Hydrangea blue planting. Blue hydrangea tree planting and care in open ground

When grown and cared for at home, indoor hydrangea is a semi-shrub spreading plant, reaching a meter in height, with large oval leaves (10-15 cm long) with jagged edges. Large inflorescences (about 35 cm in length) are umbrella-shaped and consist of sterile small flowers at the edges and fruit bearings in the central part.

The color palette can be adjusted using the soil: more acidic soil colors the flowers blue, neutral soil gives them a white or beige color, and alkaline soil gives them a lilac or pink color. The hydrangea fruit is a capsule with a large number of seeds.

Types and varieties of indoor hydrangea

White and cream hydrangeas

Hydrangea Mme E. Mouillere – inflorescence diameter up to 20 cm, flowers from 1-5 cm, leaves narrow.

– flowers correct form, inflorescence diameter up to 20 cm, bush height – 35-40 cm. Blooms early.

Hydrangeas Pink

- a bush, up to 70 cm high, the inflorescences are quite large (30 cm) of a dark pink hue, the edges of the sepals are deeply cut. Starts to bloom late.

- It has small flowers(up to 5 cm) pink, collected in an inflorescence with a diameter of 16-18 cm. The bush reaches a height of 40 cm.

– the bush reaches a height of 50 cm, blooms large flowers(up to 6 cm) in inflorescences with a diameter of about 25 cm. Has abundant flowering.

Red hydrangeas

– burgundy-red inflorescences. It is possible to obtain a purple-burgundy color if you add iron salts or aluminum sulfate to the soil.

– the diameter of the inflorescences is up to 18 cm, while the flowers themselves are small – no more than 3.5 cm, the height of the stem is 20-25 cm.

Blue hydrangeas

- a tall bush with bright blue inflorescences.

– This variety is distinguished by its compactness. Inflorescences with a diameter of up to 20 cm have a peculiarity: over time, the tips of the petals turn green.

Indoor hydrangea care at home

For hydrangeas, the correct temperature regime is very important. On the hottest days of summer, the temperature should not exceed 20°C, and in winter, not lower than 10°C.

Indoor hydrangea does not like direct sunlight, so the most comfortable place will be the south side of the apartment, at a distance of 1-2 meters from the window.

If you have garden variety, then you can familiarize yourself with the rules for planting and caring for hydrangeas in the open ground.

Watering hydrangea

In summer, frequent and abundant watering is required, in spring and summer it is reduced, and in winter it is practically eliminated (just moisten the soil a little, avoiding drying out).

Water for irrigation must be settled or frozen (thawed), room temperature. In addition, we must not forget about regular moisturizing air. Spray with a spray bottle.

Fertilizer for hydrangeas

Fertilizers are added once every two weeks during periods of active growth (the appearance of new shoots) and flowering. Mineral fertilizers are suitable for flowering indoor plants.

Hydrangea changes color

Indoor hydrangea has one more unusual feature, but actually the opportunity to make a colored bush.

This is done using different composition substrate, for example, adding a solution of ammonia-potassium alum (4-5/l) or iron salts will color the inflorescences blue, lime gives a pink or purple color, and white or cream flowers usually grow in neutral soil. Thus, you can make a colorful bush by adding different fertilizers to different parts of the pot.

Hydrangea transplant

The indoor beauty is replanted every year, increasing the size of the pot by a couple of centimeters. Replanting should be done with caution.

Place drainage at the bottom of the new pot, sprinkle a little new soil, then carefully remove the flower from the old pot, along with all the soil, and place it in a new place of residence.

Fill the voids with fresh substrate and water. After which a layer of peat is laid on top for mulching (slows down the rate of moisture evaporation).

Do I need to prune hydrangeas for the winter?

Pruning hydrangeas is required. It is held twice a year.

The first, after the end of flowering, before wintering, when weak, withered shoots are cut to the ground, and strong ones - by half.
The second time, in the spring, when new shoots become very long, they are shortened so as not to weigh down the plant.

