Content
Speckled lamb (Lamium maculatum) is a perennial herb that until recently was not popular with gardeners. But that all changed when the culture began to be widely used by landscape designers, as it has the ability to quickly fill free space and maintain decorativeness throughout the season. In nature, the plant grows in the European part of Russia, in the Caucasus. Occurs on forest edges, clearings, in ravines, on river banks.
Speckled lamb has high frost resistance
Description and characteristics
Speckled lamb (in the photo you can see the plant in more detail) is one of the fast-growing ground cover crops. Its shoots are open, branching, which, when in contact with the ground, easily root at the nodes. Plant height reaches 25 cm, and the diameter of growth per year is 50-100 cm, depending on the variety. Shoots are tetrahedral, their surface is slightly pubescent. The stem is 4 mm thick.
The leaves of the speckled speckled are cordate, pointed, they have serration along the edge. The color of the plates is dark green, but the central vein is noticeably distinguished by a silvery tint. Spotting also sometimes appears. Their length reaches 5.5 cm, and their width is about 5.0 cm. The leaves are oppositely located on the shoots. The root system of the speckled speckled, fibrous, superficial.
The plant blooms constantly from May to November. The buds are small, resemble snapdragons in shape, when fully opened, their diameter does not exceed 3 cm. They are collected in whorl inflorescences of 8-10 pcs. The corolla is pink in light or dark tones; its tube is bent almost at right angles. The upper lip is dome-shaped and overhangs the lower lip. The calyx is shorter in length than the corolla. Each flower has four stamens. The lower lip has a spotted pattern, consists of three lobes, the middle of which is well developed. The anthers of the speckled speck are in the form of a figure of eight. Pistil bare pink, bipartite. The stamens and the column protrude from the corolla tube. The peduncles of the speckled lamb rise above the foliage.
The bud lasts two days. But new inflorescences constantly appear on the plant, so the impression of a continuous process is created. After pollination, small fruits are formed, visually divided into four parts. They appear between June and November.
Speckled lamb does not need complex care and is undemanding to the composition of the soil. It can grow in full sun and partial shade, forming a dense carpet on the soil surface. The culture does not tolerate high soil moisture for a long time. Therefore, when planting in the shade, choose a well-ventilated area.
Peduncles of speckled speckled easily break
This culture is not afraid of weeds, as it is able to drown out their growth, forming a solid green carpet. An exception may be perennial weeds with a powerful root system.
Varieties of speckled lamb
Thanks to the selection, it was possible to bring out new varieties of crops with a varied shade of leaves and flowers. This stimulated the growing popularity of speckled lamb not only among professionals, but also among amateur gardeners.To understand the assortment of the proposed varieties, you should consider the most popular of them and study their features.
Pink Pewter
Perennial ground cover, 15-20 cm high. Its stems branch at the base and are covered with soft hairs. Leaves are oval, venated, with teeth along the edge. The color of the plates of the Pink Pewter speckled is silvery-white, with a dark green edging. Flowers of a white-pink shade, collected in whorls of 10 pieces. The buds appear on the plant in May-June, depending on the growing region. Planting rate - 9-11 pieces per 1 sq. m.
Pink Pewter has a moderate growth rate
Bacon Silver
A crop variety characterized by high decorative qualities. The height of the spotted Bacon Silver (lamium maculatum Beacon Silver) reaches 20 cm, and the growth diameter is 30-60 cm.The variety blooms at the end of May and continues until September. Bacon Silver is distinguished by its serrated silvery-green leaves with green edging. The shade of the buds is purple-pink.
Lamb speckled Bacon Silver is characterized by abundant flowering
Aureum
The variety is distinguished by bright yellow foliage, with a silver stripe in the center. Plant height reaches 15-20 cm, and the width of growth is 90 cm. It blooms in early summer for 1-1.5 months. The color of the buds is light purple. Speckled lamb Aureum (Aureum) is characterized by high frost resistance and endurance.
This species should be planted in open areas to preserve decorativeness.
White Nancy
The variety is distinguished by its silvery-white toothed leaves with a thin green border around the edge. The height of the plant does not exceed 20 cm, and the width of growth is 50-60 cm. The stems of White Nancy are light, tetrahedral. Flowering, like other species, occurs in late May or early June. The color of the buds is white.
