When to plant shaving (aubrecia)? Features of growing from seeds. Aubrieta (Aubrieta) - perennial beautifully flowering plant

Aubrieta or aubrieta flowers, popularly known as “wind bell”, is a genus of flowering plants. Cruciferous family. perennial undersized plant. The flower is named after the French painter Claude Aubriette. It can be found in southern Europe and Central Asia. The plant is characterized by vibrant hues of buds that bloom in white, pink, and purple to blue. The shoots are short, form dense thickets resembling a carpet. The leaves of the plant are small, green in color, oval in shape with solid and pointed edges. They grow up to 25 centimeters in length.

Flowers on the obrieta plant can usually be seen in April and June, a flowering period of approximately one and a half months. Fruiting. The fruit is a pod with elongated brownish seeds.

The cultivation of obriet flowers from seeds is carried out exclusively seedling way and it takes time and effort. But the result anticipates even the wildest expectations. Look at the photo of shaving flowers, this is a great illustration of the aesthetic appeal of any cascading variety:

Growing shaving from seeds: planting and care rules

Shaving is preferable to grow and bloom in sunny places, so when caring for it, it is advisable to place the plant on the sunny half of your garden or home.

The soil for planting shaving should be light, neutral, not necessarily fertile. It is strictly forbidden to plant a plant on soil containing clay or peat.

Before planting shaving, the soil for the plant should be loosened with special care.

Excess moisture will not benefit the flower, but will only harm it, to a greater extent winter period, so do not neglect the amount of watering. This will cause severe root rot. It is best to plant a flower on rocky hills, hills, or, in their absence, on soil with drainage equipment.

Before organizing the care of shaving, it must be taken into account that with a lack of moisture, the plant will lose its attractiveness. However, after you start watering again in required quantities and volumes, the plant will come to life again.

During one season, it is advised to mulch the soil near the plant a couple of times, preferably with a layer of two to three centimeters.

In spring and autumn, it is advisable to feed the plant with mineral fertilizer.

After the first time the shaving has faded in the spring, it is recommended to cut its stems almost to the very root so that it does not grow, and young shoots appear on it as much as possible.

After you cut the plant, it will bloom again in the fall, of course, not so abundantly, but still. Over time, it will show its charm.

To preserve the attractiveness of the plant, it is advisable to remove wilted branches and flower stalks in due time.

Weeding and watering the plant is necessary only for the first time after planting. Later, when the plant grows up, it will spread over the ground in a luxurious carpet that will not allow various weeds to crawl out.

Despite the incredible cold resistance to winter frosts, the risk of leaf fall from the plant is high, which does not give it beauty. Most, in order to avoid such troubles, cover the plant for the winter with dry foliage, so that at least a little warmth remains.

Obrieta propagates by seeds, cuttings and by dividing the bushes.

For planting, seeds are recommended to be planted in the ground in spring or winter. A plant planted this way only produces color the second year after planting, so don't be discouraged if you don't see flowers the first year. Seeds should be given time to dry out, then laid out in soil that contains loam, sand and clay. Then watered and covered with a plastic bag or glass. Periodically it is better to ventilate the sprouts, and as soon as they sprout, you can safely transplant them into a more spacious container. When the sprouts have significantly increased in growth and they are crowded, it will be possible to transplant them into open ground. Growing shaving seeds in seedlings makes it possible to get full flowering in the first year after planting.

Sowing seeds of shaving should be done in early autumn or late spring. Be sure to mulch the soil with sand. Sow seeds better beds otherwise the sprouts will get lost in the weeds. In addition, the flower can be sown at home. To do this, the seeds should be placed with a mineral from the hydromica group two months before the last frost ends, then hidden under a plastic wrap. When you notice the first sprouts, immediately remove the polyethylene film and, after the end of the night frosts, transplant them into the soil to a permanent place of growth.

Aubrieta can also be planted immediately on open ground, but it is advisable to do such a procedure in the winter, when a variety of weeds will not be able to harm the growing flower in any way.

Flower seedlings are recommended to be grown in early February. In this case, it will be possible to observe beautiful flowers on the plant at the end of spring. Planting a plant for seedlings is best done in shallow containers. After a week has passed, you should start feeding mineral fertilizers plant every ten days and combine this with watering.

