Content
Siberian Buzulnik is a kind of innovation in landscape design. The plant has not only juicy yellow inflorescences, but also medicinal properties. Novice gardeners will appreciate all the advantages of a buzulnik: culture will generously endow its beauty with those who provide it with minimal care.
Siberian Buzulnik can become a garden decoration even without other vegetation around
Description of the Siberian Buzulnik
Siberian buzulnik (lat.Ligularia sibirica) belongs to the Astrov family. It is a powerful and unpretentious perennial that can grow without transplanting for up to 15 years. The stem is strong, ribbed. Basal leaves of the Siberian Buzulnik are large, cordate, with a deep cut at the base. The culture reaches a height of 0.3 m to 1.5 m. The leaves on the stem are small, lanceolate, covered with brownish-red winged petioles.
The bright yellow flowers of the Siberian buzulnik are grouped into lush oblong inflorescences up to 60 cm long. Each flower has a single-row wrapper, linear petals. Flowering lasts from early July to late September. After that, the fruits appear - oval-shaped seeds with a creamy tuft.
Siberian Buzulnik prefers moisture-saturated soil, therefore, in nature it lives in coastal zones of rivers and water bodies, in coniferous-small-leaved forests, in swampy areas. Its main places are the Baltic States, Belarus, Central Europe, east of Central Asia. In Russia, it is distributed mainly in Siberia. Due to the massive disturbance in the habitat of the Siberian buzulnik (drainage of bogs, deforestation, changes in the hydrological regime of the area), in several regions it is listed in the Red Book.
Siberian Buzulnik has several subspecies. All of them, although they have medicinal properties, are used mainly in landscape design. Gardeners have only recently discovered the virtues of the buzulnik, so the widespread popularity of the culture is yet to come.
Application in landscape design
Siberian Buzulnik is a bright accent against the background of low-growing trees and shrubs. He can be not only the central figure of the landscape composition, but also become an excellent participant in group planting, as a hedge. The culture loves water, therefore it is a frequent decoration of a garden decorative reservoir or an alpine slide. Bright yellow clusters will be reflected in the water surface, which will enhance the visual effect.
Partial shade near a wide tree solves 2 issues at once: creates partial shade and protects from drafts
The plot looks advantageous if you plant a Siberian buzulnik next to flowers of blue or light blue tones
The multi-level composition will be original, in which next to the Siberian buzulnik there will be a lower bush or flowers
Breeding features
The Siberian buzulnik is propagated by the seed method or by dividing the bush. The second method is preferable because it is simpler and takes less time.
Seed propagation takes place as follows:
- It is necessary to collect the seeds from the bush, dry them.
- Planting is carried out in autumn or early spring, directly into open ground, but in a separate place. Seeds should be planted in a hole to a depth of 2 cm. Seedlings will sprout in the spring.
- After they have hardened, the plant can be transferred to its permanent habitat. Flowering will occur 3-4 years after planting.
Reproduction of the Siberian buzulnik by dividing the rhizome is easier and more reliable. This requires:
- Dig up a bush by the root, clear it from the ground.
- Using garden scissors or a sharp knife, carefully divide the rhizome into 2-3 parts. It is important that each has at least 1 living kidney.
- Immediately plant the seedling in its permanent habitat.
The homeland of the Siberian buzulnik is the Southwest of China, where its main population grows
Planting and leaving
Since the Siberian buzulnik is an unpretentious plant, it can withstand frosts down to - 25 ° C. Although the plant can live for a long time without transplanting, after 5-7 years its roots grow too much, dangerously approaching the surface of the earth. Therefore, it is advisable to divide it.
The stems of the crop are quite tall, so they can break in a strong wind. To prevent this, gardeners are advised to choose a place for plants near a fence or building. There are no special requirements for the soil, the main thing is the saturation with minerals and water.
Recommended timing
The split bush is planted in early spring when live buds are visible. Seeds can be planted both in spring and autumn. In the latter case, they will go through the process of natural stratification, that is, hardening. This will make the Siberian Buzulnik stronger and more stable.
Site selection and soil preparation
Siberian buzulnik loves soil saturated with moisture and useful minerals. It is also worth considering that in an open sunny area, the plant will feel good only with abundant watering. The best place is partial shade, without drafts.
Landing algorithm
Planting a Siberian buzulnik is carried out as follows:
- Dig a hole 40x40 cm in size.
- Mix the extracted soil with humus and mineral fertilizers.
- On the separated seedling, rinse the roots with running water, treat the cut site with wood ash.
- Place some humus, wood ash and superphosphate at the bottom of the hole, water abundantly.
- Place the seedling, cover with the prepared nutrient mixture. Trample down a little.
- Water the bush abundantly with rainwater.
Watering and feeding schedule
Siberian Buzulnik loves well-fertilized soil. If humus was added to the hole during transplantation, then nothing else is required in the first year. In the future, the buzulnik should be fertilized once a year, before flowering, in a well-moistened soil. Top dressing should be carried out with a mullein solution (for 1 liter of fertilizer - 10 liters of water).
The sunnier the area, the more moisture the buzulnik needs. It is worth considering the proximity to water bodies. Watering is carried out 3-4 times a week, in the morning or in the evening, after the decline in solar activity. In the dry season, the Siberian buzulnik needs additional spraying of the leaves.
Loosening and mulching
The soil around the Siberian buzulnik must be periodically loosened, thereby saturating it with oxygen. It is not necessary to go too deep so as not to damage the rhizome.
Loosening is also required in order for water to penetrate deeper into the ground.
Mulching will help avoid rapid evaporation of moisture from the soil. As mulch, you can use sawdust, dry grass, hay cut.
Preparing for winter
Siberian Buzulnik tolerates wintering well. But even in cold weather, the plant needs precipitation, and if it is not there, it may die. Therefore, it is necessary to cut off the shoots up to 1-2 cm, mulch the soil around.Additionally, you can cover the buzulnik with spruce branches, humus, fallen leaves or other covering material.
Diseases and pests
The Siberian buzulnik has developed a strong immunity against diseases and pests. Most often, harm is caused by:
- Powdery mildew... The first sign of illness is leaf spots. They are easy to wash off, but this will not prevent them from reappearing. Further, the lower leaves are covered with brown spots, gradually the disease passes to the upper part of the plant. The affected areas dry out and die, which leads to the death of the culture. Disease can be prevented by prophylactic spraying with sulfur or milk whey (three times a season). Top dressing with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers during the flowering period will increase the plant's immunity to diseases. In case of damage, fungicidal preparations are used, according to the instructions.
Warm, humid weather contributes to the proliferation of harmful powdery mildew bacteria
- Slugs and snails... Pests feed on shoots and foliage, so their appearance will be noticeable immediately. To prevent them from climbing the Siberian buzulnik, it should be fenced off (create an obstacle). Gravel, sand, nutshells, superphosphate granules, even pepper and tobacco dust will do. Alternatively, you can place water bottles in the trenches around the plants. It is possible to deal with already appeared individuals by collecting by hand or by spraying with the preparations "Thunderstorm", "Meta".
Slugs prefer young, large and soft leaves that are loaded with nutrients
Conclusion
Siberian Buzulnik is a great alternative for garden decoration. For no apparent reason, for a long time, this culture remained unattended. But thanks to its spectacular appearance and unpretentiousness, the Siberian buzulnik is quickly gaining popularity among both professional garden decorators and ordinary people.
