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Hydrangea paniculata Summer Love is a perennial shrub with beautiful flowers and an interesting name that can be translated as “summer love”. Feature – numerous, lush inflorescences in the form of large panicles, which, with proper care, are formed in large quantities. Due to the high winter hardiness of the plant, it can be used when planting both in Central Our Country and in regions with a more severe climate – the Urals, Siberia and the Far East.
Description of hydrangea Summer Love
Hydrangea paniculata Hydrangea Paniculata Summer Love is really one of the most beautiful varieties. It is an elegant, compact shrub that grows on average up to 80-100 cm, less often – up to 1 m.
The root system is superficial: tissues quickly absorb water and nutrients, due to which the bush grows very actively. Therefore, it can bloom in the first year after planting. Numerous flowers of white and light pink are connected in lush panicles, which appear in large numbers from mid to late summer. The length of the inflorescence is up to 30-35 cm, they are spherical and conical in shape.
The crown of hydrangea Summer Love is spherical, the branches are strong, it grows quite densely, the foliage is dark green in hues. At the same time, the leaves have an oval shape, their tips are pointed, but during flowering they are practically invisible. The small height of the bush makes it possible to attribute Summer Love hydrangea to undersized species. However, there is evidence that under favorable climatic conditions, the shrub can grow into a small tree up to 2 m high.
Hydrangea blossoms Summer Love literally dot the bush, which is guaranteed to attract attention to it.
Hydrangea paniculata Summer Love in landscape design
Summer Love is a completely self-sufficient flower that can be successfully used in single plantings. However, this beautiful hydrangea also looks good in compositions with other flowers, as well as shrubs and perennial herbs. You can use it in landscape design in different ways:
- Single planting in the garden.
- Single planting on the lawn next to the house.
- Planting hydrangeas Summer Love along the paths.
- Live row of several hydrangea bushes.
- Planting in flowerpots on the site.
Summer Love also looks good in mixborders and hedges. In the latter case, the bushes are planted as close as possible to each other at a distance of 70-80 cm.
Winter hardiness of hydrangea Summer Love
There is evidence that the paniculate hydrangea Summer Love (Summer Love) can withstand even extreme frosts down to -35 degrees. Her young shoots in such conditions will certainly be damaged. But in general, the bush successfully recovers from the winter cold and continues to bloom actively.
Therefore, you can grow such a hydrangea in almost any region of Our Country:
- middle lane;
- Northwest;
- South;
- The Urals;
- Southern Siberia;
- Far East.
If extremely cold winters are regularly observed in the region, and the temperature can drop below -30 degrees for several days, the bushes should definitely be covered, and their roots should be mulched.
Planting and caring for hydrangea Summer Love
Flower care is not so complicated, but to ensure constant and lush flowering, hydrangeas need to be regularly watered, fed and cut off periodically. Another important point is the choice of landing site.
Selection and preparation of the landing site
Almost all types of hydrangeas need a lot of sunlight, so they are usually planted in open areas. Summer Love is no exception, but she also feels good in a little partial shade (especially in the southern regions).
When choosing a place, you should pay attention to several features:
- the place, if possible, should be protected from strong winds and drafts;
- the soil is quite fertile with a moderately acidic reaction (optimal if pH = 5,0);
- it is better to place the shrub on the hills, where less precipitation accumulates;
- if groundwater is close to the soil, you will need to first lay drainage from small stones.
Before planting, the site should be dug up well, since the hydrangea prefers loosened soil. If the soil is not fertile, you need to make additional top dressing.
Rules of landing
The optimal planting date is considered to be the beginning of October (for the southern regions) or April (for all others). Before planting, it is necessary to prepare a layer of fertile soil, with which the seedling will subsequently be covered. According to the experience of gardeners, the following composition is considered optimal:
- earth sheet (2 parts);
- peat (1 part);
- sand (1 part);
- humus (2 parts).
Landing technology is as follows:
- First you need to dig a hole of the same depth and diameter – 30 cm each.
- In the case of planting several seedlings of Summer Love hydrangea, a minimum interval of 1 m should be observed.
- The plant is placed in the center and covered with earth so that the root collar is slightly visible.
- Then plentifully watered with water (5-10 l).
Immediately planting hydrangeas, it is advisable to loosen the soil well so that as much air as possible enters the roots.
Watering and top dressing
It is from the subsequent care of the seedling that the flowering of hydrangeas depends. The rules for watering and feeding are simple, but they must be observed constantly, and not from time to time:
- Hydrangea Summer Love, like many other species of this shrub, is very fond of. Therefore, normally (in the absence of precipitation), it should be watered at least once a week (for a young bush 1 bucket of water, for an adult – 2-3).
- If the weather is too hot, watering is increased up to 2 times a week. So that the soil retains moisture, it is better to mulch it with needles or sawdust.
- Feed 3-4 times per season. In April, you can give a complex or nitrogen fertilizer. In June, July (the period of bud formation and the first flowering) – potassium and phosphorus. A similar composition can be made at the end of August.
In the absence of precipitation, the hydrangea is watered every week.
Pruning Hydrangea Paniculata Summer Love
Summer Love can grow without pruning, but in this case, the bush will gradually lose its beautiful shape, and flowering will not be so plentiful. Therefore, every spring (until the beginning of April) it is necessary to carry out a sanitary and shaping haircut:
- remove old and damaged branches completely;
- cut off well-developed branches, leaving 2-3 buds;
- thin out the crown if necessary.
Preparation for winter
Preparation for winter is carried out during the period of active leaf fall (late September – early October). The layer of the near-stem circle is mulched with needles, sawdust, peat to a height of at least 5-7 cm. You can also spud with earth 20-30 cm. Young seedlings need additional shelter with spunbond, burlap and other improvised materials.
Young Summer Love bushes are best covered every fall.
Reproduction
Hydrangea Summer Love is quite easy to propagate at home. For this, classical methods are used:
- Layers – the lower branches are bent down and dropped in at the end of March, and then at the beginning of October they are separated and transplanted to a new place.
- Cuttings – in spring or summer, apical shoots with 2-3 pairs of leaves are taken, treated with a growth stimulator and grown in fertile soil (possible in cups). A month later, they are transplanted into pots, and the next spring – into open ground.
- Division of the bush – dig out the entire bush, divide it into 2-3 parts (each should have several powerful shoots) and plant it in a permanent place.
Diseases and pests
The Summer Love variety is resistant to diseases and pests, but periodically the shrub is exposed to fungal infections:
- leaf spot;
- gray rot;
- powdery mildew.
Also, common pests often settle on it – aphids, leafworms, spider mites and others. To avoid this, treatment with any fungicide and insecticide should be carried out in the spring. If necessary (appearance of signs of damage), repeat the procedure at another time.
For processing Summer Love, you can use Bordeaux liquid, Topaz, Skor, Fitosporin-B. These drugs effectively destroy fungi. To eliminate aphids and other pests, you can use a solution of wood ash, baking soda, ammonia, as well as insecticides (Aktara, Iskra, Fitoverm).
As a folk remedy for treatment and prevention, spraying the hydrangea bush Summer Love with a weak solution of potassium permanganate 1-2% is often used.
Conclusion
Among flowering shrubs, hydrangea paniculata Summer Love stands out for its beauty. This is a very attractive, almost exotic flower that will easily decorate both a small garden and a large flower garden. The plant survives well even in regions with extreme climates and is not too demanding to care for. If you provide the bush with regular watering and fertilizer, it will bloom for several weeks in a row.
