Hydrangea Frize Melba is a popular culture in decorative gardening, valued for its unusual appearance and unpretentiousness for care. The plant adapts perfectly to various climatic conditions. It withstands frosts down to -30 ... 35 ° С. At temperatures below the set minimum, the bushes require additional agrofibre protection.
Origin of hydrangea freeze melba
Hydrangea Fraise Melba - a novelty of the collection of the French selector Jean Reno, bred in the XX century. The emergence of a hybrid flower was preceded by a long (10 years) and painstaking work. The name of the variety is given in honor of a strawberry dessert with cream due to the pyramidal shape of white inflorescences at the top and red at the base.
Hydrangea Frize Melba - New Hybrid Shrub
Flower descriptions
Hydrangea Melba Frasi - panicled ornamental shrub reaching a height of 2 m, looks compact and does not require a garter. The branches of a young plant have a dark red hue, eventually take a brown color. A round green foliage, pointed at the edges, is attached to the shoots with long stalks. Branching on directly growing shoots is excluded.
Large openwork inflorescences (40-55 cm long), like a pyramid, change color during flowering: pink petals turn white, light petals acquire a brown color, the upper part remains white.
The peak of flowering of hydrangeas of Frez Melba falls in the middle of summer, lasts until frost, no fruit is formed. Inflorescences appear annually, immediately after planting. No additional hybrid care is required. The plant lives 30-40 years.
Interesting fact. It is unlikely that hydrangea will become ill; Freize Melba is a stable variety. Diseases develop when growing a flower in a corner with a lack of sunlight, with a lack of fertilizer, and lack of access to fresh air. Novelty for insects is also of little interest.
The disadvantages of the culture are the difficulty in obtaining seeds, susceptibility to fungal diseases. The variety imperfectly copes with drought and rots with an excess of moisture.
Decor of garden paths hydrangea Fres Melba in the Urals
Hydrangea transplant after purchase
The best period for planting hydrangeas in the open field is the end of April, May. In summer, the root system will grow and get stronger for wintering. By purchasing a seedling in a pot, you can also safely plant in the summer. Hydrangeas take root well on acidic soil. Land should not contain lime and manure. Often gardeners add plant debris, humus, needles contained in horse peat.
Important! According to the description of the variety, Fraise Melba hydrangea throws flowers at the age of 4-5 years. It is worth considering this fact when choosing seedlings. One, two-year-old sprout will not produce panicles for a long time, they are removed at the first appearance. Roots characteristic of a developed root system should protrude from the pot. Damage to the cortex and kidneys is not allowed.
Optimal place
The main parameter for choosing a place for planting hydrangea Freise Melba is the ability to receive sunlight for at least 6 hours / day. If placed in the shade, flowering quality will deteriorate. The distance between the individual bushes should be 1.2-1.5 m, this measure will allow the roots and crown to get a sufficient level of nutrition, lighting.
The soil
Panicle hydrangea prefers slightly acidic soils (ph). Fertile loam is ideal for development. Sandstone will not be able to retain beneficial components, plant growth will slow down. Wet lowlands threaten to rot.
Step-by-step landing process
Planting hydrangea Vanilla Melba is carried out in the following sequence:
- Dig a hole with sides of 50 cm.
- Fill with drainage from broken brick or expanded clay (10-15 cm).
- A mixture of turf land mixed with peat and sand is poured. To constantly maintain soil moisture, it is advisable to add a hydrogel.
- Planting in the spring, it is recommended to remove young shoots for 3-4 buds without squandering the plant’s strength to develop the shoots; initially, the culture should grow the roots.
- Sapling roots moisten well in the acquired pot.
- The sprout is placed vertically in a wet hole, sprinkled with earth, leaving a root neck on the surface of the soil.
- The soil around the shoots is compacted and watered with two buckets of water.
Planting a sprout takes a minimum of time and does not cause difficulties even for beginners.
The first flowering shrub after transplantation
Breeding
Hydrangea is propagated by cuttings, dividing the bush, layering. When planting seeds and grafting, the care for hydrangea Freyz Melba paniculata is laborious and causes difficulties for amateur gardeners. Division of the bush is unproductive, the disadvantage of reproduction by layering is a limited number of branches for bending. The most effective and affordable method of hydrangea cultivation is cuttings.
