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In nature, there are more than one and a half hundred varieties of loosestrife. These perennials are imported from North America. The purple loosestrife is one of the representatives of the primrose family. The culture is used to decorate landscape design, in group plantings.
Botanical description of the species
It is an erect, branched culture, the height of which does not exceed 1 m. The leaves and stems of purple loosestrife are colored maroon, dark purple, chocolate in the sun, and turn brownish green in the shade.
Shoots branch from the base, have the shape of a tetrahedron. The leaf plate is inversely ovoid, up to 12 cm long, the surface is smooth.
Inflorescences are located at the ends of the shoots and in the axils of the apical leaves. Bright, lemon-colored petals favorably emphasize the deep wine color of the ground part of the plant. The flowering period begins in August and ends in September.
The flowers of the plant are small, their center is red, the petals are bright yellow, collected in sparse inflorescences
As soon as the flowers crumble, bolls appear on the shoots, tightly packed with small seeds.
The culture grows rapidly, the bushes become lush, densely leafy. They contrast well against the backdrop of green plants.
Currently, on the basis of ciliate loosestrife, several new decorative varieties have been bred. All of them are used for landscaping open areas.
Popular varieties of ciliate loosestrife:
- Firecracker - the culture is distinguished by bright, purple leaves;
In summer, the ground part of the purple plant turns purple.
- Lysimachiaatro purpurea - black-purple loosestrife, blooms with maroon spike-shaped apical brushes;
The wine-colored ears contrast beautifully with the silvery-green leaves.
- Lysimachia congestiflora - crowded-flowered loosestrife, low culture (up to 30 cm) with light green rounded leaves and yellow flowers.
The flowers have a delicate scent that attracts butterflies.
All members of the family grow rapidly, surviving their neighbors. This is taken into account in group plantings, autumn pruning is able to temporarily suspend the growth of the culture.
Application in design
Purple verbeynik is one of the most commonly used plants in landscape design. Its popularity is due to its rapid acclimatization, undemanding to soil and watering, rapid growth.
The purple loosestrife has a superficial root system, it can be easily grown in shallow pots, flowerpots, on lawns and decorative stones.
The culture looks good on the banks of artificial reservoirs, the plant is covered by the supports of walls and beams
In rock gardens, flower beds, lawns, mixborders, purple loosestrife acts as a bright ground cover plant. The plant looks especially good in rocky areas.
Often the culture is used as an addition to garden paths or a fence for flower beds.
The loosestrife also goes well with conifers.
Breeding features
The purple loosestrife reproduces by vegetative and seed methods. To cultivate a culture, cuttings are grown, the rhizome is divided, or the processes are separated.
For reproduction, they take strong bushes with a strong root system, the height of which is at least a quarter of a meter. A good time to divide the bushes is early spring or autumn.
The mother bush is dug, the children are separated from it, the rhizome is divided into 2-3 parts with a sharp knife.
Each such delenka should have stems and strong root processes.
New plants are planted in holes, half a meter apart. Young seedlings bloom a few months after rooting.
Seed propagation of loosestrife is a laborious method. The seed requires a two-month stratification before burying.
For hardening, the seeds are placed in the refrigerator on the lower shelf.
Then they can be germinated in the ground. The resulting seedlings bloom only 3 years after planting in the ground.
If an autumn planting is planned, there is no need to stratify the seeds. They are immediately embedded in the ground, where they are naturally hardened in winter.
In the spring, friendly young shoots of purple loosestrife will appear
Planting and caring for ciliated loosestrife
This is an unpretentious plant, the main condition for good growth is the abundance of sunlight. This important factor is taken into account when preparing seedlings for planting.
Recommended timing
The seeds of the plant are sown in the ground, starting in June and before the onset of cold weather. Young shoots or rhizomes are separated from the mother bush and rooted in the summer, as soon as the plant gets stronger.
Site selection and soil preparation
The purple loaf grows well in open, well-lit areas. The land should be fertile, well loosened. The close occurrence of groundwater is only welcome.
The composition of the soil does not matter, only a high content of clay in the soil is undesirable.
Before planting, the soil is dug up, loosened
After loosening, rotted manure is introduced, fertilizer is evenly distributed.
Landing algorithm
After preparing the soil, start planting. For this, shallow holes are dug (about 10 cm), the distance between them is observed 50 cm.
Landing:
- A thin layer of humus is laid out at the bottom of the planting hole.
- The seedling is placed in the center.
In the hole, the root processes are straightened, they are covered with loosened soil
- Then the earth is rammed, the seedling is watered abundantly.
After planting, the soil moisture is monitored, as soon as the water evaporates, the plant is watered again.
Growing features
Purple loosestrife is a culture that grows well without human intervention. In order for the flower to retain its decorative qualities, it needs additional care.
Watering in the summer should be frequent and abundant. The soil near the stems should not dry out. Watering is especially important on dry days.
Determine the lack of moisture by dry, yellowing leaves. Such a plant is watered often and abundantly. An excess of moisture does not harm this culture.
The purple loosestrife needs regular weeding and loosening of the soil. Weeds are removed often, after which they plow the soil. This is done carefully, since the rhizome of the plant is located almost on the surface.
If the bushes grow on fertile soil, they do not need fertilizer. When planting a flower on depleted soils, various complex compositions are used for flowering crops. They are watered with purple loosestrife 2 times a month, during the entire growing season. In late autumn, humus is introduced into the soil in a flower bed.
Flower pruning is carried out several times per season. Remove dry, broken stems, prevent crop overgrowth. This plant can fill the entire flower bed in a short time. If there is no such goal, plastic or metal restraints are inserted around each bush.
In autumn, the purple loosestrife is cut off completely, leaving only a few lower shoots. The procedure stimulates the growth of young shoots in spring.
After the autumn pruning, purple loosestrife bushes are covered with dry foliage
The purple loosestrife does not need additional shelter for the winter - it is a winter-hardy culture. The roots of the plant can be sprinkled with humus.
The purple loosestrife has been growing in one place for about 10 years. But after 2 years, a transplant can be carried out, since the soil is depleted. The bushes are transferred in early spring or autumn.They are dug up, the children are separated and planted in a new place.
Diseases and pests
The culture is not susceptible to attacks by harmful insects. If fruit crops grow next to the flower bed, the flower may suffer from aphids. Spraying with special chemicals will help from pests: "Aktara", "Decis", "Fitoverm".
Conclusion
Purple verbeynik is an unpretentious ornamental plant that is widely used in landscape design. The flower is easy to propagate on its own, and it does not grow badly. To preserve its decorative qualities, the shrub requires good illumination and abundant watering. It is important to take into account that in the shade the leaves of the flower fade, become brown.
