Hydrangea in landscape design: species, planting schemes and care
Recently, people are paying more and more attention to the design of their personal plot. Now the land is used not only to grow vegetables and fruits, but also to create a beautiful place for recreation.
Depending on the quality characteristics of the soil, the amount of light entering it, the properties of care, suitable plants for garden design are selected.
Hydrangeas in landscape design, despite their demanding quality of peat and finish, are used quite often. From April until the first frosts, they decorate the area with flowers of mind-blowing beauty.
Variety of culture and features
Gardeners love hydrangeas for their long and lush flowering, umbrella, spherical and paniculate inflorescences will decorate the plot, decorated in any style of landscape design.
There are more than 80 species of hydrangeas – shrubs, vines and small trees. The most popular are:
- Tree hydrangea has globular inflorescences that are white or beige in color. The height of the plant can reach 3 m, the diameter of the inflorescences – 15 cm. The lush bush is decorated with a large number of shoots. The plant likes moisture, the soil around the flower should be periodically loosened to increase the flow of air into the soil. Although hydrangea tolerates frost well, young bushes should be covered to protect the roots. One of the most popular representatives of tree hydrangeas can rightly be considered the Annabelle variety. Any type of soil is suitable for this species, the main condition for quality growth and flowering is plenty of moisture. Good care provides the plant a long flowering period, some specimens can reach 50 years.
- Large-leaf hydrangea is highly resistant to low temperatures. It is most commonly grown in areas with long winters and late spring. It is recommended to cover the plants for the winter. For over-wintering Hydrangeas can be transferred into a large pot measuring around 20 liters and should be kept in a cool place with a temperature of no more than 7 °C. Large-leaf hydrangea Early Blue is one of the most famous and popular representatives of the species. The plant blooms in lush inflorescences of various shades of blue.
- Hydrangea serrata is less bushy and can change color depending on the acidity of the soil. The plant grows well in nutritious soil, likes sun and partial shade. In severe frosts, hydrangea can die, so it should be carefully covered.
- Hydrangea panicula is a beautiful lush shrub, whose inflorescences have a pyramidal shape. A distinctive feature of this species is an increased need for water, Hydrangea panicula can grow even in swampy areas. It is cold-resistant, tolerating frosts of up to 25 degrees.
- Hydrangea montellifera is unpretentious in care and resistant to low temperatures. The plant is able to grow at a great height. In cold regions the length of the vine can reach 6 m, in the south – 20 m. The plant blooms all summer long. Cherry spots like acid, withstand d o o-35 degrees.
- Hydrangea oakleaf is a shrub up to 2 m high with red shoots. The leaves of this variety of plant resemble those of an oak, they have from 3 to 7 lobes. The inflorescences are in panicles, their length is from 10 to 30 cm. Over time, the white flowers turn purple.
The Grandiflora hydrangea is characterized by a change from the greenish shade of the inflorescences to white in the summer, and in the fall, the flowers turn pink. This variety is unpretentious in care and is highly frost-resistant.
Beautiful combinations on the site
Decorative properties, resistance to low temperatures, unpretentiousness allow you to create with hydrangea original landscape compositions, which are popular with gardeners.
Even individual flowering bushes look very bright and beautiful. You can also combine different types of hydrangeas, for example, for the design of garden paths or decorating hedges.
To decorate the garden, you can place next to a purple hydrangea, a lily, a poppy-ap, a spirea.
Hydrangeas are versatile, they are suitable for decorating parks, urban flower beds and alleys, private estates and the countryside.
In a landscape composition, you can combine hydrangeas with other shrubs. Over time, the lower part becomes bare and, for example, fluffy barberry hides the gaps.
Mineral hydrangea in landscape design in harmony with birch, maple and pasture. The various forms of crowns and the size of the plants look very interesting in a single composition.
In addition, compositions with hydrangeas can be complemented by azaleas, dahlias, roses, rhododendrons. With the unpretentiousness of hydrangeas can be successfully combined with different types of floral plants.
Hydrangeas and ferns perfectly complement each other in a single composition.
Very beautiful and harmonious look composition of hydrangeas, hostas and pots. Such a flower bed becomes a real decoration of the personal plot.
