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Rough hydrangea is a plant with beautiful flowers, belongs to the family of the same name. It is of eastern origin and grows wild on the coast of China and Japan. In the 19th century, hydrangea came to Europe, where it immediately fell in love with many lovers of garden design.
Description of hydrangea rough
Most species of the Hortensia family are shrubs up to 3 m high and 2 m wide. Some of its representatives have a tree-like shape, in addition, lianas are also found among them. Hydrangea bushes have thick branches. They have large inflorescences of white or lilac hue.
In the middle they consist of many small flowers, around the perimeter they are surrounded by several large white ones with four petals.
The leaves can be quite large – up to 35 cm long and 25 cm wide. Their colors change during the season. Young foliage is dark green, velvety. Toward the end of summer, it changes color to dark orange. The root system is powerful, branched.
The plant is very hardy: hydrangea can be grown in difficult conditions and at relatively low temperatures. In temperate climates, it can be cultivated almost everywhere. Blooms in late summer or early autumn.
Varieties of rough hydrangea
Currently, there are several varieties of rough hydrangea. In addition, constant work is underway to obtain new ones. Below are the most popular varieties of this crop.
macrophile
The height of this hydrangea is 1,5 m. It has rough leaves, pubescent with small hairs. Their length reaches 35 cm, width – up to 20 cm. The inflorescences are quite large – in some specimens the diameter reaches 20 cm. Rough hydrangea Macrophila is shown in the photo below.
Spherical inflorescences of this variety have a variety of shades, in the general case, the color of the plant depends on the acidity of the soil.
Sergeant
The height of the culture can reach 4 m. One of the most popular varieties with velvety leaves. The main feature of this variety is a gradient color change within one inflorescence and a smooth transition from lilac to pink (and then to blue) over the area of the entire bush. In addition, on some plants, the petals may be either white or have a white edge.
Flowering is quite late and long, it begins in September and lasts until the first frost.
Hot Chocolate
A variety introduced relatively recently. It has huge inflorescences – up to 30 cm in diameter.
The leaves of this variety also change their color, but, unlike the classic change from green to orange, it has a transition from silver to olive
The color of the shoots also changes with time: when the temperature drops, they turn red.
Rough hydrangea in landscape design
Rough hydrangea is widely used in landscape design. Large bushes can be used as a monoculture over large areas. Of these, you can create thick hedges, use them as border plants for wide paths.
As a separate design element, the rough hydrangea will look beyond any competition, as bright and beautiful flowers attract attention.
Making a bench with a Macrofila variety is a common option for using it in the landscape of a park area
It is also good to use rough hydrangea as the central element of a large flower bed, surrounding it with bushes of bright and large plants, the flowers of which will contrast with it. It looks good surrounded by colorful annuals.
Wintering rough hydrangea
Hydrangea has good winter hardiness, however, at frosts of about -30 ° C, it is recommended to insulate the near-stem circle in order to protect the roots of the plant from freezing. As a covering material, you can use fallen leaves of trees or sawdust.
Planting and caring for rough hydrangea
Planting and caring for a rough hydrangea is not particularly difficult. The only thing that should be given close attention is watering, since the plant needs a lot of moisture.
Selection and preparation of the landing site
An ideal place for a rough hydrangea is a site closed from the wind in partial shade. The soil must be nutritious and have a pH level of at least 5,0 (be slightly acidic).
Preliminary preparation of the site for rough hydrangea consists in cleaning it of weeds and applying mineral fertilizers (up to 20 g of superphosphate per 1 sq. M). This must be done two weeks before planting. Usually, it is carried out in the spring.
Before planting, a rough hydrangea seedling should be treated with a growth stimulator by immersing its roots, for example, in Epin’s solution. Immediately before installing it in the pit, it is recommended to spray it with a 0,2% solution of potassium permanganate to disinfect it from fungi and pests.
Rules of landing
Landing is carried out according to the following scheme:
- A hole is dug 60 cm deep and 70 cm in diameter.
- A drainage layer of large rubble or broken bricks is laid at the bottom.
