Hydrangea "Magic Candle": description, planting and care

Hydrangea "Magic Candle" belongs to the paniculate species and has earned the tender love of gardeners. She is not only incredibly beautiful, but also unpretentious in care. The plant is a deciduous shrub with strong, straight shoots. The decorative qualities of the crop are not in doubt, and the regeneration of frozen stems allows it to look amazing throughout the season.

Gardeners note that hydrangea looks incredibly impressive on the site, famous for its very abundant flowering. The variety "Magic Candle" is translated into Russian as "magic candle". This name is quite consistent with the appearance, since the shape of the inflorescence resembles a candle.

With regard to care, the unpretentiousness of this variety is especially noted.

The shrub height can reach up to 2 meters. The leaves are dark, green, with a jagged border. Volumetric inflorescences can be 30 centimeters in size and resemble a candle in shape. The color of the flowers is quite interesting: at the very beginning it is pale cream, and over time it acquires a pinkish tint. But closer to autumn, the flowers turn crimson.

In order for any plant to grow healthy, you need to take care of good planting material. Hydrangea is no exception. Experts recommend purchasing both seeds and seedlings only at trusted retail outlets. In the case of seedlings, a visual inspection must be carried out to exclude the possibility of disease or pest infestation. The root system must be closed.

First of all, you need to choose a landing site. This variety is suitable for both a sunny area and light partial shade. As for the soil, you should opt for neutral or slightly acidic, and it must be fertile. If the site is dominated by alkaline soil, it must be oxidized by adding high-moor peat or potassium salt.

Hydrangeas need moist soil and should not be planted next to these types of plants. In this case, they can begin to fight for moisture and nutrients contained in the earth. Planting is carried out in early spring, before the start of sap flow, or in the autumn, when all the leaves have already fallen off.

To begin with, you should start preparing the landing hole. It should be 2 times larger than the size of the earth clod on the roots of the seedling. The distance between the bushes should not be less than one and a half meters. The soil mixture is prepared from humus, sand and soil. And also it is necessary to arrange a drainage system; broken bricks, a little sprinkled with soil mixture, are perfect for this.

The seedling is carefully placed in the hole, after which it is covered with soil mixture and compacted properly. Particular attention should be paid to the area near the barrel - no air pockets should be allowed to form there. After that, the plant is watered abundantly.

Maintenance of this plant is minimal, but despite this, the appearance of the "Magic Candle" hydrangea will delight the owners of the site.

First of all, it should be noted that this shrub is very hygrophilous. There can be no special recommendations on the quantity and volume of irrigation; one should be guided by the weather conditions.

After watering, you need to loosen the soil a little, as well as weed the weeds. Mulching will not hurt either, it helps to retain moisture, and also prevents weeds from growing too actively. Peat or sawdust will do.

And also do not forget about feeding. They help hydrangeas delight gardeners longer with lush and abundant flowering. Organic matter is used as fertilizer in the spring. Mullein or bird droppings are great. This will saturate the soil with nitrogen.

In the summer, the plant needs phosphorus-potassium mixtures. They have a beneficial effect on bud formation and flowering. On the eve of winter, hydrangea must be provided with mineral fertilizers.

The “Magic Candle” hydrangea has a very lush crown. For its formation, it is necessary to carry out pruning on time. This procedure is done in early spring, before the start of sap flow in plants. About 10 branches must be cut so that 5 buds remain on each. In the future, to rejuvenate an adult shrub, all of its shoots are cut to 7 centimeters.

It should be noted that this variety is frost-resistant. He is not afraid of temperature drops to -29 degrees Celsius. In regions where the winter is not too harsh, the bushes do not need to be covered. However, this applies only to mature plants, while young ones must always be covered. Spruce branches or mulch are perfect.

As for reproduction, here this variety does not differ from other hydrangeas. The shrub can be propagated by cuttings and layering. Let's consider these methods in more detail.

The easiest way is to use layering. To do this, a small trench is made next to the hydrangea, where the side shoots are laid, fixed and covered with earth. After that, they must be thoroughly watered and fed. For the winter, the layers should be covered, and in the spring they can be separated for transplanting. It should be noted that the growing area should be hidden from direct sunlight.

The grafting process also does not cause any particular difficulties. It is necessary to separate the cuttings with a height of about 15-20 centimeters. They are processed with a growth stimulant, after which they are buried in the ground for 2 buds. While the cuttings are rooting, they will need feeding and watering. They should also be covered for the winter.

As already mentioned, this shrub is absolutely unpretentious in terms of leaving. However, in some cases, it can be susceptible to various diseases and pest attacks. This makes the plant weak and greatly affects its appearance.

Sometimes the shrub becomes lethargic and dull, even though it is watered and fertilized on time. One of the reasons may be overheating of the soil at the roots located on top. To avoid this, soil mulching is recommended.

The second nuisance may be yellowing of the leaves with green veins. This is how chlorosis manifests itself, and alkaline soil can be its cause. In this situation, copper sulfate should be used, with the help of which the soil is acidified.

Very often, the cause of the disease is the wrong growing conditions, for example, too strong a shadow or neglect of the plant.

Gray rot is a fungus and appears as dark spots on the bush that grow rather quickly. Powdery mildew is expressed by a gray bloom on the leaves, which becomes more and more, which often leads to the death of the plant. White rot attacks the roots and prevents hydrangeas from getting adequate nutrition. Tracheomycosis also begins at the roots.

These diseases respond well to treatment if started on time. It is necessary to treat the plant with fungicides.

In addition, pests can attack the plant. One of the most common is the spider mite. It manifests itself as a cobweb enveloping stems and flowers. The foliage over time begins to dry out and fall off.

In addition, snails, aphids, bedbugs and pennies can spoil the plant. These insects suck the juice from the hydrangea, which can lead to its death. Nematodes cause significant damage to the root system. To control parasites, you should use chemicals sold in specialty stores. Sometimes folk methods come to the rescue.

For varieties of panicle hydrangea, see below.