Hydrangea is one of the most beautiful summer plants that fill the garden with bright blooms, cause admiration and quickly become favorites of flower growers thanks to large white-pink inflorescences. From the article you will learn more about the wonderful Pinky Winky variety, about planting hydrangeas, care, reproduction and the use of plants in landscape design.
Description of the Pinky Winky variety
The full name of the variety is panicle hydrangea Pinky Winky (usually Hydrangea Paniculata DVPPinky, usually sold under the brand name Pinky Winky). The special term “paniculata” refers to the arrangement of flowers in panicles. The variety was bred in 2003. The name “Pinky Winky” was given by a breeder from Belgium Johan van Heilenbrock after the hero of a children's television program. Pinky Winky is a fast-growing flowering deciduous shrub, somewhat coarsely textured, native to China, the Far East and Japan.
The bush has a rounded shape, with red branches that are clearly visible among the bright green leaves. Its strong and strong stems never wilt, even when weighed down with large conical panicles of flowers. And in bad weather they remain upright. Hydrangea grows rapidly (up to 23 cm per year), the height of the bushes reaches 1.5 m with the same crown diameter. Leaves are dark green, up to 15 cm long, rounded elliptical with a serrated edge. By the end of the season, the fall becomes yellow or purple. The Pinky Winky hydrangea has not only an interesting name, but also no less characteristic huge two-color inflorescences.
Large white panicles open in the middle or end of summer, and with the onset of autumn, flowers at the base of the panicles become pale pink. The color changes from cream to pink tones from top to bottom, creating an attractive decorative effect.. But at the same time, flower cones continue to grow, forming new white flowers at the end. As a result, spectacular, differently colored inflorescences, the length of which can reach 30–40 cm. They are located on strong, short and thick stems that are able to hold the flower in gusts of wind and rain.
Did you know? Once the emperor of Japan sent a bouquet of hydrangea to his beloved's relatives as a sign of apology, and since then this flower is considered a manifestation of sincere feelings and special cordiality.
The inflorescences are melliferous and have a pleasant soothing aroma, which is described as a spicy mixture of vanilla and honey. The Pinky Winky variety is more frost-resistant than other panicled and large-leaf varieties. It is hardy in zones 3–8, which corresponds to negative temperatures up to -35 ° C, and is tolerant to air pollution, which makes it attractive for planting in the city.
Landscape design application
Pinky Winky Hydrangea adorns the garden for all four seasons. In spring, bright green shoots appear, followed by buds turning into white flowers. During the summer, the shades of the petals change, and by the autumn the bush is covered with a magnificent purplish-pink color. And dry inflorescences look beautiful in a winter landscape against a background of snow. Separately planted hydrangea bushes or hedge plantings can be a good addition to a garden blooming in late summer, when few other shrubs remain in bloom. Grown in large containers, compact bushes can serve as decoration of terraces, verandas and patios.
Florists often use fresh hydrangea flowers to decorate bouquets. But inflorescences can be dried if the cut cones are hung on a rope. In the future, they are used in winter floristic compositions of dried flowers. This hydrangea is easily maintained in the form of a small tree, i.e., in the standard culture. For this purpose, a central branch is left on the bush, and the rest are nibbled 2-3 times during the summer.
Did you know? Hydrangea has its own holiday, which is celebrated on January 5, Although this is not the season of garden flowers, but you can make a composition of dried inflorescences or buy a plant in a pot.
At the end of the season, the lateral branches are cut entirely to the trunk. At the beginning of the growing season, the central stem is shortened to a developed bud, and when its thickness reaches 1.5–2 cm in diameter, they begin to form a crown. To do this, cut off all weak and excess branches, leaving only the strong ones. The stem is reinforced with a metal peg, and the side branches are tied to wire frames, thereby forming the desired crown. For the standard form, you can use bushes that have ceased to bloom, and plant a fresh scion on the trunk, giving the shrub a new life and forming a flowering crown.
Landing
Pinky Winky hydrangeas can grow to their full size if you first select a place in the garden that meets the requirements of the plant and plant according to all the rules.
Site selection and soil preparation
An ideal location for Pinky Winky hydrangeas is in sunny or partially shaded areas. This variety is the most tolerant to the sun and resistant to wilting. In cool climates, full daylighting of bushes during the day is recommended for better stem strength and long-term colorful flowering. In partial shade, it blooms not so plentifully. The soil should be well-drained, moderately fertile and rich in humus, slightly acidic (pH 5.5).
The variety adapts to most soils, except for very moist with stagnant water or excessively alkaline, and the color of the petals does not depend on the chemical composition and pH of the soil. If the flowers become brown and dry instead of growing to pink or red, this indicates that the plant needs more water or the night temperatures are too high to change to another color.
Landing time
Hydrangeas can be planted in spring, when the threat of spring frost passes, or in early autumn, so that the seedlings have time to take root before the onset of the cold period. Samples planted in the spring require abundant watering.
