Hydrangea is one of the most desired flowers on the site of any gardener. With its magnificent spectacular inflorescences, this plant creates an atmosphere of beauty and grandeur. Among the many varieties of culture, a fairly young panicle hydrangea variety, Pastel Green, which can rightly be called a chameleon flower, stands out qualitatively. Read more about the characteristics of the varietal variety, as well as about the features of its agricultural technology, read on.

Features and description of the variety

Pastel Green was bred by selection in 2016, the efforts of the scientist Jean Reno. In the same year, in the Netherlands, the capital of the Netherlands, an exhibition was held entitled “Plantarium-2016”, where the breeder was awarded a silver award for creating such a picturesque variety of panicle hydrangea.

Did you know? Hydrangea migrated to Russia from Japan at the end of the 19th century. Then its population consisted of only two varietal varieties: white and scarlet.

The following notable features should be noted in the description of the culture:

• compactness: the plant forms a shrub with a maximum height and diameter of about 120 cm;
• shoot strength: It is especially important, given the fact that the inflorescences of the culture are impressive in size. Durable sprouts of Pastel Green will not wilt during flowering;
• high decorativeness. Lush inflorescences Pastel Green are able to decorate any landscape design. In length they reach 20 cm, the shape is conical, rounded, the top is almost spherical. Spectacular inflorescences are created by multiple large sterile flowers on long pedicels, which consist of 4 rounded petals. The main advantage of the selection variety is the ability to often change the color of inflorescences and delight the eye with a rich palette: first the flowers are snow-white, then they acquire cream shades, then greenish, even pistachio, then pale salmon, coral or pink, and in the end - dark wine . The uniqueness of the Pastel Green variety lies in the fact that in one inflorescence flowers of all the listed colors can be simultaneously collected;
• neat crown made from sturdy shootscovered with green glossy foliage in the form of drops. With the onset of autumn, the leaves turn yellow. The color of young branches is red, over time they begin to woody and acquire greenish hues;
• fast growing;
• long flowering period: Pastel Green begins to bloom in the last May days and will delight the eye with its graceful appearance until the end of September.

Frost resistance

Thanks to the efforts of breeders, the variety has received the best characteristics and is distinguished by good immunity. Among the advantages of panicled hydrangea Pastel Green - high frost resistance. These delicate and fragile, at first glance, flowers are able to withstand severe frosts, and can withstand the temperature drop to -30 ° C. Despite this feature, shrubs are recommended to be sheltered for the winter.

Planting and Hydrangea Care

Planting Pastel Green is not particularly different in its requirements from other hydrangea varietal varieties. The first step is to decide on the choice of a seat for the purchased seedling. The optimal time for the procedure is in the spring at the end of May or in the fall in mid-October, 2-3 weeks before the onset of frost.

You can’t plant the panicle variety Pastel Green at a time when the bush is blooming: the plant will not take root well, will lose buds, and will not soon please the gardener with its spectacular inflorescences.

Video: how to plant hydrangea

Site selection and preparation

It is worth adding to the above advantages of culture that it is also unpretentious. The Pastel Green panicle hydrangea cultivation area can be selected both sunny and shaded: the inflorescences of the bush will not lose their bright color and will fade under direct sunlight.As for the type of soil, then, of course, it is better to give preference to fertile, humus-rich soils. But it can not be said that the plant is demanding on the composition of the earth: it will grow well and delight the eye with its splendor on any soil species. Before planting hydrangeas, the site should be cleaned of plant debris and well dug up.

Did you know? The color of hydrangea petals may directly depend on the soil composition. So, if the shrub is planted on acidic soils, then its inflorescences will acquire blue and blue hues, on alkaline - pink, on neutral - beige.

Landing rules

The procedure for planting panicle hydrangea Pastel Green consists of the following steps:

1. Digging a landing pit. The optimal parameters for width and length are 50 cm, depths are 60. For large seedlings, dig a hole with parameters 80 × 80 × 80.
2. Moistening the pit: it is worth pouring 3 buckets of water. After that, the place is left to soak in moisture for about half a day.
3. Preparation of planting substrate by mixing turf soil, humus, sand and peat in the proportions of 2: 2: 1: 1. It is also recommended to introduce fertilizers into the nutrient soil mixture: 20 g of urea with potassium, and 60 g of superphosphate.
4. Preparation of a seedling, which boils down to shortening its shoots to 5-6 buds.
5. Direct plant transplantation and filling the pit with nutritious soil mixtures. If the seedlings you purchased in the nursery grew in a container, then they should be transplanted by transshipment, that is, together with a lump of soil.

