Hydrangea Sterilis

The tree hydrangea has many subspecies, which are increasingly used for decorative purposes by gardeners and farmers around the world. Hydrangea Sterilis sterilis, which we will look at in this article, is a rather interesting variety.

Hydrangea Sterilis: variety description

Hydrangea Sterilis sterilis: photo of the variety

Treelike hydrangea Sterilis is a member of the Hortensia family. This species came to us from distant North America. It grows wild on rocky and wooded hills, as well as in regions such as India, China, Oklahoma, Missouri and along the banks of Indiana streams.

Hydrangea Sterilis at the same time surprises and delights with its appearance and the difference in color. A shrub grows up to two meters high. The inflorescences are quite large, up to 30 centimeters in diameter. In their central part there are very small flowers, and along the edges of the largest. The buds reach three centimeters in diameter.

The foliage of the shrub has an elliptical shape, rather large and rich green color, which in some subspecies can persist until winter. And in other orts, the shoots change color to red closer to the last days of August.

Hydrangea Sterilis can perfectly harmonize with other shrubs and plants, therefore it is often used as a hedge and group compositions. Plus to all that has been said, this bush is considered quite unpretentious in cultivation and care. Which cannot but rejoice.

Hydrangea subspecies

Nowadays, thanks to the efforts of breeders, there are many varietal species of tree hydrangea. The most famous and favorite subspecies are those that are distinguished by a high level of cold resistance and decorative characteristics. Consider the most popular varieties of hydrangea:

• Grandiflora. The variety was born back in 1862. The flower petals are endowed with a yellow or cream shade. The flowers themselves are quite large. This shrub grows up to a maximum of two meters in height. The flowering period for this variety begins in early summer and lasts until early autumn. The leaves of the bush are large and bright green. Distinctive features of the variety are a high level of winter hardiness (it tolerates thirty-degree frosts well) and a fairly rapid growth (about 25 centimeters per year), and also has a good attitude to drought and is resistant to attacks of harmful insects. In wet and rainy times, it is worth reducing the frequency of watering this shrub, otherwise there is a possibility of infection of diseases of a fungal nature. And the soil in which the plant grows must be enriched with nutrients.
  
• Pink Pinkushen. The shrub itself is quite small and looks very compact outwardly. Reaches a maximum height of 1.2 meters and a width of one and a half meters. The inflorescences have a shape resembling a pyramid and have white-pink petals, and they remain unchanged throughout the entire period of bud formation. The plant has good resistance to cold weather, dry season and harmful insects, as well as gas pollution.
  
• Annabelle. It belongs to the tree-like white types of hydrangea, although there are also creamy shades of flowers that are collected in spherical inflorescences and up to 20 centimeters in diameter. Most often, you can find a shrub of this variety, one and a half meters in height. But there are specimens that grow up to three meters.The flowering period begins in June and ends in September. A huge number of inflorescences are formed on the shrub, which in turn tilt the stems down. The foliage retains its color until the onset of cold weather. In general, a shrub of this variety can live 45-50 years. It is quite frost-resistant, can withstand temperatures of -40 degrees, and also calmly withstands a period of drought, although constant moisture is a prerequisite for it. The buds of this variety have one feature - they can change their color if the plant is watered with a special solution. More about the variety here.
  
• Incredibol. The flowers of this variety are quite voluminous compared to other species. An important difference of this variety is the ability to change the color of the petals from greenish to snow-white. A shrub can grow up to three meters high, therefore it is considered a tall plant of its own kind. The inflorescences are rather large (up to 30 centimeters in diameter) and rather heavy, due to which the stems of the plant are inclined downward. It characterizes itself as a very hardy plant to temperature extremes, air pollution, as well as frost and hot, dry periods.
  
• Invincibelle. It has a dark pink shade of inflorescences, outwardly similar in shape to lilac branches. After a while, due to exposure to sunlight, the color of the inflorescences fades and turns into light pink. This hydrangea is able to withstand cold and drought well, as well as air pollution.
  
• Hydrangea Sterilis. The main distinguishing features of the variety are a high level of adaptation of cuttings, a fairly rapid growth, a long and lush flowering period, which lasts from July to October. The plant itself has a large size: it can reach two meters in height and up to 2.5 meters in width. Inflorescence petals can change color from greenish to white. The variety is considered to be quite resistant to sudden temperature changes.
• Hayes Starburst. The inflorescences of this species are endowed with a dome-shaped shape and flowers, in which double petals have a snow-white shade. The flowering period starts from the first days of summer and lasts until the first cold weather. The leaves of the shrub have a rich green hue, which does not lose until late autumn. The subspecies is considered fairly frost-resistant. The shrub itself grows up to 1.2 meters, rather compact. And its stems are very strong, capable of withstanding heavy loads.
  

Thanks to such a variety of subspecies, absolutely anyone can choose for themselves exactly the shrub that would suit him best.

Hydrangea Sterilis: the pros and cons of the variety

Like any other plant and shrub, this type of hydrangea has its own advantages and disadvantages. Let's consider them.

The benefits include:

• Quite a high level of cold tolerance compared to other varieties.
• Almost all cuttings take root well.
• It has excellent development on slightly acidic soils, and also has a moderate level of resistance to the presence of lime in the soil.
• After a fairly cold winter period, they can grow well.

But this species also has its drawbacks, here they are:

• Have a high probability of infection with diseases of a fungal nature.
• The stems tilt towards the ground and can break under the weight of their inflorescences.