Hydrangea preparing for winter

The hibernation period for hydrangeas begins after flowering ends. At this time, it must be removed to a darker and cooler place.

Having fulfilled this condition, the flower will have time to rest and gain strength after abundant flowering and already in February the buds will begin to wake up (the plant can be returned to its usual place). Otherwise, the next flowering will not occur earlier than in a year.

Propagation of hydrangea by cuttings in the fall at home

Cuttings are the most reliable way reproduction. If you carry out this procedure in January-February, then by next autumn there will be a real bush of 3-4 shoots, and if later, the plant will put out only one stem. Cuttings with at least three internodes are cut from the root shoots. Lower leaves are torn off, and the top ones are cut in half (for large leaves) or by a third (for small ones).

A shoot approximately 8 cm long, placed in a prepared substrate of peat and sand, watered and covered glass jar or a cut plastic bottle to provide moisture. Ventilate every day and do not allow the soil to dry out. After about a month, the plant takes root and can be transplanted into a separate pot; for starters, 8-9 cm in diameter will be enough.

Dividing a hydrangea bush

The easiest way to divide a hydrangea bush. This procedure is carried out during the annual transplant.

To do this, the bush is carefully removed from the pot and divided into parts (the number of parts depends on the thickness of the rhizome), so that each remains sufficient quantity roots and shoots. In each divided area, the roots and shoots are shortened and placed in new pots with prepared soil.

Hydrangea from seeds at home

Hydrangea seeds are sown at the end of winter, on a substrate previously prepared and poured into seedling boxes: a mixture of leaf, turf soil, humus, sand and peat (1: 1: 1: 0.5: 0.5). There is no need to sprinkle soil on top.

Moisten and cover with glass or film. Ventilate every day and moisten as necessary. With the emergence of seedlings, the glass (film) is removed and the seedlings are thinned out. As soon as leaves (2-3) appear on the young shoots, they are transplanted into separate pots (7-8 cm in diameter) with the same soil.

Diseases and pests

Gray rot – affects the plant when too high humidity. Treatment: treatment with Bordeaux mixture.
Spider mites and aphids – affects the bush with insufficient humidity. Treatment: wipe leaves and shoots soap solution with a sponge, if it doesn’t help, then treat it with Actellik after a week.
The leaves are turning yellow – insufficient watering, lack of nitrogen in the soil or the soil is too alkaline, which causes chlorosis. To restore their strength and color, add inkstone(10 g/l) or ferrous sulfate (2 g/l).
Indoor hydrangea begins to dry out (tips dry) - due to insufficient moisture and watering, as well as lack of fertilizers. Correct the defects, otherwise next consequence leaves and buds will fall off. So remember to water, spray and fertilize as needed. Follow the plant, it will tell you.
Indoor hydrangea does not bloom - this is a consequence of the fact that the plant did not rest in winter, but continued to grow and bloom, spending a lot of energy. At the end of autumn, the bush must be pruned and placed in a cool, dark place for wintering. And in the spring, take it back and continue caring, then the hydrangea will definitely bloom again.
Appear brown spots on the leaves - lack of watering.
Light spots on leaves - excess light. Move the flower into the shade. Hydrangea is afraid of direct sunlight.
Slow flower growth – an insufficient amount fertilizers Worth feeding.

Hydrangeas will bloom blue flowers(rather than pink) if grown in acidic soil. Sometimes hydrangeas can change color over time if the acidity level of the soil changes. Therefore, if you want to constantly have blue flowers, you will need to monitor the pH of the soil and take measures to maintain its acidity. This is quite easy to do - just skip to Step 1 first.

Steps

Part 1

Scientific background

Know that hydrangeas will produce blue flowers in acidic soil, while pink flowers will appear on hydrangeas in alkaline soil. Hydrangeas can be called unique garden plants precisely because of their ability to change the color of flowers in accordance with the pH of the soil. This means that the color of the hydrangea flowers in your garden will depend on whether the soil is acidic or alkaline.

