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From the beginning of summer to the onset of autumn, the panicle hydrangea Daruma pleases with its flowering. The shrub plant is decorative and fast growing, for which it has gained popularity among gardeners and owners of country houses. Demanding on soil and growing conditions. If you neglect the rules of disembarkation and care, panicle hydrangea Daruma can lose its decorative effect.
Description of hydrangea paniculata Daruma
Hydrangea paniculata (Hydrangea paniculata) is a deciduous shrub with a fan-shaped arrangement of branches. Hydrangeas are fast growing and can grow up to 3 m in height.
Daruma is considered the smallest shrub in its family. Its height does not exceed 150 cm, which makes it possible to use an ornamental shrub in landscape compositions and even in interior design.
Distinctive features of the plant:
- erect, strong shoots are dark red or red-brown;
- medium-sized flowers (no more than 2 cm in diameter) are collected in small openwork paniculate cone-shaped inflorescences;
- dark green ovoid leaves have a reddish tint;
- flowers of a creamy shade at the beginning of flowering in a short time acquire an intense pink color;
- the height of a shrub with a vertically arranged fan-shaped crown does not exceed 1.5 m.
Hydrangea of this species can become the center of a flower arrangement.
In southern regions with a subtropical climate, the height of Daruma panicle hydrangea can reach 2.5-3 m. The plant can be formed depending on the composition: it can be a lush bush or a small tree with a beautiful crown.
Hydrangea Daruma in landscape design
Due to the duration of flowering and high decorativeness, panicle hydrangea (paniculata dharuma) is in demand in the preparation of landscape compositions. It lends itself well to the formation of a bush by pruning.
Hydrangea Daruma is used to create hedges, English flower beds, dividing garden areas, compositions with other plants.
The most common uses for a plant in landscaping are:
- A combination of shrubs and conifers. They have the ability to increase the acidity of the soil, and also create partial shade, which has a positive effect on the decorative effect of the plant.
- To create mixborders, it is good to make compositions from hydrangea with berry and boxwood. Barberry is especially good for the plant.
- For a hedge, designers suggest using either a hydrangea planted around the perimeter of the site, or in combination with a juniper.
Winter hardiness of hydrangea paniculata Daruma
In the conditions of harsh Russian winters, panicle hydrangea has taken root well. There are several types of this plant. Daruma differs from its counterparts in color of flowers and shape of inflorescences.
All species of the panicle hydrangea class are suitable for growing in the middle lane. But at the same time, young plants require preparation for the winter season.
Daruma panicle hydrangea is recommended for design solutions in central Russia, since this species is frost-resistant.Adult plants perfectly tolerate the winter cold, characteristic of the climatic zone of the middle zone.
After planting, the plant should provide shelter for the first 2 years before the onset of frost. In cold regions, such protection will be needed annually.
Planting and caring for Daruma panicle hydrangea
The decorativeness of the plant depends on the correctly chosen planting site and the quality of the soil. Hydrangea paniculata Daruma prefers shade and partial shade. Does not like direct sunlight.
When planting, the growth bud should not be deepened, it must be on the surface
If you plant a shrub in places open to the sun, the flowers quickly lose color, become pale, a dirty brown unattractive shade appears. Daruma hydrangea is demanding for soils, but unpretentious in care.
In order for the Daruma panicle hydrangea to take root well on the site and for many years to be a decoration of the garden, you need to familiarize yourself with the simple rules for choosing a place and procedure for planting, watering and feeding and preparing for the winter season.
Selection and preparation of the landing site
For abundant long flowering and good growth, the soil for planting must have an acidic environment. Heavy loams with neutral acidity must be prepared in advance.
The best place for planting will be partial shade and no drafts. It is best to plant young plants in the spring to allow them to grow stronger and adapt to new conditions over the summer.
Autumn planting is possible only in the southern regions - where there is no threat of early frosts and sudden temperature changes.
Landing rules
Having chosen the landing site, they begin to prepare the pit. Its depth depends on the size of the root and is at least 40 cm. The width is about half a meter.
Having dug a hole, 2 - 3 buckets of soft water, free of lime, are poured into it. Leave it overnight.
A third of the volume of the planting pit is filled with a mixture of sand with humus or peat. The root system is placed in the hole so that the bud remains above the soil surface, and the plant is located strictly vertically.
They are covered with earth and tamped tightly. After planting, water the young hydrangea with plenty of soft water.
Watering and feeding
To provide the plant with lush flowering and health, you need to create:
- regular watering;
- top dressing;
- pruning;
- loosening the soil in the root zone.
Watering should be done more often 2 times a week in hot weather. Hydrangea Daruma is responsive to watering and feeding. It is better to use soft water. If this is not possible, the tap water should be allowed to settle.
Careful hydrangea care will ensure lush, long-lasting flowering
In order for the branches of the shrub to be flexible, gardeners are recommended to spray and water with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. This procedure is carried out three times during flowering.
Hydrangea paniculata Daruma is responsive to fertilization. For top dressing, organic and mineral compositions are used. You can start the procedure already at the beginning of spring after sap flow.
There are several types of hydrangea dressings:
- During the formation of leaves, fertilizing is carried out with the following composition: for 10 liters of water - 1 tbsp. l. potassium sulfate and urea. For watering one plant, you need 5 tsp. composition.
