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Hydrangea is highly decorative. Thanks to this, it is popular among flower growers. Many of them use a tree-like type of shrub - hydrangea on a trunk. This method of forming a bush has a beautiful and well-groomed crown, dotted with huge inflorescences. It may seem that it is too difficult to implement this, but in fact, the standard hydrangea is relatively easy to do with your own hands.
What does hydrangea mean on a trunk
In its ordinary form, hydrangea is a shrub up to 2 m high with one to two dozen straight branches, but slightly drooping at the ends. The standard variety is a central trunk, having a length of 30 to 150 cm, branching from above in the form of a tree.
The root system of hydrangea allows you to grow tree-like varieties not only in the open field, but also in a separate container
Due to such "raising" of the bush, the dimensions of the plant are reduced above the ground level, it acquires a more compact and aesthetic appearance. Standard hydrangea bushes are widely used in landscape design.
The main difference in the appearance of the standard and bush hydrangea is the shape of the crown
The best varieties of hydrangea for the standard form
Currently, it is recommended to use three varieties of hydrangea for growing in a standard form. Each of them differs in its characteristics and dimensions.
Panicle hydrangea
It is considered a versatile option used in many design solutions. Possesses high frost resistance and gives abundant long-term flowering. The main shoots are very strong and can remain unchanged for a long time, which will be an additional plus when forming a plant. Paniculata hydrangea on a trunk is shown in the photo below:
For the normal development and life of the plant, the trunk must be directed vertically upward with the help of rope struts
Traditionally, this culture has a trunk height of 50 cm to 1 m. It is believed that panicle hydrangea can survive for about 50 years. The total plant height can be up to 4 m.
Grandiflora
The classic version used to obtain standard plants before the appearance of a large number of varieties of panicle hydrangea. Until now, all new varieties have been compared with Grandiflora. In its homeland (the countries of the Middle East), it can reach up to 10 m in height.
Grandiflora is a classic choice for stem shaping with a 200-year history
The main problem of this variety is related to the fact that in a temperate and even subtropical climate, its bushes rarely reach a height of even 2.5 m.That is why the appearance of paniculate hybrids literally ousted Grandiflora from gardens and parks. However, if the difference in height of 1.5-2 m is not critical, this variety can also be used for the trunk.
PG (Pee-Gee)
The name is an abbreviation for Paniculata Grandiflora, which translates as "paniculata Grandiflora". This fully reflects the type of the given culture.Pee-Gee is an improved version of Grandiflora, hybridized with one of the panicle hydrangeas. It is distinguished by abundant and long-term flowering, various shades of color, large and dense flowers.
PG stems have the densest flower cover, behind which leaves are sometimes not visible
In addition, Pi-Ji has frost resistance up to - 35 ° C, unpretentiousness and drought resistance. She is able to change her shade over time. At the beginning of flowering, it is white, then pink, at the end it is purple.
Other varieties
The varieties of hydrangeas listed above are used most often, but the choice of varieties for the stem is not limited only to them. Today, it can be used for similar cultivation of the varieties Vanilla Freise, Pinky Winky, Kiushu, Phantom, Lime light.
It is believed that the listed varieties have, in comparison with panicle hydrangea, a longer flowering duration and a wide variety of shades.
Hydrangea on a trunk in landscape design
This method of decorating a plant is an excellent garden decoration that can be used in a wide variety of landscape design solutions:
- in various mixborders in combination with other ornamental plants;
- boles with bushes of different shades will be used to create Japanese gardens;
- trees grown in a separate container can be used to decorate balconies, terraces, benches, and other resting places;
- standard hydrangea can be combined with ground cover plants;
- good combinations are obtained with undersized conifers;
- hydrangea can be the center of the composition in a flower bed.
Depending on the height of the crown, standard plant varieties can be used for other tasks.
How to grow a hydrangea on a stem
Forming and growing such a plant is relatively straightforward. The only drawback of this variety is the rather long formation time, which takes from 2 to 7 years. The features of growing a standard hydrangea and caring for it are discussed below.
Selection and preparation of the landing site
All the rules and conditions for growing an artisanal form of hydrangea are also suitable for standard ones. She needs an area located in partial shade with approximately equal intervals of lighting and shading. The soil should be slightly acidic, moderately moist and loose.
