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Aubrieta is a herbaceous perennial from the Cabbage family, of the order Cabbage. The name was given in honor of the French artist Aubrie, who created amazingly beautiful illustrations for botanical publications. The homeland of the flowering plant is the southern regions of Europe - part of France, Italy, the Balkan Peninsula, as well as Iran and the countries of Asia Minor. The flower is very popular, it is cultivated throughout Europe, and is loved in Russia as well. Planting and caring for a perennial shave has its own subtleties that should be observed in order to get a luxurious floral carpet on your site.
Description of abbreviation
Perennial aubrieta is an evergreen flower, the shoots of which creep along the ground. Small buds 0.8-1.5 cm in diameter have many shades: pink, violet, amethyst, purple, light lavender, blue, raspberry. The pith is usually surrounded by either a light or a darker narrow border. Stamens of rich golden-light green color. On the petals, radial veins-threads are clearly traced.
The stem is flexible, round in cross section, with a short velvety downy, deep green in color. The leaves are lanceolate, depending on the variety, they can be serrated or even. They are arranged alternately and have a bright green, rich light green or grayish green color, often with a light border along the edge.
Perennial aubrieta is capable of forming a continuous carpet with a thickness of 5-23 cm over a fairly large area. Four-petal buds are located at the tips of the stems, so the flowers almost completely cover the greenery. The fruit is a pod with flat, chocolate-colored beans.
Aubrieta perennial has an underdeveloped root system, therefore, its cultivation requires light, well-drained soils and mandatory regular watering. The plant tolerates partial shade, feels great on the south side at the height of summer.
Winter hardiness obriety
Aubrieta perennial is well tolerated by the Russian temperate and northern climate, provided there is a sufficient amount of snow. She does not need additional cover.
Types and varieties of obriety
Perennial aubriet has seventeen main types. There are also many hybrids presented by breeders.
Deltoid
Aubrieta perennial "Deltoid" grows up to 15 cm in height, the stem and leaves have a gray, gray-green color. Inflorescences are racemose, appear in late May-early June and fade in 25-35 days. Flowers with a diameter of 1 cm are painted in deep lilac, lilac and dark blue.
The flower is great for alpine slides or curbs along paths
Cascade
Aubrieta perennial "Kaskadnaya" refers to selective hybrid varieties. Strongly pubescent stems and leaves have a light, gray-greenish color.In May, Aubrieta releases the first buds of a rich blue, blue or purple hue. The core of the flowers is golden yellow, bordered by darker narrow rims.
The variety is great in vertical compositions
Hybrid
Aubrieta perennial cultural - one of the tallest varieties, reaching 20-25 cm in length. Leaves are light green in color, lanceolate, with lighter jagged edges. The flowers are small, reddish lilac.
Perennial hybrid aubriet perfectly tolerates wintering in temperate climatic zones
Graceful
Aubrieta perennial "Graceful" is a medium-sized variety with a height of 5 to 15 cm. Stems are thin, branched. The leaves are pubescent, with a smooth and jagged edge of an emerald hue. The shape is ovoid or lanceolate. It begins to bloom in May, ends in June, and can please with the second, autumn wave. The flowers are light and dark pink, purple and blue with golden "eyes".
Groundcover perennial grows rapidly, forming a solid green-floral carpet
Perennial Aubriet in landscape design
Aubretia is usually used to create a flower carpet on alpine slides, borders, flower beds. Aubrieta perennial looks great on vertical walls, ledges, terraces. It can be planted in cracks between stones or bricks, where it forms spectacular cascades of greenery and flowers. Fading away, Aubrieta retains a magnificent appearance of a continuous emerald or grayish-green cover.
Aubrieta perennial is excellently combined with other garden plants, the flowering time of which comes later. It can be planted next to phlox, milkweed, irises. The planting on the flowerbed is beautiful and this can be seen in the photo of the flowers.
Aubrieta perennial looks great in flower arrangements
Breeding features of aubriets
A flowering perennial can be propagated in several ways, each of which has its own merits:
- Perennial aubrieta grows remarkably from seeds, including those collected independently, if it is not a hybrid variety. They are planted immediately in the ground in the spring. They should be placed on the surface of the prepared area, sprinkled with a layer of clean sand 2-3 cm thick, keeping a distance. After that, water it periodically.
- Cuttings can be done in the middle of summer during planned pruning, when the flower has already faded. Use only those shoots that do not have flower buds. They are buried in a soil mixture of equal parts of sand and light turf soil, covered with glass or foil. With sufficient watering, the cuttings take root by the end of summer and can be transplanted to a permanent place.