It is also common to reproduce this flower by cuttings. Planting a plant in a similar way is carried out as follows: sprouts that have not yet fully matured are separated from the bush, the lower leaves and roots in the sand are removed. Then the future flower is placed in a greenhouse with sand and peat soil. It is recommended to plant cuttings in August, but it is necessary to ensure that roots have already formed on them. When you start planting a flower, in without fail Keep an eye on the distance between the sprouts of 13-15 centimeters. I would like to note that over the years the plant turns into a more demanding and weak one, therefore it is advisable to carry out cuttings annually.

There is another way to reproduce by dividing the bushes, but this type of plant is not advised to do this, due to the fact that such a procedure is painful for the flower and you can accidentally damage it and it will die. You can divide the bush only as a last resort, if you did not have time to cut the cuttings or you need to transplant the flower to a new place. This also requires a lot of experience in working with plants.

The main varieties of shaving for landscape design and balconies

Aubrieta has a couple of features that serve to be more widespread in our gardens, namely, long and abundant flowering, as well as the ability to overwinter with leaves.

In the garden, it can be used to decorate the slopes and create a flower undersized border, it looks especially good along the edge of the wall. The main varieties of obrieta are used in landscape design for the design of flower beds, flower beds and discounts. But there are types for landscaping balconies and loggias, these are the so-called cascading objects.

Among the varieties of varieties of shaving can be distinguished the following types, which are described below.

Aubrieta cascade (cascade)

The leaves are evergreen. Flowers of blue and red hues, four petals each with a small yellow eye. Color gives in June, and also in April-May. In height reaches up to 15 centimeters. Prefers full sun or partial shade in any alkaline or acidic soil. Blooms later than any other species.

Aubrieta "Charming Morocco"

This is a hybrid shaving variety. The flowers are large in size (diameter - 1.5 centimeters), from blue to red. Flowers can be seen in May-June.

Aubrieta hybrid

Flowers can be pink, purple, red or white. Blooms in spring. In length it grows up to 10 centimeters, and in width it takes up to 50-60 centimeters.

Varietal varieties of shaving hybrid:

"Royal Cascade" The stems hang down, up to 25 centimeters long. Flowers pale pink.
"Red Cascade" Carmine-colored flowers.
"Fruit Assortment" This is a bright variety mixture. Flowers in various shades of pink and red.
"Lizzy" In height reaches up to 15 centimeters. Flowers up to one centimeter in diameter, bright red.
"Campbell" The flowers are large, bright of blue color.
"Deborah" Red flowers. In height reaches up to 20 centimeters.
Alix Brett Crimson flowers, slightly double.
Astolat Leaves are variegated. The flowers are purple.
Bressingham Pink Double pink flowers.

Great decoration for a flower bed or Alpine slide will become a shaving - undersized perennial covering the earth with a continuous carpet of small delicate flowers. This culture is the best suited for creating vertical compositions. We will talk about how to grow shaving in this article.

Brief description of the plant

Aubrieta perennial belongs to the flowering crops of the cruciferous family. This groundcover is named after the French painter Claude Aubriette. Aubrieta is widespread in Europe and Central Asia. small bright inflorescences painted in different tones of blue and purple, there are also plants with white, red or pink buds. Short shoots of shaving are intertwined with each other, forming a dense impenetrable rug on the ground. The foliage of this culture is small, oval, slightly pointed.

The flowering period of the plant falls at the end of spring or at the beginning of summer and lasts for 40-50 days. In place of faded buds, fruits appear in the form of small pods with oblong brown seeds.

Thanks to abundant flowering, as well as the ability to preserve foliage even in winter, shaving is widely used in our country as an element landscape design. This plant looks great in rock gardens, borders, borders and vertical flower arrangements. Cascading shavings can serve as a decoration for a loggia, balcony, veranda.

