The majestic representative of the flower kingdom - loosestrife
Once, enjoying the beauty of the surrounding world, the girl noticed a stately flower - loosestrife. After some reflection, she wrote a short poem about this plant. In it, the girl compared the flower with the royal symbol of power - the scepter and called him the ruler of the state of flowers. This is how this exquisite flower appears before us.
External description of a stately flower
More than a hundred different species of this plant are found in the natural environment. Most of them grow in the Northern Hemisphere, although some species have been found in the south of the American continent and in Africa. More than 70 varieties of the stately flower grow in China. Many types of loosestrife can be found in Russia, the Caucasus and even Siberia. As you can see, the flower has conquered many expanses of the inhabited land. Having considered a brief description of the loosestrife, you can get to know him better. And someday this flower will become a king in your favorite summer cottage.
The plant has erect shoots, on which green leaves are arranged in the next order. The shape of the plate is lanceolate or oval. Charming buds are located along the green shoot, and there are such shades:
- white;
- bright yellow;
- pale pink;
- lemon.
They are collected in inflorescences that resemble an ear or flower brushes. On some specimens there are single buds or several buds in deciduous axils. Verbeynik refers to creeping herbaceous plants with erect shoots. From the side it looks like a miniature flowering shrub.
Features of planting and proper care
A stately flower can be planted and propagated in a summer cottage by sowing seeds and in a vegetative way. The planting of the loosestrife shown in the photo and caring for it require simple rules. First of all, it is important to choose a suitable location. Almost all plant varieties love penumbra or shaded areas of the garden.
The purple loosestrife thrives well in open areas, so this fact should be taken into account when planting a flower.
The next stage is a fertile, loose soil. It can be fertilized with compost or humus. It is desirable that it be sufficiently saturated with moisture. A suitable option if there is groundwater nearby. Some types of loosestrife are planted directly in the water, where they thrive magnificently.
Leaving and planting the loosestrife in open ground is carried out in the usual way. First, dig a small hole. Then, the roots of the plant are carefully placed in it and covered with earth. The topsoil is compacted and watered abundantly.
In order for the plants to receive enough light, air and nutrients from the soil, the distance between them must be at least 50 cm.
When the plant takes root well in the front garden, it lets out a large number of shoots. After some time, the loosestrife grows and occupies almost the entire area of the site. Therefore, it must be transplanted on time. Although it can freely grow in one place for a whole decade, the flower should be planted in the second year. The right time for this is early spring or late autumn.
You can also plant a loosestrife with seeds. If sowing is carried out in the warm season, they must first be held in the cold for 2 months. The collected seeds are placed in the refrigerator, where vegetables are stored for a specified period. After that, they are sown. During the autumn planting, the seeds do not need to be cold pre-aged. Winter frosts will do this naturally. And in the spring, friendly young shoots will appear from the soil.
Planting loosestrife by sowing seeds can also be done indoors. On a moistened soil surface consisting of peat and sand, planting material is sown. The boxes are covered with glass or foil, after which they are placed in a bright room. The optimum temperature should be at least 15 degrees. After 2 weeks, green shoots will appear on the surface of the soil. After another week or two, they are dived into separate pots, where they gain strength. After that, the flowers are planted in the front garden.
In order for the plants to gradually get used to the outside temperature, the room must be regularly ventilated. Thanks to this, young seedlings are hardened and feel great after planting in open ground.
The loosestrife can also be propagated by dividing the bush. The plant extracted from the soil is divided into several parts. The main thing is that each of them has developed roots. Such plants will bloom next season.
The photo of the coin loosestrife, the care and planting of which is carried out by dividing the cuttings, causes an unprecedented delight. The process begins by placing the cuttings in containers of water. Being in the liquid, they release the roots. After that, they are planted in a shady place in the summer cottage in moist soil. Over time, the bushes will bloom to the delight of the household.
Often for decoration landscape design, loosestrife is an irreplaceable plant. It is used in the formation of flower gardens, as a background plant. They are used to decorate the coastal areas of domestic water bodies and borders. Verbeinik fits perfectly into the alpine slide, making it an original creation of human hands. Sometimes the plant is simply planted as a free-standing flower to draw attention to the main landscape design. Creeping varieties are used for hanging pots and tall flower beds.
High flower beds
Making a home pond using loosestrife
Loose leaf in a raised flower bed
Composition: loosestrife at the border
Loose weed on the shore of a home reservoir
Among the lush kingdom of flowers
Popular types of proud flower
For some summer residents, the proud "master of the flower state" - loosestrife, is one of the favorites of landscape design. The plant is especially appreciated for the abundance of various varieties that grow freely in Russia. Looking closely at the stately flower, you can see many forms and shades that are inherent in different varieties.
Common loafers
This pretty plant has a tall, straight stem. It is not covered with bark and has no ramifications. From the horizontal curly rhizome, upright erect shoots rise up in a huge amount. Most often, the flowers reach 50 cm, and some giants grow up to a meter in height. Whorled foliage grows all over the stem of common loosestrife from top to bottom. It is narrow in shape with pointed tips.The lower leaves are colored light green, the upper ones are more saturated with greens. Some specimens are distinguished by the scarlet shade of the leaves.
At the very top of the erect stem are paniculate inflorescences. Each of them is decorated with pretty flowers located close to each other. The buds are composed of five separate delicate petals that surround a corolla with ovary and stamens. As a rule, the inflorescences are colored yellow, although there are orange, burgundy and snow-white variants. The plant blooms in summer, after which balls with a large number of seeds appear instead of buds.
Common loafers have medicinal properties. Tinctures or decoctions from it are used as a tonic and anti-inflammatory agent. It is often used as an astringent and choleretic natural substance.