- In the spring before the appearance of buds and in the autumn period at the end of fruiting, you can propagate the perennial shaving by dividing the bushes. To do this, an earthen lump with roots is carefully pryed off and carefully divided into several parts with its own rhizome and shoots. But in this case, you must be very careful, since weak roots do not tolerate any traumatic procedures.
Planting shaved seeds directly into open ground
The most popular method of planting aubrets in open ground is seed, maintenance and labor costs in this case are minimized. Aubrieta perennial is distinguished by excellent seed germination, in the presence of pre-treatment.
Timing
Seeds are applied to open ground in spring, when the soil warms up enough. Depending on the local climate, this could be early April or mid-May. Also, among flower growers, the method of planting shaved seeds is common before winter, late autumn. It is more preferable, since the seedlings have time to get stronger and bloom in the first year.
Site selection and soil preparation
Aubrieta perennial is undemanding to the composition of the soil and lighting.It can grow in partial shade, under tree crowns or in sunny areas. It prefers slightly alkaline and acidic soils, so it is better not to add peat to the soil mixture, and neutralize the acidic soil with slaked lime or wood ash. It is also sown on rocky areas, in crevices between boulders, near stone hedges, between concrete slabs. They are framed by stone ledges and steps.
Aubrieta perennial is very sensitive to excess moisture in the area. If the subsoil waters are close, rains regularly stagnate, then its roots begin to rot, and the plant dies.
In clayey and flooded areas, care must be taken to ensure good drainage and raising the level of plantings
Before planting the seeds, it is necessary to dig up the selected place, add well-rotted compost or humus in small quantities, and clean it of weeds and roots.
How to plant aubrieta seeds
Before sowing seeds in the ground, they must be immersed in a weak pink solution of manganese for 15-20 minutes, and then transferred to the composition of a growth stimulator. Moisten the soil well before planting, make shallow marks at a distance of 15-20 cm from each other. Spread the prepared seeds, sprinkle with a layer of coarse sand, the thickness of which should be 3-4 cm. If the planting of perennials is carried out between stones, on alpine hills, the seeds should be placed directly into the accessible cracks.
When planting seeds, perennial obriety before winter, the site must be covered with dry foliage, chopped straw, spruce branches, covering material. In spring, it should be protected with foil until shoots appear.
Planting aubriet seedlings in open ground
Aubrieta can also be planted with seedlings, planting and care in the open field in this case have their own characteristics:
- For sowing seeds, it is advisable to use peat cups in order to disturb tender sprouts as little as possible.
- Landing in the ground is carried out only when the threat of frost has passed, usually mid-late May.
- The holes should be made in such a way that the pot fits completely, and the width is 2 times larger.
- It is necessary to maintain a distance of 8-10 cm between plants.
- On top of the planting, mulch with a layer of sand 5 cm and water.
- Water gently in small amounts daily until the seedlings are accepted.
Features of growing aubretia
Aubrieta perennial is only demanding enough, but not excessive moisture. Otherwise, it practically does not require the attention of the grower.
Perennial is great with proper care.
Watering and feeding schedule
The rooted adult perennial obriety is watered as the soil dries up. Excessive watering leads to an increase in green mass to the detriment of flower buds, and then to the death of plants. After watering, it is advisable to slightly loosen the soil, while removing the weeds that have appeared. Mulching with straw, dry grass, pieces of bark or sand gives a good effect.
Perennial aubriet requires minimal dressing twice a season - before flowering and in autumn after the end of fruiting. You can use any complex fertilizer for flowers containing potassium.
Pruning
Pruning is done in mid-summer after the end of the first wave of flowering. This measure renews plants and stimulates the growth of autumn buds. In autumn, flowers are not cut off, so they better endure wintering. In order for the perennial shaved to bloom more abundantly, wilted buds must be cut off.
Wintering
Perennial Aubrieta easily tolerates severe winters if the snow cover is deep enough. If a winter with little snow is expected, plantings can be additionally covered with spruce branches, straw, dry leaves and grass.
Diseases and pests
Aubrieta perennial is characterized by increased resistance to viral infections and pests. Only weakened bushes can be exposed to powdery mildew, which is expressed in a white bloom on the leaves. To combat this fungal disease, a colloidal sulfur solution is perfect.
The most dangerous for the perennial aphids is the common green aphid. It is spread over the site by ants, and it multiplies at a tremendous speed. To get rid of it will help special insecticidal preparations such as "Karbofos". Correct agricultural techniques and the destruction of anthills serve as preventive measures.
Conclusion
Planting and caring for a long-term shave is not difficult. Even novice growers successfully cope with this task. The main enemies of a gorgeous flower are stagnant water in the soil and over-watering. The rest of the perennial shaved is extremely unpretentious. It is able to grow on depleted soils, in cracks between stones, in partial shade and in the sun. The plant is widely used in landscape design to create picturesque cascades, borders and flowering carpets.
