Panicled hydrangeas are very popular due to their unpretentiousness in care and excellent external characteristics. And the Bobo variety, which appeared in Belgium in 2011 but has already gained worldwide popularity, is rightfully recognized as the best of them. It is used with pleasure by both amateur gardeners and landscape designers.

Grade description

Hydrangea paniculata Bobo or panicled hydrangea Bobo is a dwarf shrub growing in height by no more than 70 cm. Moreover, its diameter is only half a meter. Shoots and rather small leaves of Bobo, in contrast to large-leaf varieties, are painted in dark green color, therefore, against their background, large panicle inflorescences look very impressive.

Did you know? Hydrangea is named after the princess of the Roman Empire, who had the name Hydrangea.

These inflorescences consist of many small flowers, which slightly resemble phloxes. The color of the flowers depends on the mineral content of the soil. Their natural color is snow-white, but if you add iron or aluminum compounds to the soil, the flowers acquire a yellowish, pale lemon or light pink hue. This variety begins to bloom in June, but only in small single inflorescences.

And from July to September, the bush is covered with a gentle flowering cloud. Bobo panicled hydrangea is also so popular due to its excellent resistance not only to winter frosts, but also to frosts that often occur in spring. And she is absolutely unpretentious to the choice of soil, so it is not difficult to grow it on any garden site.

In landscape design

Due to its excellent external characteristics, panicled hydrangea Bobo is widely used in landscape design. She looks very impressive in group plantings along the curbs, with her help they zon the territory of the garden and park. It is able to decorate both personal plots and urban recreation areas for children and adults. It is planted for landscaping loggias and gazebos.

Inflorescences-panicles look very beautiful together with spherical, only they need to be planted in a certain order, which will emphasize the beauty of each bush. You can also plant multi-colored panicle hydrangeas together or combine Bobo with pink and lilac phlox.

Due to the fact that the bushes of this variety are very miniature and quite compact, they can be grown in pots on balconies and in greenhouses. And unpretentiousness and resistance to weather conditions of hydrangea Bobo contributes to its widespread distribution around the world.

Landing

If you want to plant this unusually beautiful variety of hydrangea at home or on a personal plot, you need to know the basic rules for planting it. Often it is carried out by seedlings bought in specialized stores or nurseries. But you can also grow a full-fledged bush from seeds. This method is otherwise called generative, it is used, as a rule, for conducting breeding experiments.

Seeds

Very often, Bobo hydrangea is grown using seeds. It is advisable to buy them in trusted stores to get quality seedlings. Sowing is carried out only in autumn, while the air temperature in the room for germination should be at the level of +14 ... + 20 ° С. If the thermometer mark is above or below this level, the process may be disrupted.

The germination of Bobo hydrangea seeds is carried out in the following sequence:

1. Prepare a substrate consisting of equal parts of peat, river sand and sheet land, or buy it ready in a specialized store.
2. Sow the seeds in it and sprinkle with a small layer of the same nutrient mixture.
3. Moisten the soil with seeds using a spray gun.
4. Cover the containers used for germination with foil or glass.
5. Periodically remove the cover to moisten and ventilate the seeds, and be sure to monitor the air temperature in the room.
6. After one or one and a half months, when the first shoots are already visible, the shelter can be completely removed.
7. When the first two leaves appear, dive.
8. In May, transfer each seedling to a separate container with a diameter of about 7 cm.
9. At the same time, begin to take the young plants to fresh air so that they harden. This should be done only in the daytime, and at night the seedlings must be brought into the room.

Bushes obtained from seeds are planted, as well as purchased when they turn 2-3 years old.

Seedlings

Seedlings ready for planting can be bought in a nursery or in a store selling seedlings. It is recommended to plant them in warm, calm weather. And the main thing is that there should not be rain at this time, because the earth will be too damp, which can lead to the disease of young plants.

Important! The soil on which Bobo hydrangea grows must be loose so that it can pass air and water well, otherwise the plant may dry out.

