Hydrangea "Great Star": description, planting, care and reproduction

The Great star hydrangea variety is appreciated by gardeners - the plant is distinguished by incredibly large flowers, as if floating in the air above unusual inflorescences, and their shape resembles stars. The pure color of the petals and slender stems make them particularly impressive against the background of dark green leaves. To grow such a luxurious flower bush in your garden, you need to pay attention to the peculiarities of growing a crop.

Great Star is an original ornamental shrub variety bred by French breeders using wild plant species native to East Asia. Description of the botanical characteristics of the species.

• In their natural environment, the bushes reach 10 m in height, but this cultivated variety grows to no more than 3 m.
• In diameter, the size of the shrub is up to 1.5 m.
• The root system is well developed, branched, widely spreads in different directions in the surface layer of the earth, sometimes in size exceeds the volume of the aboveground part.
• The branches of the shrub are even, straight and firm, the bark on them is light brown.
• The leaves are large, oval-shaped and have a deep green color, which changes to yellowish-silvery with the arrival of autumn.
• Striking panicles (25 cm) with two types of flowers appear at the ends of long branches. Some are fruiting, small, with an enchanting smell, their petals quickly fall off, and over time they form into a seed box. Larger flowers, up to 10 cm in diameter, have 4 petals, slightly curving towards the middle, and they are located above small flowers on long thin stems. Their color can be snow-white or bluish, depending on the composition of the earth.

The variety has a high winter hardiness, but in cold weather it must be protected, since branches can break under the snow, and in severe frosts they can freeze. "Great Star" is a long-lived culture, its life expectancy is about 60 years.

The propagation of a shrub hydrangea variety is associated with two main methods. The easiest way is to get layering:

• for this, the lateral branches of the plant are cut, and the healthiest ones are carefully bent to the soil, lifting the top up;
• the air layer is placed in a pre-made small groove and added dropwise;
• for fixation, wire, metal staples are used, or the shoot is pressed down with a stone.

Throughout the growing season, irrigation and fertilization are carried out under the mother plant, and, as a rule, by September, the shoot has time to develop its own root system. A bush hibernates next to the main shrub, and a hydrangea is determined for a permanent place in spring.

An alternative is breeding by cuttings, which is allowed from spring to October.

• The optimal material for planting is fresh branches, but last year's shoots are used in the spring, with at least two points of attachment of the leaves.
• The procedure is carried out until the kidneys swell. Some gardeners cut cuttings in June-July 15-20 cm in size with 3-4 buds.
• Shoots should be planted in containers with a substrate of sand and peat, taken in equal proportions. Before this, the lower part is cut off at an angle of 45 degrees and soaked in growth stimulants. Planting depth - 5 cm.
• For plants create greenhouse conditions in the house, or placed in a greenhouse. For a month and a half, they need to be watered, carefully moistened and ventilated. The rooted bushes can then be placed in open soil.

But if there is a desire, then you can grow a shrub from seeds. Planting material is sown in the fall in large boxes with sandy-peat soil, without deepening, slightly compacting the ground, covering the containers with foil, and regularly watering and airing. Seedlings appear after 30 days. When they grow up, they need to be planted in separate pots and periodically fertilized with nitrogen preparations. Plants will be ready for planting in open ground in 2 years.

When planting, you need to choose a well-lit area and fairly fertile soil. There are several important rules for the Great star hydrangea:

• the plant does not take root well on sandy soil, but also does not like excessive moisture;
• the high content of alkalis in the soil can lead to the death of the shrub;
• if the soil is neutral, then the beautiful hydrangea flowers can become smaller, and their pleasant aroma will be almost imperceptible;
• Great Star prefers a slightly acidic or acidic environment;
• it is impossible to neutralize too acidic soil for this plant with slaked lime, wood ash or dolomite mixture.

The best option for planting shrubs is land containing garden soil, peat, a little sand and clay, humus with an acidity parameter of 6.0. If the ground is slightly alkaline, then the flowers may take on a bluish tint. Urea, preparations including phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen are also added to the substrate. You can supplement the composition with needles.