The scientific reason for this phenomenon is that the amount of aluminum available to plants depends on the acidity level of the soil (also known as pH). Acidic soils have high aluminum content, which causes blue flowers to form.
Alkaline soil is the reason why hydrangeas appear pink flowers; in acidic soil the same plant will have blue flowers. The exception to this rule is white or green hydrangeas, whose flowers have only one color. So you can't force white hydrangea bloom with pink or blue flowers.

Check the acidity (pH) of your soil. To find out whether the soil in your garden is alkaline or acidic, determine the pH value. This will help you know how likely your hydrangea is to produce blue flowers.
- If the soil pH is below 5.5, your hydrangeas will bloom bright blue flowers.
- If the pH is between 5.5 and 6.5, the flowers will have a fantastic purple color.
- If the pH is above 6.5, the flowers will be pink.
To determine whether your soil is acidic or alkaline, use white vinegar. For this you need distilled white vinegar. Take a handful of soil, pour vinegar on top and wait for the reaction.

Determine soil pH using the scientific method. If you want to know exact value pH level of your soil, you can check it using a set of test instruments designed for this purpose. Such kits are widely available at garden centers or online stores. When using them, follow the instructions on the package.
- Alternatively, you can take a sample of your soil to your local garden center, where they will determine the acidity level (pH) of your soil.
Part 2
How to make soil more acidic
1. Spray the soil with elemental sulfur. To maintain the blue color of your hydrangea flowers, spray the soil around the bush with elemental sulfur to lower the pH below 5.5. The amount of elemental sulfur required will vary depending on the type of soil and how much the pH needs to be adjusted.
  - To lower the pH by one unit in loam or silty clay soils, apply ¾ pound of elemental sulfur per 25 square feet. In other words, it takes ¾ pound to lower the pH from 6 to 5. On sandy or sandy loam soil, it takes less than ¼ pound of elemental sulfur to lower the pH by one.
  - Start spraying the soil with elemental sulfur about 2 feet from the outer edge of the bush's canopy. Scatter the sulfur evenly over the soil approximately 4 to 6 inches away from the hydrangea shoots. This is the area where most of the growing roots are located and take up water and nutrients.
  - Using a small hand rake, stir the elemental sulfur into upper layer soil (1 to 2 inches), then water the area thoroughly to allow the sulfur to soak into the soil. The elemental sulfur will need to be reused from time to time to ensure the flowers retain their blue color.
2. Use acidic compost and aluminum sulfate powder. If you are planting hydrangeas in a garden with alkaline soil and want blue flowers, you will need to add a sufficient amount of acidic compost and aluminum sulfate to the soil at planting and apply these substances regularly throughout the life of the plant.
  
  Apply a fertilizer low in phosphorus and high in potassium. All hydrangeas benefit from fertilizer. To get or maintain blue hydrangea flowers, use a low-phosphorus, high-potassium fertilizer.
  
  To increase soil acidity, use organic matter. If you are keeping your garden chemical-free, use organic matter such as grass clippings, fruit and vegetable scraps, or used coffee grounds. Gradually the soil will become more acidic.
  
  Water hydrangeas with rainwater. Try to use for watering hydrangeas rainwater, not tap water. If you use "solid" tap water for blue hydrangeas, it will neutralize the acidity of the soil and the flowers will gradually turn pink. You can learn how to collect rainwater from this article.

Blue hydrangea - beautiful blooming garden shrub. He looks great in landscape compositions, suitable for decorating hedges, decorating gazebos, paths. Currently, many varieties have been bred that can easily withstand winter and delight with their flowering for many years.

There is no separate species of “blue hydrangea”. The plant received this name for the shade of its flowers. Varieties of large-leaved hydrangea are mainly covered with blue and blue inflorescences. There are two- and three-color species that change their shade throughout the season.