- Fall asleep in a hole 15-20 cm of soil mixture.
- Plant a seedling in it.
- Sprinkle to the top with soil and lightly tamp.
- Produce watering 20-30 liters of water.
The plant after planting is not watered for a week, then they switch to the standard watering schedule.
The first watering of the rough hydrangea is carried out immediately after planting.
It is recommended to immediately mulch the bush with a layer of peat 5-10 cm high.
Watering and top dressing
Rough hydrangea is a moisture-loving culture. Watering is done every 3-4 days. Their norm is from 30 to 50 liters of water under one bush. It is advisable to update the mulch layer every 1-1,5 months.
For the first and second years after planting, the rough hydrangea is not fed. Starting from the third year, the following feeding schedule is recommended:
- April – nitrogen mineral fertilizers for growing green mass (urea).
- June – potassium-phosphorus mineral supplements (superphosphate).
- July – organic matter (rotted manure, compost, chicken manure solution).
- September – complex fertilizer, including potassium, phosphorus, magnesium and boron.
In the latter case, it is advisable to purchase a specialized feed mixture for ornamental plants.
Trimming
The first 2-3 years the plant is not pruned. In the future, 2 times a season, the crown is shaped and sanitized. The first is performed immediately after the snow melts.
In the spring, in addition to removing non-overwintered shoots, all last year’s shoots are shortened to the lowest bud.
Sanitary pruning is done in the fall. It is part of the preparation of the plant for winter.
Preparation for winter
At the end of autumn, sanitary pruning of the plant is carried out, damaged and too old shoots are removed from it. After that, water-charging irrigation is done and the trunk circle is mulched with a layer of straw, sawdust or fallen leaves up to 20 cm high. In the case of a particularly cold climate, the protective layer is covered from above with a film or agrofiber.
Reproduction
Rough hydrangea reproduces in all available ways:
- seeds;
- cuttings;
- layering;
- division of the bush.
Unlike many ornamental crops, rough hydrangea seed propagation is used quite often, since plants grown in this way begin to bloom relatively early.
The most effective method of propagation, giving the maximum amount of planting material, is cuttings. They are obtained from side branches.
The length of the handle must be at least 15 cm, and only one kidney is enough on it.
Rooting is carried out in a substrate consisting of peat and sand for a month. The soil must be kept moist. As soon as the cutting reaches a length of 30-40 cm, it is transplanted to a permanent place.
Diseases and pests
The immunity of the rough hydrangea is very high. The plant is rarely attacked by diseases and pests. If this does happen, then the cause is likely to be improper agricultural practices.
The most common problem with rough hydrangea is leaf chlorosis. In this case, the color of the plates begins to change to yellow, but the veins always remain green.
Over time, the leaves become covered with dark brown or brown spots, later holes appear in their place.
The cause of the disease is iron deficiency. For treatment, damaged areas should be removed, and the remaining parts of the plant should be treated with a 4,5% solution of ferrous sulfate.
In second place in terms of frequency of occurrence is the well-known powdery mildew, a disease caused by fungi of the Erizifov family.
Pale gray spots appear on the leaves, which darken over time.
Various preparations are used to combat powdery mildew (Bordeaux mixture, copper sulfate, sodium carbonate, etc.), but Fundazol is the best remedy for rough hydrangea. It is used 3-4 times, spraying the whole plants with interruptions of 1 week.
Of the pests, the rough hydrangea is most often attacked by a spider mite, a small representative of arthropods that feeds on plant sap. It is less than a millimeter in size, and it is sometimes problematic to detect it.
The symptoms of tick damage are very characteristic – cobwebs with small white dots appear on the lower part of the leaves.
The best remedy against this pest is powerful acaricides: Actellik, Askarin, Spark.
Conclusion
Rough hydrangea is a beautiful plant with a wide variety of color shapes and shades. In addition to beautiful flowers, large leaves that change color at the end of the season are also very decorative. The plant is widely used in landscape design.
Rough Hydrangea Reviews
