Types of hydrangeas

Nowadays, there is a huge variety of species and subspecies of this ornamental shrub. Passing by the place where the hydrangea grows, one cannot help but stop looking at it, because its appearance fascinates and delights. Hydrangea is considered the most common and popular shrub for growing among florists. And this is not without reason, because the plant is distinguished by long-lasting luxurious flowering, unpretentious care, and besides, the variety of varieties of this shrub, which differ not only in endurance, but also in color, size and shape of inflorescences, surprises and delights. Each gardener can choose the variety that suits him best for growing in his garden. If you want this ornamental shrub to become a decoration for your garden, then you should follow all the conditions for growing and caring for this plant. We will look at how to do this in this article. But if briefly about the main thing, then this bush should be provided with comprehensive care measures, and first of all, you need to choose a favorable place for the growth of this culture. Although many people make the mistake of planting a hydrangea in the wrong place, which in turn has a rather negative effect on the overall well-being of the hydrangea. So take this point very seriously. Well, we will tell you how to plant and care for this plant further.

Varieties of hydrangea

At the moment, there are 80 varieties of hydrangea in the region. The main difference between this shrub is in its large leaves of a rich green hue and large in size globular inflorescences, a variety of colors. In the center there are small fruit flowers, which form boxes with seeds after a certain amount of time. And along the edges of the inflorescences there are large enough flowers that are not capable of producing fruits, also along the edge of the enlarged sepals. In general, this flower is not picky about a lot of attention to itself when leaving. There are several varieties of hydrangea, but the most popular are: large-leaved (or garden), tree-like and paniculate. It is these varieties that are actively in demand among flower growers. Although recently our gardeners have begun to actively cultivate such rare species of this shrub as oakleaf and petiolate. Let us consider in more detail the most famous and common types of hydrangeas below.

Tree hydrangea

This plant is rightfully called a magic flower. It can grow up to three meters in height. The leaves are oval in shape and 20 centimeters long. The flowers themselves are quite small in size and are collected in beautiful voluminous inflorescences. This plant is endowed with an average level of frost resistance and can freeze under sufficiently low temperature conditions. But with the arrival of spring warming, it can come to life again, and then surprise and delight with its beautiful and gorgeous flowering throughout the summer period. This shrub requires constant pruning almost to the very root to keep the flowers tidy. This procedure is carried out annually, in the month of April. With proper and high-quality care, the shrub will delight you with its beautiful flowering until the very arrival of the winter cold. This hydrangea variety is highly prized and common among flower growers. The homeland of this hydrangea is the United States, or rather the north of this country. From the side, the plant looks like a straight bush with a white shade of flowers, which are collected in inflorescences in the form of a hemisphere and grow up to 25 centimeters.This type of plant is endowed with such a difference as a rather fast growth rate and very unpretentious in cultivation and care. Gardeners noticed it back in the 18th century, as this lush and beautiful shrub delights anyone. This plant, like many other varieties, very poorly tolerates dry, barren and highly acidic soil. It should be noted that before buying a seedling of this type of shrub, you need to make a choice in favor of those varieties that will take root and adapt in the best way in the growing area. Flowering in this species occurs in June and lasts until the last days of September. Flowering is characterized by a huge number of pure white inflorescences, which will take on a light green color towards the end of the summer season. The flowers of this type of hydrangea have the peculiarity of not fading for a rather long time, retaining their color and keeping their shape. Often the flowers of this shrub are used to create ikebana.

- The main features of this species

This variety belongs to shrub-shaped plants and can grow up to three meters in height. The crown of the plant has a round shape and drooping stems. The main feature is considered to be two-color leaves, they have a bluish tint from below, and green from above. The inflorescences are collected from sterile and fertile flowers. The fruitless flowers are rather large in size, about 2 centimeters in diameter. There are quite a few of them. But there are a lot of fertile flowers. They are small in size and consist of inflorescences in the form of a shield, which has a maximum diameter of 15 centimeters. The fruits of the plant look like a box, very small, up to three millimeters. At the age of four, the bush blooms, and this period lasts quite a long time, it begins in early summer and ends in October. And after the end of flowering, the fruits begin to ripen. This species has achieved popularity, to a large extent, due to its good frost tolerance, the plant can tolerate cold temperatures as low as -30 degrees. When the shoots freeze in winter, they are able to recover by the next season and delight with their lush snow-white flowering.