In addition, large-leaved hydrangea is easy to “recolor.” You just need to create the appropriate conditions. Which varieties have blue inflorescences? How to choose planting material? How to grow hydrangea? You will find answers to questions in the article.

Varieties with blue inflorescences

As a rule, these are large-leaved hydrangeas. They are distinguished by rounded inflorescences, long and abundant flowering.

Initially, Russian flower growers saw large-leaved hydrangeas in potted varieties. Such crops were not suitable for growing in open ground. They were simply freezing. And only much later were they withdrawn frost-resistant varieties. Which ones have blue flowers?

Hydrangea "Mini Penny".
Remontant variety. Blooms on the shoots of the current year. It has lush green foliage and pale blue flowers collected in spherical inflorescences.
"Ramars".
Small compact bush. Refers to multi-colored varieties. Some species become covered with purple or purple flowers. Others are striking bright blue and white.
"Freedom".
Two-color variety. At the beginning of flowering, flowers appear against a background of rich greenery. pink flowers. Then their center turns blue and the edges turn white.
"Compeito."
Hybrid variety with large lilac- blue flowers, the middle of which is white.
"Perfection".
Rose-like flowers are pink at first. Then the hue changes to blue.
"Hopcorn Blue."
A low bush up to sixty to eighty centimeters with tulip-like blue flowers. Blooms on shoots of the second year.
"Jomari."
Compact bush with blue double flowers. It also blooms on branches of the second year.

These are the most popular varieties. Many of them change color during one flowering period. Pink hydrangea can be purchased, planting and care are provided in accordance with the requirements. And then the flowers turn blue. This is the peculiarity of the variety. We just didn't pay attention to it.

Hydrangea color changes easily. During the budding period, the bush should be watered with aluminum alum (a heaped teaspoon per two liters of water). Then White color will turn blue, pink - lilac, purple or blue-blue.

How to plant

Seedlings of three- and four-year-old shrubs are ideal for planting. It is better to buy them in specialized real or online stores. Root system seedlings must be protected and hidden in some material. The store uses containers for these purposes. Growing consists of:

Hydrangeas love partial shade. The moisture-loving shrub does not like open sunny spaces. Hydrangea blooms poorly in the shade and blooms later. This plant needs a middle ground.

When planning group plantings, it is necessary to take into account that shrubs require space for growth and development. The optimal free diameter around each hydrangea is two meters.

Beautifully flowering shrubs love acidic, moisture-absorbing and loose soils. Such conditions can be ensured in the following ways:

bring soil from the forest (you need to dig the ground under the pine trees along with needles);
mix in equal quantities high peat, leaf and sod land, sawdust compost, sand.

Hydrangeas don't like lime in the soil!

The night before, dig a hole (width, length and height - half a meter). Pour in five buckets of water. The next day, add the prepared substrate, place the seedling, carefully straighten the roots and cover them with soil. Water well and cover with pine needles or peat.

Care

Decorativeness, color saturation, elasticity of leaves and shoots depend on proper watering, pruning, fertilizing.

Hydrangea loves water. With a lack of moisture, it withers and blooms poorly. If you give a few buckets of water to such a plant, it will immediately come to life.

The optimal frequency of watering is once or twice a week. You need to give three to four buckets for each bush. If after watering you mulch the soil around the hydrangeas, then watering once every ten days is enough. Mulch will retain moisture longer.

Conclusion: Under no circumstances should the soil around hydrangeas be allowed to dry out.

Fertilizer application.

Large-leaved blue hydrangea loves feeding and responds very well to it. Fertilizers need to be applied depending on the period of plant development:

at the end of spring - the first feeding of superphosphate, potassium sulphide and urea (2: 2: 1.5);
in mid-summer (during the formation of inflorescences) - a second feeding of superphosphate and potassium sulfide (2:1);
at the end of summer - beginning of autumn (during the period of active flowering) - the third feeding, organic (compost or rotted manure).

