Content
Planting and caring for a meadowsweet is not particularly difficult. But first, it's worth studying the features and popular types and varieties of plants.
What does the meadowsweet look like and where does it grow
Meadowsweet, or meadowsweet (Filipendula) is a perennial herb from the Pink family. It has a branched root system and a straight, rigid stem, simple alternate dark green leaves, pinnately dissected or finger-like. At the surface of the earth, the plates are assembled into a root socket. Another name for meadowsweet is meadowsweet.
The meadowsweet rises a maximum of 2 m from the ground
From the middle of summer, it brings fragrant flowers, and in August, fruits are formed in their place - many-leafed or multi-roots. The decorativeness of the meadowsweet, or filipendula, remains throughout the summer, and the plant pleases with bright greens until late autumn.
You can meet a perennial in temperate latitudes. In Russia, meadowsweet is found in the European part and the middle zone, in Siberia and Kamchatka, in the Amur region and Primorye. Grows worldwide in North America, Japan and Korea, China and Mongolia. It prefers moist soils near water bodies, which is why it is found under the name of marsh meadowsweet, it has good cold resistance.
How meadowsweet blooms
In July, the perennial grass meadowsweet blooms with numerous bisexual flowers with rounded petals in the amount of 5-6 pieces. The buds of the plant are collected in loose panicles at the ends of tall, straight peduncles, they are pure white, cream or pinkish in shade.
Meadowsweet gives off a rich sweet aroma, sometimes causing allergies in humans
Types and varieties of meadowsweet
The meadowsweet honey plant has about two dozen varieties. Among the most popular and well-known on the territory of Russia, you can list several.
Red meadowsweet
Red meadowsweet (Filipendula rubra) is a North American species reaching 2.3 m in height. Photos and descriptions of the meadowsweet plant show that the grass is characterized by large palmate leaves of a green hue. The inflorescences of this species of meadowsweet are lush, with pink petals. Reaches maximum decorative effect in July and August, prefers well-lit areas with sufficient moisture.
Red meadowsweet tolerates negative temperatures well
Tavolga Venusta
The variety of red meadowsweet Venusta (Venusta) reaches 2.5 m in height, can form dense thickets. The stems of the plant are strong, the leaves are cut into five or seven parts, the inflorescences are creamy pink or pink-red. Meadowsweet blooms in July, in August it bears decorative fruits of a raspberry hue.
The flowering of the Venusta variety lasts more than a month.
Red Umbrella
Red Umbrellas is a hybrid variety up to 75 cm tall. It has recognizable green leaves with red veins in the center of the lobes, and bears small pink buds.It grows in width by an average of 50 cm, blooms in June and July.
Red Umbrella is appreciated for both flowering and decorative large leaves.
Meadowsweet
The elm-leaved meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria) rises about 1.7 m above the ground. It produces a large number of stems; in early summer, up to eight inflorescences are formed on each of the shoots. Meadowsweet buds are white, sometimes cream. The variety prefers lighted or slightly shaded areas, tolerates high humidity, but does not like drought.
Elmaceous meadowsweet begins to bloom in June and remains decorative for about 25 days
Aurea
The ornamental variety of the visleaf meadowsweet Aurea has leaves of a golden yellowish hue. Produces creamy white flowers in July and August. In landscape design, yellow meadowsweet is valued mainly for the decorative appearance of leaf plates. Grows well near water bodies.
The meadowsweet Aurea rises an average of 1.6 m above the ground
Common meadowsweet
Common meadowsweet (Filipendula vulgaris) is widespread in forest-steppes, along river banks and on forest edges in the middle zone, in Siberia and in Asia Minor. Often found cultivated in gardens, it may be called the Kama meadowsweet. It has a straight stem up to 70 cm, branches slightly, the leaves are elongated, serrated or pinnately dissected. In early summer, it produces medium-sized white buds in paniculate inflorescences.
The flowering of the common meadowsweet continues throughout the month.
Captivity
Common meadowsweet Plena is an ornamental variety for garden cultivation with double flowers. It rises on average by only 60 cm, the leaves of the plant are juicy green, dense at the roots and sparse on the stem. From mid-June, the terry meadowsweet brings white pompom-type buds up to 10 mm in diameter.
Plena's meadowsweet is considered a good honey plant.
Palm-shaped meadowsweet
Palm-shaped meadowsweet (Filipendula palmata) is one of the oldest plant species, cultivated since 1823. It is often found naturally in the Far East and Kamchatka. The shape of the perennial leaves resembles an open palm, the plates are green in color, on the reverse side with gray felt pubescence. Kamchatka meadowsweet rises on average up to 1 m above the ground, has long roots. In June and July, it brings dense inflorescences up to 25 cm long, a state of beige or pink small buds.