Landing is carried out only in the early spring. The place must be chosen taking into account the fact that Bobo hydrangea is very photophilous. In addition, the proximity to large trees and shrubs, which have a superficial root system, is very undesirable, because they will take away from hydrangea the nutrients necessary for proper development.

The process itself is carried out in the following sequence:

1. Dig holes for shrubs of such sizes that they are twice as large as the root system with an earthen lump.
2. Mix peat with humus and fertile soil, and add a complex of mineral fertilizers specially designed for flowering plants in the quantities indicated on the package. Fill the pit with this mixture about halfway.
3. Remove the seedling from the pot and gently free its rhizome from the ground.
4. Trim the roots and shorten the shoots, leaving three to five buds on each.
5. Dip it in the pit and sprinkle with the remainder of the soil mixture, but already without mineral fertilizers. The root neck should remain above ground level.
6. Take the soil a little, but you should not tamp it hard.
7. Water the young plant abundantly and mulch it with tree bark or needles.

Care

Flower growers love Hydrangea Bobo just for her unpretentiousness in leaving. In order for this plant to grow well and bloom for a long time and abundantly, it is necessary to feed it in time, water it, loosen the soil, form a crown and prepare the bushes for wintering.

Watering and feeding

Watering should be carried out in the summer at least twice a week so that the soil does not dry out, because this can lead to the fact that the plant will die. In cloudy weather and during rains you can water once instead of two. Water must be settled or rain, as the lime contained in the tap is very harmful to hydrangea.

Important! In water for watering panicled hydrangea, it is recommended to add several grains of potassium permanganate.

Feeding this variety is necessary to ensure better growth and flowering. The main thing is to feed on time and in the required quantities. In spring, summer and autumn, the amount and quality of top dressing may vary. It is necessary to ensure maximum nutrition of the plant with useful substances.

Bobo hydrangea is fed according to the following scheme:

1. Immediately after the snow has melted, organic fertilizers must be applied to the soil under the bushes to better form leaves. In this case, a mullein solution is perfect.
2. During the formation of the buds, the plant is watered with a solution of phosphorus and potassium fertilizers, to which urea is added.
3. In the summer, when the most active phase of flowering is taking place, a complex of minerals, specially developed for flowering plants, is introduced. It can be bought at the store ready-made and added according to the instructions on the package.
4. In mid-autumn, it is once again necessary to introduce complex mineral fertilizers, which should not contain nitrogen-containing substances. This top dressing is carried out to more effectively prepare the plant for winter.

Mulching

The soil under the Bobo hydrangea is mulched to preserve moisture, because it is vital for the plant. In addition, the soil remains more loose and passes air well, which is very important for root nutrition. Shallow loosening is required before mulching.sparing roots that are very close to the surface. As a mulch usually use the bark of trees or needles. You can also sprinkle peat under the bushes, which will help maintain an optimal level of acidity.

Did you know? In North America, archaeologists have found evidence of the existence of hydrangeas 40 thousand years ago.

Pruning

Trimming of Bobo hydrangea bushes is carried out in spring and autumn. It is divided into three types: anti-aging, sanitary and formative. In the early spring, after the snow melts, it is necessary to remove all frozen and damaged shoots. At the same time, it is advisable to shorten the annuals, leaving no more than 5 buds on each.In autumn, in preparation for winter, all low-quality branches are cut again so that they do not interfere with the plant's development. Also, it will not be superfluous to rejuvenate it slightly, removing all overgrown shoots, as well as those that thicken the bushes.To decorate the landscape, plants with a beautiful, properly trimmed crown are needed, so it can be formed according to your preferences. Bobo variety lends itself very well to forming pruning. It is not advisable to skip it, because it can lead to severe thickening, elongation of shoots in height, and also a decrease in the quality of flowering.

Winter hardiness and shelter for the winter

To properly prepare panicle panicle hydrangea for winter, you must perform the following steps:

1. Reduce the amount of watering starting in September.
2. When the onset of cold weather, trim the upper leaves.
3. When the first frosts begin, cut off the remnants of the leaves, leaving only the top near the new buds.
4. Mulch the bushes with peat or foliage. The mulch layer must be at least 10 cm.