Conclusion: hydrangeas need mineral fertilizers; during the period of active flowering - organic. Under no circumstances should you add ash!

This is a mandatory stage of caring for shrubs. Regardless of the variety. Tree, Grandiflora, paniculata, Japanese, Phantom hydrangea... Planting and care will not be complete without pruning.

Almost all varieties of large-leaved blue hydrangea bloom on last year's shoots. This must be taken into account when pruning. It is important to save flower buds at the ends of the branches.

In autumn, do not touch the inflorescences. They will protect flower buds from winter frosts. They can be removed in the spring:

in April, completely cut off a quarter of old shoots that are more than three years old;
the rest have only last year's inflorescences;
remove weak, diseased and excessively exposed branches.

Conclusion: you cannot cut large-leaved hydrangea, since inflorescences appear only on last year’s branches.

Wintering blue hydrangea.

Beginning in late summer, actively water the plant. It should face the winter strong enough. To prevent the shoots from scorching under cover, treat the bush Bordeaux mixture.

At the end of October, when light frosts are observed at night, the hydrangea can be covered with perforated polyethylene or agrospan. At the beginning of November, tilt the shoots to the ground, cover with spruce branches or dry leaves. And put a box on top.

Conclusion: blue varieties of hydrangea are prepared for winter, like roses (reliably protected from frost).

A garden bush whose flowers form inflorescences of blue and soft blue colors is the blue hydrangea. Perennial perfectly complements landscape design - paths, gazebos, flower beds. Some varieties of hydrangea are grown at home, while others tolerate winter well. Blue hydrangea shrub is not separate species plants. The flower received this name due to the shade of the inflorescences.

Large-leaved varieties can acquire different shades throughout their “life.” For example, Bela hydrangea is pinkish or deep pink, Nikko Blue is blue or blue. The color depends on the conditions in which the bush grows. You can create them yourself. How to do it? Let's look at it in the article.

Several large-leaved flower species can acquire shades of blue and blue. They bloom for a long time in the form of neat rounded inflorescences. Previously, these crops could only be grown in warm conditions. Over time, varieties were developed that can withstand frost.

Popular varieties of blue hydrangeas:

Nikko Blue - description, growing methods and care

The spherical blue inflorescences for which blue hydrangea Nikko Blue is famous will delight the eye throughout the summer.

One has only to study a little the features of this variety and create the conditions in order to obtain a noble blue color. What is garden blue hydrangea and how to properly care for it?

Description of the hydrangea variety

Garden large-leaved hydrangea is a shrub whose height can reach 1.5 meters. The leaves and shoots are bright green. The next season after planting, the shoots become woody and crack. The variety blooms white, and over time “repaints” bright blue. The color in this case depends on chemical properties soil: at an acidity level of 5.5 - 7, the flowers become blue and blue, but if the environment is neutral - pink. The buds that bloom at the very beginning of summer delight the owner with flowering until the end of the hot season.

Let's consider what conditions Nikko Blue hydrangea requires: planting and caring for indoor and garden plants.

How is Nikko Blue grown?

Reproduction and cultivation of hydrangeas is possible both in garden and at home.

Miniature potted hydrangea propagates in several ways: from seeds, by cuttings, and by dividing the bush.

It is worth remembering that growing Nikko Blue hydrangea at home requires special soil for planting. It must be fertile and moist, contain peat, humus, and leaf soil.

Proper planting of blue hydrangea in the ground requires more effort. The bush is planted in holes that are located at least one meter from each other - for a full “life” this type of plant needs a lot of space. The dimensions of the holes are 30x30x30 cm. They are filled in advance with peat and humus by 1/3. Watering should be done with soft (preferably rain) water.