- During the budding period, they are fed with organic matter: the slurry is diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10, adding potassium and phosphorus preparations to the solution.
- In the fall, after the end of flowering, they are fed with the following composition: 10 liters of water are diluted with a tablespoon of superphosphate and potassium sulfate.
A time-tested recipe for feeding a plant without the use of chemicals for 200 liters of water:
- a bottle of iodine;
- copper and iron vitriol - 1 tbsp. l;
- manganese and boron - 1 tsp each;
- chalk - 1 kg;
- dandelion herb, wormwood and celandine, finely chopped into gruel.
The resulting solution is mixed well, left for 7 to 10 days. 2 liters of this solution is diluted with 10 liters of water. The sediment can be laid out on the root system.
Pruning Daruma hydrangea
In order for the plant to please with a lush color, it is necessary to prune. Without it, the flowers become small and inconspicuous.
The pruning procedure rejuvenates the plant and stimulates new shoots. This makes the hydrangea more lush and allows you to get rid of diseased and dry twigs.
It is customary to cut panicle hydrangea in early spring before sap flow. In the middle lane, this period falls on the beginning of April. To determine the optimal time for the procedure, the growth buds are monitored. As soon as they swell, you can start pruning with the simultaneous formation of a bush.
The optimal time for pruning is until the end of April in the middle lane. Accordingly, for the southern regions, the period is shifted by 1 - 2 weeks, as for the northern regions.
In autumn, sanitary pruning is possible: removal of diseased and dried branches. It is not recommended to form a bush in the autumn.
Types of trimming:
- Shaping - trimming that allows you to shape. Before the third year, it is important to form a skeleton. To do this, in 1 - 2 years, the skeletal branches are cut to the base, and the shoots growing inward are removed. In the 3rd year, 3 buds are left on the skeletal branches.
- The regulating is carried out to thin out the crown, which ensures lush flowering in the future.
- Anti-aging involves the removal of shoots older than 3 - 4 years.
- Sanitary - removal of diseased branches.
In case of severe damage, cardinal pruning will save the plant
Branches that have undergone freezing are cut to healthy wood.
Preparing for winter
The key to preserving hydrangeas is the rules for preparing for the winter period. Before sheltering for the winter, the following manipulations should be carried out:
- stop watering in autumn;
- trim inflorescences and remove foliage;
- stop the supply of nitrogen, you can feed with fertilizers based on potassium and phosphorus.
Before sheltering, the plant must be covered with earth mixed with peat. This will protect the trunk circle from freezing. The plant must be bent to the ground, using wire braces for this purpose.
Cover the top with plastic wrap or covering material, then spruce branches. Press the edges of the film (material) around the trunk circle with the help of weights, which can be used as stones, bricks and other materials at hand.
Reproduction
A plant that has taken root on the site can be propagated. There are 3 ways to breed hydrangeas:
- Cuttings. To do this, you need to cut off a stalk with 2 internodes during the period of bud swelling. The lower end is cut at an angle of 45 degrees, the upper end should be straight. It is lowered into a container with a soil mixture by 3 - 4 cm, covered according to the principle of a mini greenhouse. 2 months after rooting, you can plant the hydrangea in the ground.
- Air layering. This method is the easiest for beginner gardeners. A healthy, strong shoot is bent to the ground, fix the position with a hairpin, and buried in. This place is watered abundantly. After a year, you can separate the shoot from the root and plant it in a new place.
- Reproduction by seeds at home is a laborious long process, the result of which cannot be relied upon. It will take up to 2.5 years to wait for young planting material. Seeds are scattered over the soil surface in a container, compacted and moistened with a sprayer. Cover the container with transparent glass or film, which must be removed daily for airing for 1 - 2 hours. After the emergence of seedlings (this will happen no earlier than 1.5 months), they are dived.They are fed with nitrogen-containing mixtures.
Diseases and pests
Despite the good survival rate and ease of care, panicle hydrangeas, like all plants, are susceptible to damage. Most often these are diseases of viral or fungal etiology.
Gardeners are faced with the following diseases:
- powdery mildew;
- white and gray rot;
- septoria.
In the fight against such ailments, fungicides are used. To protect Daruma hydrangea from powdery mildew, use a soap solution mixed with the composition of copper sulfate. Use to spray the plant.
Pests and ways to combat them:
- Snails. Usually they are removed by hand. But this will have to be done daily. You can use a means that scares away snails, which are laid out around the perimeter of the trunk circle.
- Spider mite. Destroy the pest with insecticidal preparations.
- Aphids are the most dangerous pest for Darum hydrangea. Spraying is carried out with soapy water, cold water or Tamrek and Commander preparations.
- Gall nematodes lead to wilting of plant leaves, threaten the root system. In order to prevent the reproduction of the pest, before planting, the roots of the hydrangea should be treated with copper sulfate. An adult plant is protected as follows: special preparations are introduced into the soil.
Conclusion
Hydrangea paniculata Daruma is a wonderful flower for creating compositions in the garden and greenhouse. All summer long, the plant pleases the eye with a lush color. To prolong the life of the Daruma panicle hydrangea, you should familiarize yourself with the rules of planting, care and reproduction, and follow them.
