Who is the leading actress in early summer? Mr. Zhou Zhou votes for hydrangea !
The most famous member of the "Hydrangea family", Hydrangea grandiflorum, has basically come to an end (see ➡️Poetry of summer scenery for details! Here are the must-know facts about hydrangeas | Doctor Hua's Little Classroom). Its flowering period in Shanghai is from the end of May. At the end of June, the peak flowering period is around mid-to-early June. This also means it’s time to prepare for post-flowering pruning.
■Large-flowered hydrangea 'Miss Yarn'
In addition, the flowering period of arbor hydrangea and oak leaf hydrangea is also during this period, the flowering period of panicle hydrangea is later, from the end of June to the end of July - that is to say, Don’t miss the Hydrangea cone when you go to the park these days..
■ Hydrangea cone is actually very beautiful
Gongqing Forest Park is a holy place for hydrangea viewing in Shanghai, with more than 20,000 hydrangeas of more than 60 species. In 2017, Shanghai's first Eight Immortals theme park was built, which was affectionately praised by netizens as the "Monet version of Monet's Garden". In 2020, a new Eight Immortals theme park featuring Endless Summer was built in the understory space on the east side of the original flower art museum. The flower landscape area has become another check-in spot for internet celebrities.
■Hydrangea Theme Park
Going out to enjoy flowers is certainly a pleasure, and more and more Shanghai residents hope to maintain hydrangeas at home. How to care for hydrangeas? Zhou Daojun recently interviewed Yan Zi, engineer of the Gongqing Forest Park Rongke Branch, to answer your questions.
Q1 Are hydrangeas really tolerant to shade? Can it be grown indoors?
Hydrangeas are not shade tolerant so much as they are intolerant to sun. Too much light will burn and , and insufficient lighting will affect flowering.
■Hydrangea under the shade of Gongqing Forest Park
The most suitable environment for hydrangeas is semi-shade and scattered light. What is scattered light? The sun cannot reach it directly, but it is very bright when you read a book, and there is no shadow when you place your hand on the book.
■ When planting hydrangeas in Gongqing Forest Park
, insufficient lighting may affect their flowering. When planting outdoors, you can choose an environment with tree shade, or build a shade net to help hydrangeas survive the hot summer. .
Q2 How to prune hydrangea without affecting flowering?
Here we will discuss the classification of varieties blooming on old branches and blooming on new branches.
If it is a variety that blooms on old branches, the flower buds will begin to differentiate in autumn. In order to avoid the flower buds being pruned, it is recommended to prune and adjust the plant shape after flowering to allow sufficient time for nutrient accumulation for flowering in the second year.
■Large-flowered hydrangea ‘Hana Temari’
If it is a hydrangea that blooms on new branches, such as hydrangea panicula and arbor hydrangea, it can be pruned after flowering or before budding in spring. Among them, arbor hydrangea can be pruned again.
There are also varieties that can bloom on both old and new branches. It is recommended to refer to the pruning methods of old branches and flowering varieties. can also adjust the plant shape appropriately before spring by pruning frozen branches and weak branches.
■The picture above shows Endless Summer after normal pruning, and the picture below shows Endless Summer after pruning at the root. Picture: Hongyue
Q3 Which hydrangeas can bloom on new and old branches?
Representative varieties that bloom on new and old branches include ‘Endless Summer’, ‘Jiacheng’, ‘Yinhe’, etc.
■Hydrangea grandiflora 'Endless Summer'
However, in order for new branches to bloom, sufficient nutrients are needed. Insufficient nutrient accumulation will also cause the phenomenon of no flowering . For example, if the branches have just grown out before the flowering season and are still very thin, they will definitely not be able to bloom.
■Large-flowered hydrangeas ‘Endless Summer’ and ‘Endless Summer Bride’
Q4 Which hydrangeas need vernalization?
In fact, large-flowered hydrangeas need to be vernalized. Vernalization refers to when the temperature in winter is below 10°C for dozens of days. Some plants require sufficient vernalization to bloom normally.
■Hydrangea grandiflorum 'Sabrina'
There is a saying that "hydrangeas that bloom on new and old branches do not need to be vernalized, but hydrangeas that bloom on old branches need to be vernalized" - Teacher Yan said that the hydrangeas that bloom on new and old branches need to be vernalized. Hydrangeas also include blooming on old branches. As long as there are old branches blooming, the process of vernalization is required.
Q5 How to adjust the color of hydrangea? Is it possible to use coffee grounds to make blue?
First of all, not all hydrangea can be colored.Representative varieties of hydrangea that can adjust colors include ‘Endless Summer’, ‘Eternity for You and Me’, ‘Blue Mama’, ‘Popcorn’, etc. Some white and particularly red varieties cannot be color-adjusted, so be sure to pay attention when purchasing.
■Large-flowered hydrangea ‘Popcorn’
Hydrangea color matching follows the principle of “acid blue, alkali red”. The fertilizer after fermentation of coffee grounds is acidic and can be blued.
Q6 How many varieties of hydrangeas do you know?
Let’s talk about types first. Common hydrangeas include hydrangea grandiflora (spherical inflorescence), hydrangea paniculata (cone-shaped), oak leaf hydrangea (shaped leaves), arbor hydrangea, etc. The flat-petaled hydrangea is surrounded by sterile flowers and the middle is fertile flowers. It is generally classified as a large-flowered hydrangea. Vine hydrangea is a climbing hydrangea, but it is rarely planted in Shanghai and it is difficult to bloom.
■ Flat-petal hydrangea 'Your and My Eternity'
Specific to the species, Gongqing Forest Park has planted large-flowered hydrangea 'Endless Summer', 'Endless Summer Bride', 'Sabrina', 'Blue Mama', ' 'My Eternity', 'Tabe', 'Your My Inspiration', 'Flower Temari', 'Popcorn', 'Silver Border Hydrangea', etc., Cone Hydrangea 'Pink Elf', 'Polar Bear', etc., Arbor Hydrangea' Bella Anna' et al. Recently introduced ones include ‘Fairy’s Kiss’, ‘Himiko’, ‘Huabao’, ‘Accent’, etc. Each has its own special features and is worth looking for carefully.
■Large-flowered Hydrangea ‘Hemihu’
Q7 “Raising hydrangea as fish” is feasible?
Whether you buy fresh-cut flowers or pick them yourself, you naturally hope that the flowering period will be as long as possible.
■Hydrangeas in Japanese temples Picture: Xiaohongshu@M-佳
Using the conventional method to vase, the preservation time of hydrangea is long or short. Some florists creatively soaked the entire hydrangea cluster in water, which actually extended the flowering period to more than a week. It was really amazing. If you put lights on the back of the glass bottle, it will have a more psychedelic visual effect.
■Picture: Xiaohongshu @linezer
However, this approach is not completely risk-free, and it may become soaked. It is recommended to use preservatives to extend the flowering period.
In every season when the heat is getting stronger, I hope we can all have a "dream summer" with hydrangeas in full bloom.