It's important to choose right place: Blue and white hydrangea is the type of plant that loves a balance of light and shade. It follows from this that the most appropriate place for her - partial shade. In such conditions it is easier for it to bloom.

You should not plant shrubs near trees - they take away the moisture vital for hydrangea. If it is not possible to plant it near a house or other structure (which will create partial shade), you need to find a place that will provide constant shade for the base of the plant. Further “fate” and color depend on the care and correct use fertilizers

Caring for potted Nikko Blue

Proper care of hydrangea at home is a simple matter. You just need to follow the recommendations:

Proper care of garden Nikko Blue

Like home hydrangea, garden blue hydrangea requires abundant watering, feeding with fertilizers and compliance temperature regime. However, the location of the bush in the open ground has determined a number of factors that necessitate special care:

superphosphate, urea, potassium sulfide (2:1.5:2) - at the end of spring;
potassium sulfide, superphosphate (1:2) - when inflorescences form (mid-summer);
rotted manure, compost - late summer-early autumn.

Trimming. You can’t do without it when caring for blue hydrangea in the open ground. Flowers bloom on the shoots of the previous year, so flower buds should be preserved at the ends of the branches. Nikko Blue is pruned in the spring; this is not necessary in the fall (to protect the buds from winter frosts).
Proper wintering. Water thoroughly in late summer to help Nikko Blue get stronger before winter. Treatment with Bordeaux mixture will preserve the shoots from decay. With the first frosts (October), cover with polyethylene (perforated). Next month, bend the shoots and cover them with dry leaves. Cover the top with a box.

Create your own color

And yet, how to water a hydrangea so that it turns from white to blue? The most common way to color hydrangeas is to water them with aluminum alum. This must be done during budding. The correct ratio is: 1 teaspoon (heaped) per 2 liters of water. This method is suitable for indoor and garden hydrangeas.

Blue hydrangea is a garden shrub dotted with gorgeous flowers of a light blue hue. The plant looks very impressive, so it is widely used in landscape design for decorating alleys and gazebos in city parks, creating hedges around houses, decorating squares near municipal buildings.

Popular varieties of blue hydrangea

It should be noted that blue hydrangea does not refer to a separate representative of its species. It got its name because of the unusual color of the inflorescences in blue and blue shades.

This color of buds occurs mainly in large leaf hydrangea , there are also two-color and three-color varieties that can change their color throughout the season. In addition, by creating certain conditions during plant growth and watering with a special composition.

Experienced gardeners learned how to give hydrangea inflorescences a blue color.

Hydrangea bushes with blue flowers usually have large foliage. Inflorescences of a plant round shape, big size and are capable of blooming profusely long time. At first, large-leaved hydrangea was grown in room conditions, since it was a very delicate plant and did not tolerate temperature changes well. Over time, breeders became interested in this crop; they subsequently developed frost-resistant varieties with changing colors during flowering, which flora lovers really liked.

The most famous types of large-leaved hydrangea with blue and blue flowers This:

Blue hydrangea: planting and care

Selecting a planting site and preparing the soil

The best time to plant blue hydrangea is in March or September.

The place for garden plant you need to choose in partial shade, since Sun rays can negatively affect the growth and development of the shrub, resulting in small inflorescences and short flowering.

The ideal place for a comfortable existence would be small lawn, located near branchy trees, which will create diffused lighting for the hydrangea.

You also need to take into account that hydrangea cannot be planted close to other plantings, since a flowering bush, especially when good care, is capable of growing greatly, so there must be at least 2.5 meters of free space around it.

To ornamental plant grew healthy and delighted you with its flowering for a whole year, you need to plant it in high-quality soil, saturated useful substances. Since hydrangea loves moisture very much, the soil where it will grow should always be moist and loose. To do this, you can purchase a special substrate in a special store or make it yourself.

When preparing the soil, you must not forget that blue hydrangea loves an acidic environment and does not tolerate it when there is a lot of lime in it. The following components must be present in the soil:

Leaf soil - 3 parts.
Turf - 3 parts.
Coarse sand - 1 part.

