In the design of garden plots, a beautiful ornamental shrub from the Rosaceae family is often found - Potentilla, otherwise shrubby. Planting and care is not difficult, and beautiful appearance and the medicinal properties of the plant make this species increasingly popular among amateur gardeners.
What is a plant
Kuril tea is a very beautiful plant, it is a sprawling shrub with a round spherical crown, delicate light green, velvety carved leaves resembling small five-pointed fans.
There are many varieties of Kuril tea, breeders have also brought out new decorative varieties. If the natural size of the bush is about one and a half meters, now you can also buy dwarf species up to 60 cm high. The bush pleases with flowering from May to the first frosts, therefore it is of particular value for decorating the garden.
Usually the flowers are yellow, there are varieties of bright orange or red, there are pink and cream types. They bloom singly or gather in inflorescences.
The plant got its unusual tea name for the fact that in the Kuril Islands it was brewed and drunk instead of tea.
Interesting! conquered Kuril tea people's love, not only because of beauty, but also. The leaves have anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, perfectly tone up and support the immune system. It is good for depression and neuroses. It is used to improve the functioning of the heart and liver.
How to care
Kuril tea is unpretentious, but any plant responds to proper care with a beautiful appearance and rapid flowering, so every owner should know about the needs of Potentilla:
- The shrub is not very demanding on the soil, but it does not tolerate heavy loams and poor sandy areas.
- He does not like Kuril tea and shady corners, without the sun he will be weak.
- The winds also do not benefit him, from this delicate flower petals fly around, branches are bent.
- It will grow well in a sunny area along a fence that protects it from the winds.
- The earth around the bush must be regularly loosened by 10 cm, carefully, trying not to damage the roots.
- Weeding and removing weeds is an indispensable component of care in the summer.
- In dry summers, the plant needs to be watered regularly, at least 12 liters are poured under each bush.
- Kuril tea will also respond well to a water shower.
Interesting! Solve the problem with acidic soil easy by adding a little ash and lime under the bush. If the soil is damp, make good drainage. Sandy soil in the garden is also not a problem: it is replaced in the planting hole with a fertile, loose substrate.
A layer of mulch retains moisture well in the soil, it will prevent the germination of weeds and will not interfere with air aeration
It can be a layer of compost and peat, which will then become additional fertilizer. It is updated in early summer and autumn.
For the winter, the soil is mulched especially carefully, it is important to do this after planting.
When Kuril tea blooms, the scorching sun can affect the brightness of the flowers, the color can fade under its rays, so if you want to keep bright colors, they need to be protected on hot days. The leaves tolerate the direct rays of the sun well.
Kuril tea survives the winter well, is able to endure low temperatures down to -40 ° C, although sometimes it freezes above the snow cover, but this does not affect flowering. Some varieties are better to insure and cover, this is especially important for young shoots.
Interesting: Bushes with yellow flowers are more resistant to frost, and plants with red inflorescences are more capricious and thermophilic, so they need to be more carefully covered for the winter.
How to crop
From nature, Kuril tea received a beautiful round crown, so it does not require special formation, but you still need to cut off extra branches:
- after winter, frozen branches are removed;
- in the summer, selectively cut out those that are knocked out of the ideal format;
- pruning is needed by about a third when the bush grows too large.
Old bushes are fully pruned, they undergo a rejuvenation procedure: all old shoots are completely cut out with a secateurs or a saw, as a result, a 15 cm long stump remains. The procedure is carried out in September or October.
Important! Only in the conditions of the south, all branches of the plant are cut off by 5 cm in summer and autumn to create topiaries.
How to plant
Potentilla is propagated in several ways: by cuttings, root shoots, dividing the bush, it can also be planted with seeds.
The most successful way is cuttings, in which case several shoots can be used and they will have 100% maternal properties, this is especially important when propagating hybrid varieties.
Planting in the spring is a favorable time, over the summer the plant will take root and take root in a new place. Cuttings are selected from strong green or stiff shoots, they must have a lateral and upper bud. For better survival, shoots are taken with leaves. If they are already cut, then you should not pull for more than 2 days.
How to board:
- lower leaves cut off, the ends of the shoots are immersed in a growth stimulator for a day.
- The earthen substrate is prepared in advance, it consists of 1 part of sand, humus and soddy soil is taken 2 times more.
- Additionally, complex fertilizer, 100 g of lime and a spoonful of ash are added.
- The shoot is placed in the ground and the soil is well moistened.
- Root germination occurs in a greenhouse or under glass.
- The optimum temperature is not more than 30 °C.
- To create moisture, the cuttings are sprayed with water, covered with shields or gauze from the bright sun.
Planting seedlings in the fall in the ground is not too late, you need to give them time to take root.
- Young bushes are planted at a distance of at least 60 cm, preferably 80 cm.
