How and when does hydrangea bloom?

Hydrangea is considered the pride of any gardener. Perennial shrub has a rich palette of colors. From the material in this article, you will learn about when and how hydrangea blooms. In addition, we will note why sometimes her flowers turn unusually green.

Hydrangea is different, which is why it is grown in the form of a liana, a small shrub or a compact tree. This explains the different flowering times. A flowering variety of a perennial flower is selected in such a way as to smooth out flowering differences in the garden, ensuring a continuous change of colors.

Some varieties do not exude aroma at this time, and therefore do not attract bees. They can be planted both near the entrance to the house and under the windows.

Hydrangea is moisture-loving at all stages of growth and development, before the appearance of buds, it grows as quickly as possible. Most of the varieties can be called thermophilic perennials. They grow well and bloom profusely mainly in the southern regions. Not all varieties can withstand the cold climate, however, some varieties can be grown in the north.

Among the many different varieties of blooming hydrangea, gardeners pay attention to several varieties.

• Oak frost-resistant, withstands temperatures down to -29 ° C. Has a flower diameter of up to 3 cm.
• Serrated low-growing - a sprawling shrub with flowers up to 8 cm in diameter.
• Garden large-leaved, having a height of 120-130 cm, with a flower size of up to 3 cm and with woody shoots.
• Petiolate or curly, characterized by a spicy aroma, capable of reaching a length of 20 m or more.
• Paniculata, growing in height up to 2.5 m, frost-resistant, characterized by an elongated shape of lush inflorescences.
• Tree-like, tolerant to cold, distinguished by lush inflorescences of small flowers.

Hydrangea blooms in different ways. Its crown can be spreading, as well as spherical with a diameter of up to 1.5 m. Inflorescences are umbellate, conical. Their size depends on the variety of the plant itself. For example, in large-leaved perennials, the size of the inflorescence is on average 15-17 cm.

Pyramidal inflorescences can reach a length of 25 cm. The average flowering time is 1-1.5 months.

Hydrangea is planted in open ground in spring. With proper care and timely application of fertilizing, a young plant is able to please the grower for the first time with several inflorescences already in the middle of summer. But if you do not pay due attention to it in a timely manner, the stalk becomes weak, unable to get stronger. Because of this, the hydrangea is not able to bloom even in the second season. Most often, the flower turns into a lush blooming flower bed in the 3rd year after planting.

There are about 80 varieties of garden hydrangeas in the world. About 35 species are cultivated in our country. Flowering usually lasts from early summer to early autumn and stops before the first frost. Some varieties bloom until October, blooming in the middle of summer, delighting flower growers with abundant and lush flower umbrellas.

The flowering period and its duration depend on the specific region of planting, as well as the variety of flowering perennial flower. With the desire and proper care, today you can not only increase the flowering period, but also speed up the time of its beginning. For garden and indoor plants, gardeners have their own techniques.

In order for a bush planted in open ground to bloom for a long time and abundantly, you can resort to an early suspension of growth. The ideal time may be late November - early December. The suspension of growth during this period of time leads to the fact that the perennial begins to bloom in the garden at the beginning of March. To speed up the development of the perennial, to see the blossoming flower umbrellas faster, you can water the bush with warm water. The temperature must be at least 35 ° C.

In order for the flowers to appear early, heat baths are needed. To do this, you can put the flower pot in a container of warm water for about 10 hours a day. The water temperature should be 35-37 ° C. The flowering period depends on the care, adherence to the watering regime and the location of the pot. If diffused sunlight hits the flower, it will bloom longer.

The "flower season" of a houseplant lasts from July to September. Fringed varieties delight gardeners with flower hats from July to August. Hydrangea does not tolerate dry and hot air: being near the radiator, it may not bloom at all. Therefore, along with the leaves, it can also drop buds.

Sometimes gardeners are faced with the fact that flowers never appear. It happens that the buds still cannot open, they begin to fade and fall off. The reasons for this may be:

• improper care;
• preparations to stimulate flowering;
• acidity of the soil;
• depletion of the strength of the plant.

Due to the treatments used by unscrupulous flower shop sellers, flowers may not appear for several years. In this case, you have to help the culture by introducing a growth activator. It promotes the strengthening and development of the root system, helps the stems and twigs develop, is effective in regards to the growth of greenery, and allows accelerating the growth of flowering perennials.