- The most popular varieties of this type

Today this type of hydrangea is presented to us in great variety. But often only those varieties are popular that are distinguished by their chic and excellent appearance and are quite resistant to cold weather. Among florists, the most common are:

Annabelle... The inflorescences of this variety are in the shape of a ball with a diameter of 20 centimeters and consist of small cream-colored flowers. Often, this shrub does not grow more than 150 centimeters in height, but the volume is really surprising, in the region of three meters. The flowering period lasts three months. The flowers of this variety are quite heavy, and under their weight, the branches begin to tilt down to the soil surface. It is also worth paying special attention to such a feature of the plant as the invariability of the original shade of the leaves before the arrival of the first frost. This variety is also distinguished by a high level of hardiness to winter frosts and undemanding to special personal care.

Grandiflora... The variety appeared thanks to the selection of the Annabelle variety. Differs in a rather large size of flowers, and also an interesting shade of foliage - lemon or beige. With proper and high-quality care, the shrub grows up to two meters in height. And it blooms gorgeous throughout the summer period, until September.

Incrediboll... A distinctive feature of this shrub is considered to be large flowers collected in inflorescences. But this variety fell in love with flower growers due to the fact that it can change its initial shade of flowers after a while from greenish to pure white. This type of shrub can grow up to three meters high.The shoots of this shrub are not particularly durable, therefore, during the flowering of the plant, they bend very low under the weight of the inflorescences with a diameter of 30 centimeters to the soil surface. In our country, this variety can be found quite rarely.

Invincibelle... A distinctive feature of the variety is the dark pink color of its inflorescences. And in their shape they are similar to the branches of lilacs. But in direct sunlight, the inflorescences lose such a rich shade, and they acquire a light pink tint. This variety is considered fairly new. The flowers of this shrub during flowering gradually add saturation to their color.

Pink Pinkushen... The shrub of this variety is rather small, can grow up to 120 centimeters in height and 150 centimeters in width. The inflorescences are endowed with a pyramidal shape and are collected from flowers with a white-pink color. The shade of the flowers remains unchanged during the entire flowering period. The flowering period itself begins at the beginning of the summer period and lasts until September. The inflorescences of this shrub have a delicate and delicate aroma.

Sterilis... It is distinguished by the resistance of its cuttings to severe weather conditions, a fairly fast growth rate and excellent flowering, starting in the middle of the summer period and until the middle of the autumn season. The petals of the plant are greenish, which gradually transforms into pure white. The shrub can grow up to two meters in height and up to 2.5 meters in width. It is considered the most popular and famous variety of this type of hydrangea.

Hayes... The shrub is highly resistant to frost and can delight with its flowering from the beginning of June until the first frost. The subspecies has a distinctive feature in its inflorescences, which are composed of velvet flowers and have a dome-shaped shape. The foliage of the bush has a bright saturated color and retains its decorative appearance until frost. The shrub in adulthood has a height of 120 centimeters. Another difference is that the stems of this plant are strong enough to withstand the mass of their inflorescences.

