The true queen can be called Hydrangea Unic. This variety fits perfectly into the landscape of the site. The decorative plant is highly popular among summer residents, gardeners and landscape designers.
Description of the variety of hydrangea Unik and its characteristics
Chic panicle hydrangea Unique is the most popular variety of its kind. The preference for gardeners is due to particularly large inflorescences of the culture. In nature, the variety grows in Japan and China, as well as on Sakhalin.
Panicled hydrangea does not fade for a long time
History of occurrence
The Unic variety was bred in Belgium in 1950. As a result of the work of Robert and Elena de Balder, for the first time an ideal variety of hydrangea was obtained. Later, the flower began to gain its popularity. In 1993, the plant won a prestigious award from the Royal Horticultural Partnership.
Grade Features
The sprawling shrub has excellent decorativeness. The roots grow very quickly, the whole system is superficial. If the bush was planted in light soil, then root shoots appear, which are easy to use for breeding. Unik reaches a height of 2 m and a crown diameter of 3 m. This feature allows you to plant a shrub in the form of a hedge.
Shoots grow vertically, and this helps to create a regular rounded shape for the bush. The growth of shoots per year is 20 cm. The main decoration of the plant is large, wide inflorescences. Their diameter reaches 25 cm. Flowers do not bear fruit.
Important! The difference between the Unik variety is its bright aroma, which is peculiar only to it, in contrast to hydrangea and paniculata.
Landing and further care
Planting and caring for a variety of hydrangeas Unik is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance. Even a beginner will cope with a clear step-by-step instruction.
Site selection and preparation
From where hydrangea will be planted, the decorativeness and appearance of the plant largely depends. An ideal place is an open, well-lit area. So the gardener will receive a sprawling bush with a long and lush flowering. It is allowed to plant shrubs at partial shade. The landing site must be protected from the winds, otherwise they can break fragile shoots.
Hydrangea Unic, planted in a summer cottage
How to plant
Planting seedlings is carried out only in spring or autumn. It is preferable to carry out work in the spring, so that by winter the plant has managed to fully get stronger.
Technology planting hydrangeas Unik:
- Landing pits are prepared in advance. The diameter should be from 60 to 80 cm, everything will depend on the size of the root system of the bush. The depth of the pit should be at least 50 cm.
- The distance between the bushes should be done at least 2.5 m.
- The pit is well watered, and the drainage layer is laid at the bottom.
- Soil mix for Unica should consist of humus and sand in combination with peat and soil of high fertility. Urea and Superphosphate should be added to the composition.
- The sapling falls into the pit, its roots straighten well, and the pit is filled with earth.
- The planted plant is watered, and a mulching layer is lined on top.
Watering and feeding
After planting, you need to carefully care for hydrangea and water it. Frequent watering is necessary until the seedlings take root well in a new place. Further, only 5 waterings per season will be sufficient. In dry times, it is recommended to spray the crown of the bush.
Important! Unix hydrangea needs to be fertilized 3 times a season.
The first fertilizer is applied in the spring before the buds begin to bloom. At this time, nitrogen-containing compounds or urea are suitable. In summer, potash or phosphorus fertilizers are used. Experienced gardeners recommend spilling the plant with potassium permanganate under the root or along the crown. So the shoots of the bush are strengthened.
Large plantings of hydrangeas in the form of hedges
Pruning
Hydrangea is cut off only in the spring, when the sap flow of the plant has not yet begun. Damaged and broken shoots need to be removed, faded inflorescences are shortened to the first bud. Last year's shoots are cut by a third. Branches that thicken the bush are also removed. If the bush requires complete rejuvenation, then the branches need to be cut to the root.
Winter preparations
Despite the fact that panicled hydrangea of the Unique variety is considered frost-resistant, in order to prevent freezing of the kidneys, it is better to cover the bush for the winter. In the southern latitudes, an adult bush is just spudding. In regions with cold winters, shoots bend to the ground, are fixed and covered with spruce branches.
Breeding
Hydrangea is equally well bred by cuttings, by dividing the bush and layering.
Most often, propagation by cuttings is used, since the method is effective and simple. In the spring, during pruning, you need to take care of the procurement of planting material. Cuttings can be cut in the summer, when the shoots are saturated with moisture as much as possible. Spring cuttings should contain at least 4 buds. Cut off shoots are placed in a container with a solution of growth accelerator, where they are left for several days.
After this, the cuttings can be planted in prepared beds, deepening them by 2 buds. The soil is loose and sour. At first, planting should be protected from the bright sun. As care, only watering and careful loosening are used. When the first leaves appear, the shelter from the cuttings is removed.
Important! Transplanting cuttings to a permanent place can be carried out only after 4 years.
For propagation of the culture, layering is also used. To do this, in early spring on the shrub you need to choose the shoots that are the lowest to the soil. Small furrows are made for them under the shrub, and the shoots themselves need to be gently bent to the soil, and then fixed with wire. At the rooting site, the bark is cut or an incision is made.
The attachment site is covered with earth, and the top should remain on the surface. Over the season, cuttings are watered as often as the mother bush. It will be possible to separate young seedlings and transplant them to a permanent place next spring.
The use of flower in landscape design
By dividing the bush, hydrangea is not bred often. The plant is growing rapidly, so it is very difficult to separate. The division of the bush is performed in the spring, at the time when the transplant is carried out, if necessary. Previously, the bush is watered well, after which it is pulled out of the ground by a shovel. The roots are cleared from the ground, and the bush is divided into several parts. The resulting delenki planted in the landing pit and well watered.
Diseases and pests, ways to combat them
The bush must be protected from pests and diseases. Unique Hydrangea often suffers from attacks of aphids, spider mites, thrips, green bugs and others. As a prophylaxis, the plant should be periodically sprayed with insecticides, and sometimes folk remedies are used. For large shrubs, mechanical traps can be used.
In addition to chlorosis, hydrangea sometimes has cancer and powdery mildew. Gray rot and septoria are often found on the shrub. For treatment, alternative recipes and fungicides can be used. In advanced cases, the shrub needs to be dug up and destroyed, and the soil under it is treated with potassium permanganate or fungicides.
Important! To protect the plant from disease, preventive measures must be taken at least once a month.
Use in landscape design
In garden design, hydrangea is used quite often. This shrub is especially loved by landscape gardening specialists. An excellent combination of Unik variety with other types of hydrangea is achieved by planting them side by side, given the variety of shades. Options for using the culture:
- Often a flower is planted in group plantings of trees and shrubs. In this case, hydrangea becomes a bright accent.
- As a central plant and on a green lawn, Hydrangea Unic also looks very impressive. A vivid composition is obtained thanks to the colorful flowers and the beautiful shape of the bush.
- Hydrangea can be found in city parks. The increased gas contamination of this plant is not terrible. Lush and prolonged flowering allows hydrangea to be planted on flower beds.
- Hydrangea Unicum - a chic decoration of a personal plot and a great option for forming a hedge. A spectacular appearance is achieved due to the good diameter of the crown of the bush and lush flowering.
Hydrangea Hedge
Growing panicled Hydrangea Unic at home is available even for a beginner, you just need to adhere to a simple scheme for caring for a plant. As a result, the culture will respond with abundant flowering and a thick hat of greenery.
