Image – Wikimedia/A. Bar
You may have heard of the Hydrangea macrophylla, or that you even have one. It is the common hydrangea, the one that is easily found for sale in practically all nurseries, but there is another variety that is also very beautiful: the hydrangea serrata. It is not as well known as the one just mentioned, but since it requires the same care, it can be said that it is easy to maintain.
I don’t dare say if it’s perfect for beginners or not, but what I’m going to tell you is that if you follow the advice that we are going to give you next, you will surely make it last a long time.
Contents
Origin and characteristics of hydrangea serrata
Image – Flickr/UBC Botanical Garden
It is a deciduous shrub grows wild in the mountainous regions of East Asia, especially from Japan and Korea. In fact, for this reason, the English call it the mountain hydrangea (mountain hydrangea), although it is also known as sky tea (paradise tea).
If we talk about its characteristics, we must know that can reach 1.2 meters in height and width, and develops dark green leaves 15 centimeters long. Its flowers gather in inflorescences that grow for several months of the year, between spring and summer. They need the help of pollinating insects to produce fruit.
In general, it is very similar to the common hydrangea (H. macrophylla), but differs from it in the color and size of its leaves, which are darker and smaller, and in the fact that they have a serrated edge. Besides, our protagonist resists frost much better.
How to maintain the mountain hydrangea?
It’s a bush that must be outside, either in the garden or planted in a pot placed on the balcony or the terrace for example. And it is that not only does it support sub-zero temperatures without problems, but it also needs to feel how the seasons change, and this can only be done if you live abroad.
But it is also very important to provide these other treatments:
Location
be really goodit should be shaded. It needs a lot of light, but you shouldn’t give it directly or it will burn. It is best to have it in an area where there is plenty of light, but be in a protected location.
Earth
Image – Wikimedia/Agnieszka Kwiecien, Nova
The hydrangea serrata it is an acid plant. This means that grows in soils with an acidic pH, between 4 and 6. Depending on its size or size, the flowers will be one color or another. For example, if it is closer to 6 or even higher, they will be pink or white, and if it is 4 or 5.5 they will be blue.
But we cannot forget their basic needs, so it is very, very important to plant it in acid soilsbecause if it is alkaline or clayey it will lack iron, which will make its leaves chlorotic and the hydrangea will weaken.
If we are going to have it in a pot, it is easy to do, since we will just have to buy substrate for acidic plants like this here. But if we are interested in planting it in the garden, we will first know the pH of the soil, and if it is higher than 6, we will make a planting hole of 1 x 1 meter, we will cover its sides except the base with shade trellis and we will fill it with specific substrate for these plants.
Irrigation and fertilization
The mountain hydrangea is a plant that struggles when it lacks water. At first, the leaves seem to hang down, but if the situation worsens, they dry out. For it, it needs to be watered several times a week., leaving the soil very moist but trying not to keep it waterlogged. To do this, you must use rainwater or water with an acidic pH, because if alkaline water were used, the pH of the soil would be lowered, and the plant could become chlorotic.
As for the subscriber, it is advisable to fertilize it with a specific fertilizer for hydrangeas such as East. It can be liquid or granular, but it should be applied as directed on the package.
Transplantation
It is a plant which, although it does not grow much, it should be planted in the ground or in a larger pot when its roots come out of the drainage holes; that is, when it has taken root well. Of course, it may need to be changed and you may not see the roots outside the pot.
For this reason, it is advisable to remove it from time to time – every 3 years or so – from the container and see if this loosens the root ball or cake. If not, plant it elsewhere.
hardiness
The hydrangea serrata It is a shrub that resists frosts down to -18ºC.
We hope you liked everything we told you about the hydrangea serratawhich is undoubtedly a very hardy plant.