Step-by-step instruction
Before planting hydrangea, it is necessary to prepare the soil substrate for falling asleep planting pit. In the case of sandy soil, the addition of peat or compost to the garden soil will allow better moisture storage, and the clay composition will provide more effective drainage. A seedling planted in well-fertilized soil during the year will not need other fertilizers for normal development.
When planning the planting of new hydrangea bushes, you should take into account all the requirements of this culture and carry out the procedure according to the proposed instructions:
- Dig a planting hole wider and deeper than the corresponding volume of the container in which hydrangea was grown in the nursery (the larger its size, the more mature the plant). Make the walls of the hole sheer, and loosen the soil at the bottom by 10-15 cm.
- Before planting, soak the root ball for several hours in water to safely remove the seedling from the planting tank. Strongly compacted roots must be carefully loosened with your hands, and long and damaged ones must be cut off. This leads to further strong root growth, and planted hydrangeas develop better.
- Place the bush in the center of the pit and fill it with soil.
- The depth of planting is the same as the position of the seedling in the container. The main reference point is the root neck should be 3-5 cm above the ground level.
- Seal the ground well for better contact of the root endings with the soil and removal of air pockets.
- Form a small area in the shape of a bowl near the root zone, forming the edges with an earthen rim.
- Carefully water the seedling and add land if necessary if the soil has shrunk.
- Mulching the planting site with bark will allow you to maintain the desired moisture and soil temperature, increase its fertility, which will have a beneficial effect on flowering, and slow down the growth of weeds.
- When planting several seedlings of Pinky Winky, adhere to the interval between separately growing plants of 1.8–2.5 m. If you decide to grow them in the form of a hedge, then you can plant them at a distance of 1.5–1.8 m to give root systems a place for growth.
Care
For hydrangeas to be healthy and beautiful, they need care, which is the basic rules of cultivation.
Watering and feeding
During the first year after planting, regular hydrangea watering is required until they are rooted and strengthened. After the Pinky Winky bushes are formed and well developed, they become more resistant to drought than some other varieties of hydrangeas. When watering, make sure that the soil under the mulch and surface soil is deeply moistened. It is better to water several times a week abundantly, rather than in small doses every day.
Important! Do not use fertilizers with a high nitrogen content, as this leads to a rapid growth of green mass to the detriment of flowering.
If water does not pass into the lower layers of the soil, then the roots develop closer to the surface, and the plant will not be resistant to drought due to the lack of a deep root system. It should also be taken into account during irrigation that hydrangea roots lie shallow, and the boundary of their distribution significantly exceeds the diameter of the crown of the bush. On very hot days, hydrangea leaves and flowers can fade, so watering is necessary.
Otherwise, wilted and underdeveloped inflorescences will not be able to restore their appearance until the end of the season. To fertilize the bushes, you can use well-ripened compost or manure, as well as multicomponent mineral compositions, but with a low content of calcium. The best way to feed hydrangeas is to apply slow release fertilizer to shrubs and trees in early spring, soon after the bushes are trimmed.
You should choose fertilizers that do not contain lime and are specially designed for panicle hydrangea - “Biopon”, “Compo”, “Planton H”, “Agrecol”, “Loren”. Top dressing is carried out during the growing season with a frequency in accordance with the recommendations of the manufacturers of the selected fertilizers. Top dressing is necessary only during plant growth and should be discontinued in early August. After this period, hydrangeas enter the dormant phase and begin to form flowering shoots of the next season.
Trimming and Shaping
The best time for pruning Pinky Winky hydrangeas is early spring, which helps to increase the size of the flowers, the formation of the crown and makes it possible to sanitize the shrub. Larger flower panicles can be obtained by thinning plants up to 5–10 primary branches.
This variety blooms on the young shoots of the current season, so there is no risk of removing the potential color. Bushes can be cut to 60 cm in height, so that the trunk will thicken from below, and the crown will take a magnificent shape. Elongated branches shorten the set of buds to the first. In subsequent years, hydrangea is trimmed higher, following the principle of the number of inflorescences left.
Shelter for the winter
Pinky Winky is one of the best and most hardy hydrangea varieties that can easily survive the winter seasons. As soon as the temperature drops, the leaves and inflorescences turn brown. Special shelter for the winter is not required, just make sure that the root zone on the soil has a sufficient (15–20 cm) layer of mulch from dry leaves or bark to protect the roots from freezing.
Vegetative rest lasts from November to March. Since this type of hydrangea blooms on new wood, so even if it freezes to the ground, then when spring comes, new growth will rise, ensuring the safety of the plant.
Only young immature bushes need winter cover with agrotextile, spruce branches or straw mats. If you purchased container seedlings in the fall, store hydrangea in a cool place in winter and keep the soil slightly moist until you can plant the plant in the spring in the garden.
