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Hydrangea is highly decorative. Because of this, it is popular among flower growers. Many of them use a tree-like variety of a shrub – a hydrangea on a trunk. This method of forming a bush has a beautiful and well-groomed crown, dotted with huge inflorescences. It may seem that this is too difficult to implement, but in fact, a standard hydrangea is relatively easy to do with your own hands.
What does hydrangea mean on stem
In its usual form, hydrangea is a shrub up to 2 m high with one or two dozen straight, but slightly drooping branches at the ends. The standard variety is a central trunk, having a length of 30 to 150 cm, branching from above in the form of a tree.
The root system of hydrangea allows you to grow tree-like varieties not only in open ground, but also in a separate container
Thanks to such a “raising” of the bush, the dimensions of the plant are reduced above the ground level, it acquires a more compact and aesthetic appearance. Standard hydrangea bushes are widely used in landscape design.
The main difference in the appearance of standard and bush hydrangeas is the shape of the crown.
The best varieties of hydrangeas for the standard form
Currently, three varieties of hydrangeas are recommended for cultivation in standard form. Each of them has its own characteristics and dimensions.
Swarthy hydrangea
It is considered a universal option used in many design solutions. It has high frost resistance and gives abundant long-term flowering. The main shoots are very strong and can remain unchanged for a long time, which will be an additional plus when forming a plant. Hydrangea paniculata on the stem is shown in the photo below:
For the normal development and life of the plant, the trunk must be directed vertically upwards with the help of rope struts.
Traditionally, this culture has a trunk height of 50 cm to 1 m. It is believed that panicled standard hydrangea can last for about 50 years. The total height of the plant can reach up to 4 m.
Grandiflora
A classic variant used to produce standard plants before the emergence of a large number of panicled hydrangea varieties. Until now, all new bred varieties are compared with Grandiflora. At home (the countries of the Middle East), it can reach up to 10 m in height.
Grandiflora is a classic choice for stem formation with a history of two hundred years.
The main problem of this variety is due to the fact that in a temperate and even subtropical climate, its bushes rarely reach a height of even 2,5 m. That is why the appearance of paniculate hybrids literally ousted Grandiflora from gardens and parks. However, in the event that a difference in height of 1,5-2 m is not critical, this variety can also be used for the trunk.
PG (PJ)
The name is an abbreviation for Paniculata Grandiflora, which translates as “paniculate Grandiflora”. This fully reflects the type of this culture. PJ is an improved version of Grandiflora hybridized with one of the panicled hydrangeas. It is distinguished by abundant and long-term flowering, various shades of color, large and dense flowers.
PG boles have the most dense flower cover, behind which leaves are sometimes not visible.
In addition, PJ has frost resistance up to -35 ° C, unpretentiousness and drought resistance. It is able to change its shade over time. At the beginning of flowering it is white, then – pink, at the end – purple.
Other varieties
The varieties of hydrangea listed above are used most often, but the choice of variety for the bole is not limited to them. Today, Vanilla Fraze, Pinky Winky, Kyushu, Phantom, Lime Light varieties can be used for such cultivation.
It is believed that the listed varieties have a longer flowering time and a greater variety of shades compared to the panicled hydrangea.
Hydrangea on a trunk in landscape design
A similar way of decorating a plant is an excellent garden decoration that can be used in a wide variety of landscape design solutions:
- in various mixborders in combination with other ornamental plants;
- stems with bushes of different shades will be used to create Japanese gardens;
- trees grown in a separate container can be used to decorate balconies, terraces, benches, and other places of recreation;
- standard hydrangea can be combined with ground cover plants;
- good combinations are obtained with undersized conifers;
- hydrangea can be the center of the composition in the flower bed.
Depending on the height of the crown, standard plant varieties can be used for other tasks.
How to grow a hydrangea on a stem
The formation and cultivation of such a plant is relatively simple. The only drawback of this variety is a rather long formation time, which takes from 2 to 7 years. Below are the features of growing standard hydrangea and caring for it.
Selection and preparation of the landing site
All the rules and conditions for growing an artisanal form of hydrangea are also suitable for standard. She needs a site located in partial shade with approximately equal intervals of lighting and shading. The soil should be slightly acidic, moderately moist and loose.
Rules for planting standard hydrangea
Planting is carried out at the beginning or end of the warm season. Moreover, spring planting will be more effective, since the bush will take root much faster. 3-4 weeks before planting, the soil on the site is dug up and fertilized with humus or compost.