White Nancy speckled grape variety does not suffer from frosts down to - 29 ° С
Golden Ennivesari
A feature of the variety is the tricolor leaves. The main tone of the plates is green with a wide yellow edging and a silvery stripe along the central vein. The color of the buds of the speckled Golden Annivesari (Golden Anniversary) is lilac. The ground cover reaches a height of 20 cm and grows in width by 60-70 cm.
The Golden Ennivesari variety prefers to grow in areas with openwork shade at noon hours
Roseum
The plant reaches a height of 45 cm and a width of about 60 cm. The variety is distinguished by green leaves with a light silvery spot in the center. Its buds are pale pink in color. Flowering is profuse and long lasting. The maximum decorative effect when growing Roseum speckled grass (Roseum) can be achieved when placed in partial shade. The species is characterized by rapid growth.
Roseum prefers moderately fertile soils
Annie Greenaway
One of the shortest cultivars. The height of the plant does not exceed 15 cm, and the diameter of the growth is 50-60 cm. The speckled Annie Greenaway has tricolor leaves. The main color of the plates is green, but there is a wide yellow stripe along the edge, and along the central vein there is a marble spot. The shade of the buds is pinkish-purple. Flowering occurs in the last decade of May or in the first half of June.
The growth rate of the Annie Greenaway variety is fast
Reproduction methods
To obtain new plant seedlings, you can use the seed method, bush division and cuttings. Each of these methods has features that need to be considered.
Sowing seeds can be done in early spring, when the ground thaws, or in the fall, before the onset of frost. To do this, you must first dig up the site and level the surface. It is necessary to plant the seeds at a distance of 1-2 cm from each other, deepening them by 2-3 cm.Water at the end of the sowing. The first shoots of the spotted beetle appear in 10-14 days. When the seedlings grow up and get stronger, they need to be transplanted to a permanent place in the garden.
The culture should be cut at the end of August. To do this, you need to cut the top shoots 5-7 cm long.Remove the lower leaves and plant the cuttings in a soil mixture of peat and sand in an equal volume. Then make a mini-greenhouse on top. Rooting occurs after two weeks. All this time, the substrate should be kept moderately moist and the cuttings should be ventilated. When they grow up, you can transplant them into open ground.
Dividing a bush is the simplest breeding method for speckled speckled. To do this, you need to dig up the mother plant in early spring and cut it into pieces. Each of them must have well-developed roots and a growing point. Then plant the delenki in a permanent place.
Planting and caring for a spotted lamb
You can plant seedlings in open ground throughout the season. The main thing is to ensure regular watering so that the root system does not dry out later. Planting pattern for speckled beetle - 11 pieces per 1 sq. m. such placement will create a solid green carpet, but at the same time the plants will not compete for moisture and nutrients.
The site for the culture must be chosen in partial shade. Two weeks before planting, it must be dug up and humus added at the rate of 5 kg per 1 sq. m. After that, the surface should be leveled. It is necessary to plant the seedlings of the spotted grass so that the root collar of the plant is flush with the soil surface. At the end of the procedure, water the plants abundantly. Throughout the season, soil moisture must be monitored.
At the initial stage of development, the soil between the seedlings should be loosened and weeds should be removed. Over time, the need for this will disappear when the plants close together.
You need to fertilize the spotted lily once a month. In spring and early summer, organic matter should be used, and subsequently phosphorus-potassium mineral mixtures.
At the end of flowering, it is necessary to remove the peduncles and shorten the overgrown shoots.
The speckled speck does not need shelter for the winter
Pests and diseases
Speckled lamb has a strong immune system, so its cultivation does not cause difficulties even for novice florists. However, in cool, wet summers, the plant can suffer from gray and root rot. Therefore, as a prophylaxis of diseases, the soil cover should be sprayed and watered with the fungicides "Maxim", "Previkur Energy", "Skor".
Of the pests, the danger for speckled speckled is spider mites, caterpillars, scale insects. It is possible to identify the defeat by the lack of flowering, depressed appearance, deformed leaves, and a slowed down rate of development. In this case, the plant should be treated with the preparations Confidor Extra, Actellik or Fitoverm.
What plants is combined with
Speckled lamb is ideal for creating mixborders, rockeries, filling the space at the base of tall crops.
The best neighbors for her may be: hosts, lungwort, geychera, tiarella, ferns.
Conclusion
Speckled Lamb is a ground cover crop that can easily fit into any landscape design and disguise unsightly areas in the garden. At the same time, the plant does not require shelter for the winter and does not need complex care. And when favorable conditions are created, the spotted lamb is capable of growing and blooming profusely already in the first season after planting.