Culture varieties

Among the many varieties this plant The most popular in the gardens of our country are the following types:

Aubrieta deltoid is a short perennial, the bush of which reaches a height of no more than 12 cm, and grows up to 60 cm wide. The shade of flowers of the deltoid shaving is different, the most common pink and purple color, less often you can find red or blue varieties. This culture is divided into several varieties:

"Aureovariegata" has light lilac buds, and its leaves are decorated with a golden border along the edge;
"Alix Brett" is distinguished by terry inflorescences of a bright crimson hue;
"Astolat" - a variety of shaving with rich purple buds and variegated foliage;
terry pink petals have inflorescences of the Bressingham Pink variety;
small purple flowers the stems of the shaving "Doctor Mules" are decorated;
cultivar "Red Carpet" looks very impressive due to the bright red hue of the buds.

Aubrieta cascade - a crop variety often used to create vertical flower arrangements. On a dense weave of short stems grows many evergreen leaves that cover surfaces like a carpet. Aubrieta cascade blooms in late spring and early summer, releasing single buds of blue or red hues. Flowers consist of 4 petals and a yellow core. With the help of this culture, rocky slopes, walls of buildings, fences, borders are decorated. garden paths and flowerbeds. The height of the bush reaches 15 cm.
Aubrieta hybrid has small flowers of various shades. Depending on the particular variety, you can find buds of pink, red, purple or white. A hybrid shaving bush grows up to 10 cm in height, in width it occupies up to 50-60 cm of space. The culture feels great in open sunny areas and is able to tolerate both hot weather and slight frost. There are several varieties of this plant:

obrieta "Charming Morocco" - the most common type of hybrid culture. It has rather large flowers, painted in a variety of colors: blue, blue, red, pink, purple. The size of the buds is 1.5 cm, the bush grows to a height of 10 cm. The flowering period of "Charming Morocco" falls on May and June;
the Royal Cascade variety produces stems reaching a length of 25 cm and decorated with light pink flowers. Ideal for decorating vertical surfaces, multi-level flower beds;
"Red Cascade" has inflorescences of a rich red hue;
variety "Lizzy" grows to a height of 15 cm, the shoots of the bushes are decorated with red buds, the diameter of which is approximately 1 cm;
the Deborah variety also has red inflorescences, but the bush of such a culture grows up to 20 cm;
quite impressive in the design of the garden looks like a varietal mix "Fruit Assortment", which produces multi-colored buds, painted in various shades of pink and red.

Shaving breeding methods

Planting shaving seeds

The most popular is the method of propagation of culture by seeds. Buy seed in any flower shop not difficult, but you can also stock the seeds yourself if you have previously grown this crop. At seed propagation it is important to consider that the plant will not release buds in the first year after planting, but will bloom only after a season.

Shaving seedlings can be grown in an apartment. If you are going to transplant sprouts to a permanent flower bed in the last weeks of May, then you can start sowing seeds as early as February. When growing shavings from seeds, prepare light, fertile soil. You can buy land for flowering plants in a specialized store. Place the soil in a wide container and sprinkle a thin layer of fine sand on top. Sow the seeds in the ground, trying to make the same distance between them. Slightly moisten the soil with a spray bottle, cover the container plastic wrap and leave for 3-4 weeks to germinate. When the first shoots break through the ground, remove the polyethylene from the container.

While seedlings develop and strengthen root system you should take good care of them. Do not allow the soil to dry out, provide plants with access to air and sunlight. Watering too abundantly is also not worth it. When irrigating sprouts, it is advisable to use a spray gun so that the water jet does not erode the soil at the roots and does not damage them.

After about a month, when warm weather sets in and there are no frosts at night, shaving seedlings can be transferred to open ground. If in a month the weather on the street still does not allow planting plants in a flower bed, the sprouts will need to be distributed in separate containers so that they are not cramped in a common container. However, you can avoid unnecessary work if you plant the seeds of the culture immediately at a permanent place of growth. The best time to do this is in September, but you need to be sure that night frosts do not set in prematurely. In addition, weeds should be carefully removed from the flower bed, otherwise the young sprouts of shaving will die.