- The hole is prepared in depth equal to the distance between the bushes.
- Drainage of at least 20 cm is placed at the bottom, it can be broken bricks, expanded clay, river pebbles, lime gravel, it is especially liked by Potentilla.
- The root neck should not be too deep, it should be near the surface of the earth.
- After planting, the hole is covered with a mixture similar in composition to grafting, well watered.
- From above, the earth must be sprinkled with humus.
If the cuttings are prepared in June, by the autumn a bush 35 cm high with a good root system will form from them. They can already be landed on the place where it will be permanently.
Important! The plant blooms after planting after 3 years, and on next year in July it is already possible to collect leaves for tea.
Reproduction by seeds
It is more difficult to propagate a plant with seeds, this process is lengthy, so that the desired properties appear, it is preferable to purchase the material in a specialized store. It is better to plant seeds in boxes at home, so it is more likely that they will not die from adverse weather conditions, insects will not damage them during germination:
- The earth is also suitable for the one that is being prepared for planting cuttings, it is leveled and at a distance of 5 cm holes are made 2 cm deep.
- Then they are watered and the seeds are laid.
- Sprinkle a little earth and moisten the soil again.
Seedlings will hatch in 20-25 days, after a week they can be picked out at a distance of 30 cm on the street. In summer, tender sprouts are carefully sprayed and covered from the sun. On the permanent place they will fall in 3 years, when they get stronger and turn into a real bush.
Pests and diseases
With good care, the plant usually does not get sick, pests bypass it. In cold, damp summers, it may develop powdery mildew or rust. The disease is cured by spraying with colloidal sulfur or Bordeaux mixture.
Bright colors, beautiful spherical shape and long flowering make Kuril tea a great garden decoration. If you plant a plant in your home, it will delight not only with a decorative appearance, but will become a source of valuable medicine.
Kuril tea - for beneficial features, which a drink made from dried flowers of a shrub possesses, a cinquefoil - for a beautiful, carved shape of leaves that look like small fans.
There are several types of shrub cinquefoil, but they are all similar to each other: these perennials grow up to one and a half meters high and grow one meter wide, have a branched, dense, spherical crown. Leaves pinnate, usually grey-green. The small flowers are usually golden yellow, but there are also red, orange, cream and pink. They can be solitary or collected in inflorescences.
With its bright appearance, shrubby cinquefoil pleases from the end of spring until the very frost. This shrub is also attractive for bees, it is honey-bearing.
Shrub Potentilla can take root in almost any climatic zone. Its habitat is quite wide: the plant is found in the Caucasus and Far East, in Siberia, the mountains of Central Asia and China, in Mongolia and Japan, North America and Western Europe.
A shrub grows on the banks of rivers, in meadows and rocks, in mountain forests, on rocky slopes. Sandstones and chernozems can suit many varieties.
Kuril tea prefers open, sunny places. The soil should not be too dense. It is good if there is a constant source of moisture nearby.
Planting shrub cinquefoil
You can plant shrubby cinquefoil both in spring and autumn.
Potentilla is propagated vegetatively: by green or lignified cuttings, root offspring, layering, dividing the bushes. Before planting cinquefoil, the soil must be dug up and leveled.
If seeds are used, they are placed a couple of centimeters into the ground and sprinkled with a small amount of nutrient fertilizer. Planting ends with watering. Seedlings will sprout in three to four weeks. After another seven days, they will need to be seated from each other at a distance of about 30 centimeters in specially prepared pits with drainage.
In this video you can see more about the cultivation and beneficial properties of Kuril tea:
- Bushes from each other are placed at a distance of 60-80 centimeters. Pits for planting should be 50-60 centimeters deep.
- Be sure to need a drainage of 20 centimeters. It can be river pebbles or broken bricks.
- The root neck or growth bud of a new plant should be just below ground level, almost on its surface.
- Pits with planted shrubs are covered with a mixture of humus and leafy soil, as well as sand in a ratio of parts 2: 2: 1. Mineral fertilizer is added to this mixture.
- Plantings are watered immediately.
- It is possible to cover the earth with a thin layer of humus.
If cuttings are carried out in June, plants up to 35 centimeters tall with a developed root system usually grow from cuttings in a year. They are now suitable for transplanting to their permanent place. The first color should appear in three years.
If you want to know how to plant and care for the Japanese euonymus, read on.
What are the perennial flowers for giving, you can find out at the link
Care
Potentilla is extremely unpretentious, but in dry times it needs systematic watering - up to 12 liters per bush. Kuril tea does not like soil compaction. In the spring, it is desirable to feed it with mineral fertilizers, and in the summer - to loosen, weed and remove weeds.
To make the shrub even more magnificent, its shoots must be cut by about a third every three years. Before flowering, the plant needs phosphorus and potassium.