Hydrangea with conifers in the landscape
You will not find a better neighborhood than conifers for hydrangeas. The bright beauty of hydrangea inflorescences will dilute the light. Fallen bits of bark and needles oxidize the floor. Because the plants have the same need for sun and moisture, hydrangeas get along well with needle plants. For example, a Thuja from Smaragda would make a great backdrop for a bright and fluffy hydrangea in the center of the composition.
Hardenzia alternately planted with thuja along a garden path or path can create a successful design for a personal plot. Lush shrubs can decorate a shore in the garden. Dense hydrangea plantings can act as a hedge, and they can also highlight or separate an area in the garden.
Rules for a successful hydrangea planting
First, it is necessary to choose high-quality planting material. Good seedlings can be purchased in specialized stores and garden centers. Experienced gardeners can get good seedlings from cuttings.
When selecting seedlings, you need to pay attention to the following:
- The rhizome. If there is mold or rot on it, the plant has weak immunity.
- Shoots should be healthy, with no visible signs of any damage.
- It is worth choosing plants with moist roots.
Keep mumge hydrangeas in the dark and cool. Water them approximately once every two weeks. You can keep the plants in a purchased pot or transplant them into a larger pot with acidic or slightly acidic soil.
If the air temperature warms up to +10 degrees, you can move the flower to a cooler place (on the veranda) for adaptation.
Successful cultivation of the crop depends on the choice of soil type, time of planting seedlings and protection of the area from wind. Disc activity and rhizome development begins in mid-spring, at which time each seedling has a better chance to establish itself in a new place. The best weather conditions for plant development come in the spring: it becomes warm, there is more sunlight. Hardensia seedlings planted in the spring have a better chance of surviving severe winter frosts.
Gardeners use the lunar calendar to determine cheap planting dates.
To get the young plant accustomed to its new location, plant hydrangeas on a quiet, overcast but warm day.
If you plant hydrangea in the field, you need to pay attention to the following:
- The crop is extremely immune to swampy terrain. Do not plant it in areas with constant moisture.
- The plant should be in moderate sunlight, which promotes active growth of discs and leaves, and accelerates flowering.
- Young seedlings can be protected from strong gusts of wind.
- It is worth paying attention to the quality characteristics of the soil. Hardenzia does not tolerate alkaline soils, but feels comfortable in nutritious, moderately oxidized soils.
- It is worth planting hardensia seedlings near trees or shrubs.
Once you have chosen a place to plant the seedling, you need to:
- Clear the soil of weeds, remove rocks and branches;
- Make a hole of 30 x 30 cm;
- 3 hours before planting the plant, the floor should be watered.
- Deepen the seedling to the height of the “neck” in the ground, spread the rhizome in different directions;
- Cover the roots of the plant to the height of the root neck.
- It is necessary to tamp the soil near the hydrangea tribe.
- Water the seedling abundantly;
- If the floor sags after watering, use additional soil to level the planting site.
Taking care of hydrangeas in the cottage
In addition to choosing the right location, it is important to take good care of the plant. Only then will the hydrangea grow well and decorate the site with beautiful and lush flowers.
Hydrangea grows well when the soil is moderately moist. Complete drying out of the soil or too much water can kill the plant. After each watering the soil should be loosened and free from weeds.
During especially hot and dry times, the leaves of the plant should be sprayed with water.
To protect the floor from rapid evaporation of moisture, mulch (a mixture of natural materials) should be used. Peat, conifer bark, leaves can be used as mulching material. The thickness of the layer should be 5 to 8 cm.
The culture should be constantly trimmed, this process should be carried out in the fall after the buds are completely dry. It is recommended to cut about half the length of the plant.
Feeding of the plant should be carried out:
- at the time of planting;
- At the end of May – beginning of June;
- Then every 3 weeks.
Hydrangea fertilizers containing all the necessary minerals can be found in specialist stores. For fertilizing you can use chicken manure or mulch solution. Mineral fertilizers such as potassium sulfate, urea and superphosphate are suitable for hydrangeas. The last feeding should be at the end of July, the plant must prepare and survive the winter.
To improve flowering and increase immunity, the culture is treated with flower stores.