Vegetative propagation methods

Some gardeners prefer to propagate the crop by cuttings. To plant a shaving in this way, you should inspect the bush and find shoots that are not fully ripe. Then the sprouts are cut off, cleaned of earth and sand, cut off from them lower leaves. After that, the stalk is planted in a greenhouse, having previously prepared a soil mixture of peat and sand. It is best to transplant rooted cuttings to a flower bed at the end of summer. Do not forget to make sure that roots form on the sprouts. When planting cuttings, keep a distance of 12-15 cm between them. Since shaving becomes weaker and more capricious over the years, many gardeners recommend cutting every year - this way you will constantly maintain the high decorative qualities of the flower garden.

Reproduction of a culture by dividing a bush is theoretically possible, but in practice this method is used extremely rarely. Aubrieta does not tolerate such a procedure, the damaged roots of the plant can dry out and the flower will die. Such a method is resorted to only in extreme cases by those gardeners who have extensive experience working with plants.

Shaving care

When planting a plant in open ground, it is important to prepare the correct composition of the soil. It is advisable to mix garden soil with fine sand. When sowing seeds or seedlings, place the bushes in even beds so that they do not get lost among the weeds.

Aubrieta loves to grow in open areas, well lit by sunlight. In addition, the site should be spacious enough. Place flower beds with south side buildings, on open slopes. The plant is not too demanding on the soil, but for good growth and development of shaving, it is advisable to saturate the soil with chalk, ash or a small amount of lime. The ground around the plants can also sometimes be mulched with a thin layer of fine sand.

Aubrieta does not need too frequent and abundant watering. With excessive moisture, the bushes grow a lot of green mass, but bloom poorly. Don't let the soil dry out either. In hot summer days, at prolonged absence rain, the plant must be watered.

Young shaving bushes need to be fed with sodium humate. It is dissolved in water and the flowers are watered twice a day: in the morning and in the evening. Sodium humate stimulates the growth of roots and shoots, makes the plant stronger and more resilient. The first feeding is carried out when at least 2 true leaves appear on the seedlings. Older crops are periodically fed with complex fertilizers for perennial flowering plants. They are introduced into the soil 2 times per season: before the flowering of the shaving and after its pruning.

Pruning culture is also a mandatory part of care. Each time after the end of the flowering period, the shoots of the plant are removed almost to the base. In such a case, shaving in place of cut stems releases new ones, which after a short time are also covered with flowers. Pruning culture allows you to maintain its decorativeness throughout the summer.

Powdery mildew can be attributed to diseases of this crop. If you notice that the stems and leaves of the bushes are covered with a whitish coating, treat them with a solution of colloidal sulfur. If after treatment the signs of the disease have not disappeared, you will have to get rid of the damaged plants so that the powdery mildew does not move to healthy areas of the flower bed. Diseased bushes should be uprooted and burned.

A wonderful decoration of the garden is the creeping evergreen. Many gardeners are interested in the shaving flower, growing from seeds, when planting a crop, is of interest to many.

This culture is planted in the garden, decorating alleys or flower beds, and it is also an indispensable element of rock gardens. Aubrieta is distinguished by the fact that it covers the ground surface with a colorful flower carpet, delighting its owners with lush flowering.

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Description of culture

Aubrieta grows in the countries of the Mediterranean basin and in the territory of modern Turkey. The plant got its name in honor of the French artist Claude Aubrier.

The height of the culture is only 10-35 cm, but it grows strongly in breadth. If the hybrid shaving is not restrained by cutting young shoots, then the plant can cover the entire garden plot with its creeping branches and flowers. It feels good on the banks of rivers, looks spectacular on the rocks, creating bright cascades of all shades of blue. Aubrieta is white, pink and even maroon in color.

Leaves of an elongated shape tolerate the winter cold well and do not freeze in severe frosts. Green with a gray tint, the leaves come with smooth and serrated edges.

Blossoms 2 times a year - in April-May and in September. On peduncles, fruits are formed in the form of pods with seeds. One pod can contain 2000 or more. Seeds elongated, brown.

Aubrieta is grown from seeds in 2 ways:

sowing in open ground;
seedling cultivation.

3 way of propagation of culture - cuttings.

Types of shaving

In nature, there are 12 types of shaving, differing in color, fruit shape and pistil structure. Agrotechnics and the rules for growing all types of crops are the same.

