Jasmine hydrangea is popular among gardeners due to its attractive appearance and pleasant aroma. If you want to decorate your house with this plant, then you need to know the rules for the care, watering and planting of the plant, the conditions for growth and reproduction, as well as about diseases and pests that can harm hydrangea.

Botanical description of indoor jasmine hydrangea

This plant was imported from China and Japan. In its homeland, jasmine hydrangea can grow up to 1.5 m in height. The flower can also be kept at home. If the plant is properly maintained, it will delight with annual lush flowering and active growth of green shoots. Jasmine hydrangea is a subspecies of undersized.

Varietal traits include the following:

1. Branched horizontal root system.
2. A sprawling bush about 1.5 m high.
3. Large oval leaves are dark green in color, smooth, with well-marked veins.
4. Inflorescences in the shape of a ball with a delicate aroma similar to the smell of jasmine.
5. It blooms from mid-summer to mid-autumn.
6. After the flowering period, the seeds ripen in the form of small seeds in a box.
7. Life expectancy is about 4 years.

The best varieties

Through lengthy research, breeders were able to discover the qualities of hydrangea even larger and develop new varieties. Some of the best are: Anabel, Peppermint, Selma, Red, Bounty, etc.

Important! Buds that have already faded must be removed immediately from the plant. They can become a source of infection and lead to the development of hydrangea diseases.

Anabel It attracts not only with its name, but also with its soothing flowering of white inflorescences, which does not fade for a long time. Such an interesting name for hydrangea appeared due to its initial residence, originally from the village of Anna in the USA. The variety is unpretentious and resistant to frost, able to withstand up to -39 ° C. The bush has dark green leaves with notches that create lightness and fluffy to the plant, strong shoots of brown color. Variety Anabel loves moisture and the sun, but in the shade it is also able to thrive no worse than in the sun.

Grade Peppermint not much behind Anabel and is also considered the best. Hearing its name, it seems that hydrangea flowers will have an ashy shade, but not really. This variety has a rather unusual color: the petal itself can be white or yellow, and in the center there is a small pink drop. Like Anabel, Peppermint can withstand severe frosts and bloom in partial shade. It grows in fertile areas with moist soil.

Selma has very beautiful two-color inflorescences of a shade of fuchsia or bright red. It develops calmly both in the sun and in the shade, but if you plant this variety under direct sunlight, you need to properly observe the watering regime. The life span is very long - up to 50 years. Selma is indulgent to moisture, it needs to be watered as the soil dries. Such hydrangea is able to tolerate cold and not lose its natural beauty.

Hydrangea Red - Another variety recognized by many gardeners. Its feature is flowering, which is gaining momentum only in the fall. In early June, hydrangea buds have pleasant light shades, in August - bright pink, and by autumn - rich red. Petals tend to fade, so you should not plant a bush in direct sunlight. Just like the other varieties, Red is unpretentious and can withstand severe frosts, and in winter does not need shelter. The variety has another main feature - it is an aroma, alluring and pleasant.

Another great variety is hydrangea. Bounty. Why he was given such a rather unusual name can be understood by looking at the spherical inflorescence of white color and immediately presenting the flesh of a paradise delicacy - coconut. Such a bush needs to be tied up, because under the weight of the inflorescences the shoots fall to the ground. Bounty grows on fertile soil with moderate humidity. Prefers partial shade. It shows its flowering from July to August.

Prerequisites for Growth

Hydrangea purchased in a garden center can take a long time to get used to new conditions. Less problems will arise in caring for a plant propagated by hand using the propagation method.

But if you still bought a flower, then you should take into account the rules for growing it:

1. The soil should be without the slightest addition of lime.
2. The plant does not tolerate too high temperature drops and drafts.
3. Lighting should be adequate, but without direct sunlight.
4. It is often impossible to rearrange a flower.
5. An annual transplant is required.
6. In summer, the air temperature should not be higher than + 20 ° С, and in winter - about + 10 ° С.
7. In winter, it is necessary to ensure dormancy by moving the plant into a darkened room, substituting foam plastic under the pot. Around March, the flower needs to be returned to heat.

Planting room hydrangea in a pot

Planting a plant in a new pot should be a few days after buying hydrangea. The flower needs to get used to the environment in the room. The soil plant prefers low acidity, light, nutritious and permeable. For abundant annual flowering, hydrangea is transplanted every year, increasing the diameter of the pot if necessary.

Choice of capacity and soil

Choose a ceramic pot for the flower. In extreme cases, you can take plastic but it should be shallow, wide and with thin walls. The plant has a horizontal root system, which should be taken into account when choosing a pot. There must be a drainage hole in the tank. Before planting, the pot should be thoroughly washed and rinsed with boiling water for disinfection, because if harmful organisms enter the soil, then the hydrangea will hurt and may even die.

