Hydrangea can rightfully be called one of the most unique species. This flowering plant combines several qualities that are beneficial for gardeners, of which cold resistance, long flowering, as well as elegant and unique inflorescences can be called the main ones. The article describes the hydrangea petiolaris hydrangea, as one of the most popular varieties, and also describes all the subtleties and rules of caring for the plant.

Botanical grade description

Petioles or Curly Petiolaris Hydrangea (Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris) is one of the most original representatives of the Hortense family (Hydrangeaceae). This is an elegant ornamental shrub, characterized by a curling stalk of the liana type, up to 20 m long. There are special suction cups on it, which, together with numerous breathing roots, allow the plant to be firmly fixed to almost any vertical support. In natural conditions, the plant is based on all kinds of coniferous stands located on the territory of East Asia. It is this zone that is the natural distribution center of the variety.

The stem of the plant consists of numerous elongated branches of creeping type, with a reddish-brown tinge of the bark. The main branches are bare, the lateral branches are covered with lanceolate family characteristic leaves up to 10 cm long, with a pointed end. The edge of each leaf is distinguished by small pointed teeth. The color of the leaf blade in this case is quite saturated, all kinds of dark green shades. The root system of hydrangea is petiole fibrous, the roots are located in the upper part of the substrate.

Did you know? North America is considered to be the center of origin of all hydrangeas; here this species arose in the course of natural hybridization about 40–70 million years ago. The plant was imported to Europe from Japan in 1820.

The main advantage of the variety are graceful inflorescences, which densely cover the curly stem from mid-June to the end of August. Inflorescences are all kinds of large corymbose formations, with an average diameter of up to 20 cm and a length of not more than 30 cm. Each inflorescence consists of small four-petalled flowers of white or creamy white color, with a diameter of up to 2.5 cm.

Landing rules

Planting of hydrangea curly seedlings is carried out during April and May. But, it is also permissible to do this in the beginning of autumn, before the onset of a steady cooling. To do this, choose open and well-lit areas, with low light.

Also, the variety does not tolerate constant drafts and sudden changes in temperature, so they plant it near a hedge or all kinds of garden buildings. In addition, for planting, you should choose a place with a favorable substrate, the most suitable for this area with well-fertilized loamy soil.

Important! Only young and actively growing specimens are suitable for planting. At the same time, planting material with an age of about 2-3 years is the best rooting in a new place.

Landing as follows:

1. 2 weeks before the procedure, you need to clean the soil from weeds and all kinds of pollutants, and then fertilize it. For this, about 5 kg of peat, rotted manure or compost are applied per 1 m². After this, the site should be well plowed to a depth of about 30 cm.
2. Dig a hole with a size of 40 × 40 cm (depth × diameter), and then put drainage of gravel, small gravel or brick on the bottom, a layer of about 10 cm. After that, half the hole should be filled with soil. In the case of planting several plants at once, the minimum distance between adjacent holes should be at least 1 m.
3. Place the seedling in the hole and spread the roots. The root neck should be approximately at the level of the soil.
4. Fill all the cracks with soil, compact it well, and then water the plant abundantly.

Care

The main condition for the successful cultivation of hydrangea is proper care. Only this allows to achieve long-term flowering of the bush, as well as large inflorescences with delicate as well as elegant flowers. To perform qualified care, it is enough to water and trim the shrub on time, and also to cover it for the winter.

Watering and mulching

All hydrangeas are considered quite hygrophilous plants, therefore watering should be carried out regularly. Do this procedure about 1-2 times a week. The fluid flow rate should be approximately 10-20 l / plant (depending on the age of the bush).

To preserve valuable moisture in the substrate, as well as provide hydrangeas with an optimal soil microclimate, it is recommended to mulch the shrub. To do this, the trunk circle should be covered with sawdust, hay, straw, seed husks, coconut coir, etc., with a layer of at least 10-15 cm. The mulch is updated periodically, at least 1 time per month.

Pruning

Since the shoots of this variety are curly and have an increased growth rate, hydrangea Petiolaris must be cut off. This will provide the bush not only the necessary decorativeness, but also the optimal flowering regime. In this case, the inflorescences will be as large as possible, and also cover almost the entire crown, and new shoots will curl more actively.

Perform this procedure in early spring, no later than the end of April. During pruning, all dry, broken and excess shoots are removed. In this case, the crown should form moderately dense and consist of branches with full 2–5 buds. The main branches, if necessary, should be shortened by no more than a third, otherwise pruning can adversely affect the plant.

Important! Hydrangea bushes must be fertilized periodically. At the end of May, a solution of cow manure is used for this (1:10, with a flow rate of 10 l / plant), during the summer and the first half of autumn 3-4 fertilizing is done with any complex mineral fertilizer for flowering species.