Planting a plant in open ground

Seedlings of three-year-old shrubs are suitable for planting. You need to purchase them in special stores that sell plants for growing, where you will probably be able to buy a quality product.

You can plant a plant as follows:

Dig a hole 50 cm wide and about 40 cm deep and a day before planting, pour 5-6 buckets of water into it so that the ground is saturated with moisture.
The next day you need to add nutrient soil to the hole and a little mineral fertilizers to stimulate root growth.
Then the seedling needs to be placed in the hole and carefully sprinkled with soil, then lightly compact it around the plant.
Now the young hydrangea needs to be watered generously and peat or pine needles placed on the surface of the soil around the plant.

Caring for ornamental shrubs

First of all, blue hydrangea needs regular watering, as it very moisture-loving. Insufficient moisture greatly affects the flowering and well-being of the plant.

It is necessary to water 2 times a week, pouring 4-5 buckets of water under each bush. The main thing is to never allow the soil around the plant to dry out. In hot weather the bush is recommended periodically spray. In winter, watering can be reduced to once a month.

Top dressing is also necessary step in caring for hydrangea. The first time the fertilizer must be applied in the spring, it should consist of a mixture of superphosphate, potassium sulfide and urea. The second time, fertilizing should be done in July, during the formation of buds, here you need to use superphosphate and potassium sulfide. And the last entry nutrients should be in September using organic fertilizers.

Periodically the bush should be subjected to pruning. If this is not done, the bush will grow to a shapeless mass and will not look at all aesthetically pleasing. It is recommended to carry out pruning in several stages, given that all varieties of blue hydrangea bloom on last year's shoots.

To put the plant in order you need to do the following:

At the end of March - beginning of April, you need to remove a small amount of old shoots using garden shears, simultaneously removing dry and damaged branches.
Annual shoots should also be trimmed a little, leaving about 6 buds.
If the bush is too dense, some of the shoots can be cut off completely.
With the onset of autumn, it is recommended to trim all flowers from the bushes.
No fertilizing is required after this procedure.

At the end of November, the bush begins to shed its leaves, thus preparing the plant for the onset of winter. The dormant period lasts 3 months, and with the arrival of warm days, blue hydrangea comes to life again and begins to quickly recover.

Care in winter period caring for a plant is quite easy. To do this, you must first reduce watering, but not allow the soil to dry out. Feeding will not be needed at this time either.

If the hydrangea is planted in a separate pot, it must be placed in a cool and dark place, and plants that grow in open ground must be covered before the onset of frost.

How to make hydrangea blue

There are several varieties of large-leaved hydrangea that can change the shade of their flowers depending on the composition of the soil. If the soil where the bush grows is quite acidic, then the inflorescences themselves will change their color, for example, pink will eventually become lilac or purple, and white will acquire a blue tint.

But you can try artificially change color buds and here's what you need to do for this:

Before planting hydrangeas, add peat or sulfur to the soil to create an acidic environment.
You can regularly water the bush with a solution of ammonium sulfate - 15 grams per 1 liter of water to maintain the acidity of the soil. Before such watering, you need to ensure that the soil around the plant is moist. plain water, otherwise the solution may burn the hydrangea roots.
To maintain the acidity of the soil, it is recommended to use natural products, such as solutions from orange and lemon peels, drunk coffee, and pine needles.
Very good result To change the color of the buds, they also provide special fertilizers suitable for blue varieties of hydrangea.
If you bury some iron objects near the plant, this can also affect the change in the color of the inflorescences.

It is worth remembering that all these methods cannot be used for a long time, since the composition of the soil may irreversibly change for the worse and it will be impossible to grow other plants in this place. That's why experienced gardeners recommend planting blue hydrangea in special pots designed for such plants, which can be immediately filled with a certain soil and without any problems maintaining the desired composition in it.