Treelike hydrangea of ​​the Sterilis variety: planting and care

Treelike hydrangea Sterilis: photo of the variety

Selecting a site for disembarkation

A place for planting a Sterilis hydrangea is selected in advance, and it must meet certain requirements. The landing site should be sufficiently illuminated, but at the same time, the direct midday rays of the sun can negatively affect the well-being of the hydrangea, reduce the flowering period by several weeks and burn it, and in a shaded place the inflorescences of this plant form much smaller, therefore it is important, so that the rays of the sun fall on her in the morning and evening. The area for the shrub must be protected from strong through winds, otherwise, due to the fact that the stems lean down during flowering under the weight of the inflorescences, in a strong wind they can fall on different sides. This will significantly impair the decorative appearance of the plant.Do not plant your hydrangea less than 3 meters away from other tall trees, which can take up all moisture and nutrients from the soil. Experienced gardeners advise planting the Sterilis hydrangea on the north side, near the structures.

Soil preparation

The best soil option for the Sterilis tree hydrangea is acidic or slightly acidic loam. This type of hydrangea is rather better at the presence of lime in the soil, compared to other varieties. But alkaline soil is categorically not suitable for her. To slightly acidify the soil, pine bark, peat or sawdust are introduced into it, and this is done six months before planting.

Reproduction and preparation of a seedling for planting a hydrangea Sterilis

In order to propagate hydrangea, there are several methods:

• Planting already prepared seedlings, which are purchased in early spring. And one hour before planting in open ground, the hydrangea is soaked in a warm, weak manganese solution.
• With the help of cuttings. They are harvested from mid-June to early July, and in the morning. First, annual cuttings are cut, not yet coarse and with two internodes, while half of the foliage is removed. The lower cut should be treated with a growth stimulant, such as Kornevin. A mixture of one part of fine sand and two parts of peat is poured into a separate box. A cutting is placed there, prepared to an approximate depth of 3 centimeters, and it must be done at an angle of 45 degrees. It should be noted that all seedlings are planted at a distance of about 8-10 centimeters from each other. Within a month, the seedling will go through a period of adaptation, and closer to August it will be possible to plant cuttings.
• With the help of layering. To do this, a one-year lateral shoot is cut off and placed in a trench dug in advance 10 centimeters deep. These layers are attached with wire and covered with soil. In a circle, the soil is loosened and watered from the appendix, and next year, in the spring, it will be possible to separate the layers and plant them.

Landing

A young plant is planted in an open space in early spring, even before bud break. To do this, they adhere to the following scheme: first, they dig a hole, with an approximate depth of 70 centimeters, and a width of half a meter. Due to the fact that the roots of this shrub grow mostly horizontally, it is necessary to leave a distance between the plants at least one and a half meters. A mixture of one part of peat, two parts of humus, one part of fine sand and two parts of black soil is poured into the hole. The seedling is taken out of the container with a manganese solution and the roots are slightly shortened, and the damaged foliage and branches are also cut off. A young plant is placed in a hole and its roots are straightened quite neatly. Next, sprinkle with soil, and so that the bark neck is covered with soil by a maximum of three centimeters, and tamp it. After that, the planted seedling should be well watered. If you did everything correctly when planting, then the first lush flowering of the shrub will delight you in the fifth year of the plant's life.

Rules for caring for Sterilis hydrangea

In order for your shrub to develop and grow well, as well as to give abundant and lush flowering, you need to take proper care of it, including watering, feeding, pruning procedures, loosening and mulching the soil.
There are several stages of fertilizing the Sterilis hydrangea. Here they are:

• Two weeks after planting, the first feeding is made, consisting of 40 grams of superphosphate, 20 grams of urea and 25 grams of potassium sulfate. They do this every year with the arrival of spring.
• At the very beginning of the flowering period, fertilizing is applied containing mineral and organic substances. Such feeding can be purchased at any specialty store, or you can make it yourself. For this, 40 grams of potassium and 50 grams of superphosphate are mixed. This mixture is added per square meter.It is better not to add a large amount of nitrogen-containing substances, as the flower petals will have a greenish color and reduce their cold resistance.
• For the third time, top dressing is applied at the end of the summer period, in the form of rotted manure. Such feeding for one square meter takes about 15 kilograms.

Watering the Sterilis tree hydrangea

On rather hot and dry days, this plant needs an increase in the number of watering, about 3-4 times a week (the soil should be wet to a depth of half a meter and a width of one meter), in other periods, watering is carried out 1-2 times a week. In order for the plant's stems to be strong and durable, once a month the shrub should be watered with a manganese solution.

Mulching

This procedure is carried out in order to protect the roots of the Sterilis hydrangea from overheating, retain moisture in the soil, and also get rid of various weeds. Straw, fallen leaves can serve as mulch. In spring, a mixture of compost and sawdust, as well as peat, is added to the mulch to increase the acidic environment of the soil.

Sterilis tree hydrangea pruning procedure

In the third year of the life of the Sterilis tree hydrangea, they begin to carry out pruning procedures, spring and autumn, and they do this every year. The pruning procedure itself has several important stages, these are:

• For prevention purposes. Remove dead and damaged branches.
• In order to rejuvenate. From the age of five on the shrub, by removing old shoots.
• To form. For this, last year's shoots are shortened, leaving only 4 buds.
• For thinning. A heavily thickened shrub is removed, and not yet flowering stems.

The pruning procedure is a very important condition in the care of the shrub, as it not only shapes the shape of the shrub, but also adjusts the required number of inflorescences and improves flowering in general. In the autumn, you need to remove flowers after wilting.

Hydrangea Sterilis: preparation for cold weather

Although the Sterilis hydrangea has good winter hardiness, it is worth taking care of the insulation of the shrub, especially the young one, so that severe frosts do not damage or destroy the plant. For this, all the foliage is removed, and sawdust is poured under the bush. Planks are placed around the plant, to which shoots are attached. After that, the bush is covered with a garden film and the root part with attached shoots is covered with sawdust. If you take care of this plant in this way, then it will delight you with its beautiful appearance for many years.