By the end of flowering, the palm-like meadowsweet can change its shade to white
Nana
The popular ornamental variety Nana is a perennial up to 60 cm tall. Brings small pink flowers in long panicles in June and July, looks spectacular on the site due to the contrast between green leaves and bright buds. It is better to grow garden meadowsweet in partial shade.
Variety Nana grows quickly and can take up large areas
Purple meadowsweet
Purple meadowsweet (Filipendula purpurea) is a short plant up to 1 m, which begins to bloom in early June. Brings unusual buds of a deep pink or purple-lilac hue. On the territory of Russia, it is rarely found in its natural form, more often it grows in Asian countries, which is why it is also found under the name of Japanese meadowsweet.
Purple meadowsweet remains decorative until mid-August
Elegans
Labaznik Elegans (Elegans) is a garden variety up to 1 m in height. It has graceful deeply dissected leaves, from the end of June it bears dark crimson flowers. The elegant meadowsweet looks good near water bodies and in decorative groups against a background of bright greenery.
You can plant the Elegance variety in the Moscow region and in the northern regions.
Steppe meadowsweet
Steppe meadowsweet (Filipendula stepposa) is a low plant up to 1 m above ground level. Outwardly, the grass is similar to the elm-leaved meadowsweet, but the edges of the leaves are sharper and more pronounced, and the bottom is covered with dense light pubescence. Brings creamy white inflorescences.It is also called meadow meadowsweet, since it is widespread in open areas throughout the steppe zone in Europe, in the South Urals and in Northern Kazakhstan. Has no garden forms.
The steppe meadowsweet is considered rare, because due to the plowing of the steppes, the species began to rapidly disappear
Willow meadowsweet
Willow meadowsweet, or spirea (Spiraea salicifolia), rises up to 2 m, has straight branched stems and brings panicle inflorescences from late June to August. The leaves of the plant are lanceolate, with a serrate edge, similar to willow, pink or whitish buds. The species is widespread in Siberia and the Far East.
Willow meadowsweet chooses forest edges, marshlands and river banks for growth
Tavolga Vangutta
Spirea, or Vangutta meadowsweet (Spiraea vanhouttei) is a hybrid species with a spreading rounded crown and arcuate shoots. It is a shrub up to 2 m high and about 3 m in diameter, from mid-June it brings abundant white hemispherical inflorescences. It is widely used in hedges and decorative groups.
Meadowsweet Vangutta can bloom again in August
Meadowsweet
Meadowsweet (Spiraea hypericifolia) is a short shrub up to 1.5 m with long straight shoots and oblong ovoid or lanceolate leaves. At the beginning of summer, it produces white flowers with yellow centers, collected in small sessile umbrellas or candles. The species is widespread in the south of the European part of Russia, in Central Asia and Northern Mongolia.
Animal-leaved meadowsweet is not represented by decorative forms
Reproduction methods
In garden plots, meadowsweet is propagated in two main ways - by seed and by dividing the bush. Each of them has its own advantages.
Growing from seeds
Seedlings of meadowsweet seeds are grown at home, and grown seedlings are transferred to the ground in the spring. The algorithm looks like this:
- First, the planting material is stratified - for two weeks, it is placed in a bag filled with a moist loose substrate, and put into the refrigerator.
- At the end of February, containers for seedlings are prepared and light and nutritious soil, consisting of sand, garden soil and peat, is poured into them.
- The seeds are removed from the refrigerator and buried 1 cm in the soil mixture at a distance of several centimeters from each other. After that, they are sprayed with a spray bottle and covered with glass or film.
- Seedlings are placed in a warm and well-lit place. After the first shoots appear, the shelter can be removed and the boxes can be moved to the western or eastern windowsill.
The seedlings are regularly moistened, when two or three true leaves appear, they dive, and a couple of weeks before transplanting they begin to gradually harden in the fresh air. After the warm weather is finally established, the sprouts are transferred to the garden.
After stratification of seeds, meadowsweet grows more hardy
Dividing the bush
Adult meadowsweet bushes can be propagated by dividing the rhizome. It is easy to do this - in early spring or autumn, a large and healthy plant is chosen in the garden, carefully dug out of the ground and cut into several parts with a knife or a sharp shovel. Places of cuts are sprinkled with coal and the meadowsweet is transferred to pre-prepared holes in selected places of the garden. Follow-up care consists of regular watering and loosening of the soil around new plants.