Gardeners do not always prune correctly. The perennial is pruned at the end of October. In this case, it is necessary to leave on the shoots several pairs of formed buds. Usually bushes are formed in 2-3 years. Pruning can be lightweight, in which the bush gets rid of dry inflorescences and overgrown shoots.

When spring comes, the stems are shortened, this contributes to a more lush flowering. They do this before the sap flow begins. Each type of hydrangea has its own pruning nuances. For example, large-leaved bushes need sanitary pruning. In this case, cut off frozen, broken shoots and stems, the growth of which thickens the shrub.

Treelike get rid of weakened and crooked shoots, as well as stems that are more than 3 years old. Fresh growths are pruned by examining the stems themselves. The weaker they are, the more pruning. Varieties of the paniculate type require gentle pruning. In this case, the shoots that grow inside the crown are cut off, young growths are cut off to 1-3 pairs of buds.

It happens that the reason for the lack of flowers lies in damage to the kidneys, which happens in bad weather. This phenomenon is widespread and characteristic of large-leaved hydrangeas. Usually, such perennials have flower buds on the tops of the stems formed a year ago. The perennial blooms on last year's growth; during its shelter for the winter, it is necessary to preserve the stems completely.

The kidneys should not be allowed to freeze in winter. If this has already happened, they have to be deleted. You should not wait for flowers this season, however, after a few years the perennial will delight the gardener with lush inflorescences and long flowering. The shelter is removed from the perennial only when the temperature at night will be at least -5 ° C.

Hydrangea came to our country from Central Asia. Its climatic conditions differ significantly from the climate of different regions of the Russian Federation. Other varieties simply do not have time to acquire new flower buds. For this reason, they do not bloom after wintering. In some cases, the flowering is rather poor, the buds are sluggish, they do not have enough strength to open.

A weak perennial may not bloom for several years. To help an ornamental plant gain strength, you must remember to provide it with proper and balanced nutrition. At the same time, it cannot be overfed with organic matter, because this also reduces the likelihood of lush inflorescences. Than to oversaturate the garden or indoor beauty, it is better to dose the top dressing. Nitrogen is introduced in the spring in a small amount. Potassium and phosphorus are added only after it.

Most hydrangea varieties are not able to give gardeners a lush bloom if planted incorrectly. Only a few varieties of hydrangea love light, although they also need it no more than 6-8 hours a day.

In order for a perennial to bloom in an open space, gardeners have resorted to various tricks. For example, they plant a plant 10 cm below the soil level, covering the near-stem circle with mulch (sawdust or peat). There should not be a lot of shadow around the bush. Hydrangea needs diffused sunlight, can put up with partial shade.

The place for planting perennials is selected correctly, it is important to provide hydrangeas with good drainage. A place for a garden plant is selected so that melt (rain) water cannot stagnate in it. Do not plant hydrangea next to garden trees. In this case, the plant will experience a moisture deficit.

It must be watered regularly, but correctly. You can not moisten a perennial in the afternoon in the heat, watering must be carried out in the evening or in the morning, but not more than 3 times a week. If it's not hot outside, watering the bush once a week is enough. Depending on the size of the bush, watering may require 1 to 1.5 buckets of water. If the soil is sandy, water it more often, if it is clay, less often.

It happens that the opening buds are colored green instead of white or pink. This is normal for the beginning and end of flowering. As a rule, after opening, the flowers acquire the color of the natural shade of a particular variety. But if there is no color change, this may indicate an unsuccessful landing site.

Another reason may be improper care of a perennial. A green tint may be the result of a change in fertilizer, if at home the flower is fertilized with other substances. Also, the flower can turn green with insufficient watering and heavy rains. As for other shades, the color of hydrangea inflorescences changes depending on the type of soil. The same variety can bloom with pink or blue inflorescences.

If the flowers remain green, the acidity of the soil needs to be changed and nutrients added. For example, if you water the bush with aluminum alum or use citric acid, the flowers will turn blue. Large-leaved varieties of hydrangea can change the natural shade, but for this it is necessary to choose a pink flower (Hayes Starburst, Snowflake, Lamlight). There are also varieties in which green is a natural color.

The following video will show you how to achieve good hydrangea flowering.