Hydrangeas, a large family

The diversity of hydrangeas

There are 9 different families of hydrangeas (Hydrangea). It is important to know that the advice that is valid for one family is often not adapted to another. It is therefore important to know the hydrangea that you buy or that you grow to avoid mistreating it.

There are hydrangeas for the sun, others for the shade, some which will have to be pruned and others for which you will not obtain flowers if you cut them...

La Thylle Nursery has between 300 and 400 varieties.

Discovering hydrangea varieties

The observation of the foliage allows to recognize the family: the members of the same family have the same leaves.

Examples

Hydrangea arborescens are characterized by rather dull foliage and fairly round leaves. They are generally installed in the sun.

The hydrangea that everyone knows, Hydrangea macrophylla, which has a large varnished leaf, must be installed in a confined atmosphere, protected from spring frosts.

The Hydrangea paniculata family, with an elliptical leaf, is also a hydrangea for the sun.

Hydrangea serrata are native to the mountains of Japan. Many members of this family have the particularity to have, in the absence of a long bloom, a foliage which takes sumptuous colors of autumn. This is the case of the variety 'Santiago', with its completely red foliage at the end of the season.

Pruning hydrangeas

It is important to know that the flower of H. macrophylla is already present "in" the plant, in winter (in fact, it forms at the end of August / September). So, if you prune it, you lose flowers. If your hydrangea "bush" is too big, for example positioned in front of a window, it is better to move it than to prune it.

On the other hand, H. Paniculata blooms on the year's wood. Also, to obtain large flowers, we cut back between mid-November and mid-March the two thirds of the stems which carried the flowers the year before.

This is also the case for Hydrangea arborescens.

How to feed hydrangeas?

Most hydrangeas have a superficial root system. They are therefore fed with compost in the spring and fall. There is no need to add any other fertilizer.

Can hydrangeas be grown in pots?

It depends on the hydrangea family. H. macrophylla can be grown in a pot but the roots, more exposed to the cold, will suffer in case of temperatures below -10°C.  H. paniculata is more resistant to frost.

Bonus

Thanks to its great diversity, the hydrangea can color your garden with its flowers and foliage all summer long, and most of the fall.

The Aralia elata, a plant with a tropical look resistant to the cold

Get to know Aralia elata better

Aralia elata, also known as Japanese Angelica, is a fast-growing plant native to Japan and Northeast Asia.

The variety 'Silver Umbrella' presented in the video was planted two years ago when it was only 50 cm tall, so it has tripled in height, producing a generous foliage carried by side branches that can reach up to 1 m long. An interesting way to create volume in a recent garden very quickly and to bring an exotic note by marrying the Aralia to a banana tree for example!

The young shoots appear in April. The foliage lasts until autumn. The summer flowering, very light and vaporous, is particularly appreciated by pollinating insects. The flowers are followed by blackish berries that birds love. This plant thus favors biodiversity in the garden.

The young shoots are edible and are eaten in Japan.

Growing conditions of the Japanese angelica

The aralia appreciates places protected from the prevailing wind and rich, cool soil. In these optimal conditions, this plant will not cause you any concern and will develop in an exuberant way.

Rusticity

Despite its tropical appearance, this beautiful plant is hardy to -15°C.

Exposure

The Aralia likes the sun in the northern regions, everywhere else, the shade and the half-shade are preferable especially in the Mediterranean regions where the sun could burn the foliage.

Soil

The soil should be well drained, light and fertile, add a good dose of river sand and mature compost at planting.

Watering

Water as soon as the soil dries on 3 cm surface during all the beautiful season to ensure a beautiful growth to the plant.

Multiplication

The variety 'Silver Umbrella' is quite rare because it is only multiplied by grafting a branch on a root. The technique is therefore reserved for professionals or seasoned gardeners.

The classic aralia with green leaves can be sown in spring, or even divided with a spade at the end of winter by taking shoots from the stump and replanting them immediately in another area of the garden.

The pheasant tree, growing tips

Leycesteria formosa 'Golden Lanterns

The pheasant tree, Leycesteria formosa, is a shrub whose typical species has green foliage. The variety 'Golden Lanterns' has beautiful golden foliage and produces young copper-colored shoots. The purple-purple fruits stand out from the light foliage; Leycesteria formosa 'Golden Lanterns' is a colorful shrub!

Attention: to obtain this golden foliage, a sunny exposure is necessary. It needs at least a semi-shaded situation, with morning sun, for example. If it does not receive enough sun, the foliage will be more green-yellow.

In a more general way, the pheasant tree is a plant that appreciates the sun. However, it is advisable to preserve it from too 'burning' exposures.

Beware of the cold!

Although native to the Himalayas, the pheasant tree can be damaged by cold winter temperatures. But don't worry: the flowering will not be compromised. Since the flowers are produced on the year's wood, you only need to cut back the stems for the plant to start again from the stump, to bloom all summer long.

Pruning the pheasant tree

To obtain an aesthetic and leafy plant, it is best to prune it. Pruning encourages branching and prevents the bottom from balding. Cut back the pheasant tree every year.

Where to put the pheasant tree?

The pheasant tree can be installed in the garden, in a fresh soil, as an isolated subject or associated with other plants. It is also possible to grow it in a pot, but you will have to be careful when the temperatures drop in winter, as the roots are more exposed to frost.

Note: the pheasant tree is not a plant adapted to gardens located in the South. On the other hand, it will do well in regions where rainfall is frequent.

Bonus

The pheasant tree loses its leaves in winter, but the stems remain green, which makes it aesthetically pleasing even in winter.

