Hydrangea "Levana": description, planting, care and reproduction

Variety "Levana" - panicle hydrangea, characterized by rapid growth and wondrous beauty of boiling white inflorescences, eventually acquiring pastel shades of petals.

Any gardener who knows the secrets of growing this crop can be proud of such a beautiful shrub.

Rapid growth is the amazing ability of the shrub. Hydrangea Levana belongs to tall plants, its height is about 2-2.5 m, and the bush can be considered an adult when it reaches 2-3 years. The description of the variety looks like this.

• The crown of the shrub is spreading, consisting of strong branches covered with densely planted green leaves of an oval shape, in autumn their color is enriched with pinkish and purple hues.
• The size of the conical brush is 50 cm, the inflorescence blooms gradually, revealing snow-white flowers, reaching 5-7 cm in diameter. By themselves, they are large, but they seem even larger due to straight stems and exude a heady honey aroma.
• At the moment of blooming, the color of the petals is snow-white, but a little later their shade changes to cream. The inflorescences retain their ideal shape until the end of flowering, and only at the very end their lower part is painted in pinkish tones.
• The plant is considered frost-resistant and tolerates temperatures up to minus 35 degrees, but in order to avoid freezing for the winter it is recommended to cover it. The light-loving hydrangea prefers the sun, but for rapid development from the destructive midday rays it is better to shade it.

When planting Levana, it is important to choose a suitable location. Despite the fact that the shade is not terrible for the plant, the lack of sun can negatively affect the decorative qualities of the shrub. A hydrangea day needs at least 6 hours of good lighting. The culture does not like neutral soil and prefers acidic soil. You can achieve such a composition with low acidity by adding coniferous litter or high moor peat. Interestingly, at high acid levels, the flowers of the plant are perfectly white, but they can change color if the concentration decreases.

It is customary to plant hydrangea bushes in the spring - it can be cuttings prepared in advance or purchased seedlings, container plants are allowed to be planted all spring, summer and early autumn. Since the variety has widespread roots, a large near-trunk space is important for the bush, and when planting several plants, they need to be planted at a distance of 1.5-2 m.

Planting takes place in several stages.

• A planting pit is dug, at least 0.5 m in width and a depth of 60 cm to 1 m, depending on the size of the seedling.
• The soil substrate is prepared from a mixture of components - sand, peat, humus and garden soil. Potassium sulfide, urea, any nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizer are added to it.
• The plant is lowered into the ground vertically, distributing the roots and leaving the root collar in line with the surface, covered with soil mixture and watered well.

By the seed method, hydrangea is propagated mainly by breeders. As for ordinary gardeners, they prefer other simple ways to grow quality flowering shrubs.

The plant can be grafted. And this procedure looks like this.

• Young twigs of the current year are taken if the procedure is carried out at the beginning and middle of summer. But you can also cut them off in the autumn, after which they should be wilted in a box with wet sandy soil and kept in a cold place until February.
• Then the plants are planted in containers with a nutrient mixture based on peat, turf and sand.
• The container is covered with plastic wrap and kept in a warm room for 30 days, ventilating and moisturizing the soil as it dries.
• After a month, the seedlings rise, and at the end of August they can be planted in the designated place.

It is easier to propagate the plant by layering, sprinkling the bent hydrangea shoot to the ground. To do this, choose a healthy and strong branch and drop it into the prepared hole, securing it with a metal bracket. The original plant continues to be looked after as usual, along with it the new hydrangea feeds, takes root and hibernates, protected by mulch and spruce branches. Next year, the young bush can be separated from the mother and planted separately.

Hydrangea "Levana" requires regular care, especially young plants need it, the list of agricultural works includes watering, hilling and loosening, and top dressing.

The shrub loves moisture so much that some gardeners plant the variety in low places. But this is not recommended, since an excess of water can cause diseases of the culture. Moistening should be carried out 1 time in 7 days, up to 15 liters per plant is needed. In extreme heat, water can be watered in moderation, but often.

These activities are inextricably linked with watering, and it is advisable after these works to fill up the near-trunk space of the bush with mulch from wood chips and peat to a height of up to 6 cm. This will prevent the soil from drying out.

A plant with an active growing season needs good nutrition. It can be provided by applying fertilizers during the entire period of growth and development of the shrub. In spring, the bushes are fed with complex fertilizers containing basic minerals; during the summer, it is required to use liquid organic matter (bird droppings and mullein). Paniculate hydrangea needs special care during the flowering period. Therefore, it is important to fertilize the shrub at the beginning of sap flow, before the formation of buds, and during flowering, which lasts from the beginning to the end of summer, maintain the culture with mineral preparations once every 2 weeks.

In the first half of summer, the plant requires nitrogen compounds, in July and August - potassium and phosphorus. It is believed that these components contribute to abundant flowering, prolong its period, and also protect the roots and crown from gray rot and other diseases. It also helps the hydrangea prepare for the cold season. Shrub pruning is carried out so that its crown looks more dense and lush. The haircut is done in early March, but you can cut the bushes in the fall, by 2/3 of the total length. Only damaged and weak shoots are cut under the ring for preventive purposes.

Common diseases that can be encountered when cultivating a variety.

• If yellowish spots appear on the leaves, this may indicate a powdery mildew infection. In a sick bush, the foliage gradually darkens and fades, and the reason for this is waterlogging.You can cure the plant by using copper sulfate and liquid soap diluted in water to spray the crown.
• With a lack of iron in hydrangeas, signs of chlorosis may appear - usually it is caused by the presence of lime and an excess amount of humus in the soil. Treatment with a solution of copper sulfate (20 g per 12 l) or the same dosage of potassium nitrate will help solve the problem.
• You will have to get rid of the plant in case of infection with a mosaic disease, when stripes and yellow spots appear on the leaves. If there are few such branches, they need to be cut and burned.
• In general, disease-resistant panicle hydrangea can be attacked by insects, its main pests are green leaf aphids and spider mites. You can get rid of aphids with a garlic solution with the addition of laundry soap, or use "Anabazine sulfate" (20 g per bucket). A soap solution, infusion of hogweed or basil, juice of ayuga (creeping tenacious) diluted in water helps with such a parasite as a tick. The special insecticidal preparation "Thiofos" is also an effective remedy, but this poison must be used with caution, observing safety rules.

Hydrangea Levana is a beautiful plant that is used to create alleys, hedges, landscape ensembles, along with conifers, shrubs and perennial herbaceous species.

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