Hydrangea paniculata

A plant of this species can be found in the wild, not only in the form of a shrub, but also in the form of compact trees, reaching in size up to 8-10 meters in height. This plant can be found growing in China or Japan. In our country, this plant can be seen in the wild in the regions of the Far East. The root system of this hydrangea is quite large in diameter than the width of the crown, although the roots are located almost on the surface of the soil. The leaves are oval in shape and rather large in size, up to about 12 centimeters long. Inflorescences of this species are endowed with a shape that looks like a cone, as well as a very wide base. These inflorescences can grow up to an average of 25 centimeters in height. Among flower growers, varieties of this species are considered the most interesting and beautiful. Two types of flowers make up panicles, and the flowers are considered sterile and rather large in size, about 30 millimeters. Most often they consist of 4 petals. Their main difference is that during one season they can change color. It completely depends on the variety, for example, they changed from green or snow-white to pink or another color. The main property of fertile flowers, as they are called, is to lose their white petals early enough. There are quite a few of them. They are able to delight with their flowering from the age of five. The first buds begin to open during the arrival of the last days of June. Most often, in early October, when the time of the first frosts comes, the beautiful inflorescences of this plant die. In addition to its main feature, decorative, the flowers of this hydrangea are wonderful honey plants.Over time, fruits appear in place of flowers, more precisely boxes with small seeds.

- The benefits of growing this type of hydrangea. Consider them:

1) Endowed with a fairly fast growth.

2) Feel great in places with a lot of shade.

3) Able to withstand fairly low air temperatures

4) Possesses a huge number of different varieties and subspecies.

5) This plant can be grown as a standard tree and as a shrub.

- The most popular and common varieties

Variety Bobo. It was bred by biologists from Belgium. A fairly well-known and widespread variety in cultivation, mainly due to its compact size, no more than 70 centimeters. It is always possible to allocate a place for such a plant, even in a small area. The variety characterizes itself as a plant with an early ripening period. The beginning of the flowering period falls on the month of May, and delights in its appearance with inflorescences of a pale pink hue. The foliage of this shrub is distinguished by a bright green color and outwardly the bush looks rather dense. But this shrub is quite demanding to the pruning procedure.

Vanilla Fraze... A shrub of this variety has a height of one and a half meters when growing. It is one of the most popular varieties. The bush gained popularity due to the size of its inflorescences and their density. Inflorescences of this species have the shape of a pyramid when growing, and what is quite interesting, these inflorescences have two tint colors - a pale pink bottom and a snow-white top. A distinctive feature of this shrub is its rather fast growth rate and good endurance to low temperature conditions.

Weems Red... This shrub grows quite high, it has about one and a half meters. The variety has become quite common due to the color of its inflorescences. During the flowering period, its flowers can surprise with their play of shades. The pure white color of flowers can slowly turn into a bright scarlet, and then a burgundy hue. This variety is characterized by a fairly decent level of frost tolerance and therefore can be grown in absolutely any region of our country, but if grown in the regions of Siberia or in the Far East, it still requires shelter for the winter period. Another distinguishing feature of this fairly new variety is its long flowering period.

Grandiflora... Refers to varieties of hydrangea with a late flowering period. This species is actively and quite often used for cultivation in the south of Russia. The most important distinguishing feature of this variety is the ability to change its color of inflorescences up to 5 times per season. At the very beginning of flowering, the inflorescences have a whitish-cream color, which later turns into a snow-white shade. And already at the end of the flowering period, you can observe reddish-green inflorescences, which are in the shape of a cone. This type of shrub is widely used in the decorative design of stairs.

Diamond Rouge... A fairly new variety. A shrub of this variety can grow up to one and a half meters in height. Inflorescences can change their color from snow-white to pale pink. The foliage has a bright green color, but closer to the autumn period it changes its shade to bright orange. This shrub has a high level of frost tolerance and is considered the finest decorative subspecies.

Hydrangea Limelight. It is also considered a fairly new variety, which appeared thanks to scientists from the United States. In our country, the variety appeared not so long ago, just a few years ago. And although it is still not so often seen in the garden plots of our country, the beauty of its flowers simply delights in its appearance. The bush itself is quite compact and can only grow up to one meter high.Also, this hydrangea is distinguished by its rather strong shoots and the ability to change its color to a light pink hue by the end of the flowering period.

Pinky Winky... This variety begins to delight with its flowering from the second half of July and pleases the eye until the last days of September. The inflorescences of this shrub have a conical shape and two shades: at the bottom there is a purple tint, and above it is snow-white. The foliage of this subspecies is endowed with a rich green color, which, with the arrival of autumn, changes to a bright yellow color. And also due to the very high density of inflorescences, it becomes possible to consider each flower separately. This type of hydrangea is quite resistant to frost, and in general, the flowering period for this shrub lasts from June to October. In great detail about the variety here.

