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The Magical Moonlight hydrangea got its name due to the similarity of the colors of the blossoming buds with the moonlight. It is a large and highly decorative plant with a long flowering time.
Due to its attractive and very effective appearance, this culture can become a decoration of any garden plot.
Description of the hydrangea variety Magic Moonlight
Hydrangea paniculata of this species has the following official variety name: Hydrangea Paniculata Magical Moonlight. This plant is a perennial shrub up to 2-2.5 m high. Its crown, consisting of large buds, can have a diameter of up to 1.2 m. The shoots are thin and long, their foliage is high.
Large hydrangea Magic Moonlight buds are located on long shoots of the current year, their length reaches 20-35 cm
The shape of the buds is voluminous and oblong. Blooming, they reach a diameter of 10-15 cm. It is difficult to find a plant that can exist in a northern climate, with such large inflorescences.
The vegetation of the Magic Moonlight hydrangea begins in mid-April. The flowering period stretches from May to August, but inflorescences are often found, blooming in September.
In shaded hydrangea specimens, a creamy greenish tint is retained. Those exposed to the sun turn white or pink.
Hydrangea Magic Moonlight in landscape design
The height of the Magical Moonlight hydrangea bush is more than two meters. At the same time, the crown, which has a diameter of about 1.2 m, is densely dotted with large flowers that are renewed regularly and do not disappear almost throughout the summer. Such a representative of the flora simply could not fail to interest the designers of garden plots.
As an element of landscape design, the Magic Moonlight hydrangea can be used as:
- hedge filler;
- freestanding plant;
- the central part of a complex flower arrangement (for example, flower beds).
An additional advantage of the variety is its ability to change the color of the inflorescences not only from the light, but also from the season: by the fall, most flowers will have a pinkish tint.
For those for whom natural colors are not enough, an alternative method of changing the shade of hydrangea, Magic Moonlight, is proposed. The color change occurs when the plant is watered with various dyes; it is fashionable to purchase them in specialized stores.
To obtain a special color for the Magic Moonlight hydrangea, more complex compositions are used. For example, to give the petals a blue color, water with admixtures of aluminum or iron salts is used, a pink tint is obtained by adding peat and potassium permanganate to the water for irrigation, etc.
Winter hardiness of hydrangea Magic Moonlight
The plant has good frost resistance. When covered, it can withstand cold temperatures down to - 29 ° C. Winter hardiness of uncovered branches is significantly lower, but they are also able to withstand negative temperatures (up to - 5-8 ° C).
Planting and caring for hydrangea Magic Moonlight
Caring for the Magic Moonlight hydrangea is simple and unpretentious, it consists of regular watering and feeding the plant, as well as pruning the branches twice a season. In cold regions, the plant should be prepared for wintering.
Selection and preparation of the landing site
When choosing a place for planting Magic Moonlight, one should proceed from the fact that she does not like open sunny areas, but if you plant a bush in the shade, its color will remain greenish. In this case, the color will practically not change over time. Therefore, a half-hearted solution is used - the Magical Moonlight hydrangea seedlings are planted in partial shade with equal intervals of illumination and shading.
The soil should be slightly acidic, loose and, if possible, moist. For planting, three-year-old Magical Moonlight hydrangea seedlings are used.
It is advisable to protect the site from strong gusts of wind
Landing rules
The Magical Moonlight hydrangea is planted in spring or autumn. The first option is more preferable, since the plant takes root relatively quickly and does not need a dormant period. A month before planting, the soil is dug up and compost is added to it.
The size of the holes depends on the degree of development of the horse system. It should fit completely into them without overlap or twisting. When planting several hydrangeas, a distance of at least 2 m is left between them, otherwise the crowns will interfere with each other.
Often the seed can be sold as a young potted plant.
After covering the roots of the Magical Moonlight hydrangea with earth, it is thoroughly tamped and watered with 10-12 liters of water. The trunk circle should be mulched with an acidic nutrient mixture. The ideal option would be to use peat for this purpose. The thickness of the mulch layer is at least 7 cm.
Watering and feeding
After planting, during the first month, young plants are watered daily. In the future, the regularity of watering is reduced, but their volumes remain the same. The frequency of watering depends on the properties of the soil. The main rule: the top layer should not remain dry. If mulching is not done, the soil should be loosened to a depth of at least 5 cm.
Typically, two feedings of the Magic Moonlight hydrangea are used:
- Spring is a vegetation stimulant. At this time, urea is introduced (20 g per 10 l of water) in the amount of 1 bucket for young plants and 2 buckets for an adult. Top dressing is applied during the budding period.