The holes are made of such a volume that the root system of the seedling is completely placed in them. The distance between adjacent plants for standard varieties should not be less than 2 m.
Hydrangea seedlings are often planted in open ground along with a clod of earth.
The seedling is installed in the center of the hole, its root system is straightened and evenly sprinkled with the excavated soil. Next, the soil is lightly tamped and the seedling is watered with one bucket of water. It is advisable to mulch the trunk circle with a diameter of about 1 m with peat 5-10 cm thick.
Caring for standard hydrangea
Plant care includes regular watering, fertilizing and pruning the plant. But before all these procedures, it is necessary to correctly form a bole at the hydrangea. Actually, it is this task that will be the most difficult of those that face the grower, since the rest of the care for an unpretentious plant is very simple.
How to form a hydrangea stem
You can form a plant in the first year of life. Some growers start the process in their second year as the hydrangea will adapt and the branches will become thicker. In any case, the sequence of operations will be as follows:
- First, pinching is carried out in a standard form in the summer, namely: all side shoots and processes are plucked out. The next season at the same time they are cut into a ring. Due to this, the trunk thickens.
- In order for the “main” trunk to become even and beautiful, in early spring it should be shortened to the first most developed kidney. The beginning of the formation of the bole is carried out when the plant reaches a height of 100-150 cm.
- In order to evenly distribute the load on the main trunk and skeletal branches, the hydrangea is formed into 2-3 trunks with a common crown.
By repeating these operations from year to year, after 5-7 they get a full-fledged tree on a trunk, the care of the crown of which will mainly relate to cosmetic pruning.
The stem formation scheme is simple and even a novice grower can do it.
Pruning of the standard hydrangea in the fall is carried out according to the following scheme:
- young branches are removed immediately after flowering, this will allow new shoots to form before the onset of cold weather;
- remove all stems and branches growing inside the crown;
- once every 3 years, lignified shoots are removed, this stimulates additional crown growth;
- before wintering, diseased and damaged shoots are removed.
In the spring, pruning of the standard hydrangea is predominantly sanitary in nature: diseased, dried and frostbitten branches are removed.
How to plant a hydrangea on a trunk
Using this method, you can get not only paniculate, but also tree-like standard hydrangea. For this purpose, it is necessary to choose a stock that is of sufficient thickness and good health. Most often, a plant of the same variety is used.
In the part of the stem at a height of 0,5 to 0,7 m, one or more splits are made. In the general case, their number depends on the thickness of the stock and the number of scion branches available. According to the classical layout, 2 or 3 cuttings are used for grafting. Their length is selected within 10-20 cm and depends on the distance between the eyes. Each cutting must have at least 5 buds.
The grafting scheme is standard – the cuttings are deepened by 3-4 cm into the split, tightly tightening it around the perimeter with twine. Then all open areas are treated with garden pitch and wrapped with plastic wrap.
Whether the vaccination was successful or not, it will become clear in about a month. If the buds began to bloom on the cuttings, then everything went well.
Watering and feeding
The frequency of watering is determined by the degree of soil moisture. Regardless of whether mulching is used or not, the trunk circle should not remain dry. Usually one watering per week is enough in the amount of 1-2 buckets per plant.
Two top dressings of the plant per season are enough. The first is aimed at stimulating vegetation. It is made in the spring, during the budding period. The optimal fertilizer in this case is urea in the amount of 20 g per 1 bucket of water. Traditionally, top dressing is combined with watering. An adult plant will require two buckets of water with top dressing, a young one (up to 3 years old) – one.
The second top dressing is used in the summer, during flowering. The optimal composition is a mixture of urea, superphosphate and potassium sulfate. Components take 30 g each and dissolve in 1 bucket of water. In autumn, a third top dressing in the form of manure or compost is acceptable.
How to cover a standard hydrangea for the winter
Wintering of hydrangeas on the trunk can be carried out without sheltering the plant. It has sufficient frost resistance.
Conclusion
Hydrangea on a stem is a beautiful landscape design element that has a wide range of applications. It can be used both in a single landing and as part of complex compositions. Growing a stem takes several years, but in general, caring for a hydrangea is relatively simple and unpretentious. Even a novice gardener can handle it.
Hydrangea reviews on stem
