In the suburbs and the Moscow region, you can often find different types of hydrangeas in personal plots. Broadleaf is planted more often than other species due to unpretentiousness. Oak-leaf hydrangea, in contrast to it, grows worse and rarely blooms in central Russia due to photophilousness and low frost resistance.
The origin and appearance of hydrangea
The plant came to our region from tropical latitudes, it differs in height up to 1-3 m. The leaf is oblong, the edges are indented, up to 25 cm long. The inner surface of the leaf is velvety to the touch, like Canadian red oak, for which it was named. In a young plant in its first year of life, the surface of the stem and leaf is covered with fluff.
Hydrangea oak
Inflorescences are large, do not have a pronounced aroma. Their panicle shape is up to 30 cm in diameter. The flowering period is short, begins in late July and ends a month later.
Note! The plant is characterized by rapid growth. In 3 years, a bush 1.5–2 m high grows from a seedling.
The first ancestors of the plant appeared in the Middle Ages in Europe (tentatively the XIV century), imported from Asia. Sprouts could be acquired only by the wealthy population of France and Great Britain. In Russia, color appeared in the 19th century.
The origin of the plant is associated with a legend. The girl fell in love with a young man far from home. Her parents could not allow her to marry a poor guy. When the time came to part, she wept bitterly. At this place, a plant grew with marvelous flowers.
Winter-hardy varieties of oak-leaved hydrangeas
The plant rarely blooms in mid-latitudes, due to the short daylight hours and low temperatures in winter. Due to its tropical origin, the bush requires special conditions of detention. Artificially bred species adapt to low temperatures, feel comfortable up to -29 ° C.
Snow White Domes
Among other varieties of oak-leaved hydrangea is common. It is characterized by foliage from light green to dark in color, up to 20 cm long. The shrub rarely exceeds 2 m, is characterized by abundant flowering. The shape is dome-shaped, each panicle consists of small white elements similar to a snowflake. This hydrangea is drought-resistant and winter-resistant, but in the conditions of Siberian frosts it can die.
Burgundy
Variety burgundy grows to 1.5 m. According to the name, the flowers have a rich purple color, diameter up to 15 cm. The plant withstands low temperatures, but does not tolerate drought. Shoots grow slowly.
Hydrangea oak-leaved varieties of Magic Amethyst
Magic Amethyst
The inflorescences are spherical, up to 25 cm in size. For planting hydrangea, the oak-leaved amethyst is more suitable for an open place without a shadow or with a partial location outside the sun.
The bush is considered compact, reaches a width of 90 cm, does not grow more than 1 m in height. This variety belongs to chameleons, the flowers change color when the acidity level changes. In spring, they are lemon-green, then go on to a pink tint. Closer to autumn, the receptacle at the edges acquires a green border.
Tennessee Clone
The inflorescences of the plant are small, with a diameter of about 12 cm. The color is white or cream. The variety prefers content in acidic soil on the sunny side.
Snowflake
The bush has a height of about 1.5-2 m. The inflorescences are large, white. By the end of flowering, they turn into a crimson hue. According to the description, the foliage of this variety is able to change color by the end of the season from green to burgundy.
Important: young shoots of this plant variety are recommended for shelter for the winter or transplanted into a pot for home storage.
Harmony
The plant has dark green leaves, velvety to the touch. The edges are carved, consist of 3-7 blades, by autumn they change color to orange or burgundy. The inflorescence of "Harmony" is conical, up to 30 cm long. The bunch is so heavy that the plant may need support. The inflorescence is prefabricated, consists of many elements of 2-3 cm each. The bush does not tolerate the shadow. Frost resistance is average, up to -250.
Transplantation of oak-leaved hydrangeas after purchase in the open ground
To transfer a plant purchased on the market into the soil in front of the house, you need to create favorable conditions for growth. You also need to transplant the bush if it does not bloom or grow poorly in the old place. Change of location is best done in the spring, the end of May is optimal.
What you need for landing
To plant hydrangea, you need to prepare a landing pit. Its size depends on the age of the shoot. A sprout younger than 3 years is enough for 50 cm2, up to 5 years - 1 m2, older than this age - 1.5 m2. The pit should be 2 times larger than the volume of the plant with a lump of earth. A few days before planting, it is half filled with a mixture of humus, peat and sand, where phosphate and potassium fertilizers are applied.
Adult plant of Hydrangea Dubolistnaya
Choosing the best place
The bush loves open space, but does not tolerate sunlight. Partially it can be placed in partial shade. When placed in the sun, the plant will need frequent watering, otherwise sunburns may form on the leaves.
Important: hydrangea loves loamy soil with an acidic or neutral environment, without tolerating alkaline.
Step-by-step landing process
After filling the pit with a nutrient medium, you need to place the sprout, cover it with earth to the top and compact the soil. After this, the landing site is watered in a volume of at least 10 liters.
Reproduction of oak-leaved hydrangeas
Propagation of the plant is possible in several ways: seeds, apical shoots, cuttings, layering. The first method is effective if you take the material in the nursery. Seeds are placed between 2 layers of cotton wool, placed in a saucer, filled with water. After germination, they are planted in a nutrient medium. Transferring to the open ground, the material is sprinkled on the bed, slightly recessed in the ground, watered.
Important: If you collect seeds from mature bolls in the fall, you will not be able to grow a new plant from them.
Propagation by cuttings
Cuttings containing 3 leaves are cut in mid-July. The end of the process must be placed in a solution of a growth stimulator, then planted in the ground. Rooting takes 1-1.5 months. The soil needs to be moistened daily, maintain the temperature around 20 ° C.
Growing from layering
The lower part of the shoot, if placed in the soil, can give roots. For this, an incision is made on a long process of the lower tier, the layering is dug up with earth. The first year this part takes root. The following can be cut off the process from the side of the mother bush.
Bush division
Hydrangea is divided by the root system in early spring. You need to choose a shoot, separate a part of the root system with a shovel. Then move to another place for landing.
Caring for oak leaf hydrangeas
To ensure the growth of the bush, you need not only to choose the right place for planting, but also to care for it. To do this, they study how to properly water the plant, what conditions are needed for maintenance in summer and winter.
Hydrangea oak-leaved in autumn
Watering mode
For quality care for hydrangea, you need to regularly water and irrigate it. To moisten the soil, you need at least 10 liters of water in the summer, 2 times a week. In spring and autumn, watering is halved.
Top dressing
The first weeks after planting, feeding is not required. Then micronutrients are fed monthly. When buds are tied, potassium and phosphorus-based fertilizers are suitable.
Features of care during the flowering period
Immediately during flowering, the plant is not fertilized so as not to provoke bud dropping. It is necessary to moisten the soil in a timely manner, cut the shoots growing inside the bush. Dried leaves and dry shoots also need to be removed.
Features of care at rest
Before wintering, it is necessary to circumcise unviable old shoots, dry leaves and flowers.
Winter preparations
Wedge-shaped hydrangea after the first vegetative season needs to be transferred to heat for the winter. To do this, they dig it out in a pot and move it home. The amount of watering is reduced, the pot needs darkness. After April, the container is transferred to light, watered with warm water with fertilizers. If the region does not have a harsh winter, then it is permissible to cover the shoots with spruce branches, pressing them to the ground.
So that oak-leaved hydrangea feels good in your area, it is enough to provide her with proper care. There is nothing complicated in this.