Species zoned in middle lane Russia:

1 Aubrieta deltoid - the progenitor of all cultivated species. As a horticultural crop, it has been used since the beginning of the 18th century. The bushes reach a height of 15 cm. In its most popular variety, Bougainville shavings, the height of the bush does not exceed 20 cm. The deltoid plant has gray-green pubescent leaves with several teeth along the edges and flowers of bright blue and lilac color, collected in racemose inflorescences .
2 A living carpet is formed from an elegant shaving on stone borders, hilly garden plots. The variety is distinguished by relatively large flowers up to 2 cm in diameter. The height of the stems is not higher than 10 cm. The flowering is plentiful, for lilac flowers with a yellow center, small oblong leaves of a pale green color are not visible.
3 Aubrieta Columca has thick curving stems and long carved leaves densely pubescent with soft pile. On the stem bifurcated at the top there are 2 large flowers 4.5 cm in diameter. Their color is lavender and pink.
4 Of the cultivated hybrids, the Giant Falls variety is very popular. This shaving has a cascading small flowers up to 1 cm in diameter and spotted light green leaves with a well-defined white edging. The height of the stems does not exceed 15 cm. Flowers can be painted in all shades of pink, purple and red.
5 To hide everything that can spoil the look and well-groomedness of the garden, you can shave the long-term cascading Cote d'Azur. It blooms profusely 2 times a season: in spring for about 2 months and in autumn from early September until the first frost. The flowers resemble forest violets both in color and shape. Large leaves of pale green color have a white border around the edge.

Shave planting rules

Growing shaving does not require special skills, the most important condition for success is to choose the right landing site.

When choosing a place to plant a crop, the following should be considered:

all types of shaving do not like acidic heavy soils with a predominance of clay, the acidity of the soil should be neutral and be in the range of 6.0-7.5 pH;
the plant loves the sun and is not afraid of direct sun rays, in the shade, the stems are drawn out and do not bloom;
obrieta does not grow well on waterlogged soils;
before sowing seeds or planting seedlings, the site is carefully weeded from weeds, dug up to a depth of 10-15 cm;
the soil is treated with complex fertilizer, mixed into it wood ash and chalk, you can add lime;
for digging it is better to use a pitchfork - from this the soil is better saturated with oxygen;
for mulching use sawdust or washed river sand;
the soil is mulched before sowing seeds and 3 more times before the first frost. Mulch layer height - 6 cm;
plantings are characterized by rapid growth, so large areas are selected for shaving.

Propagation by seeds and cuttings

In open ground, shaving seeds are sown in mid-May or September-October. More often, shaving is planted with seedlings. Seeds are sown in February, seedlings appear in 2-3 weeks, seedlings are kept in room conditions not less than a month.

Rules for growing seedlings:

1 Temperature regime in the room +18…+21°С.
2 Sow the seeds in the soil for flower crops. They are not deepened, but covered from above with a thin layer of river sand. You can sow seeds in vermiculite.
3 The soil is sprayed with their spray gun.
4 Until the first sprouts appear, the crops are covered with plastic wrap.
5 After a month, the sprouts are transplanted into separate pots. Previously, the plants are hardened, removing the film for a while.
6 Seedlings are planted in open ground at a stable positive temperature, when the threat of frost on the soil has passed.

At proper care plants grown from seeds and seedlings bloom the following year.

Planting shaving in open ground

Before sowing seeds in open ground, you need to prepare a place.

The soil is dug up, loosened with a rake, moistened with a watering can, seeds are sown in rows or randomly, in a continuous bed. Crops are mulched with sand, which is moistened.

Planting seedlings has its own specifics:

1 Containers with seedlings are soaked in water until air bubbles appear on its surface. This trick makes it easier to transfer the seedlings from the container to the holes and prevents them from being damaged.
2 Holes are dug along the length of the seedling roots. The sprouts should be at a distance of 5 cm from each other. They dig a hole twice as wide as an earthen coma of seedlings if the plant is planted in an open area. In rock gardens, obrieta easily sprouts in narrow crevices of stones.
3 The soil under the bushes is mulched with sand and watered from a watering can.