Video: preparing panicle hydrangea for winter
Breeding methods
Hydrangea seedlings can be bought in garden centers and nurseries, but it is easy to independently expand the collection of bushes, knowing the methods of propagation of this crop.
Seeds
When ripening on hydrangeas, a fruit box 3 mm long is formed with numerous small seeds inside. Sowing seeds is one of the ways to propagate garden hydrangeas. However, in the case of Pinky Winky, with this dilution, varietal qualities cannot be maintained.
Cuttings
From a practical point of view, propagation by cuttings is easier, it gives results faster, provides almost complete rooting (up to 95%) and is more often successful in amateur growing conditions. The most popular method of propagation of most hydrangeas growing in gardens is by cuttings taken in the summer (June to August) from the apical part of young, not yet flowering shoots. For seedlings, the tops of sprouts with four leaves and about 15 cm in length are used - the two lower leaves are removed, the upper part of the shoot is cut and the remaining leaves are cut in half to reduce the evaporation surface.
Then the ends of the cuttings are treated with a rooting agent (“Kornevin”) and planted in a cuvette or flat container filled with fresh soil for seedlings (a special substrate or peat), gently compacted and watered. Rooted cuttings are transplanted individually into potsin which they remain until the spring of next year. By this time they release 3 pairs of new leaves. The tops of the shoots can be pinched to ensure better rooting and development of seedlings.
Important! In central Russia, it is recommended to harvest cuttings from June 10 to 15.
The herbaceous cuttings of hydrangeas quickly take root, but usually they grow slowly and rarely reach a height of more than 30 cm in the first year. Another way to propagate hydrangeas is with woody cuttings. In early spring, pieces of length 10-15 cm are taken from woody shoots and stored in a cool room at a temperature of about + 1 ° C until planting begins (they should be wrapped with a damp cloth or foil so that they do not dry). In late spring, seedlings are planted in a moist substrate and placed seedlings in a warm, bright room, protected from direct sunlight.
Layering
Propagation of hydrangea by layering is another simple method for obtaining new seedlings. In early spring, you should choose a long flexible shoot at the base of the mother plant and gently press it to the ground. At the point of contact you need to dig a small hole. The branch is placed in a recess, fixed with a wooden stud or stone and sprinkled with soil. This place is periodically watered and spud.
In the next season, the emerged sprouts are dug up and separated from the mother bush. It is recommended to grow a young plant throughout the year in a rather large pot so that dense and strong roots are formed. In the future, you can transplant young hydrangea into open ground on a flower bed, where it will grow. If you are lucky, then the first inflorescence will appear in the same year.
Division
Sometimes hydrangea can grow into a large shrub that takes up a lot of space in the garden. In this case, you can dig and divide the plant, getting a new planting material. Under certain rules, the procedure will necessarily be successful. Depending on the size of the root coma, the plant can be divided into 2-3 parts.
Unlike other shrubs, hydrangea has extremely solid roots, so you have to do this with a saw. The procedure of division and transplantation is preferably carried out during the vegetative dormancy - in the fall, when hydrangea shed its leaves, or in early spring. New bushes will use all their strength to create roots, so they may not bloom a year after dividing.
Diseases and pests and their treatment
If you provide hydrangea with optimal conditions and caring care, then Pinky Winky will not have serious problems with harmful insects or diseases. But you should be aware of the possible mistakes of cultivation and the most common diseases and pests of this culture, as well as treatment methods. With increased humidity, there is a certain predisposition of hydrangea to fungal infections, such as kidney disease, bacterial wilting, powdery mildew, leaf spot, rust, gray and root rot.
Affected hydrangeas are sprayed with fungicides “Fitosporin”, “Skor”, “Topsin M”, “Topaz”, “Khom”, “Fundazol”. These funds can be used interchangeably with biologics such as Fitoverm, Bisolbifit. Spraying is repeated 2-3 times with an interval of 7-10 days. Hydrangea may also suffer from pest attacks, such as leaf aphids and spider mites, which feed on the plant's juices, limiting its growth and causing deformation of leaves and inflorescences.
The bushes should be treated (according to the instructions on the packaging) with the insecticides Pirimore, Bitoxibacillin, Lepidocide, Actellik, Provado. Too much calcium in the soil or too many mineral fertilizers can cause leaf chlorosis. To eliminate this disease, it is necessary to maintain the acidity of the soil (pH 5.5), mulch the bushes with peat or coniferous bark and water it with softer water (preferably rain).
The lack of flowering is often associated with the freezing of buds tied to last year's shoots, a strong densification of the crown of the bush, lack of nutrients, or insufficient watering and dry soil. If you want to long admire the colorful bloom that changes color from mid-summer until the fall season, Pinky Winky hydrangea is what you need. This summer flowering shrub is easy to care for, and it is great for beginner gardeners. And observing the requirements of hydrangea and proven care procedures, you will avoid mistakes when growing, and Pinky Winky will be a worthy decoration of the garden hydrangea collection.