- Summer is used for spectacular flowering. In this case, a mixture of superphosphate, urea and potassium sulfate is used. All components are taken in an amount of 30 g and dissolved in 1 bucket of water. This volume is completely poured under 1 bush.
Sometimes a third top dressing is also used, carried out in late autumn. Organic fertilizer is spread under the plant in the form of rotted manure or compost. This is a standard "snow" top dressing to provide the bush with nutrients in early spring.
How to cut hydrangea paniculata Magik Moonlight
Pruning the plant is relatively easy, but should be done regularly. This procedure is carried out in the off-season, it includes two stages:
- In autumn: removal of dry inflorescences and shoots of this year.
- In spring: removal of frozen, damaged and diseased branches, thinning of old ones.
In fact, Magical Moonlight hydrangea pruning in autumn is stimulating, while spring pruning is sanitary and formative.
Preparing for winter
Without shelter, the variety in question can withstand temperatures no more than - 5-8 ° C. If the garden area is located in a southern temperate zone, it is possible that the Magical Moonlight hydrangea shelter will not be needed.
In the event that more severe weather conditions are likely in winter, the Magic Moonlight hydrangea needs to be taken care of by sheltering it from the cold.Warming takes place in the horizontal plane. In this case, it is necessary to do the following:
- A flooring is being built close to the bush. It can be any structure made of fallen leaves, straw or spruce branches.
- The branches that have passed the autumn pruning are laid on the made flooring.
- A pillow consisting of straw or needles is placed on top of the branches. To protect it from rain and other types of external moisture, the top layer is covered with polyethylene.
- The entire shelter is additionally covered from above with burlap. And when the first snow falls, another layer of thermal insulation 20-30 cm thick is formed from it.
The use of foliage as a pillow is not recommended due to the fact that they may contain pathogens of bacterial and fungal infections
Reproduction
For propagation of hydrangeas, you can use both seed and vegetative methods. Usually, varietal varieties are not grown with the help of the latter. With this method of reproduction, the plant is formed for a relatively long time, blooms later, although it has greater endurance, but less attractive appearance. And the main purpose of the seed method is to obtain new varieties.
That is why gardeners have completely switched to the vegetative method. For hydrangea Magic Moonlight, any of the existing methods is acceptable. The most popular is cuttings. It is relatively simple and fast.
In early May, cuttings 10-15 cm long are cut. They must have at least 2 buds. Then a nutrient substrate is prepared. It consists of river sand and peat in equal proportions. In some cases, crushed sphagnum moss is added to the substrate.
Cuttings pre-soaked in Kornevin are installed in the substrate and sent to a shaded cool place
The first roots appear after 20 days, after which the plant is transplanted to a permanent place.
You can use layering by bending a long hydrangea branch to the ground, securing it with fasteners and sprinkling it with earth. At the end of the season, when the root system is formed, the daughter plant is separated from the mother and transplanted.
But the easiest way to propagate the Magic Moonlight hydrangea is to divide the bush. Everything is simple here: in spring or autumn, the plant is completely dug up and, using a knife, is divided into several parts. The main condition: on each of the plots there must be at least three buds.
Diseases and pests
The plant has above average resistance to diseases and pests, but even so, you should not lose your vigilance.
The most common problems that Magic Moonlight can experience are:
- Spider mite. It is difficult to see it as it mostly sits on the underside of the sheet. Moreover, its dimensions are small. In the fight against it, spraying with Thiofos is used.
The symptom of the appearance of this bug is yellowing and drying of the foliage.
- Downy mildew appears on stem and leaves. In these places, yellow areas appear, which eventually turn black and dry out.
If the hydrangea is affected by this or any other fungus, the branches should be treated with a solution of soap and water and copper sulfate.
- Chlorosis possible only if the plant was overfed with organic matter with nitrogen. It is recommended to water the Magical Moonlight hydrangea with a preparation of potassium nitrate (no more than 2 times), and after a few days - with a solution of copper sulfate.
Chlorosis is characterized by loss of leaf pigmentation.
- Aphid can be easily defeated by spraying with Anabazine.
Aphids are one of the most dangerous pests that multiply quickly.
Conclusion
Hydrangea Magical Moonlight is a beautiful large size flower with high decorative effect. They can be used in the garden in any way convenient for the gardener, the result will always be positive, since the exterior of the plant deserves all praise.Unpretentiousness in conditions of maintenance and ease of care make Magic Moonlight a species that can be recommended for growing to novice gardeners.