One of the most important conditions for growing home hydrangeas is choosing the right soil. The plant will not tolerate even the smallest amount of lime in the soil. In garden centers, you can buy special compounds for such plants.

Did you know? Jasmine hydrangea is used in folk medicine. A decoction of its stems is considered an effective antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, wound healing and hemostatic agent.

Since water irrigates acid from the soil during irrigation, you will have to feed hydrangea in the future, as well as acidify its soil. Mandatory is the presence of sand and perlite in the soil, so that moisture is retained after irrigation, but does not stagnate, which means that the soil must be loose. You can try to make a suitable composition for planting hydrangea yourself. To do this, take 2 parts of peat, 4 parts of deciduous soil and 1 part of sand.

Landing algorithm

In order to avoid severe stress when planting jasmine hydrangea in a new pot, this should be done by transshipment. Drainage is laid at the bottom, the plant itself is taken out of the old tank together with an earthen lump and transplanted into a new pot. Then add a new soil mixture, while the root neck should be at the same level with the soil. After completion of the planting process, hydrangea is watered and a little peat is added to retain moisture.

Home care for jasmine hydrangea

The main components of caring for home jasmine hydrangea are the following:

1. Annual transplant after awakening from a state of winter dormancy. You can transplant either in the old pot, simply replacing the earth with a new one, or in a larger one, if you plan to increase the size of the plant.
2. Watering with soft rain or settled running water and periodic acidification of the soil. It is impossible to allow complete drying of the earth.
3. Once every 2 weeks, hydrangea needs to be fed with fertilizers for flowering plants. But you should start only after the appearance of small inflorescences.
4. For hydrangea, the optimum level of lighting for it is very important. She loves light, but with a minimal amount of sunlight falling on her. Moreover, the lighting should be the same all year round, in winter, if necessary, use fluorescent lamps. A constant influx of fresh air will also be useful, so you need to ventilate the room where the flower is located daily.
5. The temperature condition is also important. Since it is jasmine hydrangea that is the most capricious of all varieties, then caring for it is not the easiest. The optimum temperature in the summer for her is +18 ... + 20 ° С. At rest, she is comfortable and at + 10 ° C.
6. Periodic pruning and the formation of the decorative appearance of the plant.

Watering and spraying

Proper watering is the key to good growth and flowering of a plant. The complete drying out of the earth must be avoided. In the hot months, watering is carried out very often, in the off-season - in moderation, during the period of winter dormancy - rarely, once every few weeks. In addition, the plant should be sprayed regularly. Water for both irrigation and spraying should be soft, which means that it must be either rainwater or a standing flowing one. It must be defended for at least 2 days, then strain and drain the precipitate.

Did you know? The smell of hydrangea is quite widely used in perfumes. Her notes can be found in famous perfume brands: Dior Addict Shine, Nina Ricci Premier Jour, Miss Dior, Estee Lauder Intuition, Chanel Gardenia, Guerlain Cruel Gardenia, Agent Provocateur.

A lot of calcium is present in tap water, which leads to a gradual alkalization of the soil after irrigation, and hydrangea does not tolerate an alkaline environment, so once a month it is worth acidifying lemon juice with water, a couple of drops will be enough. Experienced gardeners insist on water for irrigation on peat, so that the plant with irrigation receives as many useful substances as possible. Excess or stagnation of moisture for a plant is just as dangerous as its lack. The roots can rot, so after watering, the water accumulated in it should be poured from the pan.

Fertilizing and fertilizers

Since hydrangea is a demanding plant care, regular feeding for its growth and development is very important. Fertilize it from the end of winter to the end of autumn with a frequency of several weeks. Top dressing plants contribute to abundant and prolonged flowering, and the flowers themselves will be larger and brighter.

In February, formulations containing nitrogen are introduced, which stimulate the active formation of bush leaves. Spring top dressing contributes to the budding process, mixtures containing potassium are intended for this purpose. Nitrogen compounds must be avoided in summer fertilizer formulations. Organic is best for summer. To help the plant go into a state of winter dormancy full of strength, in the autumn they use fertilizers with phosphorus and potassium, for example, compost, peat.

Pruning

Pruning hydrangea jasmine can not be carried out during two periods: flowering and dormancy. This plant lays flower buds on top of the shoot for next year, which means that last year's flowering branches and young ones that will bloom next year should remain on the bush. Accordingly, new branches cannot be touched during pruning, and those that have faded should be completely removed, since the number of branches should be normalized. Weak shoots should be disposed of, and too long should be cut in half.

