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Hydrangea Mega Mindy is a spectacular, beautifully flowering shrub, bred in 2009 in Belgium. An unpretentious and winter-hardy plant can decorate gardens throughout most of the country. The crop is demanding on soil composition and moisture in summer.
Mega Mindy inflorescences have intense colors
Description of hydrangea paniculata variety Mega Mindy
A characteristic feature of Hydrangea paniculata Mega Mindy is its huge inflorescences up to 24-30 cm long. A dense spreading crown is created by vertical shoots growing from a shallow, branched root system.
The stems rise up to 1.4-1.75 m. The diameter of a compact, erect bush is up to 1.4-1.6 m, sometimes more. The tough shoots with reddish bark are strong, bend only slightly under the weight of large panicles, and the bush does not fall apart. Hydrangea paniculata grows quickly; within a year the shoots lengthen to 20-25 cm.
Ovate large leaves 8-11 cm long are located opposite.The dark green, slightly corrugated leaf blade is dense, rough, attached to the stem with a reddish petiole. In autumn the leaves are yellowish.
Wide-pyramidal inflorescences bloom on the shoots of the current year. The cone-shaped panicles are dense, at first with a pointed tip, where unblown flowers are concentrated, then the tip becomes rounded.
Hydrangea Mega Mindy has two types of flowers:
- sterile;
- fertile.
Infertile flowers on long stalks with a diameter of 2.0-2.5 cm. Each consists of 4 round, large petals. The flowers are arranged very densely, covering the fertile flowers - small, quickly falling, from which fruits are created in the form of small, up to 3 mm, boxes. They ripen in the fall and crack at the top.
From the beginning of flowering, the petals are white, then turn pink and in August become cherry or crimson. The color depends on the composition of the soil and the weather. Flowering lasts a long time, from mid-July to the end of September or mid-October.
In July, the petals of the variety just begin to color slightly
Hydrangea Mega Mindy in landscape design
Hydrangea paniculata variety Hydrangeapaniculata Mega Mindy with brightly colored inflorescences is an effective element of various landscape compositions. Most often the shrub grows as a colorful soloist. Hydrangea Mega Mindy also looks beautiful in group plantings.
The culture loves a slightly acidic environment; hydrangeas are placed next to plants that are equally demanding on soil composition - coniferous and deciduous shrubs.The Mega Mindy variety shows all the brightness and harmony of compositional solutions in tree-shrub or shrub ensembles, mixborders with low conifers. Paniculata hydrangea tolerates urban smoke and gas pollution well and is used for landscaping the territories of large enterprises and for decorating recreation areas.
Sometimes bushes are used to create decorative hedges. Hydrangea Mega Mindy is picturesque for the following reasons:
- flowering is abundant, bright and long-lasting;
- colorful inflorescences do not lose color and shape throughout the winter months, being in bouquets in residential buildings;
- Sometimes in regions with low snow cover, ornamental shrubs are left without pruning, since the inflorescences remain colorful even in the cold season.
At the same time, they take into account that next year the bushes without pruning will produce very sparse flowering.
Landscape designers recommend using the Mega Mindy variety in natural parks or in English landscape style gardens.
Winter hardiness of hydrangea Mega Mindy
The plant tolerates frosts down to -25 °C, recommended for winter hardiness zones 4-8. In a cozy, windless place, paniculate hydrangea can withstand frosts of -30 °C. The crop is planted to the latitude of St. Petersburg, and seeds are obtained in the southern regions. In open, hot areas in the southern regions, the growth of paniculata hydrangea slows down and the inflorescences become small.
The solo hydrangea bush attracts special attention
Planting and caring for Mega Mindy hydrangea
Beautiful flowering depends on the correct planting site and substrate. It is equally important to follow the rules of agricultural technology.