Potentilla is not afraid of the cold, so it does not need to be covered from frost in winter. To prevent the flowers from fading, they need to be protected from too scorching sun. There will be no harm from the sun to the plant itself.
Pests and diseases of Kuril tea
Kuril tea has almost no enemies among pests and does not get sick with anything. Occasionally, rust or powdery mildew may appear, which are easily removed with Bordeaux liquid or colloidal sulfur.
Varieties and types
There are different decorative species and varieties of shrub Potentilla - more than 300 in total. Modern gardeners have about a dozen. The most popular are: creeping, silver, erect and goose cinquefoil.
All shrubs are deciduous and perennial, with a branched crown, small gray-green petals, attached to each other like a fan. Plants differ in height and shades of flower petals.
- Among the low ones - up to 60 centimeters high - Kuril tea " Kobold"("Kobold"). It grows quickly, blooms with light yellow flowers. Its crown is recommended to be trimmed regularly.
- Variety " Jacquema n "(" Jackman ") blooms with yellow flowers in May, and from June to October - the variety" Goldfinger "(" Goldfinger "). Large golden flowers are also found in two hybrids - " Goldtepih"("Goldteppich") and " sommer-floor"(Sommerflor).
- Another long-flowering and frost-resistant variety - " goldstar"("Goldstar"). Its height reaches one meter, and the diameter of the crown is almost one and a half meters. The flowers are yellow, rare, but large.
- Beautiful blooming from the beginning of summer to the first month of autumn undersized variety « Longacre"("Longacre"). It has bluish-green leaves and flowers with a yellow center.
- Showy pink flowers Pretty Poly"("Pretty Polly") and " princesses» ("Princess").
- Shoots gently spread and three-centimeter red- orange flowers at " Red Ace"("Red Ace"). In height, the bush stretches by 70 centimeters, in width - by 80. It blooms from July to frost.
- One of the most popular is Abbotswood» («Abbotswood») with white flowers. It is dense and squat, about 60 centimeters high and a meter wide. Blooms profusely from early summer to October.
- Potentilla variety " Klondike"("Klondike") - a sprawling shrub with light yellow flowers.
- « Primrose Beauty"(Primrose Beauty) is another short, delicate, yellow-colored species with small silvered leaves. Blooms profusely and for a long time. Tolerates frost well.
- Juicy orange flowers up to four centimeters in diameter have " Hopleys Orange"("Hopleys Orange"). The height of the bush is small - up to 60 centimeters, width - up to 70 centimeters. From July to October, flowers bloom, infrequent, but beautiful.
Look at the photos of these varieties:
Application in landscape design
Potentilla is often bred as an ornamental plant. Due to the long and colorful flowering, Kuril tea fits into any plant ensemble or artificial compositions, suitable for decorating a wide variety of gardens, parks and front gardens.
The shrubs of the upright cinquefoil are low (from 50 centimeters to one and a half meters), they tolerate a haircut perfectly, after which they keep a given shape for a long time.
All types of cinquefoil shrub will be a good addition to the alpine hill between the stones and in a variety of flower beds. The plant can be used as a low hedge.
If you want to grow an extraordinary medicinal plant, which. besides, they will decorate your farmstead, then shrub cinquefoil is just perfect option. This plant came from Asia, China, Japan, Siberia, Mongolia. Folk healers in these countries have long used cinquefoil, or Kuril tea, in medicine recipes. List positive properties Kuril tea can be very long. Thus, once planting this plant on your site, you will not only supply yourself and your entire family with natural raw materials for many traditional medicine recipes, but also decorate even the most inconspicuous flower garden or garden area. In this article, we will look at ways to independently grow Kuril tea, the secrets of caring for it, and also get acquainted with its healing properties and methods of application.
Kuril tea has been known since ancient times. The modern name "Kuril tea" means shrub cinquefoil or shrub cinquefoil. He is also mentioned in literary works, and in legends. For example, Ilya Muromets, in order to gain courage before the fight with the Nightingale the Robber, inhaled the aroma of Kuril tea. Another hero, according to legend, was revived by water from a pond, around which Kuril tea grew. Among the people there are such names of Kuril tea as “moguchka”, “cinquefoil”, “whisper grass”. If we describe the appearance of this plant, we can distinguish its following features:
Useful properties of Kuril teaThe healing properties of Kuril teaKuril tea has a very rich composition. It tastes a little different from regular black tea. That is why, since ancient times, it has been used as such a tonic drink. Why is Kuril tea so rich?