In regions with a fairly cold winter, it is advisable to press the bushes to the ground and cover them with lapnik, and if the winter is relatively warm and snowy, you can do without hilling, because Bobo hydrangea is characterized by good winter hardiness and resistance to small spring frosts.

Breeding

If you want to propagate Bobo hydrangea, you can use three methods: cuttings, dividing the bush and layering. Each of these methods is used at a certain time, and each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Cuttings

Using green cuttings, it is possible to produce a very effective propagation of this variety. They are cut, as a rule, in the early spring, before the formation of buds.

Important! Pest insects that inhabit hydrangeas can be carriers of viral diseases that are not treated in any way and lead to the death of the plant.

This process is carried out in the following sequence:

1. Choose healthy, strong shoots that have at least 5 buds.
2. Cut the cuttings out of them and soak them in a solution of the root stimulant.
3. Insert them into the open ground in a shaded, drafts-protected place to the depth of two kidneys.
4. Keep the soil moist so that the cuttings take root as soon as possible.

After rooting, each of them will need to be transferred to a separate container and grown for about two years, and then planted in a permanent place. This method is quite lengthy, and besides, not all cuttings can subsequently become full-fledged plants.

Layering

Propagation by layering is best in May.

For maximum effectiveness, you need to perform the following actions:

1. Bend a good young shoot to the ground.
2. In the part that touches the soil, incise.
3. Sprinkle with peat and constantly maintain the required level of humidity.
4. After the roots are formed at the incision site, carefully separate the cuttings from the large bush and transplant into a separate container where it will grow up and wait for planting in a permanent place.

Dividing the bush

This method, like cuttings, is also practiced in early spring, when flower buds have not yet appeared.

For this, the following events are held:

1. Dig a large bush.
2. Divide it into several parts so that each of them has kidneys.
3. Shorten the roots a bit.
4. Dig holes twice as large as the size of the root system of young bushes.
5. Fill half of it with fertile soil, consisting of peat, compost and mineral fertilizers.
6. Carefully place the bushes in the holes and sprinkle with the rest of the soil mixture.
7. Tamp a little and water the new plant well so that it takes root as soon as possible and begins to grow.

This method compares favorably with others due to the fact that it is the simplest and fastest. But it can be used only if the bush is too large and it can be divided.

Diseases and Pests

The cause of diseases and pests that damage parts of the plant or even lead to their complete death, most often is the lack of the necessary conditions for growth and inadequate care.

Panicled Hydrangea Bobo is most often affected by such diseases:

As a rule, a disease such as chlorosis is caused by the content of lime in the soil, which can get into it along with tap water, as well as too much humus in top dressing.

Did you know? In the language of flowers, hydrangea is a symbol of deep sincere feelings and warmth.

To avoid this problem, it is necessary to carry out such preventive measures:

• monitor the quality of water for irrigation, defend it or take rain and melt water for these purposes;
• normalize the composition of the soil;
• monitor the quantity and quality of fertilizers;
• add iron salts to the soil and mineral fertilize.

But powdery mildew is a fungal disease, and it usually appears against a background of high humidity. If it occurs, it is necessary to remove all the diseased parts of the bushes, and also treat the plants with Fundazole, following the instructions in the instructions. Pest insects can also seriously damage parts of hydrangea, and sometimes even completely destroy it. Most often, aphids, spider mites and slugs are found.When pests appear, hydrangea must be treated with a therapeutic solution that can be made independently. To do this, dissolve one piece of laundry soap and 200 g of grated garlic in 10 liters of water. You can also use insecticides purchased in a specialized store to control insects, and molluscocides, which are sold in granules, to protect against mollusk pests.

Panicled Hydrangea Bobo is an excellent choice for planting in a summer cottage, because it is quite easy to care for it, moreover, it has good frost resistance and resistance to diseases and pests. And also this variety lends itself well to propagation, thanks to which you can, if you wish, decorate the entire garden with this incredibly beautiful plant.