On each of the meadows, there must be at least two growth points
Planting and caring for a meadowsweet in the open field
Photos about planting and caring for Plena's meadowsweet or other varieties show that it is quite simple to grow meadowsweet in a summer cottage. The perennial has good stamina reserves and has moderate care requirements.
Landing dates
You can plant meadowsweet in the garden both in spring and autumn, it is important to do this in a warm period, but outside the active growing season of the plant. When planted in September or October, meadowsweet acquires a higher frost resistance.But if there is too little time left until the first cold weather, it is better to postpone work until spring.
Site and soil requirements
Meadowsweet loves good lighting, but also tolerates light shading. It is best to plant a perennial on the southern side of the garden; you can place a meadowsweet in a lowland or near a reservoir. The plant should not be placed in a dense shade, it will develop poorly and will lose its decorative effect.
The meadowsweet prefers nutritious, but light, neutral composition. If the soil on the site is too heavy, it must be thinned with sand before planting. It is recommended to add ash, chalk or hydrated lime to acidified soil.
How to plant a meadowsweet
A couple of weeks before planting meadowsweet, the selected area must be dug up, loosened and complex mineral fertilizers applied to the soil. It is recommended to dig a hole in advance, which is twice as deep as the root system of the seedling, and put pebbles or broken brick on its bottom. Before planting meadowsweet, the hole will need to be filled up to half with soil.
After planting, the meadowsweet can be mulched with wood chips.
The plant is carefully lowered into the hole and its roots are straightened. Then sprinkle the hole to the end, lightly tamp the earth around and water it. If meadowsweet is to be planted in several copies, 40-50 cm of free space should be left between perennials.
Follow-up care
Growing meadowsweet is quite simple and comes down mainly to regular watering. The soil at the roots of the plant should always remain slightly moist. On hot summer days, the meadowsweet should be watered weekly or more often, as the soil dries out.
Top dressing is carried out 3-4 times per season, from May to August every month, complex fertilizers containing potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus are applied under the bush. After each watering, the soil should be slightly loosened for good oxygen access.
Diseases and pests
Meadowsweet is a fairly hardy garden plant that rarely suffers from insects and fungi. However, some diseases still pose a danger to him. Most often, meadowsweet are affected by:
- rust - red or brownish spots appear on the leaves at the roots, over time they grow up and merge with each other;
Rust usually indicates waterlogging of meadowsweet
- powdery mildew - a white bloom appears on the leaves of the plant, which, if untreated, moves upward along the perennial.
Powdery mildew quickly captures meadowsweet and requires immediate treatment
In the fight against fungal diseases, fungicidal agents give a good effect - Titan, Topaz, Fundazol and copper sulfate. It is necessary to spray the plantings several times with an interval of 2-3 weeks until the disease is completely eliminated.
As for pests, the danger to the meadowsweet is mainly aphids. You can see it by carefully examining the leaves of the plant. The parasite develops in large colonies and usually densely covers the perennial plates. The leaves under the influence of aphids begin to curl and dry out, the growth of the culture slows down.
Aphids feed on meadowsweet sap and can lead to its death.
To eliminate insects on meadowsweet with a weak lesion, you can use a simple soapy solution. If the plant is densely covered with parasites, it is better to use insecticides, for example, Skor or Fitoverm.
Pruning and preparing for winter
With the onset of autumn, wilted inflorescences and foliage of meadowsweet are removed, and the stems are cut at the root. The cold resistance of the perennial is quite high, so it is allowed not to cover it for the winter. But if severe frosts are expected, meadowsweet can be thrown with fallen leaves or coniferous spruce branches, in which case the roots of the plant will definitely not freeze.
Meadowsweet in landscape design
The culture is used very widely in the garden. In the photo of a plant close-up, meadowsweet can most often be seen:
- as part of green fences, dividing the internal space of the site into separate zones;
The bright meadowsweet is ideal for planting along paths
- in flower beds with undersized or medium-sized plants;
A meadowsweet can dilute a variegated composition or revive a monotonous group
- close to artificial reservoirs;
Blooming meadowsweet decorates empty banks and decorates space
You can combine meadowsweet with most flowering perennials. For example, phloxes, irises, delphiniums, ferns and hosts, as well as lilies will become good neighbors for culture.
Conclusion
Planting and caring for a meadowsweet is quite simple, the gardener needs to follow only a few basic rules. But before placing meadowsweet on the site, you should carefully study the popular species and decorative varieties in order to choose the best suitable plant.