Pink Diamond... This variety is prized in Europe for its size, it can grow on average up to two meters. And in our country, it is preferable to grow it on rather large plots. In addition, this variety is considered quite unpretentious, which is good news.

Sunday Fries. The shrub of this subspecies has a symmetrical shape. The main feature of the variety is the rather spreading crown of this plant, compared to the bushes of other varieties. Therefore, the procedures for forming this crown and collecting it in a bush lead to some difficulties. But the flower growers of our country still appreciate and love it, mainly for the ability of the inflorescences of this plant to change their color from light green to pink.

Silver Dollar... The bush of this species is quite sprawling and can grow up to one and a half meters high. The cone-shaped inflorescences of this subspecies have a light yellow color at the very beginning of the flowering period, and then, gradually, acquire a pure white color. Also, this subspecies is distinguished by its unpretentiousness to the soil, it can be grown in slightly acidic soil.

Phantom... It is considered a representative of the late varieties of hydrangea. The beginning of the flowering period takes from the second half of August and continues to delight with its appearance until the beginning of October. In addition, it is a fairly large shrub in size. It can reach a height of up to two meters and has a spreading crown. The inflorescences are endowed with a pure white color with a light lilac tint. This variety is one of the ten best and most beautiful varieties of panicle hydrangea. It is quite actively used in landscape design.

Panicle hydrangea is presented annually in a fairly wide variety of varieties. The gardener will be able to choose any variety, but only initially we advise you to familiarize yourself with each separately and in more detail, so that before planting, be ready and know all the rules and nuances of growing it.

Large-leaved hydrangea

The second name of this species hydrangeas - garden hydrangea. The plant of this species is considered a perennial, which grows in the form of a shrub with high decorative characteristics. It is about two meters tall. The culture is sterile, with straight stems and flowers that have a blue, white or purple hue. Although the color of these inflorescences directly depends on the level of acidity of the soil and the general condition of the plant. The foliage of the shrub is of normal shape and rich green color. This type of hydrangea has a high growth rate. At the same time, he is quite sensitive to the composition of the soil. Calcareous soils are categorically contraindicated for this type. The flowering period begins in the last summer month and lasts until November. This shrub characterizes itself as a very thermophilic plant, although it can withstand frosts of -30 degrees. This type of hydrangea is actively grown in the south of our country. But thanks to the labors of agricultural technicians, this species can also be grown in the Moscow region.

- The most popular and common varieties of this type

Most of all, gardeners liked such varieties as:

Expression... The variety is quite hardy to winter cold.It can bloom beautifully both on new stems and on last year's shoots. Outwardly, the flowers of this variety are compared with water lilies, and their color directly depends on the level of acidity of the soil. When grown in alkaline soil, the inflorescences of this variety will become pink, and with acidic soil they will be blue-lilac in color. The flowers of the plant are collected in shields. They give color for a rather long time, it begins in July and lasts until the arrival of frost. This variety has excellent frost resistance and is unpretentious in winter care.

Ever Peppermint... The variety is characterized by a rather compact size, it can grow up to 60 centimeters. It appeared thanks to breeders from Japan. It differs in that it has two shades in the flower, which depend on the level of acidity of the soil. The center of the flower is pink or blue with a white edging. The variety has a good level of cold resistance. The flowering period is from July to October. And it can bloom on both new and last year's stems.

Red sensation... This is a hybrid variety that was obtained through a mutation of the Early Sensation variety. A shrub of this variety can grow up to 80 centimeters in both height and width. The stems are burgundy. This hydrangea is very actively grown in apartment conditions, in separate containers on balconies, or on window sills.

Endless summer. The name of the variety speaks for itself. This shrub can bloom even on new shoots, even on last year's ones, equally well and abundantly. The inflorescences are quite large in size and have a blue or snow-white hue. The flowering period lasts until the very arrival of frost. The shrub has a high level of frost resistance.