The lush plant of the hydrangea family has up to 80 species. At home, in China and Japan, it looks more like a small tree.
Origin
Hydrangea Bombshell (Latin name Hydrangea paniculata "Bombshell") was recently bred by Belgian breeders. Its author was Alex Frederick Schomaker, who worked on the new variety for several years, and registered it in 2010.
The plant is perennial, differs in small sizes, on average from 90 to 150 cm in height. Hydrangea Bombshell blooms from early June until the very frosts. Panicles with inflorescences have a wide-conical shape, they can count up to 30 sterile flowers with a diameter of 3 cm. Among the large flowers there are also small fruit-bearing ones. The panicle itself reaches 20 cm in height and up to 15 cm in width.
Lush bombshell bushes
To the description of the Bombshell hydrangea, you can add that the flowers change their color: at the beginning of summer they are creamy, a little later white with a green tint, and by autumn they become pinkish-white. The leaves can also be either a light green shade or emerald. It depends on the composition of the soil.
Cream flowers in summer, pinkish-white in autumn
Open transplant
The acquired plant must be planted carefully, subject to certain conditions. Since this perennial with high winter hardiness, it is better to plant it in early spring, but late autumn is also suitable.
Important! Southern areas are more suitable for spring landing, and northern areas are more suitable for autumn landing.
Seat selection
Panicle hydrangea - decoration of the garden with the right choice of place. It is important to comply with certain criteria. It should be a well-lit place without direct sunlight. In the shade, the plant will also be bad, it will lose its brightness. Garden area without drafts is quite suitable.
Landing process
The soil before planting is dug up and loosened, all weeds are removed. Dig the hole in proportion to the roots of the plant, with a depth of about 70 cm.
The soil is moistened and left overnight. The next day, fertilize the pit with a mixture of peat - 2 parts, sand - 1 part, humus - 1 part and fertile land - 2 parts.
Abundant watering is required immediately after planting.
note! This hydrangea loves acidic soil, so you can not fertilize it with lime, ash or dolomite flour.
Hydrangea propagation by cuttings
Breeding
Hydrangea can be propagated by cuttings and seeds. The first option is simpler, so it is more popular.
Cuttings
For cuttings, young shoots about 10 cm long are cut at right angles. The lower leaves are removed and the finished cuttings are left in the Epin solution at the rate of 8 l of water per 100 g. solution.
A week later, the shoots are planted in pots with loose soil, and after six months they are planted in a permanent place and covered with coniferous branches.
Seed propagation
This is a rather time consuming method. Seeds are harvested at the end of the season and germinated in a moisture-saturated material. When the seeds open, they are transferred to seedlings in a loose substrate, the same as for planting in open ground. Suitable time for rooting is February-March. Three years later, full-fledged bushes are obtained.
Hydrangea Care
Bombshell is very moody and demanding, so a beginner grower needs to know some features. It is necessary to observe the irrigation regime and feed on time.
Watering mode
With proper and abundant watering, hydrangea panicled bombshell will please with lush flowering until late autumn. In a dry season, the soil is moistened every 5 days, then it must be loosened. To prevent the soil from cracking, use mulch.
Top dressing
During the season they feed 3 times. Organic nutrition is needed in the spring for active bush growth and vegetation. After the appearance of the buds, it is advisable to apply fertilizer from a mixture of potassium salt, superphosphate and urea. Another potassium-phosphorus top dressing is required during the flowering period.
Important. The interval between dressings should be at least two weeks. You can not overdo it, otherwise the flowers will become paler.
Features of the content during the flowering period
To maintain abundant and long flowering, experienced growers recommend that certain requirements be observed: regular watering, pruning, fertilizing and protection from diseases and pests. Diseases usually appear due to improper courtship.
The causes of diseases and pests of panicled bombshell are various. The most common problems:
- Chlorosis. If the leaf plates are yellowed and the veins remain dark, this indicates a disease of chlorosis. Other signs are: deformation of the buds, twisting and shrinking leaves, drying shoots.
- Powdery Mildew With this disease, the leaves turn yellow, and a violet or gray coating forms on their back. Young shoots may not survive the winter. They are treated for powdery mildew with fungicides.
- Gray rot. Most often appears after prolonged rains, but can also be formed due to the density and shadow of the panicled Bombshell. The shoots become watery and soft.
- White rot. The root is affected, the plant does not receive the necessary substances in sufficient quantities, the shoots darken, and the bush dies over time. To combat gray and white rot, preferably with fungicides.
- Septoria is easily recognized by brown leaves, which then fall off. The plant is treated with copper sulfate or oxychloride.
note! Insecticides that help them deal well with pests will help.
Features of rest during rest
In the dormant period, the plant needs care. Cut old inflorescences to strong buds, otherwise the next flowering will be sparse. Too old and excess shoots are cut off. To make the plant easily tolerated pruning, do it in spring or autumn.
Bush pruning and lush crown formation
To hydrangea bush also delight the eye with lush brooms, and next year, pruning old and weak branches and leave about 10 healthy shoots.
Spring pruning is preferably carried out before the swelling of the kidneys. For panicled bombshell, this is a must. Otherwise, the bush may not bloom and develop poorly.
Old bushes in the autumn are cut to a stump. Such a plant is rejuvenated in two years. For the future magnificent crown, you need to leave the space around the bush at a distance of 1.5 m.
Winter preparations
Despite the frost resistance, hydrangea called bombshell paniculata must be prepared for wintering. The root system of the plant develops in breadth, so it needs shelter. It can be manure or spruce branches. You can warm the roots with dry leaves, laying them around with a thickness of not more than 20 cm. The branches are bent to the ground and also covered.
Landscape designers have found a new space for imagination
Thanks to panicled Bombshell, landscape designers have gained new scope for imagination. They use it both in single bushes and in groups. Best of all, this plant gets along with coniferous neighbors. The lush beauty will feel good next to the cuff, astilbe and hosts.
Gardeners like to emphasize the size of the plot with hydrangea, whose panicles are lowered under the weight of flowers, and the bush turns into a large white ball. Aerial snow-white bushes will harmonize in the area of any style. They will revive the boring landscape, give it lightness and mood.
With careful treatment, Bombshell will delight its owner for many years.