Planting rules for standard hydrangea
Plants are planted at the beginning or end of the warm season. Moreover, spring planting will be more effective, since the bush will take root much faster. 3-4 weeks before planting, the soil on the site is dug up and fertilized with humus or compost.
The holes are made of such a volume that the root system of the seedling is fully placed in them. The distance between adjacent plants for standard varieties should not be less than 2 m.
Often, hydrangea seedlings are planted in open ground along with a lump of earth.
The seedling is placed in the center of the hole, its root system is straightened and evenly sprinkled with the removed soil. Next, the soil is lightly tamped and the seedling is watered with one bucket of water. It is advisable to mulch a near-trunk circle about 1 m in diameter with peat 5-10 cm thick.
Caring for a standard hydrangea
Plant care includes regular watering, feeding and pruning of the plant. But before all these procedures, you should correctly form a hydrangea stem. Actually, it is this task that will be the most difficult of those that face the florist, since the rest of the care of an unpretentious plant is very simple.
How to form a hydrangea stem
You can form a plant already in the first year of life. Some gardeners start the process in the second year as the hydrangea will adapt and the branches will become thicker. In any case, the sequence of operations will be as follows:
- First, pinching is carried out in a standard form in the summer, namely: pluck out all lateral shoots and processes. The next season, at the same time, they are cut into a ring.Due to this, a thickening of the trunk occurs.
- In order for the "main" trunk to become even and beautiful, in early spring it should be shortened to the first most developed bud. The beginning of the formation of the trunk is carried out when the plant reaches a height of 100-150 cm.
- In order to evenly distribute the load on the main trunk and skeletal branches, the hydrangea is formed into 2-3 stems with a common crown.
Repeating these operations from year to year, after 5-7 a full-fledged tree is obtained on a trunk, the care of the crown of which will mainly relate to cosmetic pruning.
The scheme of the formation of the trunk is simple and even a novice florist can do it
Pruning of a standard hydrangea in the fall is carried out according to the following scheme:
- young branches are removed immediately after flowering, this will allow new shoots to form before the onset of cold weather;
- remove all stems and branches growing inside the crown;
- lignified shoots are removed every 3 years, this stimulates additional crown growth;
- before wintering, diseased and damaged shoots are removed.
In the spring, pruning of a standard hydrangea is predominantly sanitary: diseased, dried and frostbitten branches are removed.
How to plant a hydrangea on a stem
Using this method, you can get not only paniculate, but also tree-like standard hydrangea. For this purpose it is necessary to choose a stock that is sufficiently thick and healthy. The most commonly used plant is of the same variety.
One or more splits are made in the part of the trunk at a height of 0.5 to 0.7 m. In general, their number depends on the thickness of the rootstock and the number of scion branches available. According to the classic layout, 2 or 3 grafting cuttings are used. Their length is chosen within 10-20 cm and depends on the distance between the eyes. Each cutting should have at least 5 buds.
The grafting scheme is standard - the cuttings are deepened by 3-4 cm into the split, tightly pulling it around the perimeter with twine. Then all open areas are treated with garden varnish and wrapped with plastic wrap.
Whether the vaccination was successful or not, it will become clear in about a month. If the buds began to bloom on the cuttings, then everything went well.
Watering and feeding
The frequency of watering is determined by the degree of soil moisture. Regardless of whether mulching is used or not, the trunk circle should not remain dry. Usually, one watering per week is enough in the amount of 1-2 buckets for a plant.
Enough to feed the plant two times per season. The first is aimed at stimulating vegetation. It is made in the spring, during the budding period. The optimal fertilizer in this case is urea in the amount of 20 g per 1 bucket of water. Traditionally, top dressing is combined with watering. An adult plant will require two buckets of water with top dressing, a young one (up to 3 years old) - one.
The second top dressing is used in summer, during flowering. The optimal composition is a mixture of urea, superphosphate and potassium sulfate. The components are taken in 30 g each and dissolved in 1 bucket of water. In the fall, a third top dressing in the form of manure or compost is permissible.
How to cover a standard hydrangea for the winter
Wintering hydrangeas on a trunk can be carried out without sheltering the plant. It has sufficient frost resistance.
Conclusion
Hydrangea on a stem is a beautiful element of landscape design, which has a wide range of applications. It can be used both in a single planting and as part of complex compositions. Growing a stem takes several years, but in general, caring for a hydrangea is relatively simple and unpretentious. Even a novice gardener can handle it.
Reviews of hydrangeas on the stem