Summer cuttings shaving

Another way to propagate shaving is cuttings. In the middle of summer, the plants are pruned. The resulting cuttings are used as planting material. Previously, flower stalks and pods are cut from them. The prepared material is planted in a greenhouse.

The soil mixture consists of equal parts peat and sand. Grown seedlings are planted in a permanent place in open ground at the end of August. Before the first frost, young plants acquire strong roots and may bloom in spring.

AT northern regions cuttings are in the greenhouse until spring, so that the sprouts do not freeze.

Theoretically, shaving can be planted by dividing the bush. But in fact, this method is not used, since the plant reacts very painfully to any transplant. When dividing a bush, it gets sick for a long time, and then most often dies.

Conclusion

Mature plants need watering only on very hot days. The rest of the time, all types of shaving are not watered. Plants do not like wet soils, they stop flowering on them and grow leaves.

Top dressing is carried out 2 times a season: in the spring before the formation of buds, and in the summer after pruning. Top dressing can be introduced when the seedlings have 2 pairs of leaves.

To get autumn flowering, the culture is pruned in the summer. Faded stems are cut off near the ground. The soil is fertilized and mulched.

In winter, obrieta rests. In places with severe frosts, plantings are covered with dry leaves.

Aubrieta is a perennial plant of the cruciferous family. It is planted to decorate flower beds, to create a lively flowering carpet, from raspberry, pink, purple flowers. squat herbaceous plant has creeping stems, with small gray-green leaves, which are very difficult to see because of the lush cap of flowers. Aubrieta, originally from Southern Europe and Asia Minor, there are more than 12 species. The second name of the plant is aubration.

Species and varieties

All types of obrieta differ from each other in size and color of the flower, but one quality unites them - this is that the plant does not shed foliage for the winter. The leaf plate retains its color even after the arrival of frost. Popular types:

Very often, flower growers plant shaving with milkweed, Caucasian rezuha or scarlet soapwort. Color compatibility of plants is also the basis for creating a flower bed. For example: all varieties with red flowers will look harmoniously against the background of blue perennials. Aubrieta cascading is used to create living flower carpets, in borders and rock gardens, as well as to decorate artificial rocks. The planted flower looks good along the edge of the wall of the house.

Landing and care

Any household plot will decorate the flowers of shaving. Planting and caring for a plant are not difficult processes. In order to achieve long-term and lush flowering you need to follow some simple rules.

Site selection and watering

Before planting, prepare a sunny location with alkaline, well-drained soil.

The brighter the place, the more abundant the flowering will be. Planting begins after the retreat of night frosts. Depending on the region, this time falls on April-May. Bushes are planted at a distance of 5 cm from each other. The landing pattern is arbitrary.

The plant in care is unpretentious, the only watering is carried out during the planting of the plant in open ground. Further watering depends on weather conditions, in a rainy summer, the plant is not watered, since excess moisture adversely affects it. The flowers fall off, and the shaving takes on a downcast look. So that the soil does not become waterlogged, it is necessary to take care of drainage. The shrub also does not tolerate drought, therefore, 2 times per season, the soil must be mulched by 1-2 cm.

Pruning and feeding

In order for the obrieta to look attractive, wilted flowers must be removed in a timely manner. Since the plant is perennial, it needs pruning. If after flowering the plant is cut off, then the bush will bloom a second time, in the fall. After autumn flowering, the bushes are not pruned.

With the advent of cold weather, the perennial shaving does not throw off its foliage. It is frost tolerant, but in harsh climates the plant may shed its foliage. Many flower growers, to save decorative look, for the winter it is covered with fallen leaves or straw.

Top dressing and fertilizers

Aubrieta does not need constant feeding, so fertilizer is applied only twice a season. Best to use potash fertilizers. Top dressing is added only under the grown seedlings at the beginning of flowering and after pruning the shrub.

Plant propagation

Aubrieta is easy to propagate. There are several ways:

seeds;
cuttings;
dividing the bush.

Cuttings begin to be engaged after pruning.

The strongest and strongest seedlings are placed in a mixture of sand and peat, for quick rooting, the plant creates a greenhouse effect. At the end of summer, rooted cuttings are planted in open ground in a prepared place. During this period, they will have time to build up a powerful root system that will help to cope with severe cold weather.