Loose leaf (coin)
The plant belongs to the perennial herb family. It has creeping horizontal stems about 80 cm long. The shoots of the monet's loosestrife are erect, slightly branched. Nodules appear on them, on which small roots grow. Thanks to them, the plant successfully grows throughout the territory. Loves fertile soil and shady places. In nature, it occurs in the shade of low shrubs, on wet meadows or on the outskirts of swampy areas.
The leaves of the monetarine loosestrife are opposite, slightly rounded. Their edges are solid, green in color. The buds grow in the axils of the leaf plate. They are usually large and solitary. The color is golden yellow, the calyx is funnel-shaped, the petals do not connect to each other. The flowering period is mid-summer.
Loose loam loves shaded areas of the garden and fertile soil. By fulfilling only these two requirements, you can already achieve success in growing this plant.
Verbeynik point
The flower of this variety is distinguished by a brown rhizome, which has several branches. Shoots extend from them underground. Thanks to this, the plant grows wonderfully over the territory of the front garden.
The erect stem of the spotted loosestrife has a delicate edge. Unlike other species, the shoots have several branches. Along each of them are wide lanceolate leaves, lemon or yellow buds are placed in large numbers along the dense stem.
Lily of the valley
The name of the plant hints that it looks like lilies of the valley. And indeed it is. The lily of the valley has a stable dense stem, on which successive leaves are located from top to bottom. Below they are slightly bluish, and on top they are dotted with small dots. During flowering, the plant dresses in spike-shaped buds, consisting of many small flowers. They are snow-white and sit at the very top of the stem. The flower grows up to 45 cm and fits beautifully into any landscape design.
Verbeynik cage
This variety of loosestrife is often called lily of the valley, for the similarity of its underground rhizome to it. It has the same pinkish-white color, but slightly thicker than the lily of the valley. The cage-shaped loosestrife has an erect stem (about 20 cm in height), covered with foliage on all sides. The inflorescence is collected in a dense spike filled with many white buds. It blooms in the middle of summer and pleases the eye for 3 weeks.
Verbeinik kletrodes
This type of plant is also referred to as lily of the valley varieties of loosestrife. The flower grows to a height of 80 cm. On its tall, dense shoots, rounded, opposite leaves grow. The loosestrife blooms with snow-white spike-shaped buds. From a distance it resembles the original green bushes in the white dress of the bride. They are used to decorate the personal plot: they are planted as living curbs on lawns, in alpine slides and along the banks of artificial pools.
Purple loosestrife (ciliated)
This perennial plant forms miniature bushes with erect stems. All of them are covered with smooth lanceolate leaves of wine-red color. Purple loosestrife is famous for its original inflorescences, which are located at the tops of slender shoots. The buds are collected in small bouquets that shine with a lemon color in the sun. The flower loves open light areas with moist fertile soil.
Often, ciliate loosestrife grows up to 45 cm in height, which gives it a majestic appearance. The plant begins to bloom at the end of August and can last until mid-September. It is not afraid of harsh winters, since it is considered a frost-resistant variety. In its natural environment, it occurs in wet meadows near water bodies.
I especially want to highlight the original ciliate variety - the firecracker loosestrife. He is able to grow up to a meter in height, which looks pretty cute against the background of other greenery. Erect shoots are alternately covered with lanceolate leaves pointed at the tips. Inflorescences appear in the axils of the leaf plates at the apex of the shoot. The bell buds are bright yellow and bloom in early autumn. Bloom until October. Frost resistant. They feel comfortable in the open areas of the backyard garden.
Verbeynik beaujolais
This delightful perennial grows up to a meter in height and has unusual inflorescences. They are colored dark red and are collected in dense ears. Beaujolais loosestrife has silvery-green lanceolate leaves slightly corrugated at the edges. They pair wonderfully with the dark buds that appear during flowering. The plant prefers fertile soils, which retain moisture for a long time. They are widely used to decorate summer cottages. They are planted to mark the territory instead of curbs.
Verbeinik Alexander
The majestic herbaceous perennial grows from 40 to 50 cm in height. On its erect stems are sessile broadly lanceolate leaves. On along the entire shoot, in the middle of summer, many delicate flowers appear. They are collected in small bouquets and shine brightly with a lemon color against the background of the dense greenery of the plant. Verbeinik Alexander feels luxuriously on the fertile land, where there is a lot of air and light. He is especially comfortable in combined planting of flowers near water bodies. Looseweed is often used to create mixborders that bloom continuously until late autumn. It is in such an environment that he looks like the lord of the kingdom of flowers.
Before designing a flower garden, one should take into account the property of this variety to grow rapidly. Otherwise, the loosestrife will displace weak plants, thereby disrupting the overall harmony of the flower bed.
No chance for pests
It is not for nothing that the verbeinik is called the ruler of the flower state, because the plant almost never gets sick. It surrenders only to living pests: aphids and weevils. You can cope with the invasion of such ill-wishers as aphids using special preparations. Weevils betray themselves as diseased leaves. If you find eaten specimens, it is advisable to immediately start collecting them. Lost time will lead to the appearance of beetle larvae, which imperceptibly undermine a healthy plant.
Collecting bugs is recommended after dusk. At this time, they actively gather on leafy plates to refresh themselves with juicy greens.
Giving an objective assessment of the stately flower, it can be noted that it does not require special care. It easily takes root in new territory. Looks pretty nice in landscape design. Differs in many beneficial properties that strengthen our health. Among them are astringent, tonic and choleretic effect. Growing such a flower in a suburban area brings only positive emotions. It might be worth trying and enjoying its floral majesty.