Hydrangea is a flower plant brought to us from Europe in the 14th century. Due to large beautiful inflorescences, these plants are often used as a decorative decoration of garden plots. The article will discuss the features of growing an interesting variety of hydrangeas called Darts Little Dot.

Description of Hydrangea Darts Little Dot

Panicled Hydrangea Dart’s Little Dot is a small bush, up to 80-120 cm tall, with densely arranged foliage. The crown is a little sprawling, spherical, formed by brown-brown shoots. Young branches of a reddish hue. The foliage on the outside is dull green, on the inside it is gray-green, oblong, pointed at the end, with a velvety surface.

In July-August, the bush is covered with rounded flat white inflorescences. As they bloom, they acquire a pinkish tint. The flower itself resembles a pillow with four large petals. The duration of flowering is not long, but faded inflorescences remain on the bush for a long time.

Did you know? Hydrangea — the Latin name for hydrangea, which translates as «vessel with water». Most likely, this name is associated with the shape of the seed bolls resembling a vessel, or because of the moisture loving nature of the plant.

Growing Features

In order for the plant to please you with a riot of flowering, you need to carefully monitor it. The rules for care are quite simple: timely watering, top dressing, pruning and preparation for winter.

Landing

It is advisable to plant in the spring, especially if you have a seedling with an open root system. Planting stock purchased in containers can be planted from early spring to September. The Darts transplant is well tolerated, the main thing: to irrigate young plants in a timely manner.

The description of the landing process looks like this:

1. Prepare a planting pit 30 × 30 × 30 cm in size. Put sand mixed with turfy soil on its bottom, and peat on top. If the planting of bushes is group, then it is necessary to leave 100 cm between the plants.
2. Shorten the root system of the bush. Place in a hole without deepening the root neck.
3. Water abundantly, mulch the surface of the earth.

Important! When planting in late spring and summer, the shrub must be shaded and mulched with organic soil.

Watering and feeding

Irrigation procedures must be carried out with warm water. You need to moisten the near-stem circle with a diameter of 1.5 m. Little people really need moisture in dry periods and during intensive shoot growth. In spring and early summer, it is necessary, along with water, to apply liquid top dressing.

Hydrangea pruning

In early spring, old inflorescences are cut off. Part of the branch is cut along a developed node with a kidney. Weak and cold-affected shoots are also removed. Annuals are shortened so that 3-5 kidneys remain.

Each year, in the fall, shaping and updating pruning is performed. It is necessary to remove the old shoots as much as possible, so that more young ones appear.

Important! If you did not have time to carry out spring pruning before the sap flow begins, then it should be carried out with the opening of the kidneys.

Trimming intensity depends on which bush you want to receive:

• only inflorescences are removed - hydrangea will be large and densely dotted with inflorescences, but small;
• ½ part of the shoot is cut off - a compact bush is formed;
• There are several branches left - a complete renewal of the plant for next year.

Fertilizer

Until the first half of summer, hydrangea needs mineral complexes with a high nitrogen content for active leaf growth. They can be replaced with organics - liquid infusions of mullein, droppings. Organics are applied twice a month. Before winter, phosphorus-potassium complexes must be added.

Preparing hydrangea for winter

Hydrangea Dart’s Little Dot is a frost-resistant variety. Adult plants calmly tolerate temperature drops of -29 ° C, but if the winter is frosty and not snowy, young shoots can freeze. Bushes that are not yet 2-3 years old must be covered with agrofibre before the onset of cold weather, and with spruce top.1- tilted shoots, 2 -cocking, 3- spruce branches, 4- lutrasil, 5- stone

Features of agricultural technology

Hydrangea Dart’s does not like alkaline soil. When pH changes, inflorescences can slightly change their color. The bush does not tolerate dry soil and when it is very compacted. Ideal soil for it is fertile loamy, with a good drainage system and an acidic or slightly acidic reaction.

The plant can grow on a peat substrate. He loves partial shade, because direct sunlight spoils its decorative appearance. This variety is distinguished by good smoke and gas resistance, due to which it is regularly used for landscaping cities.

Breeding

Panicle hydrangea propagates vegetatively: by cuttings, layering. Both of them are very effective and ensure the transfer of all the features from the mother plant to the daughter.

Hydrangea from cuttings

For propagation, you can use green and lignified cuttings. The first are harvested from late spring to mid-summer, and the second from late winter to early summer. Often use shoots remaining after pruning. They are divided into parts, so that each has 4 pairs of kidneys. For a better root formation process, they are treated with Kornevin.

In this form, cuttings are planted in loose soil mixed with compost. Top cover with non-woven material. As soon as it becomes noticeable that the stalk has grown (shoots appear), it is regularly watered. When the heat subsides, the nonwoven fabric is removed.

Did you know? French botanist Philibert Commerson named a new flower brought from Japan, «lepotism» in honor of the first French woman mathematician and astronomer Nicole-Rhine Lepotte. But the name was attached to the flower «hydrangea», since they believe that this is the name that this woman bore in the family circle.

Layered Hydrangea

For propagation by layering, a young lateral shoot (up to a year) is used. Perpendicular to it, grooves burst into the soil into which it fits. In the ground, it is fixed with brackets and sprinkled with a fertile mixture. Abundantly irrigated. The described process is carried out in the spring, and by the autumn, the sprouts that appear are ready for transplantation to a permanent place.

Diseases and Pests

Variety Darts Little Dot is distinguished by good immunity. It is extremely rarely affected by disease and pests attack. But still, they may appear due to improper care. With increased humidity, gray and white rot develop.

You can get rid of them by spraying with Fitosporin and Fundazol. They love to eat aphid hydrangea and spider mite. The first pest is expelled with a soap solution with soda (25 g of soap, 1 tbsp. L. Soda, 1 l of hot water), and the second - with Fitoverm (10 ml / 1 l of water) or the same soapy solution, but without soda.

Panicled Hydrangea varieties Darts Little Dot - a wonderful flower for creating unusual compositions in landscape design. It is specially bred for growing in mixborders and flower beds. It is undemanding in care, and therefore even a novice in horticulture will cope with its cultivation.