Hydrangea plant, paniculata variety Bombshell, is a shrub characterized by abundant, long-lasting flowering and high resistance to winter frosts. The perennial does not require special care. Due to its positive qualities and unpretentiousness, this crop is popular among gardeners from all regions of the Russian Federation. Let's take a closer look at what this variety is, its characteristics, planting and use of the flower in landscape design.
What kind of variety is this
Hydrangea paniculata Bombshell is a variety that was bred in Holland. This crop can be grown in a country house and in the garden. In addition, the perennial decorates city squares and parks. Among all the advantages of the plant, its resistance to severe Russian frosts especially stands out. Due to this, the crop is also grown in the north of the Russian Federation. This variety does not require much attention, and the flowering lasts quite a long time. The perennial is suitable for gardeners who are not ready to invest a lot of time in caring for an ornamental plant.
Breeders from Holland have been breeding Bombshell hydrangea for many years, but this species received official registration only in 2010. The creator of this type of hydrangea is considered to be the breeder Alex Frederick Shomaker. At the moment, this perennial plant is not particularly common in the Russian Federation, since it takes time for a foreign variety to take root on foreign territory.
What does he look like
The height of the perennial is from 70 to 90 centimeters. An adult bush reaches from 1 to 1.2 meters in diameter. Despite the strong branching of the variety, Hydrangea paniculata Bombshell has a beautiful and neat spherical shape. The shrub has red-brown thin shoots. The large, jagged, egg-shaped leaves are dark green in color. Hydrangea blooms from mid-summer until frost. In summer the flowers are white, but when autumn comes they turn pinkish. The diameter of the flowers is two to three centimeters, the inflorescences are large, up to 14 centimeters long and shaped like a pyramid.
Peculiarities
At the moment the buds open, the paniculate inflorescences begin to bend closer to the ground, which forms a spherical shape of the bush.From the day the seedling is planted in open soil, this perennial blooms the following year. But in order to achieve flowering exactly for the next calendar year, you need to follow some rules when growing and subsequently caring for the plant.
How to plant a flower
Hydrangea planting material gets used to the new territory faster if it is planted in spring days. As soon as the likelihood of repeated frosts has passed, you can begin to prepare the seedlings for planting. When a gardener decides to plant in the fall, he needs to be sure that he has a month or more before the onset of frost. This is required so that the plant has time to put down strong roots..
How to select and prepare a landing site
This plant loves open sunny areas, but it is not advisable to grow the shrub all the time in direct sunlight, especially in the southern regions. Shady areas are also not suitable for Bombshell hydrangea, since when planted in such places, gardeners receive pale flowers. Thus, the best option for planting is in areas where moderate shade prevails. Places near fences and houses are suitable for this, which will additionally protect the plant from strong winds.
For this, plants select well-drained, moist soil. The paniculate variety feels especially good on fertile acidic or slightly acidic soil. Peat and loamy soils are best suited for plant development. It is important to take into account that Bombshell hydrangea does not take root in soil with a high concentration of limestone.
Basic landing rules
Hydrangea paniculata Bombshell is planted in 70-centimeter holes. In this case, it is necessary that the diameter of the pits also reach 70 centimeters.Before planting a flower, you need to line the bottom of the hole with fertilizer. Fertilizer composition:
- two parts of peat;
- one part sand;
- one part of humus;
- two parts of fertile soil.
As soon as the holes are ready, you need to carefully lower the hydrangea planting material, straightening its roots. Then you need to fill the root system with soil, while the neck of the root should rise above the ground. At the end, the seedling is watered abundantly - one liter of water for each flower.
Aftercare
When watering the plant, it is necessary to take into account weather conditions and the condition of the soil to avoid cracking or waterlogging. As for fertilizing the Bombshell variety, it is recommended to carry it out 3-4 times a year. There is a certain scheme that should be followed.