Selection and preparation of a landing site
The plant is light-loving and grows well in light partial shade. It prefers moderately moist soils to dry soils, and regular watering is required in sunny areas. The paniculate species has high soil requirements:
- rich in humus;
- loamy, well structured, loose;
- wet;
- with acidity from 5.0 to 6.0 p
The color of the inflorescences of the Mega Mindy variety depends on the degree of acidity in the soil. Flowers are brighter on sour. In the area with a neutral reaction, the substrate is oxidized in the planting pit. Calcareous soil negatively affects the growth of shrubs. Poor sandy areas are enriched with humus based on manure or compost. Hydrangea tolerates short-term stagnation of water.
Landing rules
The crop is planted in April, May, in the south - in September, October. During the summer period, the seedlings take root, grow stronger and enter the winter viable. The planting hole is dug 60 cm wide and 40-50 cm deep. The volume depends on the composition and acid reaction of the site. If the substrate is prepared different from the composition of the soil, dig a spacious hole. When planting hydrangeas, the diameter of the hole exceeds the volume of the crown by 1.5 times. If hydrangea is planted as an element of a hedge, the plants are placed in a trench 90-110 cm wide every 150 cm.
When laying a hole for the Mega Mindy variety, a drainage layer of up to 10-15 cm is placed at the bottom. The substrate is made up of equal parts of garden soil, peat, humus and a mixture for coniferous plants.
Nutrients also added:
- 20 g urea;
- 30 g potassium sulfate;
- 70 g superphosphate;
- 200 g bone meal.
The seedling is installed so that the root collar is 2-3 cm above the soil surface. Having covered the roots with the remaining substrate, the soil is compacted, watered with a bucket of water and mulched with a layer of 8-10 cm.Mulch is especially necessary in the south, and if the planting hole is located in an open area. For the first month, the seedling is shaded from direct sunlight.
Watering and fertilizing
The Mega Mindy variety is regularly watered every week, in the evening, 2 buckets per bush. If there is sufficient precipitation, watering is carried out every 2 weeks, and in rainy summers - 4 times per season. If the autumn is dry, you need October watering, up to 60 liters per plant.
For abundant flowering, the crop is fed 4-5 times:
- in spring and early summer with potassium, ammonium sulfates or organic matter;
- at the beginning of July and after 15 days, add a solution of superphosphate and potassium sulfate;
- from the end of July to the first week of August - superphosphate and bone meal.
Wood ash is not recommended for hydrangeas, but products for heathers or rhododendrons are used.
Pruning hydrangea Mega Mindy
Inflorescences form on the tops of young shoots, so the plants are pruned annually in early spring. In addition, when the bush becomes very thick, the buds become smaller. The shoots are shortened by a third, leaving 4 buds. Old and damaged stems are removed in the fall after flowering.
Preparing for wintering hydrangea Mega Mindy
Although the paniculate species is winter-hardy, the bush must be prepared for wintering:
- fertilize in August;
- in September-October - moisture-recharging irrigation;
- hilling with humus, loose soil;
- mulching with pine needles and peat.
Young bushes are bent down or a frame is placed on top, covered with lutrasil or burlap.
Reproduction
Mega Mindy planting material is obtained by cuttings or by dividing the mother bush. They can also be propagated by grafting and sowing seeds. Cuttings are taken from one-year-old side shoots at the end of July.The bush is divided during transplantation, which is carried out every 6 years.
Diseases and pests
The leaves of paniculata hydrangea are sometimes affected by chlorosis, becoming very light due to a lack of iron and magnesium in the alkaline soil. Eliminate the disease by foliar feeding with iron chelate.
Downy mildew causes the leaves to turn yellow. Plants are sprayed with a solution of 15 g of copper sulfate in 10 liters of water with the addition of an adhesive.
Hydrangea pests include leaf aphids and spider mites, which are destroyed with a soap solution and special means.
Conclusion
Hydrangea Mega Mindy is picky about placement and soil. An agrotechnical feature of the plant is periodic watering and fertilizing. Good care will give you the spectacle of enchanting colorful flowering.