Hydrangea flowerbed – planting scheme of the shrub
A beautiful flowering corner can decorate any personal plot, beer garden, park or pond. No wonder that all gardeners, even beginners, try to create interesting compositions of flowers, herbaceous decorative plants, flowering shrubs and trees in their gardens. One of the win-win options used by experienced landscape designers, amateur gardeners, is a flower bed with hydrangea. This spectacular culture for a long time pleases with beautiful, lush blossoms and, under the right conditions, does not require laborious care. In addition, hydrangea perfectly combines with many plants, and it becomes possible to create unique and original ensembles.
Hydrangea in landscape design
Hydrangea flower bed – it is always a bright colorful composition, which constantly pleases with fresh colors due to the continuous blooming of hydrangeas in summer and early autumn.
Hydrangea bed
In landscape design, there are several types of culture:
- Tree. A tall species, characterized by stability and unpretentiousness in care, can withstand low temperatures. Distinguished by the inflorescence in the shape of a ball.
- Panicum. Popular plant of medium height (up to one meter), the main feature of which is a lightning bolt. It is considered a universal crop.
- Bright. Beautiful bush with magnificent large inflorescences, very liked by florists, but only takes root in the southern regions. It is often used as an indoor flower.
The most popular for planting in the garden is hydrangea pantry – it fits harmoniously into any design, unpretentious, many varieties.
There are many options for using hydrangeas in landscape design, it all depends on the skill and creative impulses of the gardener. There are simple and spectacular schemes of the garden with hydrangea, which can be recognized by people who have no experience in creating complex compositions.
Scheme of planting hydrangea panicle
Given the size of the plant, the duration, brightness and lushness of flowering, hydrangeas often become too dominant in the composition. If the flower bed is well visible from all sides, the bush is planted in the center. In a flower bed near the fence – in the background.
Interesting. Hydrangea flowers do not have a characteristic smell, so they can be unattractive to insects. They can safely be planted near windows, paths, arbors or patios.
Hydrangea near the house
Using hydrangea in the design of the garden, it is necessary to take into account some peculiarities of care:
- The flower likes partial shade, diffused sunlight. Do not plant the bush in a sunny, unsealed place.
- Hydrangea needs regular. To prevent the roots from rotting, drainage in the form of crushed stone or gravel should be used when planting. Mulching with needles or sawdust will help retain moisture longer.
- The plant develops well in acidic, loose soil, but does not tolerate alkaline clay soil.
Important! The color of the inflorescences depends on the acidity of the soil: the more acidic the soil, the lighter and richer the color. You can increase the acidity by using aluminum chips, chelate fertilizers or a solution of citric acid.
Principles of bloom rearing:
- Choose a location. A flower bed should decorate the garden, to attract attention. Therefore, the place is chosen so that it is visible, but slightly shaded.
- The scheme is well thought out. In order for the flower bed to fit harmoniously into the environment, it must match the size of the garden, combined with the overall design and concept. Preferring a flower bed scheme on paper, it is best to mark the scheme with pens on the ground.
- Prepare the soil. One of the most important points – light fertile soil, which is the basis of future abundant flowering. The site is recultivated, weeds are removed, sand, humus, ash are brought in, everything is thoroughly mixed and abundantly watered.
Tip! To the edges of the bed very quickly did not get overgrown with grass and weeds, the perimeter, around the flower bed, it is necessary to fence the flower bed with stones or agrovoloknom, in which you can pour gravel or broken bricks.
Proper plant selection
Using hydrangea in the flower bed, it is necessary to adhere to the basic rules of planting:
- In the center are planted tall flowers and shrubs: hydrangea, rose, lily of the valley, delphinium, peony, iris, gladiolus. Gradually lower the level: tulips, daffodils, zinnias, velvets, violets, petunias. Fill in the empty spaces and complete the composition will help the main cover: Barberry, Carnation Carnation, Medunia.
- Take into account the period and timing of flowering of each culture – flowers should be set in the bed in such a way as to achieve a harmonious flowering throughout the season. Complement the image will help herbaceous plants: hosta, fern, red fescue.
- Think about the color scheme of flower beds. A combination of contrasting bright colors is possible: blue, yellow, red, white, green. Often the palette uses understated noble patterns. White flower beds look good. Red shades (from rich burgundy and wine to light pink) yellows (from orange-lemon and pale yellow) reveal themselves in interesting ways.
Given all the nuances of growth, the best option for combining hydrangeas is:
- Trees and shrubs – rhododendron, barberry, viburnum, conifers (thuja, pine).