As you can see. The list of useful substances in Kuril tea is really impressive. This plant can become a real lifesaver for you if you suffer from diseases such as:
Ways to use Kuril teaKuril tea is widely used in folk medicine in the form of decoctions, infusions, fresh. Here are the most popular and proven recipes from folk healers:
Contraindications for the use of Kuril teaNo matter how powerful the healing effect of Kuril tea on the human body is, it should always be treated with extreme caution when using such traditional medicine recipes. Partial or even complete contraindications for taking this plant as part of decoctions, teas, infusions can be:
Kuril tea: photo
Kuril tea: types and varietiesCurrently, there is a huge variety of not only varieties, but also types of Kuril tea, or Potentilla. Depending on the shape of the plant, some species are suitable for decoration. alpine slides, others - for borders or hedges. For example, Kuril shrub tea looks great among lawn grass, and against the backdrop of rocky terrain. Among the most popular types of Kuril tea are:
About the decorative characteristics of Kuril tea, reviews are only the most positive. Gardeners often prefer varieties such as Abbotswood, Pretty Poly, Princess, Goldteppih, Gold Finger, Darts Golddigger, Elizabeth, Red Ace, Sommer-Flor, Jacqueman, Kobold, Farreri and many others. Kuril tea: plantingOf course, there is no single planting technology for absolutely all varieties of Kuril tea. Some of them prefer south facing, for example, while others require sandy or rocky soil in shade. Therefore, if you have already decided on the variety of Kuril tea, then study the recommendations for planting specifically for this variety. But highlight the most general scheme agrotechnical actions in the cultivation of this plant different ways nevertheless it is possible. Most often, Kuril tea is grown seed way or using cuttings. This plant prefers:
Propagation of Kuril tea by seeds
Propagation of Kuril tea by cuttingsExperienced gardeners especially often use cuttings to propagate Kuril tea. This method does not require any tricky tricks or skills, it is great for mass reproduction of Kuril tea. In practice, reproduction is carried out green cuttings and woody cuttings. Consider these 2 methods in more detail:
Propagation of Kuril tea by layeringKuril tea can be propagated by horizontal and vertical layering. And for this, and for another method, the shoots are pulled soft wire at the base and make small cuts for good rooting. The shoot is bent to the ground, sprinkled and fixed, or spud one part of the bush with vertical rooting. As a rule, over the summer the shoots take root and in the fall are quite ready to separate from the mother bush. Reproduction of Kuril tea by rhizomatous offspringThe root system of Kuril tea is capable of producing offspring. This method of reproduction is quite fast and effective, although it also produces a small number of new plants. In autumn or spring, such root suckers are carefully dug out along with the roots and transplanted either to a permanent place of growth or to growing. Reproduction of Kuril tea by dividing the bushThe division of the bush is another fairly simple and fast way cultivation of Kuril tea. True, it will be possible to implement such a method only on a 4-6-year-old plant. The number of new plants will also be small - from 2 to 6 pieces. Kuril tea: careGrowing Kuril tea is sure to appeal to novice gardeners. This plant is absolutely unpretentious in care. Among the most minimal actions to ensure the full growth of smoking tea can be noted:
How to collect Kuril teaAn incredibly tasty and healthy fragrant drink is prepared from Kuril tea, which is able to have a healing effect on the human body. To preserve all the beneficial properties and trace elements of this plant, Kuril tea must be properly collected and stored. Adhere to the following recommendations for the collection of Kuril tea:
The Kuril tea plant can not only add decorative value to your garden, but can also provide you with an incredibly useful supply of raw materials for the preparation of many traditional medicine recipes to combat viral diseases in the season of colds, with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, nervous system and many others. landing technology and further cultivation Kuril tea is not difficult even for beginner gardeners. Bring your soul into what you do in your garden, and the result will exceed even your wildest expectations. Good luck growing Kuril tea! |
Of all the types of shrubby cinquefoil, Kuril tea, or, as it is also called, cinquefoil, won the greatest prevalence among summer residents and gardeners in central Russia.
The height of this plant can be from 20 to 150 cm, and the width is from 1 to 1.5 m. Fresh shoots of Kuril tea are pubescent and silky, after a while they turn into brown colors. The leaves are rich green in color and covered with a thick soft pile. The flowers are large, in most cases solitary, sometimes they can be collected in small brushes. The bright yellow petals make them highly visible and make the flowering bush stand out from the general background. The color of flowers in some varieties of Kuril tea can be white and pink.
The brightness of flowering complements its duration. It begins at the beginning of summer and continues continuously until the second decade of autumn. The fruits of this shrub are formed in late August - early September and are prefabricated pubescent achenes. Fruiting begins already in the second year after planting and continues annually.
Natural places of growth of Kuril tea - shrub thickets, sparse coniferous forests, river banks, rocky slopes. The plant is extremely hardy - withstands frosts down to -40 C, while calmly enduring temperature changes during prolonged thaws, with alternating frosts. Kuril tea bush favorable conditions can grow in one place up to 30 years.
