The attractive appearance of a garden depends on many factors. There is more to it than an evenly trimmed lawn and shrubs such as popular thuyas or spruces. If you want the space to look pleasing to the eye, it's worth taking care of colorful, summer-flowering flowers that will beautifully accent your presence among the greenery. A fantastic choice of plant for the garden is the garden hydrangea.
Garden hydrangea - why should you choose it?
Hydrangea is a shrub native to Asia that grows to an average height of about 1.5 meters. This makes it a large plant that fills empty space well. Its biggest advantage is the huge, ball-shaped inflorescences in eye-catching colors. It blooms all summer long, from June to August, and its flowers remain on the bush through the autumn.
It is worth planting this plant in your garden because of its unusual flowers. Their color depends on the reaction of the soil, so you can modify them according to your own taste, if you want to. This shrub will look good in any garden: from modern and Japanese to English and rustic styles.
Of course, this plant has certain requirements. But they are not hard to provide, and the visual effect that hydrangea flowers provide is worth a little work.
This shrub has mainly ornamental function. It gives the garden an unusual, rustic atmosphere. It fills the empty space and also gives color. The hydrangea also looks beautiful in a vase, so when growing this plant you can occasionally cut its stems to decorate the table or room. It is an extremely valued ornamental plant with high popularity.
Hydrangea requirements
This shrub will need a bright, warm position. However, it must be at the same time relatively secluded, as well as located in the gentle semi-shade. The idea is that the plant should not be exposed to very sharp rays of the sun. The hydrangea prefers fertile, well-nourished soil. It should also be light and constantly moist. This shrub definitely does not like drought and dry soil.
It is important to remember to water hydrangeas regularly. However, this should not be done in the middle of the day (especially in summer), but only in the evening or early morning. Watering plants in the middle of the day, when the sun is very hot, risks scorching them, so this should be avoided.
The hydrangea should be pruned to ensure abundant, strong flowering and good growth. It is worth to cover it for winter. If it gets cold, it may not bloom.
Fertilization
Hydrangea, like most garden ornamental plants, blooms most beautifully when it is fertilized. From June to July it is best to fertilize it with nitrogen-rich fertilizers, and at the end of July phosphorus and potassium fertilizers should be introduced. Well-stocked gardening stores carry a variety of fertilizers, even those that are intended exclusively for this species of plant.
Do not fertilize the bush at a later time. It must have time to prepare for winter and stop abundant growth. Therefore, you can no longer fertilize hydrangeas in September.
Flower color - what does it depend on?
Hydrangea can bloom in white, pink, red, as well as blue. Often the most desired color of the flowers is just the beautiful blue color, going towards indigo, a deep blue shade. The color of the flowers depends on the reaction of the soil in which the plant lives.
Alkaline soil produces pink and red flowers. As the acidity increases, the flowers will become a bluer, bluer color. An ammonium sulfate or potassium sulfate fertilizer can be used for this purpose. Potassium alum or aluminum alum will give a similar effect. Do not exceed a portion of 10 - 15 grams per bush.
Soil that is too alkaline can cause abnormal development of the plant and damage its leaves, so if you want to get pink or red, it is advisable not to exceed a pH value of 6.2. A magnesium or calcium fertilizer will ensure an alkaline soil reaction.
Good soil is the basis of any crop
There are plants with low soil requirements. However, the vast majority of garden plants require good soil quality, fertilization and regular watering. This affects their growth, flowering and even the intensity of their coloration. Therefore, a great step is to arrange for compost in your garden - preferably from your own composter.
Compost is a fantastic fertilizer for any garden plant. It is natural, rich in nutrients, and can be completely free. All the work of creating this valuable fertilizer is done by earthworms and other small organisms that inhabit the composter. Compost is worth mulching any place where you plan to grow plants - from ornamental shrubs to perennials, annuals and vegetables or fruit bushes.
You can even build a composter yourself and put all organic waste into it: cut stems, grass, branches, vegetable peelings, fruit or eggshells. You can buy special starters containing bacteria that speed up the metabolism.