Why the pheasant tree?

This shrub was introduced, on the edge of the forest, especially in Sologne, to feed the pheasants, hence its name!

The art of Japanese pruning or Niwaki

The Japanese pruning or creation of a Niwaki is an ancestral art whose foundations come essentially from the Shinto cult "The Way of the Gods", which was maintained and transmitted from the 12th century by the Zen Buddhist gardening monks, and whose primary goal is to obtain an impression of maturity in a subject.

Originally, Niwaki evokes the imprint left on the vegetation by natural elements (wind, snow, frost...) or animals (cattle, insects...).

There are big nurseries in Japan, breeding and pruning this kind of trees, and they are passed on from generation to generation.

Among the different types of Japanese pruning (compact karikomi, in the form of large bushes kokarikomi or small bushes okarikomi, linear "in plateaus" or "in tiers"...) the "in clouds" pruning is intended to give a tabular vegetation - various shapes in multiple domes - aiming at reproducing distant landscape sites.

Niwaki allows to represent hills and valleys of the countryside, to evoke clouds hanging in the depth of a forest or a tree isolated in the plumb of a cliff, this in the Japanese garden where all the elements are used to reproduce the whole natural landscape in a small space, in order to sublimate its beauty.

Japanese pruning is for all varieties of trees (except the most slender ones such as candle cypress or poplar) and shrubs, whether deciduous or evergreen, and for all subjects, from the smallest raised in a pot - for those who would not be lucky enough to have a garden - to the one raised in the ground.

The edgeworthia, a shrub with an original branch that blooms in winter

The Edgeworthia: an original plant

The Edgeworthia (Edgeworthia chrysantha or Paper Bush) has a very particular, rather rare habit: each branch branches out into three branches. And when the plant is adult, it forms a perfect globe, very graphic.

During the month of January, the Edgeworthia opens its flowers which exhale a delicious perfume, like the other members of the Daphne family, to which it belongs.

The varieties of Edgeworthia

There are several varieties of Edgeworthia, including :

• Edgeworthia chrysantha 'Nanjing Gold', yellow blooming ;
• Edgeworthia chrysantha 'Akebono' or 'Red Dragon', with a red-orange bloom, a softer habit, and less graphic than 'Nanjing Gold' or the type.

Edgeworthia growing conditions

Soil

Edgeworthia are a bit demanding as to the nature of the soil that can accommodate them. They are plants that do not tolerate excess of water, nor big episodes of drought. They should therefore be planted in good garden soil and a good organic mulch (RCW, straw, lawn clippings) should be used to keep the plant cool at the foot of the plant and to encourage soil life.

Exposure

In regions with hot summers, choose a semi-shaded exposure (sun in the morning and shade in the afternoon).

In regions located further north (Brittany, Normandy, Hauts de France), it can be exposed to full sun.

Hardiness

The Edgeworthia resists to - 10°C.

Maintenance of Edgeworthia

It is very easy to maintain the Edgeworthia. Pruning is not necessary. It is a shrub that, once planted (with a contribution of compost) and well developed, will produce shoots from the base that should not be removed: this is the means of survival of the plant. After a few years, the main stem dies. The stems that appear at the base then take over.

Bonus: Edgeworthia have no known pests.

Multiplication of Edgeworthia

The propagation of Edgeworthia is quite complex. Professionals use an in vitro method under sterile conditions.

Tip: install the Edgeworthia near a place of passage to take advantage of the winter flowering.

The single-flowered Japanese cortea

Kerria japonica 'Golden Guinea': large, single flowers for the Japanese cornice

The pompom flowers of the Japanese headstock 'Pleniflora', a shrub of good size (3 meters high) and very suckering, are widely known in the gardens. But today, Patrick NICOLAS presents us a variety with simple and rather large flowers, which is called the single-flowered Japanese crested: Kerria japonica 'Golden Guinea'.

This variety is less tall and a little wider than Kerria japonica 'Pleniflora', since its adult size is between 1,50 m and 2 m. With a relatively light branching, less dense, allowing light to pass through, it has the advantage of allowing the planting of perennials around its foot.

Another important advantage is that Kerria japonica 'Golden Guinea' is a shrub that is certainly slightly suckering, but much less so than the Japanese cortea 'Pleniflora'.

The single flowered Japanese cortea: a shrub for the 4 seasons

Kerria japonica 'Golden Guinea' blooms in spring, with a late summer/early autumn repeat. Its foliage is deciduous, but its wood remains green, even in winter. Also, it remains very aesthetic regardless of the season.

Where to plant the Japanese cortea 'Golden Guinea'?

Soil: Kerria japonica 'Golden Guinea' is content with normal garden soil, which does not dry out too much during the summer.

Each year, bring compost to stimulate the growth of the branches and the blooming.

Exposure: preferably sunny but not hot, or, possibly, a very bright light shade.

Even if Kerria japonica 'Golden Guinea' can bear drought when it is temporary, avoid dry places in the garden.

Care of Kerria japonica 'Golden Guinea

A simple grooming pruning is enough for the Japanese cortea. It is limited to the removal, at the end of winter, of the small branches that dry out each year. New stems will grow from the base.

Kerria japonica 'Golden Guinea' is a cold-resistant shrub. However, if the tips of the stems turn brown due to very cold temperatures, it will be sufficient to prune them in the spring.

To know more 

There are also other species of Japanese cortea.

• Kerria japonica, the typical botanical species, with smaller single flowers;
• Kerria japonica 'Pleniflora', with pompon flowers;
• Kerria japonica 'Alba', with cream-colored flowers.