It is better to plant Kuril tea in an open sunny place. It is in this case that you will achieve the appearance of the maximum number of flowers. In shaded places, the plant will focus on stretching the shoots, flowering will be shortened and will be inexpressive. It is desirable that the landing site is reliably protected from the winds.
Kuril tea varieties with white and yellow flowers have increased photophilousness, drought resistance and unpretentiousness. The latter, moreover, are the most frost-resistant.
It is advisable to cover pink-flowered varieties for the winter, protect them from getting wet and feed them more abundantly. Their flowering occurs somewhat later than that of the yellow-colored Kuril tea. In dry weather, the red color may not appear at all in the color of the flowers.
The root system of the cinquefoil is located near the surface, while it is extremely sensitive to soil compaction. Therefore, do not forget to gently loosen the ground from time to time (5-10 cm deep), trying not to damage the roots of the plant.
Kuril tea is best grown on light loam. On clay soils, drainage should be provided; on sandy soils, the decorative properties of the plant are significantly reduced.
In the conditions of central Russia, it is advisable to plant Kuril tea at the end of April or in the fall. The depth of the landing pit should be from 50 to 60 cm with a half-meter diameter. In the role of drainage, it is best to use lime gravel (Kuril tea loves a high content of calcium in the soil). Bury a hole with a plant planted in it with a mixture of humus, soddy soil and sand in a ratio of 2:2:1. Be sure to apply mineral fertilizer, it is advisable to add 1 tablespoon wood ash and 150 g of lime. The root neck does not need to be buried, it is best to leave it at soil level. Between adjacent bushes it is necessary to maintain a distance of at least 60 cm.
If the weather is without rain, over the next 2-3 weeks after planting, Kuril tea should be watered regularly. At the beginning of summer, before flowering, the bushes need to be fed with a potassium-phosphorus solution (per bucket of water: 10 g of potassium sulfide and 30 g of superphosphate). Fertilizer should be watered directly under the root.
If the weather is hot, dry, spray Kuril tea shoots from a spray bottle in the evening, thereby replenishing the low humidity. A few weeks after planting (where watering can be regular), from constant watering they refuse in favor of one-time abundant watering (12 liters of water under a bush) followed by mulching the soil with peat or humus.
An important role in the development of the cinquefoil is played by timely pruning. In order for the flowering to be as plentiful as possible, and the crown to be compact and dense, the plant is pruned in early spring of each year, removing damaged shoots. Once every 5 years, a rejuvenating pruning is carried out: in early spring, all branches of the cinquefoil are cut to 15 cm, after which the plant is fed with chicken droppings (1 part droppings per 20 parts water) and mineral fertilizers with a high nitrogen content.
Cinquefoil / KURIL TEA / DASIPHORA FRUTICOSA
It is difficult to imagine a shrub that can bloom as long and abundantly as the best letniki. It is this rare feature that Potentilla shrub has. With favorable weather and proper care a compact shrub from the beginning of summer until the arrival of frosts is covered with a scattering of beautiful and delicate flowers. The shrub with its airy openwork crown and chintz ripples of flowers seems like a luxurious fabric that has come to life. Everything is perfect in Potentilla: textures, details, and character. Hardy and winter-hardy, it will easily become a festive decoration of any ensemble.
Titles
It is impossible to find another shrub with such a long flowering. How to find a culture with the same confusion in classification and names. Known as shrubby cinquefoil, this beauty can boast of two more quite legitimate names - Kuril tea and five-leafed. Through the efforts of botanists who "transferred" the plant from one genus to another and constantly changed its botanical name, confusion has been created that is not so easy to figure out. According to the latest data, the "correct" botanical name is just the Kuril tea - Dasiphora fruticosa. But this name is disputed and is in an unresolved, controversial status. Therefore, you can call the cinquefoil, in fact, whatever you like - and the old name of the cinquefoil shrub (Potentilla fruticosa) and even the five-leaf shrub (Pentaphylloides fruticosa). To date, all three names of this plant remain quite "legitimate". But no matter how many different names the Potentilla shrub has, it is hard to confuse it with some other shrub - its appearance and decorative talents are too special.
Kuril tea (or shrub cinquefoil, or shrub five-leaf) is the most popular species of the genus. In nature, it is quite common and occurs from Central Asia to Western Europe. "Used" to stony soils, most often living on slopes, in pebbles, on screes, this compact, light-loving shrub plant also in the garden largely requires conditions similar to its wild habitats.