Planting procedure:

• a hole for a bush is dug out 2 times more than the volume of the roots of a seedling with an earthen clod 15 days before placement;
• the bush is installed vertically in the center, its roots must be carefully straightened, then covered with earth so that the root collar remains at ground level;
• the ground under the seedling is abundantly irrigated, mulched with sawdust.

Based on the size of the roots, the culture is planted on lawns or near houses separately. And farther from the garden paths - after the rain, massive panicles of flowers get wet, and the branches sag under their weight, which can cause them to be touched and damaged.

Gardeners who do not have sufficient experience in growing this hydrangea variety should know that, despite the love of moisture, the Great star does not tolerate stagnant water. An adult plant should have at least 10 liters; on hot summer days, this amount should be increased. However, if several days of watering are missed during the dry period, it is not recommended to irrigate the plant abundantly - such sudden changes can negatively affect the condition of the shrub.

The plant care scheme includes a number of activities. Hydrangea is watered approximately once a week, making sure that the ground in the near-trunk circle does not dry out; in the heat, the plant needs to be watered about twice every 7 days. After moistening, loosening and weeding are carried out. If you constantly mulch the soil at the roots with humus, needles and sawdust, then you do not need to loosen it after each watering. Instead of mulching, some growers use ground cover crops such as sedum or styloid phlox right next to the tree trunk circle.

It is important to apply fertilizers every fortnight, the bushes are fed with nitrogen only until mid-May, then phosphorus and potassium are added. For top dressing in the spring, without which normal plant development is impossible, you can use formulations specially designed for this species - liquid agent "Kristalon", Compo or fertilizer "Agricola Aqua" containing a whole complex of minerals. Foliar spraying with Epin extra or Zircon preparations will also help the plant grow quickly, especially for new plantings.

Pruning begins at the age of 2 years of age of the bush, if the natural form is left, then in spring and autumn a sanitary haircut is carried out, in which dead, dry branches must be removed, as well as those shoots that grow inward towards the trunk. Young twigs of the current year are allowed to be shortened only by 1-2 pairs of buds, so as not to injure the hydrangea, rejuvenating spring pruning consists in shortening all shoots by 5-6 cm.

Cutting hydrangeas can be formative, and for this they choose a bush with an even trunk. First, the lateral branches are pinched, then they are completely cut evenly, without hemp. In several places, the plant is tied to supports, and annually the main trunk is continued to be cut until it reaches a height of 1.5 m. After that, the crown and frame branches are formed. The whole procedure takes up to 7-8 years.

Preparation for winter consists of sanitary pruning of all, even flowering, inflorescences and the construction of a shelter for shrubs. First, cover the near-trunk zone with leaf litter and peat with a layer of up to 20 cm. The branches of the plant can be tied up, and after the snow falls, it is necessary to cover the hydrangea with snow. It should be borne in mind that untimely or too dense covering can lead to the fact that the bush will be subject to debate, and this will lead to kidney damage.

Hydrangea "Great Star" blooms from mid-summer to October. So that nothing interferes with this process, it is important to comply with a number of requirements.

• The plant should not be planted in the shade so that the flowers do not become shallow, but half-shaded areas that save from the destructive sun rays will be the best solution.
• In the period before the formation of buds and during flowering, the shrub needs regular watering, hilling and loosening the soil.
• Before the flowers appear, it is necessary to feed the hydrangea - add 40 g of potassium sulfate and 50 g of superphosphate to the near-trunk ground. Watering with a decoction of dandelion and nettle leaves (0.5 liters per 12 liters) also has a beneficial effect.
• In the summer, to support the flowering of the bush, it is recommended to fertilize the root zone with humus, rotted compost, humus or manure.
• Stamp plants must be tied to a fence, wall or special support, so that in a strong wind or downpour, heavy inflorescences do not break the branches and trunk.

In the next video you can take a look at the Great Star hydrangea.