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

The Unique panicle hydrangea is a flower of royal beauty and fits harmoniously into any landscape design. The plant is very popular among gardeners who choose it for its bright flowering and spectacular appearance.

Hydrangea "Unique" is one of the most beautiful varieties of panicle hydrangea and is characterized by elongated shoots topped with white caps of airy flowers. This variety is considered the largest among other plants of this genus, which is why it is most often chosen for landscaping areas. The undoubted advantage of the variety is the possibility of planting it both in complex ensembles and in single compositions. In both cases, the bush looks very bright and catchy, often playing the role of a central element.

Unique owes its appearance to a couple of botanists de Balières from Antwerp, Belgium. It was through their efforts that a new variety was bred and presented to society, which quickly gained popularity among gardeners. In 1993, 43 years after its inception, the hybrid was honored with the award of the Royal Society of Gardeners, the Award of Garden Merit.

Hydrangea "Unique" is a sprawling deciduous shrub that can grow rapidly and invade the surrounding area... This is due to the intensive growth of the root system, which consists of a huge number of thin branched roots. The height of an adult bush is 1.5-2 m, and its diameter reaches 3-5 m, which makes it possible to use it to create hedges.

The bush itself consists of strong, not too thick, erect branches with an easily peeled brown-brown bark. On young branches, pubescence is present, which disappears over time.

The foliage on the branches is opposite or whorled, the leaf plates have an ovoid or elliptical shape and are serrated along the edges. They are 15 cm long and 8 cm wide. For a year, the bush grows by 20 cm, which classifies "Unique" as a fast-growing varieties.

The cone-shaped inflorescences reach a length of 25 cm and consist of small, 4-petal flowers that do not bear fruit. Inflorescences are located at the ends of long shoots and reach a diameter of 25 cm.

Hydrangea "Unique" is an unpretentious plant, which is why its environmental requirements are minimal.

• Illumination. The plant prefers open areas with a lot of ultraviolet radiation, which is necessary for abundant and long-lasting flowering. If there is no suitable place on the site, then you can plant a flower in partial shade, however, with the condition that at least half of the day the plant will be in the sun. In hot climates, the plants are slightly shaded, and a man-made screen is erected for young bushes to protect them from the side wind.
• The soil. Hydrangea "Unix" loves fertile nutrient soils with a neutral or slightly acidic reaction. The soil should not contain alkaline compounds and traces of lime. In addition, there should be no plants within a radius of 5-6 m that require constant loosening. This is due to the close occurrence of hydrangea roots, which can be accidentally damaged.
• Humidity. The plant loves moderately moist soils, so soils with good drainage without stagnant water will become an ideal environment for it.

Even a novice gardener will be able to plant the Unicorn hydrangea. To do this, you just need to follow the algorithm and not neglect the advice of experienced gardeners.

• Only healthy seedlings are taken for planting, who buy or receive on their own. At the same time, you need to know that it is better to plant 3-year-old plants that start flowering already in the year of planting. Purchased seedlings are sold in pots or with an open root system.

The former can be planted in the ground at any convenient time, while the latter need immediate planting immediately after purchase. The purchased seedling should not have dry and yellowed areas, and the root system should be healthy and intact.

• The diameter of the planting pits should be 60-80 cm, and the depth varies from 50 to 60 cm. When planting several bushes at once, the distance between them should be at least 3 m. The prepared pit is spilled with water, after which drainage from broken brick or gravel is laid on its bottom.

A nutrient mixture made from peat, humus, fertile soil and sand with the addition of 25 g of urea and potassium sulfate, as well as 65 g of superphosphate is laid on top of the drainage. The mixture is poured in the form of a mound, a bush is placed on top, the roots are straightened and carefully sprinkled with fertile soil.

• The planted plants are watered abundantly, and the root circles are mulched with needles or deciduous humus.

Care of the "Unique" variety consists in watering, feeding, pruning, loosening, mulching and preparing for the winter.

• Watering. In the first month after planting, more frequent watering is practiced, focusing on the condition of the soil under the mulch. More mature bushes are watered every 3-4 weeks, and in dry weather they must be sprayed.

• Top dressing. Hydrangea is fertilized no more than 3 times a season, and the first feeding is performed 2-3 days after spring planting. For this, rotted manure or mineral fertilizers are used.

As a summer top dressing, preparations rich in potassium and phosphorus are introduced, and to strengthen the strength of the shoots, they are watered once with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. As an autumn top dressing, a mullein solution is used, which helps the plant to stock up on nutrients and survive the cold.

• Pruning. It happens in spring and autumn. The first is performed in early spring before the start of sap flow, while removing frozen branches and thickening shoots. Branches with last year's flower brushes are cut to the first promising bud, the growths are cut by a third, and the shoots growing inside the bush are completely removed.

To rejuvenate the bush, remove all existing branches. Autumn pruning involves removing flower stalks that can break under the snow. At the same time, the shoots do not touch, allowing the plant to winter, being in a strong and healthy state.

• Preparing for winter. Despite the frost resistance of the variety, to prevent freezing, the plant is covered using spruce branches or covering material. In warm climates, the bushes huddle high and are left to winter without shelter. In this case, the near-stem circles are sprinkled with a 10-centimeter layer of peat, needles and dry leaves.

• Loosening and mulching. The earth around the bush is loosened 3-4 times per season, trying not to damage the roots, and mulching of the trunks is performed using sour peat and coniferous needles.

You can propagate the Unicorn hydrangea cuttings, layering and dividing the bush.

• Cutting is as follows: in the period from 10 to 15 June, a stalk with 4 buds is cut from a bush and placed in Kornevin's solution. After the appearance of the first roots, the shoot is transplanted into a loose, slightly acidic soil, deepening it by 2 buds. From above, the landing is covered with a film or glass jar, which is removed after the first leaves appear. For the winter, the garden bed is covered with spruce branches, and in the spring, to strengthen the root system, the first peduncles are cut off.

• Reproduction by layering is performed in the spring. To do this, take a lateral shoot, remove a small section of bark from it, place it in a previously dug groove and fix it with a garden hairpin. Sprinkle the shoot with peat, leaving only the top outside.

All summer long, the layers are watered together with the mother plant, and for the winter they are covered with spruce branches. In the spring, young seedlings are carefully separated from the main bush and transplanted to the garden bed. A transplant to a permanent place is performed in the 4th year.

• The division of the bush is performed as follows: an adult bush is watered abundantly and carefully removed from the ground. Then, with a sharp shovel, the rhizome is divided into the required number of parts with healthy roots and strong shoots. The bushes are planted in prepared holes and watered abundantly.

"Unique" can be propagated by young shoots that appear around an adult bush. In autumn, young shoots are carefully separated from the root system of the bush, transplanted to a permanent place and watered abundantly.

For an overview of the Unicorn hydrangea, see below.