DESCRIPTION
Bush
Kuril tea is a compact, dense shrub strongly branching from the very base of the shoots, which, thanks to active branching, forms a lacy crown. Rapid growth is observed only until reaching the maximum height: the older the cinquefoil, the slower it grows. The height of the bushes is up to 1.5 m, although compact, squat varieties up to 80 cm high are more popular. Potentilla bushes naturally look like balls or spreading pillows. The width of the crown almost always slightly exceeds the height of the plant, but even in high varieties the crown is still hemispherical, very compact and beautiful. With a dense pattern of branches, Kuril tea does not look heavy, massive, or too voluminous. This is a very elegant plant, and such a status can be assigned to it in any of the seasons. The bark on the branches is beautiful, reddish, very rarely gray-silver, exfoliates on old shoots.
Leaves
Even more openwork, translucent-curly appearance gives the shrub foliage. In all Potentillas, without exception, the leaves are carved, divided into 5, and in some varieties - into 3 or 7 lobes, somewhat reminiscent of geraniums, parsley and cuff at the same time. Lacy leaves on an openwork crown create a translucent, airy, weightless look. The leaf lobes are lanceolate, up to 3 cm long, narrow, almost always with an entire margin and a short tip at the apex, often the margins are slightly turned away. The ovoid stipules grow together with the cuttings. The color of the foliage is very interesting, muted green with silvery notes, thanks to the dullness of the leaves and the edge, it seems especially mysterious. Young leaves are very bright and light, then they acquire a standard muted, but very beautiful color.
flowers
The flowering of the plant is sweet, romantic, surprisingly pastoral. The flowers, albeit simple in shape, seem unusually beautiful. They can be up to 3.5 cm in diameter. specific plants- only about 2 cm. They consist of 5 rounded petals that form an almost perfect flower. The flowers are flat, wide open, with a very large fluffy center, including about 30 stamens. They bloom along the entire length of the shoots and seem to be scattered over the leaves one at a time or in very rare racemes and corymbs, and the structure of the inflorescences is almost imperceptible. The number of flowers in good years and at the peak of flowering (and it can last for months) cannot be counted. The whole openwork bush, like chintz fabric, is strewn with pretty flowers.
Fruit
After flowering, prefabricated seedlings are tied, including small achenes with an unusual curved top, giving the fruits a crescent shape. Fruiting and even full ripening of seeds does not affect the rate of release of new flowers, does not spoil the attractiveness of the plant and does not stop flowering either in summer or in autumn. There is no need to remove the seed.
Flowering time
The flowering period of Kuril tea usually covers at least 2 months, and even then - in years with very unfortunate weather. Each shrub is able to bloom as much as any letnik - from the beginning of summer until the arrival of the first cold weather in October. Many cinquefoils in comfortable conditions even meet the first snow with several charming flowers. In the conditions of the middle lane, the start of flowering of the Potentilla shrub usually occurs in mid-June. Flowering and fruiting occurs annually, but not always equally powerful.
It is believed that shrub cinquefoil remains attractive from the beginning of the growing season (mid-April) until mid-October. But bare bushes under the snow look surprisingly elegant.
GROWING CONDITIONS AND PLANTING
illumination
Without exception, all Potentilla shrubs - both species and varietal specimens - are light-loving plants. With some damage to the abundance of flowering, they can endure partial shade, but they feel better on warm, sunny or light areas. Light shading protects their crowns from the heat, so the plants thrive in the company of other shrubs or trees, giving them light protection from the midday sun. At the same time, it is important that most of the day Kuril tea is without shading. Potentilla shrubs are not sensitive to drafts, grow well in open areas, do not suffer from polluted air.
The soil
For them, it is necessary to select fertile and high-quality soils, avoiding the risk of stagnant water and excessive dampness in spring and autumn. Soil compaction, heavy clay soils for Kuril tea are contraindicated, the soil for it should be light and permeable. The plant is not sensitive to soil reaction, but even heavily calcareous soils will be preferable to it than slightly acidic ones.
Landing
It is better to prepare for planting cinquefoil shrubs in advance, pulling out planting pits at least 2 weeks in advance. The optimal planting period in the middle lane is the beginning of April, that is, early spring, as soon as the soil thaws. To the south, you can plant cinquefoil shrubs in late summer or early autumn.
For Kuril tea, a planting hole about half a meter deep and of the same diameter is enough. Planting distance - from 1 m to 120 cm for free groups and 50 cm when creating solid flowering arrays, borders or hedges.
At the bottom of the landing hole, even in rockeries and rock gardens, a high layer of drainage from crushed stone, pebbles, and bricks is laid. Optimal Height the drainage layer is about 20 cm. It is better to replace the soil from the planting hole with a fertile light earth mixture based on sand and sheet soil. The best is the soil, consisting of equal parts of leafy soil and humus with half the smaller proportion of sand. A double dose of complete mineral fertilizer (100-120 g) and any available organic fertilizer must be applied to the soil.
