Content
- 1 Description of hydrangea paniculata Polar Beer
- 2 Hydrangea Polar Beer in landscape design
- 3 Winter hardiness of hydrangea Polar Bear
- 4 Planting and caring for Polar Bear hydrangea
- 5 How does Polar Beer hydrangea grow?
- 6 Reproduction
- 7 Diseases and pests
- 8 Conclusion
- 9 Reviews of hydrangea paniculata Polar Beer
Hydrangea Polar Bear is highly valued among gardeners, the reasons for this are not only the attractiveness of the plant from a decorative point of view. The species is very easy to care for, so it is ideal for growing in the garden.
Description of hydrangea paniculata Polar Beer
Polar Bear is a cross between Limelight and Grandiflora panicle hydrangeas. From its ancestors, the Polar Bear took the best properties - large flowers and high frost resistance, strong branches and unpretentiousness in cultivation.
The Polar Bear variety combines hardiness and high decorativeness
Paniculate hydrangea is a fairly large plant. The height of the Polar Beer hydrangea averages 1.8 m in height.The plant blooms in early June and until late autumn with very large pyramidal or paniculate inflorescences, up to 40 cm each. During the flowering period, hydrangea gradually changes its color - at first its inflorescences are pale pistachio, then they become white, pinkish or cream.
Hydrangea Polar Beer in landscape design
Beautiful and low-maintenance hydrangea is very often used to decorate summer cottages. It is used in mixborders and hedges, planted on lawns individually or as part of a group - along with herbaceous perennials and shrubs.
The Polar Bear shrub looks very impressive in almost any composition. Its huge bright inflorescences set off the dense greenery or variegated flowers of other plants. An important advantage of the Polar Bear variety is that flowering continues almost until frost. Even after the leaves fall, spreading flowering bushes still continue to decorate the garden plot.
The variety is used everywhere in the garden landscape.
Winter hardiness of hydrangea Polar Bear
Polar Bear is a very cold-resistant variety of ornamental hydrangea. This is reflected even in the name of the plant. The ornamental shrub easily tolerates cold temperatures down to -40 °C, and it does not even have to be carefully covered for the winter.
Planting and caring for Polar Bear hydrangea
Growing a healthy and spreading hydrangea in your dacha is quite easy. But for this, the plant needs to be provided with the right conditions and basic care.
How does Polar Beer hydrangea grow?
As the Polar Bear grows, it extends not only in height. The size of the Polar Bear hydrangea bush can reach 1.5 m. In addition, hydrangea has a branched surface root system; its roots go not so much deep into the soil as to the sides.
Over time, the bushes grow quite widely, so when planting you need to leave a gap
If hydrangea needs to be planted close to other plants, or you plan to plant several bushes at once, then you need to leave a free distance between plantings. Gaps of about 1-1.5 m allow the shrub to develop freely and not compete for moisture and nutrients with other plants.
Selection and preparation of a landing site
In order for the Polar Bear paniculata hydrangea to grow well, you must initially plant it in the optimal location:
- It is best to plant the plant on the south side of the site, since hydrangea loves sunlight. However, other trees or buildings should be located nearby; they can create light shading, which is also very important for hydrangea. In the sun, the shrub blooms less profusely. In addition, strong winds can damage it in an open place, but buildings and trees can protect the hydrangea.
- The Polar Bear prefers plenty of moisture. But waterlogged soil is dangerous for hydrangeas and can lead to rotting of the roots. Therefore, the plant cannot be planted in lowlands or in close proximity to groundwater. If soil moisture is high, high-quality drainage should be organized.
- The soil for the Polar Bear variety needs fertile soil - if there is a lack of nutrients, the hydrangea will bloom worse. The soil should be neutral or slightly sour, but not acidified.
The variety is usually planted in the spring, but in the southern regions this can be done in the fall
The optimal time for planting a plant is determined by the growing region. Since the Polar Bear has high frost resistance, in the southern regions the shrub can be planted in the ground in the fall, until mid-October. But in the middle zone and northern regions, it is better to plant in the spring in April, so that the plant has time to take root.
The planting pit for hydrangea is prepared in advance. The soil in the selected area of the garden is dug up and enriched with additional components, namely:
- mix peat and sand in equal proportions;
- add humus and leaf soil, also in equal quantities, but 2 times more.
When preparing the soil, it is recommended to immediately put complex mineral fertilizers into the hole; they will help the hydrangea to take root faster.
Landing rules
Since the roots of hydrangea are superficial, the planting hole for it is dug shallow - about 30 cm in depth and the same in diameter. The pit is half filled with the prepared nutrient mixture.
After this, the bush seedling, previously soaked in water, is lowered into the hole and its roots are carefully straightened to the sides. The hole is filled with the remains of the soil mixture to the surface of the earth, leaving the root collar above the soil level, and the seedling is watered abundantly.
