soil. After that, at the end of May, the soil under the plant is fertilized with a potash solution (in the proportion of 1 tablespoon per bucket of water). It is necessary to introduce complementary foods around the entire perimeter of the crown under the root system.
Another top dressing should be carried out during budding using a potassium-phosphorus solution (2 tablespoons of the substance per bucket of water). It is also applied under the root system or simply sprinkled under the bush before watering or rainfall.
Final top dressing with the same solution is useful at the end of flowering. To do this, hard water needs to be slightly acidified with vinegar or citric acid (manganese solution is also suitable).
Proper watering and fertilizing increase the resistance of the paniculate hydrangea to hot summer days, as well as severe frosts in winter.
Pruning Hydrangea Paniculata Silver Dollar
It is necessary to cut the Silver Dollar variety in the spring, before the process of active sap flow. Spring pruning gives the shrub the correct shape and removes all shoots that have had time to freeze slightly during the winter. In autumn, it is necessary to remove faded inflorescences from hydrangeas, which can bend under the weight of snow piles.
Pruning is also necessary for thinning: cut off all small and weak shoots growing along the plant. Other branches are removed only 1/3 for the growth of new ones with inflorescences.
Anti-aging pruning is also carried out – on perennial specimens with old shoots and poor inflorescences. To do this, in the autumn, all branches are removed from the shrub. The root system is covered for the winter. In the spring, new, strong shoots and inflorescences appear from the branches.
Preparation for winter
You need to start preparing for the winter period in the middle of autumn. Then the Silver Dollar root system is sprinkled with dry foliage or hay. The shoots themselves do not need to be cut, as new inflorescences should appear on them.
In the event of a too harsh winter for the plant, you can create a special frame from the boards, sprinkle it on top with dry foliage and cover with a film or cloth.
Reproduction of hydrangea Silver Dollar
Reproduction of hydrangea paniculata Silver Dollar is carried out using vegetative methods: cuttings, dividing the bush or using layering.
The first option is the simplest and most common among gardeners, since plant cuttings can be obtained in unlimited quantities during the pruning process. They are cut into small pieces of 15 cm each and a container is planted where rooting will take place. The plant quickly sprouts roots, but it is possible to transplant into the ground only in the spring of next year.
Shrub cuttings are obtained from the longest branches at the bottom:
- The branch must be cut in the middle (near the kidney) and placed in the resulting cut a match.
- After that, dig the layers into the ground at the place of the cut and water well so that the plant can take root in the fall.
- In winter, the layers are located next to the mother plant, and when spring comes, they must be transplanted to a separate area.
It is possible to use the method of dividing the shrub only on very large and overgrown hydrangeas, and only with further transplantation.
Diseases and pests
One of the main advantages of the Silver Dollar variety is its high resistance to fungal diseases. The only dangerous disease is leaf chlorosis. Often the reason for its appearance is improper care of the shrub.
The initial symptom of the disease is lightening, and a little later – yellowing of the leaves.
Chlorosis can lead to excessive fragility of branches and inflorescences, and as a result, to the complete death of the plant.
To eliminate the disease, it is necessary to carry out treatment several times with potassium nitrate. To prepare the solution, it is necessary to mix 30-40 g with 10 liters of filtered water. After 2-3 days, you should fertilize with iron sulphate. The solution is prepared in a similar way.
Conclusion
Hydrangea Silver Dollar is one of the most common shrub varieties. It is distinguished by its unpretentiousness to the soil, the landing site, and also has high endurance to sudden changes in temperature and various pests. The only dangerous disease for the plant is leaf chlorosis, which can be eliminated with a solution of potassium nitrate.