The landing itself is carried out according to the standard method. On the seedling, long roots are preliminarily shortened. A thin layer of soil is poured over the drainage. A shrub is installed, making sure that the level of penetration remains the same, the root neck is located on the same level with the soil line. Then they fill up all the free space with the prepared soil mixture, slightly compact. After abundant watering during shrinkage, the earth is sprinkled. Finish planting cinquefoil with shrub mulching trunk circle. This can be done even with the remains of the substrate or peat, not necessarily bark or other mulching materials.
CARE FEATURES
Humidity and watering
Kuril tea belongs to drought-resistant shrubs. He feels great in the rocky soils of rockeries and rock gardens, does not need watering. He also loves moist air and loves light spraying, he is not afraid of getting flowers wet. In very hot weather, in order for the Potentilla shrub to remain covered with flowers until the end of the season, maintenance irrigation is carried out with abundant soil soaking. Frequency - 3 waterings per summer. About 1 bucket of water is consumed per plant. It is better to carry out both watering and spraying in the evenings.
Mulching
Mulching created at planting should be maintained throughout the year. For this, any possible means will do. Otherwise, care comes down to removing weeds, loosening the soil during compaction after heavy rainfall and watering.
top dressing
Kuril tea needs fertile soil, so its access to nutrients must be supported by top dressing. When fertilizing, the plant not only blooms more abundantly, but also becomes more winter-hardy. Feeding is carried out at least once, optimally - twice a season, starting from the second year after planting. In early spring, complete mineral fertilizers are applied (instead of the standard dose of 50-60 g, a dose of 100-150 g is recommended for Potentilla). The second time they use potassium-phosphorus fertilizers, applying them immediately before flowering, but already at the standard dosage recommended by the manufacturer.
pruning
Kuril tea needs periodic anti-aging pruning, which is best done once every 5 or 6 years. At the same time, some cardinal pruning "on the stump" of the cinquefoil is not required: it is enough to shorten the branches by a third of their length or even by 10 cm.
Mandatory annual pruning is not necessary for the plant, but it can be done. In September, the plant can be shaped to give greater severity to the crown and compactness of the bushes. In addition, when freezing, you need to carefully trim the damaged ends of the branches.
Diseases
Potentillas almost never get sick, but under adverse conditions, dense soil and dampness, or in the vicinity of diseased pines, they suffer from rust. You can fight it by spraying with copper-containing preparations.
WINTERING AND SHELTER
Potentilla shrub is considered a winter-hardy shrub, which is grown in culture almost in the region of the Arctic Circle. It grows equally well in the middle lane, and in the southern regions, and to the north. All shoots of the plant, the development of which stops already in early September, have time to fully mature by winter. The older the plant becomes, the more winter hardiness it acquires.
Such characteristics are the dignity of only those cinquefoils that are adapted to your climate. Plants imported from other countries and even regions can show much worse performance. Winter hardiness parameters should always be specified at the time of purchase. Even the same varieties from two different areas can overwinter in different ways. The new varieties with white, light yellow and golden flowers are said to be more hardy than the red, pink and orange varieties.
If the winter hardiness of Potentilla is unknown to you, then in the first winter you need to cover it by providing a layer of mulch up to 10 cm and spudding the base of the bushes. Plants that are not hardy can be covered with an air-dry method like roses for the first few years, until they become more hardy and adapt to a particular climate.
BREEDING
Potentilla shrubs, especially varietal plants, are propagated only vegetatively. Species can be propagated by seeds, but the process is very complicated and is usually used only on an industrial scale and with professional equipment. For Kuril tea use:
- green cuttings;
- lignified cuttings;
- layering;
- delenki from adult bushes and separated root shoots.
Cuttings are simple. When covered with a hood and maintaining light soil moisture, it happens quickly even without additional processing. The resulting plants bloom the next year. You can take cuttings in spring and early summer, cutting branches with two internodes.
VARIETIES OF POINTLIGHT SHRUBS
Today, most common cinquefoil shrubs are represented by varietal specimens. You can choose plants by the color of the flowers, and by the height of the bushes. When buying, be sure to check the degree of winter hardiness of a particular plant. Such a check is especially important for plants that are ordered from Western catalogs.
