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Hydrangea Miss Saori is a new variety of large-leaved crop, bred by Japanese breeders in 2013. Gardening enthusiasts liked the new product so much that the following year it won the title “Plant of the Year” at the Royal Exhibition in Chelsea.
Description of Hydrangea largeleaf Miss Saori
Despite the fact that large-leaved hydrangea Miss Saori can reach quite impressive sizes, it looks very elegant. Its branching shoots, capable of growing up to 100 cm, form a neat spherical bush with very large (up to 30 cm in diameter) inflorescences of double flowers of a soft pink hue. The corolla of each flower is formed by two rows of petals with a sharp tip. The blurry dark red border along the edge of each petal gives the flowers a special sophistication and depth. Somewhat less often you can find the pale blue coloring of the corollas.
The leaves of Miss Saori hydrangea are large, ovoid, glossy. In summer they are dark green with a purple tint, and with the arrival of autumn they acquire a noble burgundy color.
Hydrangea Miss Saori belongs to the remontant varieties, that is, flower buds are formed on last year's shoots. The flowering period is long, lasting from the second half of summer until almost mid-autumn.
Hydrangea Miss Saori in landscape design
This representative of the Hortensia family can become a real pearl of the garden. In landscape design, spherical plants create the illusion of increasing space, so even in small areas, Miss Saori hydrangea will look advantageous.
Thanks to its classic shape, this flower will organically fit into the landscape of any style. It can be used for landscaping urban areas, parks and other recreational areas, as well as for decorating private gardens. Hydrangea of this variety can grow in single plantings or be a bright accent in group flower ensembles. It is often combined with other varieties of shrubs. It is also suitable for growing in containers, without compromising the flowering quality.
Miss Saori hydrangeas planted in ceramic vases and pots look very noble
Winter hardiness of hydrangea Miss Saori
A distinctive feature of this variety of hydrangea is its winter hardiness - it can withstand temperatures down to -26 °C. Flower buds may suffer from recurrent frosts, so in the middle zone, and especially in the northern regions, bushes need shelter for the winter.
Planting and caring for Miss Saori hydrangea
In order for the Miss Saori hydrangea to please the eye with long and abundant flowering, it is necessary to choose the right planting site, ensuring proper care in the future.
Selection and preparation of a landing site
Hydrangea Miss Saori prefers partial shade or areas with diffused sunlight, protected from the winds. In the shade it blooms later, and in the sun the flowers can become noticeably smaller. The soils suitable for this variety of hydrangea are fertile, loose, retain moisture well, but not waterlogged, preferably with an acidic reaction. On calcareous and alkaline substrates, the flower loses its decorative effect.
Landing rules
Miss Saori hydrangea is planted in early spring, when night temperatures reach positive values. Plants are placed at a distance of at least 150 cm from each other.
Planting Miss Saori hydrangea involves the following sequence of actions:
- dig planting holes 40 cm deep, about 30 cm long and wide;
- the soil is mixed with sand and humus, nutrients are added;
- the pit is well watered;
- when placing the bush, the root collar is left above the soil surface;
- the pit is filled with the resulting nutrient mixture;
- the plant is watered abundantly;
- the tree trunk circles are mulched with sawdust or pine needles.
Watering and fertilizing
Timely, regular watering is one of the main conditions for preserving the excellent decorative qualities of the Miss Saori hydrangea. This is a moisture-loving plant, so it needs to be watered as the top layer of soil dries, but so that the water does not stagnate at the roots. Mulched bushes require less moisture. It is best to use settled water for irrigation.
Fertilizers are applied three times per season:
- in spring, at the beginning of the active growth phase;
- in mid-summer, in the bud formation phase;
- in the last weeks of summer, before preparing plantings for winter.
It is best to use highly diluted manure as an organic fertilizer. In addition, hydrangea needs potassium and phosphorus fertilizers. Fertilizing with nitrogen compounds can be carried out only until mid-summer, so as not to stimulate the growing season before the plant goes into dormancy.
