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Lily-of-the-valley verbain (cage-like or cletrodes) is a perennial herbaceous shrub. It is rare in the wild. In Russia, the area of the main accumulation in the Far East in the Primorsky Territory. Grown in gardens, in personal plots. The design uses cultivars bred on the basis of a wild-growing species.
Description of the cage loosestrife
Lily of the valley loam is a herbaceous plant intended for cultivation in the open field. The culture is used for landscaping shaded areas. During flowering, the plant attracts a wide variety of butterflies, which gives the landscape a special flavor of the wild.
Culture characteristics:
- The perennial plant forms a lush, dense bush that grows rapidly, taking up all the free space. Reaches a height of about 1.3 m, the volume depends on the age of the shrub, the average is 1.5 m.
- The culture is characterized by intense shoot formation. Stems are upright, tough, strong, do not decay, the crown keeps its shape well. Shoots are light green, with a shallow edge, ending in an inflorescence. Closer to the upper part, up to three flowering lateral processes are formed on the stems.
- The flowers are small, milky in color, form a spike-shaped pyramidal inflorescence with a drooping sharp crown 30 cm high.
The flowering period of the lily of the valley culture falls on the entire summer period.
- Light green leaves are long (up to 15 cm), thin, lanceolate with sharp ends and smooth edges. The location is dense, regular. In autumn, the crown turns bright yellow, the leaves do not fall until frost.
- The structure of the root system resembles the root of a lily of the valley, hence the specific name. The system is superficial, creeping, rapidly growing. The verbeinik, occupying the living space, displaces any herbaceous plants from the site.
The lily-of-the-valley loosestrife is decorative throughout the growing season. In the spring it attracts attention with a delicate green crown, during flowering the bush is completely covered with white inflorescences, overshadowing the yellow crown becomes an ornament of an empty garden.
Cage loosestrife varieties
Lily of the valley verbeinik (cellroides) is rarely found not only in the plots, but also in the natural environment. This is the most coveted specimen when decorating white gardens.
The only cultivar created on the basis of a wild-growing species is Lady Jane loosestrife. The plant is distinguished by a dense bush about 90 cm high, with a whorled arrangement of leaves. Inflorescences are long - up to 35 cm, large.
Lady Jane's loosestrife flowers are white with a pink or red heart
Lily of the valley in landscape design
The lily of the valley loosestrife is used to create white gardens. The plant is harmoniously combined with shrub forms, with wildflowers. Culture beautifies areas of a garden or shady areas. Saplings decorate the banks of reservoirs, cover waterlogged places on which nothing but loosestrife grows.
Examples of the use of lily of the valley loosestrife in design:
- For decorating a garden recreation area.
The verbeinik is planted at the edge for tamping large trees
- Use in composition with different types of flowering plants.
A wilderness corner without white-flowering bush would look unfinished
- Outline the front of the discount.
Bulk edge fit is used as a curb option
- Flower beds are made out with a single planting.
White solitaire in the center of the flower bed gives a neat, well-groomed look
- Planted in rockeries and rock gardens.
The plant matches perfectly with natural stone
Breeding features
The lily of the valley cage loosestrife gives seeds in the form of capsules, they ripen in mid-September and are quite suitable for sowing. Lady Jane is also suitable for generative propagation, the seeds retain the characteristics of an adult plant. Gardeners do not use the seedling method. It takes a long time from the moment the seeds are laid to flowering. The generative method is used in the nursery to obtain a large number of seedlings.
It is possible to increase the number of loosestrife by cuttings, but the method is also not popular due to the length of the process. The plant quickly grows the root system, over the summer it can increase in volume by 2-3 times.
In the spring, the mother bush is dug up, divided and planted around the site.
The lily of the valley loosestrife takes root quickly, the plant will bloom next summer. To stimulate shoots, the culture is recommended to be planted every three years.
Planting and caring for lily of the valley loosestrife
White loosestrife lily of the valley is a field species of plants, found in the wild near lakes, rivers, in wetlands. Waterlogged soil is a biological requirement of the crop. If you create favorable conditions on the site, minimal maintenance is required. The varietal representative inherited all the characteristics of the species, therefore, their agricultural technology and growing conditions do not differ.
Recommended timing
Young seedlings grown from seeds on their own or purchased from a retail network are best planted in open ground in late spring. Until the fall, the loosestrife will take root and will not suffer from frost. In warm climates, a young plant can be planted in the fall.
Measures for dividing the mother bush are carried out at the end of the season, that is, immediately after flowering. The procedure can be postponed until spring, when the ground warms up enough to dig up the plant.
If the spring work was successful, the plot will begin to bloom at the end of summer.
Site selection and soil preparation
The composition of the soil and the acid-base reaction do not play a role for the lily of the valley loosestrife; the surface root system does not need aerated soils. According to the requirements of the culture, the site must always be moist, stagnant water for the loosestrife is a vital condition.
In a dry place, the lily of the valley will grow only with constant abundant watering.
Bright lighting is not suitable for culture, as well as planting in an open, sunny place. In the loosestrife, the inflorescences begin to turn yellow and dry, the plant loses its decorative effect. Lily of the valley loosestrife is planted in partial shade or in the shade. The culture feels comfortable under the crown of trees or behind the wall of a building. The allotted area is prepared before planting, it is dug up, organic fertilizers are applied, and the roots of the grass are removed.
Landing algorithm
The loosestrife intended for reproduction is dug out and divided into several parts. The earth is not shaken off or washed off with water. They remove damaged, dry roots, shorten those that go beyond.
Sequence of planting work:
A hole is prepared with a depth of 10 cm, the width of the hole should be slightly larger than the dimensions of the rhizome.
The bottom of the hole is covered with a layer of compost and peat, you can add ash
The loosestrife is placed in a pit, covered up, lightly pressed to the bottom of the recess. If there are young shoots, they are not covered with earth.
Growing features
If the lily-of-the-valley loosestrife is planted correctly, then the agricultural technology of the culture is standard. The plant is unpretentious, does not require constant attention and develops quickly. The main care is feeding, weeding and watering.
Watering and feeding schedule
The crop is fed in the spring with nitrogen-based products. This is necessary for the rapid growth of shoots and a set of green mass. At the end of June, organic matter is introduced. To make the inflorescences lush, use Agricola for flowering plants. In late autumn, you can feed the bush with organic fertilizers necessary for laying vegetative buds in the spring.
A herbaceous shrub planted near water or on waterlogged soil is not watered. The creeping root completely supplies it with moisture. On a dry site, events are held every day.
Weeding and loosening the soil
If the weeds are densely growing, weeding is necessary. This event is relevant for young seedlings, adults displace not only cultivated species, but also weeds. Shallow loosening is also carried out for young representatives; for adults, aeration is not fundamental. It is recommended to cover the root circle with mulch, it will prevent moisture evaporation from the soil surface.
Pruning and preparing for winter
Perennial lily of the valley loosestrife winters without additional measures. Before frost, the stems are cut off completely, watered, in regions with abnormally cold winters, they are covered with straw or peat on top. In the first year after planting, plots or seedlings in the fall are spud, fed with organic matter and covered with mulch.
Diseases and pests
The lily of the valley does not get sick, it can lose its decorative appearance only in bright light or in drought, the infection does not affect the shrub. Of the pests, it is possible to appear on the stems and leaves of aphids. If a pest is found, the loosestrife is treated with Antitlin. Shoots with a large accumulation of insects are cut off.
Conclusion
Lily of the valley verbein is a bright decorative crop with white inflorescences. This rare species is valued for its unpretentiousness, frost resistance and rapid growth of the bush.