Cuttings
The plant will take root well if you follow the basic recommendations for grafting. Experienced gardeners cut sprouts from a bush in the early morning or in cloudy weather. Green cuttings of 10 cm long are cut from annual shoots, and upper leaves with several buds are shortened by a third. The bundles connected by a bundle at the bottom are treated with a growth stimulator, the upper incision is disinfected with brilliant green and planted at an angle in the container.
The substrate for the bush is prepared on the basis of turf, peat and sand, in a ratio of 1: 3: 4. The cutlery is placed in an excavated groove 5 cm deep. Previously, the soil is decontaminated in an oven at a temperature of 200 degrees. A more convenient option will be the use of ready-mixed soil for azaleas.
Sprouts are covered with glass jars, aired every week for 15 minutes. Over the course of a month, cuttings take root, cover is removed. In areas with a mild climate, the shoots are planted in moist loamy soil, in winter the shoots are carefully closed. In the northern climate zone, rooted hydrangeas are left in a cool room until next spring.
Preparing cuttings for planting
Seed cultivation
Planting of hydrangea seeds Freesia Melba is carried out in open areas and in seedlings. Before sowing, the seeds are soaked overnight in water, then scattered over the prepared soil, covered with a small layer of soil on top and irrigated with water. Shoots are protected from frost by polyethylene.
Care
For the normal development and prolonged flowering of hydrangeas, care should be taken to regular watering, mulching the soil, top dressing, pruning, and warming for the winter.
Watering mode
The soil under the bush of hydrangea Freeze Melba must be constantly moist. The plant is watered with warm soft water, one bucket per day. During dormancy, the soil is moistened weekly in dry weather, in the summer - every 3 days. Water for irrigation is preferably used soft, with a pH of about 5.5.
Top dressing
The first feeding is carried out in spring, using humus, the next - in the growing season (they switch to phosphorus-potassium fertilizers). Then the bushes fertilize 2 times a month, alternating mineral and organic substances.
Mulching
The first mulching is carried out immediately after planting a young sprout, using compost or humus. Then the mulch is updated every 2 months.
Pruning
To make flower stalks large, poorly developed shoots damaged by frost are removed in the spring. In the fall, weak sprouts and inflorescences are pruned.
Preparing hydrangea for shelter for the winter
During flowering
The direct exposure to ultraviolet radiation negatively affects the flowering of panicled hydrangea Frize Melba, if the sun is at its zenith, it is important to take care of creating partial shade. Also, the culture is threatened by drying out of the roots in the absence of frequent watering in the dry period. To the general list add rescue from bacteria and microbes, top dressing, providing decorative properties of the culture. In mid-summer, hydrangea is fertilized with potassium and phosphorus.
During rest
In the dormant period, hydrangea Freyzy Melba needs to mulch the soil with a mixture of humus and dry leaves. A 20 cm high layer will retain moisture and protect the plant from freezing. Feeding a crop after flowering is not worth it. It is enough to provide moderate watering and cleaning of weeds.
Winter preparations
Cold Frize Melba are fearless, the variety has high winter hardiness. In autumn, hydrangea leaves are removed, leaving only the top, the area around the stem is sprinkled with dry soil. Shrubs are wrapped with agrofibre, mulched and fed with potassium salt with superphosphate at 50 grams per bush. Nitrogen in the autumn is not needed.
Diseases and Pests
In cool weather, Freyz Melba is at risk of powdery mildew. The spread of gray plaque on branches and leaves indicates the need to treat the culture with a solution of Fitosporin. The second problem is aphids, sucking juices. Insects infect the bush with infection and cause damage. Cope with pests means: Fitoverm, Actellik, Trichopol. The solution is prepared according to the instructions and sprayed. From folk methods effective infusions of garlic, onion peel.
Hydrangea during the period of active growth
With Hydrangea Frize Melba, excellent landscape compositions are obtained that are pleasing to the eye and emphasize the delicate taste of the garden owner. The flowers in the garden look harmoniously combined with rhododendrons, phlox, highlander, cuff or stonecrop. Looks good flower beds, including 3-4 bush panicle culture. Planting hydrangeas along birches, recommended by landscape experts, will cause many problems. To avoid competition for moisture, it is better to practice such tandems in areas with a humid microclimate.