Pruning Hydrangea largeleaf Miss Saori
In order for the hydrangea to bloom magnificently and abundantly, you should cut off the branches without flower buds, leaving only one lower bud, from which a new flowering shoot will appear next season.
To preserve the decorative effect, dry inflorescences must be removed after flowering is completed.
Preparing for winter
Shelter is a prerequisite for growing this shrub in areas with cold winters. In the conditions of the middle zone, it is enough to mulch the circle around the trunk and cover the ground with spruce branches. In the northern regions, bushes are additionally removed under a special covering material.
If hydrangea grows in a container, for the winter it is transferred to a room with a temperature of +3-5 °C, for example, to a basement. From time to time, the earthen ball is watered.
Reproduction
You can get new Miss Saori hydrangea plants from seeds or vegetatively - by cuttings or layering.
When propagating by seed, planting material is sown immediately in open ground in March. Seeds do not need stratification.
One of the most popular methods of propagation is rooting cuttings from the mother bush.In the spring, shallow trenches are dug under an adult specimen and oblique cuts are made on the underside of the shoots to stimulate root formation. Then they are bent down, secured in the trench with wire staples and sprinkled with a mixture of fertile soil and peat. They are watered regularly throughout the season. To prevent the soil from drying out, it is recommended to cover the layering with film. The following spring, rooted shoots are separated from the mother bush and transplanted to a permanent place.
Hydrangea Miss Saori can be propagated from cuttings. In mid-summer, young green shoots the size of a pencil are cut and all leaves (except the top pair) are removed. The lower cut is treated with a root formation stimulator and planted at an angle of 45° in a mixture consisting of soil, river sand and peat. It is most convenient to root cuttings in boxes under film to ensure high humidity.
Diseases and pests
Most often, hydrangea diseases are caused by the wrong choice of location and lack of proper care for the plant. With a lack of nutrients in the soil, prolonged exposure to direct sunlight, drying out or waterlogging of the substrate, the leaves of the shrub begin to dry out and fall off, brown spots may appear on them, and the inflorescences become smaller and deformed. These problems can be solved by eliminating unfavorable environmental factors.
Fungal diseases pose a great danger to shrubs - gray rot, downy mildew, powdery mildew, septoria. Plants can be cured with an aqueous solution of soap and copper sulfate or fungicides.
The most dangerous is ring spotting, which cannot be treated. Hydrangea infected with this viral disease dies.Affected plants should be promptly removed and burned to prevent pathogens from spreading to healthy plantings.
Ring spot is characterized by the appearance of round spots with dead cells on the leaves.
Diseases are often transmitted by insects - aphids, spider mites and root-knot nematodes. At the first sign of an invasion by these pests, plants should be treated with insecticides.
To protect hydrangea from rot, it is recommended to water the seedlings of the first year of planting with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. To prevent fungal diseases, the bushes are treated with Bordeaux mixture before winter.
Conclusion
Hydrangea Miss Saori is a new interesting variety that Russian amateur gardeners have already appreciated. Large lush inflorescences with an unusual color give this ornamental shrub a special attractiveness, and the frost resistance of this variety, which is record-breaking among hydrangeas, guarantees the safety of the plant in cold winters.
The Mis Saori hydrangea received on November 12, 2020 has whitish leaves. what to do?
Good afternoon
Hydrangea leaves turn white for several reasons:
• violation of planting and care rules;
• waterlogging of the soil;
• incorrect soil composition (in particular, if soil acidity is very low);
• sudden change of location (that is, the plant reacts to transplantation in this way);
• diseases.
If you have recently received a seedling, it urgently needs to be transplanted into soil that is balanced in nutrients. It is important that the soil acidity is within the normal range for growing hydrangeas.
Miss Saori hydrangea should be watered sparingly.
If the problem does not disappear within 2-3 weeks, write to us and we will look for other reasons.