Shelter for the winter

In the case of a snowy winter or cultivation in the cold northern regions, it is recommended to cover the hydrangea curly. For this, after lowering the average daily temperature to + 5 ° С, the trunk circle is well mulched, while the covered layer should be at least 20 cm.Young bushes should also be protected from freezing shoots, for this the aboveground part must be covered with a dense burlap, spanbond or any other vapor-proof material.

Breeding

Petiole hydrangea is considered to be a fairly simple plant to propagate, so even a novice gardener can grow new instances of the species in its area. Traditionally, the most popular ways to obtain young seedlings are considered to be cuttings, dividing the bush, as well as rooting layering.

Cuttings

The simplest and most common method of propagation of hydrangea is considered to be cuttings. The procedure allows guaranteed to grow several young seedlings at once and completely plant a garden with shrubs in just a few years. They begin to cuttings at the moment of active growth of buds, approximately in the middle of June. Cuttings are cut from young branches no more than 3 years old. To do this, the shoot is completely separated from the point of its formation on the mother branch, and then cleaned from the top with buds. The resulting workpiece is cut into several parts up to 15 cm long, with each fragment must have about 2-3 pairs of healthy and full leaves.

Rooted cuttings in a mixture of peat and sand (2: 1) on the most illuminated windowsill, protecting seedlings from direct sunlight. At the same time, the soil in the flowerpot must be slightly moist, therefore, the substrate is watered before rooting the cuttings daily, in small portions.

Did you know? For decorative purposes, hydrangea was first grown in China, about 1.5 thousand years ago. The first plant hybrids appeared at the beginning of the twentieth century, thanks to French breeders Victor Nancy, Victor Lemoine and others.

To accelerate the formation of the root system, it is recommended to pre-soak the cuttings in a solution of a growth stimulator (“Heteroauxin”, “Kornevin”, etc.), and after planting, cover with a transparent glass container or polyethylene. Seedlings will be ready to dive into the open soil in about a month, this is evidenced by the appearance of a new pair of leaves. Otherwise, the cuttings are left in the pot until spring.

Layering

Getting hydrangea cuttings is also no less simple than growing cuttings. Moreover, the method is considered the most suitable for beginner growers, as it does not require special skills.

To get layering, you should:

1. In spring (during April), dig an elongated trench along the bush, about 2 cm deep.
2. Bury one of the young shoots in the hole, which is closest to the root system.
3. In mid-August, the layering is rooted, and several vertical processes will form from it.
4. After this, each sprout should be spudded about every 10 days, until small knolls about 25 cm high are formed around them.
5. In October, the layering must be separated into separate seedlings, and then lightly dug into the soil in a separate part of the garden.
6. For the next season (spring), dividers should be planted in a permanent place.

Division

Reproduction by division is most often used during transplantation of adult hydrangea (at least 5 years old) to a new place. They begin this procedure in the spring, during April.

Perform the division of the bush as follows:

1. Water the plant well and wait until the moisture is completely absorbed.
2. Shorten all shoots to 2-3 lower buds.
3. Carefully dig a plant from the soil, and then wash the root system in a deep basin or other container.
4. With a sharp knife, divide the rhizome into 2-3 parts. At the same time, a fragment of aboveground shoots must remain on each dividend.
5. Treat the root system of each dividend with a 2% potassium permanganate solution, and then transplant them to a permanent place.

Landscape design application

In professional landscape design and amateur gardening climbing hydrangea Petiolaris is used to ennoble arbors, garden arches or trellised fence structures. Also, the variety is often used to decorate the walls of various garden buildings, as well as trunks of tall tree-like plants. For this, all kinds of mesh or other structures are installed around the object, entwining which hydrangea completely hides the primary background.

Features of growing in the suburbs

Often, hydrangea cultivation in the Moscow region does not provide for any special or specific procedures. Compliance with the standard technology for growing this variety is enough to create optimal conditions for long-term growth and safe flowering of the bush in this geographical area.

In this case, special attention should be paid to sheltering the plant. If in the cultivation zone there is an excess of the temperature minimum of –25 ...– 30 ° С, in addition to mulching, the shoots of the bush should also be covered. Otherwise, there is a high probability of freezing.

Diseases and Pests

In most cases, petiole hydrangea shows a fairly high resistance to a variety of pests and all kinds of bacterial and fungal infections. Therefore, most gardeners do not encounter this problem. However, bushes can often overeat all kinds of small slugs and snails. Despite the fact that they do not create much damage, such parasitism often negatively affects the appearance of the plant. It is not difficult to overcome this problem, for this it is enough to create a continuous protective zone from the cleared river sand around the trunk circle.

Hydrangea Petiolaris is one of the most striking examples of climbing shrubs, distinguished by their unpretentiousness, as well as high aesthetic characteristics. This plant is able to become an ideal complement to almost any garden buildings, as well as perfectly decorate the site with delicate and elegant inflorescences. However, for this, the bush needs proper and regular care.