Watering

Watering the hydrangea shrubs Pastel Green is one of the mandatory rules for caring for a plant. Varietal variety is moisture-loving, so it should be moisturized regularly, ideally - 2 times a week, using about 10 liters of water for one bush. If on the street for a long time the weather is hot and arid, then water the flower daily.

Important! When planting, be careful not to deepen the root collar into the ground, it should be above the topsoil.

At the same time, monitor the water quality: it should be soft, that is, be filtered, thawed, rainy or settled. Type of watering - only root. Do not allow water droplets to fall on the foliage or flowers of the plant, as this can cause burns.

Video: how to feed and how to water hydrangea

Fertilizers and fertilizers

Hydrangea Pastel Green needs timely top dressing.

Did you know? The name of the flower is borrowed from the Greek language and comes from the word "Hortus", which means garden.

It needs to be fertilized during the growing season, during budding and flowering, as well as after the inflorescences have wilted:

1. In the spring the bush is planted with a nutrient solution prepared from 20 l of water and 40 g of urea. For a young bush, dosage should be reduced by half.
2. During budding and the flowering culture is fed twice, with a 15-day interval. In one bucket of water, it is worth diluting 70 g of superphosphate and 50 g of potassium sulfate, pour the solution with a prepared solution.
3. When the plant fades, put under it about 5-6 kg of manure or humus.

Pruning

Panicle hydrangea Pastel Green is preferably cut in the spring, it is important not to miss the moment and do this until the time when the buds open.

Important! It is not recommended to prune this varietal variety in the fall, since this is fraught with a decrease in shrub endurance, and even its death during the cold season.

Depending on the purpose, the pruning procedure is divided into the following types:

Winter preparations

Preparing a plant for wintering consists of the following steps:

• removal of wilted inflorescences. Neglect of this step can lead to the fact that snow will accumulate on the faded residues and the shoots will break under the weight of such a mass;
• mulching the soil around the trunk of the shrub with peat, rotted manure, fallen leaves, sawdust, straw;
• covering hydrangea with agrofibre or burlap. First you need to bend the branches down and press them with special brackets to the soil;
• when snow falls, it is advisable to make a small snowdrift around the plant, which will become a source of moisture for the bush and will serve as additional protection against frost.

Video: preparing panicle hydrangea for winter

Breeding methods

Hydrangea Pastel Green, if desired, can be easily propagated at home, in several ways:

Diseases and Pests

Failure to comply with the rules of agricultural technology, neglecting the choice of the right seat for the breeding variety variety, violation of the planting procedure, as well as ignoring the rules of care is fraught with the fact that your Pastel Green hydrangea will start to suffer from viral and fungal diseases, or it will suffer from pest attacks.

Important! Mostly breeders have resorted to the seed method of pastel green hydrangea propagation, since it requires a lot of effort, and the efficiency is quite low: even if the seeds please you with highly productive germination, the varietal characteristics of seedlings, as a rule, will not be preserved.

Among the most common hydrangea diseases it is worth noting:

• chlorosis. This disease, as a rule, provokes a lack of iron in the soil, or an excess of lime. The leaves of the bush begin to turn yellow whole, or become covered with large spots. At the same time, the veins retain a green color. The progression of the disease leads to a slowdown in crop growth, death of shoots, falling buds, twisting foliage. Inflorescences of a sick hydrangea become small and unattractive. To save the plant, the first thing to do is to acidify the soil with aluminum sulfate. Use 2–5 kg of substance on 1 m² of plot. It is also worth feeding the bush with iron sulfate, in the proportions of 2 g of the drug per 1 liter of water. If the panicled shrub looks very dull, then resort to the help of special preparations - "Antichlorosis", "Fevorit", the feasibility of using which is explained by the fact that they are rich in iron, which is quickly absorbed by the flower;
• burns. The result of direct sunlight on parts of the plant when irrigation rules are not followed: it is unacceptable that the water falls on the flowers or foliage of Pastel Green, as this will lead to the formation of lenses and injury to the crop. If you notice that the shrub has covered itself with translucent, almost white, dried spots, take care of its shading;
• white rot. A disease provoked by the activity of pathogenic fungi, the breeding center of which is the rhizome of the plant. Spores of fungi lead to damage to the root system, which is fraught with death of the shrub, since it receives neither nutrients nor moisture. Treatment with fungicides will help save the plant: “Fitosporin”, “Fundazol”;
• gray rot. The result of excessive watering of the plant, planting it on too moist soil with stagnation of water, or thickening. Humid environment - optimal conditions for fulminant propagation of the fungus, which provokes the disease. Symptoms - the appearance of a gray coating on the foliage of the culture, and soon the formation of holes, the scattering of the affected parts of the plant. Spraying of the bush with Fundazol or 1% solution of Bordeaux liquid will help to overcome gray rot;
• peronosporosis. Another variety of fungal diseases, also known as downy mildew. Under the influence of high humidity, dark oily spots appear on hydrangea leaves, which quickly spread. In the fight against fungus effective treatment of shrubs with a solution of "Optimo", "Kuproksat";
• powdery mildew, which often affects young plants, which cannot acclimatize and get stronger after planting. Among the causes of the occurrence is insufficient watering or an overabundance of nitrogenous fertilizers. A signal of the disease is indicated by the appearance of dull yellow-green spots on the leaves of the culture. The back side of the foliage is covered with a gray or purple coating. Powdery mildew progression is fraught with the death of a hydrangea shrub. Control measures: bush treatment "Fitosporin-B", "Topaz";
• Septoria. The appearance on the leaves and buds of the plant of dark brown spots up to 5 mm in diameter. The disease progresses rapidly, leads to dropping foliage and death of the bush. To prevent this, treat it with Profit or Rodomit Gold;
• rust. Another disease, the cause of which is an excess of moisture or nitrogenous top dressing. The shrub is covered with yellow rusty spots, which turn into brown growths that can crack and brown dust sprinkles from them, that is, fungal spores. To overcome the problem, remove all diseased parts of the plant and treat the shrub with a solution of "Topaz" or "Falcon";
• ring spotting. Disease of viral etiology, which are subjected to panicle hydrangea varieties. First, yellow ring-shaped spots form on the foliage, then the leaves begin to curl and fall off. Since there are no effective measures to combat the disease, the bush will have to be destroyed;
• hydrangea cancer. It appears in the form of brown spots on foliage, flowers and stems of culture. Ulcers appear on the reverse side. The affected parts of the bush should be removed and burned.

Important! Before buying seedlings, carefully inspect them to protect their own plot and all crops on it from a viral or fungal disease.

Among the pests, the attacks of which can give way to hydrangea, there are such:

• leaf aphid. A small insect parasite that feeds on the juices of a flower, which soon leads to the weakening and even death of a depleted plant. Processing shrubs with insecticide solutions will help to drive out uninvited guests: Sparks, Akarina, Zubra;
• spider mite. Another tiny pest that sucks juices from a plant. To learn about his settlement on the bush will help a thin web that envelops the leaves. With a severe defeat, the foliage begins to turn yellow, curl and fall. Effective means of pest control - treatment with a solution of "Acarina", "Lightning", etc .;
• gall nematode. It is a microscopic primitive worm that attacks the rhizome of hydrangea, makes its way inside its shoots and poisons the culture with its toxic secretions. The signal about the appearance of the nematode is the red swollen blisters that form at the stem bases. Bubbles rot and die. Processing the plant with Actofit and Fitoverm will help free the plant from worms;
• slugs. A pest whose colonies rapidly absorb garden plants. The fight against slugs begins with their collection and destruction. Then it is advisable to spray the Pastel Green hydrangea with the Molluscocide solution.

Hydrangea Pastel Green in landscape design

The high decorative qualities of Pastel Green hydrangea make it one of the most coveted and sought-after flowers for decorating landscape designs. The ability of a breeding variety to change the color of inflorescences up to 7 times helps to create magnificent floral compositions with its participation, with the most original palette of shades. The variety looks great both in single nozzles and in mixborders.

Did you know? In the 19th century, physician and naturalist Philibert Comerson first brought hydrangea to France from Japan, referring to it as a Japanese rose.

The shrub combines well with tree-shrub and perennial flowers, looks good in floral arrangements with cereals (feather grass, miscanthus).Pastel Green is often used to ennoble park areas, recreation areas, terraces, decorates alpine slides, and serves as an excellent floral component for zoning a garden plot. Hydrangea Pastel Green is a real find for any gardener and gardener. Her ability to change colors many times will not leave indifferent any connoisseur of colors. For landscape designers, this variety is a real salvation, since with its participation you can create unsurpassed landscapes. As for the features of pastel green agricultural technology, this process will not be difficult and will not bring trouble.