Reproduction by dividing the bush is extremely rare, as it causes irreparable harm to shaving.

You can also propagate shaving by growing from seeds, when planting by cuttings or division is not possible. To grow a healthy plant, you need to consider a number of conditions:

Seeds germinate for a long time, so they are sown a month before the onset of cold weather.
Seed material begins to germinate under a film cover, at a temperature of 19 degrees.
As soon as the first shoots appear, the covering material is removed, and the plants are seated in a permanent place. Seedling transplant time - warm days without night frosts.

Diseases and pests

The plant is immune to viral and fungal diseases. He has only one enemy - this is soil overflow, which leads to rotting of the root system and the formation of gray rot. At improper care the plant may be attacked by aphids.

If you follow all the rules of care when growing, he will not be afraid of either diseases or insects.

Growing perennial shaving is not only easy, but also very interesting. To get a chic flower carpet, you need to give this wonderful flower a little care and attention, and then it will thank its owner with a lush and long flowering.

Aubrieta (Aubrecia) is an evergreen herbaceous plant from the Cruciferous family. It adorns gardens and rock gardens throughout the European continent, but South America and Central Asia are considered to be its homeland.

Under natural conditions, the plant is most often found in rocky areas and along river banks. Lush flowering bushes the ground is covered with a solid carpet, so shaving, like arabis, is planted for decoration personal plots. In addition, the plant is an excellent neighbor for other green "pets" in room conditions. And such a “beauty” will turn an ordinary balcony into a fabulous corner, forming a chic flower cascade.

Aubrieta is similar to arabis, but the plants differ in the size of the pistils, in the latter it is much shorter and thicker. Despite its "southern" origin, aubration refers to frost-resistant plants. When winter comes, she does not shed her leaves, even the color remains the same.. In April-May, the bushes begin to bloom violently, which lasts up to 50 days. In the fall, the flowering process of the shaving is repeated.

The palette of shades of the petals of the plant is quite diverse, they can be: pink, reddish, purple, blue and light blue (cascade blue variety), lilac, white, purple. Miniature leaves are elliptical or egg-shaped, their edges can be both jagged and solid. Small flowers consist of four petals, like arabis, inflorescences are racemose.

Growing conditions

It is not difficult to grow a shaving, like arabis, on open ground, and at home. In the first case, it is better to plant from mid-May, when there will be no more cold weather. The main condition when choosing a suitable site is maximum sun, then the bushes will delight you with an abundance bright colors. The soil for planting needs loose and permeable, the presence of chalk, lime or ash is required. Oversaturated and peaty soils - not the best option for a plant. The shaving bushes are so viable that they can easily grow in the cracks between the stone steps and concrete structures. Therefore, the soil for growing is very poor in terms of nutrients.

Planting a plant

Aubrieta, like arabis, is quite plastic, so they plant it in the desired order according to the flowerbed plan. The plant should be deepened into the ground, taking into account the dimensions of the rhizome, but the interval between seedlings should be about 5 cm. If the plant was in a plastic or ceramic container, then lower it into the water before planting in the ground. When bubbles begin to form on the surface, carefully remove the seedling from the pot with soil clod and plant it in a hole, the width of which should be 2 times the diameter of the dish. Then the soil should be compacted and mulched with sand. Optimal Thickness sandy layer - 4-5 cm. At the end, irrigate with a small amount of liquid.

garden plant care

Aubrieta, unpretentious, but landing and care contain several main rules. When grown outdoors, the plant is watered once immediately after planting, then water is added in small doses if necessary. Excess moisture the earth negatively affects the flowers, they fall off and look scarce. Aubrecia loves dry soils more, although strong drying also harms beautiful bushes, so on hot summer days, shaving needs to be watered. Sand mulching is a mandatory procedure for a plant, it is performed in June, and then at the end of August.

Aubrecia is a perennial, like arabis, so at the end summer bloom bushes need pruning. In autumn, obrieta begins to bloom again, but after this process it is undesirable to cut the bush, although many gardeners do otherwise. The next pruning should be done with the beginning of the spring period. In winter, the leaves of the plant do not fall, but if the frosts are very severe, this can happen. To avoid dropping the green mass, it is recommended to sprinkle the bushes with straw, although dry leaves are also suitable.

