Lush and spectacular plant varieties always attract attention. Among gardeners, the panicled hydrangea Silver Dollar plant is especially popular. Perennial shrub is unpretentious to growing conditions, tolerates frosty winters and sultry summer weather. The plant has a stable immunity to diseases and damage to insect pests.
Description of the variety and its characteristics
Hydrangea Silver Dollar is a sprawling shrub with a chic crown. An adult bush reaches a height of 1.5 meters, in diameter - up to 2.5 meters. The volume of the plant requires an attentive selection of a place for planting. The bush needs to allocate enough space on the site.
Hydrangea Silver Dollar
Young stems of the plant paniculata hydrangea green, erect. With age, the shoots acquire a brown color. The leaves are dark green in color, slightly pointed. Dense rounded inflorescences, when they appear, have a pale green hue, with the growth of the bush they turn white, and by the end of flowering they acquire a pinkish color.
Additional Information. Hydrangea shrub Silver belongs to the family Saxifrage. From the name it is clear that the plant is very hardy. The ground part and root system of hydrangeas are strong and powerful.
History of occurrence
Flowering shrubs began to grow in Southeast Asia. In European countries and in Russia, the plant was introduced in the 14th century. At the end of the 20th century, namely, in 1990, specialists bred panicled hydrangea Silver Dollar. The name of the bush is translated as a silver dollar.
Grade Features
The Silver Dollar hydrangea has straight powerful stems that do not bend under the weight of a lush flowering head of inflorescences. White flowers resemble the shape of a pyramid. The bulk of the large flowers is barren. The inflorescences that form the seeds are smaller.
The Silver Dollar Hydrangea blooms in early July. The vegetative period lasts until the end of September. The plant is characterized by abundant flowering. The mass and density of inflorescences increase as the bush grows.
Hydrangea bloom
Winter hardiness
Silver Dollar hydrangea shrub is well adapted to low air temperatures. In regions with moderate climatic conditions, bushes calmly survive frosts up to -25 degrees without the use of covering material. When growing paniculata hydrangea in Siberia and the Urals, an additional protection option should be considered. In these regions, the temperature drops to 30-40 degrees below zero.
Note! After trimming the faded buds, the bushes are mulched with fallen leaves or dry grass. A wire frame is mounted on top and fitted with a film. Extra protection against frost will keep the bushes until spring.
Planting and further care for hydrangea Silver Dollar
An unpretentious plant is grown in compliance with the rules on which the health of the bushes and the quality of flowering depend. It is important to choose the right place for landing, as well as provide basic care. The plant needs to be regularly watered, pruned in a timely manner and fed.
Site selection and preparation
Shrubs are not too demanding on the composition of the soil. Plants well take root on fertile, loamy and slightly acidic soil. The variety is negatively related to calcareous soil, so this land must be mixed with humus and peat before planting. Hydrangea grows best and blooms in the shaded area.
How to plant
To plant a plant, dig a hole. The size of the recess should be 3 times larger than the seedling. The excavated soil must be mixed with sand and organic fertilizers. Step-by-step instructions for planting a bush:
- Drainage is laid at the bottom of the pit. The thickness of the layer of stones or pebbles should not be less than 15 cm.
- From above it is necessary to pour a little prepared earth.
- A seedling is vertically mounted in the hole.
- The remains of the nutrient soil fill the space around the shoot.
- After planting, the earth around the future shrub is mulched with fallen leaves or straw.
Important! Mulching will help prevent premature drying of the soil, as well as slow the growth of weed grass.
Hydrangea Care
Watering and feeding
Regular watering and timely top dressing are the main activities that affect the development of the bush. It is necessary to water the plant in the summer every day or every other day, if there is no rain on the street. Water for irrigation must first settle. About 2-3 buckets of liquid are consumed per bush.
It is recommended to start feeding in the middle of spring. A little nitrogen is added to the water for irrigation, which helps build foliage. During tying inflorescences, you need to feed the flower with potash and phosphorus fertilizers. At the end of flowering, citric acid or a potassium permanganate solution can be added to the water for irrigation.
Pruning
Trimming silver hydrangea bushes is recommended in the spring. The procedure helps to free the shtamb stamb from dried and frozen shoots, as well as form a beautiful crown. In the autumn after flowering, dried inflorescences must be cut.
Anti-aging pruning is done in the fall. To do this, all the stems must be completely cut off, and the root system should be well covered for the winter. This type of pruning is suitable for perennial shrubs with old shoots and inflorescences.
Winter preparations
In order for the plant to tolerate winter weather well, it should be prepared from mid-autumn. After trimming, the bushes must be carefully protected with mulch. For this, hay, straw, leaves are used. For cold regions, it is recommended that protective bushes be equipped around the bushes and covered with foil.
Shelter bush for the winter
Breeding
A variety is bred in several ways:
- Layering. Layers are taken at the bottom of the bush, choosing strong stems.
- By dividing the bush. This method is used on large and fairly overgrown plants.
- Cuttings. The method consists in cutting shoots into trimmers about 15 cm long. Cuttings are planted in a container until rooting. Seedlings are transferred to a permanent place in the spring.
Note! Layers can be cut from the plant, or you can simply bend the selected shoot to the ground, attach it and fix it with a metal bracket.
Diseases and pests, ways to combat them
Hydrangeas are not susceptible to the occurrence of diseases, but if you do not follow the rules of cultivation, this will lead to problems. Excess water in the soil can cause root rot and fungal infections. A weakened plant is more attractive to harmful insects.
Regular watering, fertilizing and the right place to grow will create ideal conditions for healthy growth and development of hydrangea bush.
Use in landscape design
Abundantly blooming hydrangeas look great as free-standing bushes and as part of landscape compositions. The Silver variety on the stem combines well with low plants in pink, purple or purple colors. Tall conifers next to tender hydrangea also look harmonious.
Hydrangea in the composition at the site
Hydrangea cultivar Silver is a strong and hardy shrub with pronounced decorative properties. Lush gentle flowering of bushes will decorate any site, flowerbed or city park.