Watering and fertilizing
The main condition when watering is to observe moderation. In the spring, the soil is fertilized with complexes containing a high amount of nitrogen in order to help the hydrangea gain green mass. When the bush begins to form buds, it should be fed with urea, potassium salts and superphosphates. In mid-summer, complex mineral fertilizers are used to feed the Bombshell variety. In autumn, the soil must be fertilized with potassium and phosphorus. However, it must be remembered that lime should not be added to the fertilizer, as it can harm all varieties of this perennial.
Trimming
In early spring, before the sap begins to flow, it is recommended to prune this variety of hydrangea. To stimulate free flowering of a perennial, it is necessary to remove all broken, weakened, and dried shoots, as well as get rid of crooked branches.
When pruning correctly, gardeners leave about ten of the strongest branches. Old inflorescences are disposed of before the first strong buds appear.
Pest Control
Paniculata hydrangea rarely gets sick, but if this does happen, the cause is most often the mistakes of the gardeners themselves. Here are the factors contributing to the development of diseases of the Bombshell variety: abundant watering, lack of fertilizing, unsuitable soil, etc. Even taking into account the fact that this perennial is unpretentious, a complete lack of care for the plant should not be allowed. Otherwise, it will become weak and susceptible to a number of common flower diseases, such as:
- Chlorosis, which appears in the form of yellowed leaves, is common. Caused by a lack of iron in the soil. The first symptoms of this disease are a reason to water the bushes of a perennial plant with a solution of iron sulfate.
- Gray rot, in which characteristic brownish spots form on hydrangea leaves. For treatment, treatment with drugs such as “Chistotsvet” or “Skor” is used.
- Powdery mildew, which appears as grayish spots on the leaves. To treat hydrangea, it is recommended to spray the plantings with Fundazola liquid or Bordeaux mixture.
It is important to consider that most often the cause of these diseases are factors such as: growing in conditions of strong shade, thickening of plantings and over-watered soil. Also, infertile soil has a bad effect on the immunity of Hydrangea paniculata Bombshell.
Preparing for winter
Hydrangea has fairly high winter hardiness and can withstand temperatures down to minus 35 °C without shelter. Unfortunately, in harsh winters with little snow, shoots that do not have time to ripen tend to freeze.
Gardeners cover young planting material for the winter months, since it is unlikely to withstand particularly severe cold weather.After planting for the first three years, Bombshell paniculata hydrangea seedlings should be hilled up, mulched and covered with a layer of snow.
A mature perennial usually does not need to be covered during the winter. This is most likely required for young bushes of the plant, which require insulation from the end of autumn until the onset of the first frost. Gardeners hill up the trunk circles of young planting material with dry soil and mulch the plant with a thick layer of fallen leaves. In the winter months, the lower part of the bush is covered with snow - this is an additional protection for the hydrangea from severe frosts.
Reproduction
The Bombshell variety is best propagated by cuttings. This is done as follows:
- In spring or summer, cuttings are cut from the bush, each of which must contain at least two buds.
- The upper leaves on the cuttings are shortened by half, and the lower end is adjusted by cutting diagonally - for the convenience of burying it in the ground.
- Then the harvested seedlings are dipped in a container of water until the cuttings begin to form roots. After this, they are moved into wet sand with peat.
- Containers with planting material are placed in a greenhouse, periodically watered and covered. Next summer, ready-made hydrangea seedlings can be transplanted into open ground.
Application
Hydrangea paniculata Bombshell is a popular plant in landscape design and can be used for both single and group plantings. This variety is also used to create low borders and bush groups. Paniculata goes well with conifers and trees, and also looks beautiful together with astilbe, hostas and mantle.
Hydrangea paniculata variety Bombshell is one of the most beautiful types of perennials, which is characterized by lush and long-lasting flowering. This winter-hardy plant variety can be grown in almost any region of Russia. Moreover, its unpretentiousness and ease of care have made hydrangea very popular among novice gardeners and those who do not have enough time for long-term plant care.