Perennial obrieta does not like abundant top dressing, so fertilize the soil should be very careful.

When is the best time to feed a plant? Complex fertilizers are applied 2 times a year: with the advent of heat before the appearance of inflorescences and in the fall after the last pruning. As top dressing take complex fertilizers.

Diseases and harmful insects

Diseases and pests rarely affect flowering bushes. However, sometimes shaving becomes infected powdery mildew. This disease is characterized by white coating on leaves and flowers. Affected areas turn black and wither, and overall growth the bush is oppressed. fungal disease being treated special drug- colloidal sulfur.

The most dangerous enemy of aubration is aphids. These pests can carry viral diseases; to combat them, it is necessary to treat the plant by special means: Fufanon, Karbofos or Biotlin.

How does a plant reproduce

Reproduction of bushes occurs through cuttings and seeds. In this case, you can initially grow seedlings, and then transplant them into the ground. But more often, aubration, like arabis, is preferred to be sown directly on a flower bed. Before sowing, the soil is dug up with a layer of 15-20 cm, then it is cleaned of debris and ash and chalk (lime) are added. Shaving seeds should be sown not infrequently, but not too densely. The seed is not deepened into the ground, but simply sprinkled on top with a sand layer up to 5 cm. Then the sand is slightly watered with a watering can. If sown in the spring, then the sprouts will sprout in 2-3 weeks, and if in the fall, shoots will appear only in the next spring season.

The plant is also propagated by cuttings. After summer flowering, pruning is performed, and after it there are many removed stems that can become cuttings. These plant residues are planted in a greenhouse, suitable soil is peat and sand in a 1: 1 ratio. At the end of summer, the seedlings should form roots, then they are moved to a permanent place. Usually the "young growth" has time to gain strength before winter, but if the climate in your area is very harsh, leave the plants in the greenhouse until the onset of heat.

Reproduction by dividing the bush for the plant is very painful. The easiest aubration transfers this procedure in the autumn and spring periods. The bush is dug up and divided into parts, each component must have strong shoots and rhizome. Then the particles are seated in the wells. But the process of rehabilitation in shaving after such a forced injury is difficult, so it is better to propagate the plant with seeds or cuttings.

Aubrieta: growing from seeds

A flowering bush can be easily grown from seeds by buying a bag of seed at the store required grade. But growing a plant at home with this method, you can lose the best parental qualities. And one more minus of such bushes - they begin to bloom in the second year after germination.

The seedling method of propagation of aubration is considered the most reliable. At the end of winter, seeds of a certain variety are taken and planted in separate peat tablets or in special pots with peat and humus. Then, together with these containers, seedlings are planted in the ground. A few shaving seeds are placed on the surface of the moistened soil, sprinkled with a layer of sand up to 5 cm, then the sand is slightly moistened with a sprayer. The container is covered with glass or film, and then placed in a warm place. At a temperature of 19-22 ° C, the seed germinates best.

Crops are ventilated every day, watering is done if necessary. Sprouts hatch in about 21-30 days, after which the greenhouse is removed from the pot. If the seedlings grow reluctantly, then 10-14 days before planting, the soil is fertilized with a weak solution of complex mineral supplement. Aubrieta does not like picking, so it is advisable to plant the seed of the plant immediately in separate containers.

plant varieties

In the natural environment, this plant includes 12 species, some of which are cultivated. The most popular among gardeners are the following varieties:

shaving deltoid (lilac or bluish flowers, gray-green leaves with several teeth along the edges) - Royal Violet, Red Carpet, etc .;

obrieta cultural or hybrid (bred on the basis of the previous variety, tolerates snowy winter well, has miniature elongated leaves with notches, all kinds of flower shades) - Charming Morocco, Gloriosa, Carnival, etc .;

cascade (blooms in spring, petals are bluish, blue, lilac or pink-red, ideal for decorating a balcony) - cascade blue, cascade purple, etc.

Give more attention and time to your green "pet", then you will be proud of the result!