The soil under the trunk of the seedling is not compacted, but loosened
Watering and fertilizing
Hydrangea Northern Bear loves moisture and with regular moisture it blooms more abundantly and brightly.It is recommended to water the hydrangea weekly - a couple of buckets under the trunk, and if the weather is rainy, then once a month.
To make moisture from the tree trunk evaporate more slowly, the plant can be mulched with peat, sawdust or humus. It is also useful to loosen the soil in the tree trunk circle from time to time and carry out hilling - in this case, the roots of the shrub will receive more oxygen.
For abundant flowering, the plant needs regular feeding. They are usually applied to the soil several times a year:
- in early spring to build up a green crown;
- at the end of spring during the budding period for better flowering;
- in July to strengthen the roots and protect the plant from pests and diseases;
- in the fall before the onset of winter to increase the endurance of the shrub before the cold weather.
In the spring, the Polar Bear especially needs feeding with a high nitrogen content - ammonium nitrate or urea would be a good choice. In summer and autumn, hydrangea is fed with superphosphate and potassium, and organic matter - manure and humus - also benefits.
For beautiful flowering, the shrub needs feeding
How to prune Polar Bear hydrangea
Paniculata hydrangea is prone to rapid growth, so after the fourth year of life it is recommended to trim it twice per season:
- The first time the haircut is carried out in the spring in March, before the start of sap flow. At the Polar Bear, all dry and broken branches are cut off, which are especially easy to see while the bush has not yet become covered with leaves. Healthy shoots are also pruned by 2/3, giving the plant the desired shape.
- The second time the hydrangea is pruned in the fall. During autumn pruning, it is also necessary to remove all broken and dried shoots, browned inflorescences and branches that violate the proportions of the bush. Autumn pruning not only improves the health of the plant, but also protects the hydrangea from branches breaking off under the weight of snow.
For older Polar Bear hydrangeas, rejuvenation pruning can be done. A mature bush is simply cut down to the stump; next year the plant will produce new strong shoots. But it is recommended to resort to a radical procedure only if the old bush begins to bloom noticeably weaker.
Regular pruning allows you to keep your hydrangea bush beautiful and neat.
Preparing for winter
The Polar Bear is distinguished by amazing frost resistance, down to -40 °C. And, nevertheless, it is highly recommended to cover the shrub for the winter, especially when it comes to young plants that are highly sensitive.
Shortly before the onset of cold weather, you need to mulch the Polar Bear tree trunk with sawdust, peat or pine needles - the layer should be at least 20 cm. Also, young plants are often covered with burlap and covered with spruce branches. Winter shelter protects the bush not only from frost, but also from wind, and also does not allow shoots to break under the weight of fallen snow.
Reproduction
Hydrangea Polar Bear lends itself well to vegetative propagation. If you want to plant more hydrangeas on your site, you don’t have to buy new seedlings.
Methods:
- Reproduction by cuttings. This method is the easiest and most popular among gardeners.In the spring, several young annual shoots need to be cut from an adult hydrangea bush. The cuttings are placed in water for 3 days, and after that they are planted in soil made of peat and sand, buried by 2/3. The top of the cutting can be covered with a glass jar or plastic bag. Until green shoots appear, the plant must be kept in moist and cool conditions, and then planted in open ground.
- Reproduction by layering. Another vegetative method suggests bending one of the lower healthy shoots to the ground in the spring and fixing the branch in the middle part in a small groove in the ground. During the summer, the cuttings only need to be watered at the same time as the adult plant; it will quickly take root, and next year it can be separated from the mother bush.
- Propagation by division of rhizomes. Old hydrangeas are propagated by division - first, the bush is completely dug out of the ground, and then the rhizome is divided into several parts with a sharpened shovel, each with a pair of growth buds. The cuttings are treated with a solution of potassium permanganate and planted in the ground for rooting.
The variety is propagated vegetatively on the site - trying to grow a shrub from seeds is unprofitable
Seed propagation is not practiced for the Polar Bear. Growing a strong and healthy shrub from seeds is too difficult; long efforts may not be crowned with success. In addition, seedlings usually do not retain varietal characteristics, and in terms of its characteristics and beauty the plant is significantly inferior to the mother bush.
Diseases and pests
Polar Bear is considered a disease-resistant variety. Of the fungal diseases, the greatest danger to the variety is chlorosis; it develops mainly on poor soils or with excessive watering.The main symptom of the disease is premature yellowing of the foliage of the bush. Treatment of hydrangea is carried out with special drugs, for example, Chelate or Antichlorosis.
Among the pests that are dangerous for shrubs are leaf aphids, spider mites, as well as slugs and snails. To prevent infection, you need to carefully examine the leaves and shoots of your garden plant. When insects appear, the shrub can be treated with soapy water, Bordeaux mixture or garden insecticides.
The variety is resistant to diseases, but preventive treatment will not harm it
Conclusion
Hydrangea Polar Bear is a hardy and cold-resistant ornamental plant with very large flowers. With minimal care, the Polar Bear will be able to decorate the garden until late autumn.