- Bulk plants – tulips, daffodils, lilies, crocuses, hyacinths.
- Perennials – rose, astilbe, phlox, geranium, anemone.
- Perennials – marigolds, pansies, gerberas, dahlias, petunias.
- Herbaceous plants – ferns, hostas, mint, chokeberry, periwinkle.
Hydrangeas and other flowers
Composition with hydrangea in the garden should be united by a common theme: the design of the house and personal territory. Several design options are popular:
- Country style. To create it, bright colors and plants reminiscent of a rustic garden are used: meadow plants (chamomile, thyme, corn flowers, wormwood), annuals (marigolds, violets, zinnias, Carpathian bells), herbaceous (periwinkle, mint, ivy, decorative sewing), trees (foxberry, verba).
- Classic style. Suitable for the design of the site in a modern understated design. This option includes a combination of hydrangeas with conifers, roses, ferns or hostas, decorative onions, petunias.
- Japanese style. A fashionable direction in landscape design is the creation of a Japanese garden. Its design requires a small fountain or stream, which is complemented by rhododendron, fan maple, ferns and moss. Brightness in the composition is brought by low-growing chrysanthemums.
The gully in the Japanese style
Important! When creating a flower bed of hydrangeas, it is very important to maintain a balance and pick a mixture that is appropriate in size – too large plants in a small flower bed look out of place, small ones go to a large flower bed.
Hydrangea arrangements in the garden
There are several ways to combine hydrangeas with other plants, which are always a win-win and spectacular.
A flowerbed with hydrangeas and fanhouses is a classic combination that captivates with simplicity and style. The lush greenery of herbaceous plants puts the delicate blooms of hydrangeas on one side. The variety of colors of both crops allows you to create original and beautiful compositions. In addition, both hydrangeas and hostas love shady places and retain an attractive appearance for a long time. Care for such a flower bed is extremely simple.
Hydrangea with fanhouses
Compositions of hydrangeas and needles are the best combination. Ephedra oxidizes the soil, which is so important for hydrangeas. In addition, the flowers look even more beautiful and elegant against the rich green of the pine needles. Hydrangeas look good in combination with spruce, juniper, fir, pine. Complement the composition can be roses or ferns.
Hydrangea and conifers
Flower bed for beginners
To arrange a simple flower bed, it is desirable to use flowers that do not require special care and growing conditions, but on which you can count for a long time. For the basis of a simple flowerbed, you can take the following scheme: in the center there is a hydrangea, then in a circle planted bulbs (narcissus and tulips), astilbe, fern, chrysanthemum, violet, lily of the valley, marigold and carnation.
Children’s flower bed
Creating a flower bed for children is a great way to get children involved, teach them to work, to respect nature and to be responsible. To make activities fun, you can plant colorful flowering shrubs.
Young flowers of blue and blue colors (crocuses, violets, muskrats, knight’s spur, blueberries, forget-me-nots, cornflowers, nigella, asters) are used to decorate the flowerbed. The highlight of the composition can be blue or purple hydrangeas, as well as blue violets.
Delicate flowers in red and pink (hyacinths, tulips, peonies, lilies, daisies, steps, petunia) are selected for girls. Complement the flower bed can viburnum or rhododendron.
A shady bed with taglia.
If you need to decorate a corner where there is almost no sun, you can try the following version of the flower bed. In the center – hydrangea Kyushu and daylilies (red common or stela de oro). Then – late flowering daffodils, hosta zybolida, forest wiegela, ivy and honeydew. Such a composition always looks fresh and original, requires almost no maintenance.
Gully with daylilies
Flower bed along the fence or wall
The riot of hydrangeas along the wall of the house or fence is a fascinating and unique spectacle. It is not easy to achieve this result, but it is impressive. If you are planting hydrangeas, decide right away which plant will be the tallest. If hydrangea, then the tree species is chosen and planted in the background. In front of it, the flower bed is supplemented with small flowers and herbaceous plants.
If a conifer or other tree is chosen as the largest crop, it is placed in the background. Hardenia should be harvested at risk and planted in the first row.
Hydrangea on a fence
Hydrangea is a beautiful and spectacular plant, unpretentious in care and in demand in landscape design. It perfectly combines with many flowers, trees and herb plantings, so you can create original and unique compositions. Hardenia will be a worthy decoration of any garden or flower bed.