The most interesting and fashionable varieties of Potentilla shrub belong to the following (varieties are arranged from highest to lowest, the number in brackets indicates the image):
"Veitchii" - a one and a half meter variety with an almost perfectly round translucent crown and snow-white flowers;
"Mount Everest" - a one and a half meter variety with a touching white flowering, naturally looking like an ideal sphere;
"Jackman" (1) - one and a half meter spreading variety with unique silvery leaves and medium-sized light yellow flowers that bloom in late spring;
"Primrose Beauty" (2) - a shrub that blooms only in mid-June with a spherical crown about 120 cm high with light, yellow, small flowers;
"Maanly" s "- a variety 110-120 cm high with a wide dense crown and watercolor flowers, in which light cream along the edge turns into dark yellow in the center;
"Goldfinger" (3) - a variety from 1 m high with a very dense cushion-shaped crown, unusually dark leaves and huge bright yellow flowers, the diameter of which can reach 5 cm;
"Abbotswood" (4) - a meter variety with a denser crown-cushion, light greens and white-cream flowers;
"Klondike" - a meter variety with light yellow flowers, in which the leaves change color from light green to dark green (blooms from May);
"Goldstar" (5) - a variety a little less than 1 m high with a lacy graceful crown of a slightly flattened, prostrate shape, grayish foliage and a pastel light yellow color of very large flowers;
"Daydawn" (6) - a seventy-centimeter variety with a very open, more than 1 meter in diameter crown with yellow flowers, the outer side of the petals of which is painted bright orange;
"Elizabeth" (7) - a variety with bluish-gray leaves, a crown about 80 cm high, a cushion structure and large lemon-yellow flowers.
"Farreri" - a shrub about 80 cm high with a dense cushion-shaped light crown, silvery autumn color of the leaves, literally hidden under a cover of lemon flowers;
"Pink Queen" (8) - a variety up to 80 cm high with a very wide, one and a half meter crown in diameter and touching candy-pink flowers;
"Princess" - a variety about 75-80 cm high, whose uneven pink flowers change their color throughout the plant, as if a watercolor wave passes through the dark green dense lace of the crown;
"Hachmann" s Giant "- a golden-flowered variety about 70 cm high with very large flowers;
"Snowflake" - a variety about 70 cm high with a wide crown and white saucer flowers;
"Snowbird" - a light-leaved variety up to 70 cm high with large cream flowers, gradually fading to white;
"Golden Dwarf" variety about 60-70 cm high with a very wide crown and dense branching of pink shoots, light small leaves and golden flowers
'Kobold' (9) - a little over half a meter tall variety with a medium dense cushion crown, light muted foliage color and light yellow "oily" flowers, one of the fastest growing varieties that need constant formation;
'Pretty Polly' is a light pink, pastel cultivar with a darker center color that creates a watercolor transition, with uniquely thin shoots and dark small leaves that form a very spreading shrub up to only 60 cm high;
'Red Robin' (10) - a cultivar that, at 60 cm tall, has a crown more than twice as large in diameter, with unique scarlet flowers;
"Red Ace" (11) - an extremely dense variety with creeping shoots that form a sprawling bush a little over half a meter high with light foliage and dazzling fiery red flowers with brick shades;
"Goldteppich" (12) - a short half-meter variety with grayish leaves and bright golden flowers (blooming starts in May);
"Hopley Orange" (13) - a half-meter variety with different shades of orange on large flowers, blooming in May;
"Gilford Cream" - half a meter variety with a very wide, open crown and densely arranged bright foliage with cream pastel flowers(blooms one of the first, in May);
"Tangerine" (14) - an orange variety about 40 cm high, whose flowers, thanks to the golden center, really resemble citrus fruits, in different lighting showing different colors from yellow to copper, with a beautiful spherical crown;
"Manchu" (15) - a sprawling variety, in which, with a bush diameter of more than 1 m, the height does not exceed 40 cm, and the white-cream flowers seem shining and silky;
"Floppy Disc" (16) - a short half-meter variety with light small leaves and watercolor pink flowers;
"Dart" s Golddigger "(17) - a dense, cushion-shaped half-meter variety with very light foliage and large golden flowers;
"Royal Flush" - a half-meter spreading variety with thin branches and scarlet flowers that change their color as they bloom to dark pink and show off the brightest autumn foliage among all varieties;
"Tilford Cream" (18) - has a slow-growing bush up to half a meter high, about a meter in diameter; cream flowers up to 5 cm, numerous, long flowering;
"Rheinsberg" - a dwarf variety with a height of 30 cm to half a meter, bright lemon flowers.
USE IN GARDEN DECORATION
˅ as single "lace" decorations
˅ in free groups with conifers and other shrubs
˅ in dense flowering plantings of landscape type - flowering arrays
˅ in parterre plantings and front garden compositions
˅ as an openwork flowering rootstock or undergrowth
˅ for visual softening and connection of massive shrubs and woody
˅ in mini-flower beds
˅ in classic flower beds and mixborders as a profusely flowering background or soloist accents
˅ in cotton flower beds and discounts
˅ in rockeries and at the foot of alpine hills
˅ for landscaping slopes
˅ in romantic "fabulous" lush-colored ensembles
˅ in borders and hedges
˅ in a regular style like openwork flowering spheres
˅ against the backdrop of lawns
PARTNER PLANTS
spirea ▪ actions ▪ roses ▪ thuja ▪ junipers ▪ yews ▪ barberries ▪ spindle trees ▪ ornamental willows ▪ ornamental grasses ▪ cuff ▪ geranium ▪