Features of care during flowering and dormancy

The main rule of hydrangea care during flowering is the observance of the optimal temperature regime - +18 ... + 20 ° С. Ensuring this regime is the key to long flowering and active growth of green shoots. During the period of winter rest, it is also important to observe the correct temperature and light conditions. The container with the plant is transferred to a dark window sill, while in order to avoid overcooling the root system, foam must be placed under the pot.

After the flowering period, it is necessary to gradually lower the temperature for the room where the hydrangea will winter, to + 10 ° C. The flower should be in this temperature regime from October until the beginning of spring, after which hydrangea again needs to be transferred to heat. If the flower does not have time to regain strength during the period of winter dormancy, then it is likely that it simply will not bloom next year.

Breeding

An experienced gardener knows all the intricacies of plant propagation and can confidently say that this is one of the most interesting activities in gardening. Hydrangea can be propagated by seeds, cuttings and division of the bush. Each of these species will be discussed in more detail below.

Seeds

One of the types of propagation of jasmine-like hydrangea is germination from seeds. This is usually done in the middle of spring, in fairly bright sunlight. To do this, spread seeds on the soil surface and sprinkle them a little with a handful of soil. The pot should be covered with a film coating, and when the seeds give young shoots, the film is removed.

This type of breeding gives fairly hardy plant specimens that are rarely exposed to diseases, but it is longer and more painstaking than other types of breeding.

Cuttings

Reproduction in such a way as cuttings is carried out in winter, so that in the future the bush has many branches. Cuttings are cut off from shoots near the roots, their length should be 7–9 cm, and 3 internodes should be on each handle. It is imperative to treat the sections with a root stimulant, and then plant them in the planting mixture. Rooting occurs within a month.

Dividing the bush

Propagation of hydrangea by dividing the bush occurs in spring or autumn. They dig up the bush, divide it into three parts so that each part has several buds for restoration. Each part is planted in a prepared hole, covered with soil with the addition of peat, and watered abundantly. The surface of the soil can be covered with mulch to retain moisture.

Important! In order for young plants to take root more quickly, they need to be kept for some time in partial shade.

Transplant Rules

Every year indoor plants tend to grow and grow in size, as a result of which they become not too comfortable in the pot. In this regard, hydrangea is recommended to be transplanted periodically.

The pot should be chosen larger, but not too much: it should be several centimeters larger than the root system of the plant. At its bottom lay drainage of expanded clay, pebbles or broken brick. The flower is carefully removed from the pot with an earthen lump and transplanted into a new pot with prepared soil.

Diseases and their treatment

Diseases, like pests, appear due to the negligent attitude of flower growers to the plant. The longevity and flowering depend on the conditions in which this jasmine species grows.

The owner of hydrangea may encounter such problems when growing a flower:

1. Chlorosis - The most common hydrangea disease. It manifests itself in the form of yellowing and falling of leaves, grinding inflorescences. The disease is caused by a metabolic disorder that occurs due to a lack of iron. At the first signs of an ailment, you need to treat the plant with a solution of nitric acid potassium (40 g per 10 liters of water) for 3 weeks.
2. Gray rot - a fungal disease that can even lead to the death of a plant. It manifests itself in the form of wet spots with a gray coating on the leaves, stems and buds. The cause of the disease is waterlogging. Having noticed traces of damage, it is necessary to immediately remove the damaged parts of the plant, and healthy ones should be treated with Bordeaux liquid or with the “Fundazol” preparation.If spots have captured the entire plant, it must be urgently disposed of.
3. Septoria - This disease can be detected by the presence of brown spots on the leaves of the plant, which gradually become larger, and the leaves darken and fall off. In this case, you need to cut off all the leaves affected by the disease, and spray the flower with a Bordeaux mixture or with the Profit drug.

Pests and the fight against them

Insect pests of home hydrangeas bother less than garden specimens, but even in an apartment you can sometimes find small pests. Their number depends, first of all, on the proper care of the plant.

The most common insects are:

1. Spider mite. This pest infects leaves from the underside, causing them to dry out and fall off. You can get rid of it in a fairly simple way: just spray the flower with ordinary clean water. In the advanced case, it is possible to treat the plant with Actellic.
2. Leaf aphids. It is possible to fight with it by double spraying with the Anabazin-Sulphate preparation. This effective tool is dissolved in water: 15-20 g of the drug per 10 liters of water. The solution is a radical tool in the fight against this pest.

Jasmine hydrangea only at first glance seems to be a moody plant. But if you follow all the recommendations for caring for this flower, then it will delight you with its snow-white flowering and pleasant aroma for a rather long period.