The onset of spring makes many think about the design of their sites with a variety of decorative plants. Someone prefers to plant flowerbeds, rabatki and alpine hills with the so-called summers every year, and someone considers himself a master in breeding perennial flowers. Be that as it may, at present, few people are aware of such a plant as an autumn colchicum, whose photo is striking in its tenderness. How to plant this perennial? What conditions need to be created on the site so that the flowering is magnificent? You will find out about all this right now.
Plant description
Autumn crocus (colchicum) by the set of biological characteristics refers to perennial herbaceous plants. Its stalk is modified into a corm, covered with dead leaf sheaths. The aerial part of the plant is represented by broad-lanceolate leaves, which do not lose their brightness throughout the growing season. Colchicum autumnal flower has a light pink tint with a purple bloom; its peduncle is a thin tube extending directly from the corm. This crop blooms in autumn, while the leaves grow back after wintering. In the same period, fruits begin to form: leathery wrinkled capsules with black seeds.
In the wild, colchicum autumn grows in dry and open places covered with grass: forest glades, meadows (including mountain meadows). It is still found in an uncultured form in the Krasnodar Territory, the Caucasus, Stavropol and Transcaucasia.
Why is colchicum
The plant got its name for a specific alternation of leaf growth and flowering. As you know, most herbaceous plants first produce a rosette of leaves, and only then the peduncle. Colchicum autumn is arranged differently: at the beginning of spring leaves grow, but by the beginning of autumn they die off along with the bulb that formed in the previous season. And only after that the peduncle appears from the corms of renewal. The seed box, which is located in the peduncle, "hides" there until next spring. With the onset of heat, along with leaves, it appears above the surface of the earth and ripens in the first half of summer.
Choosing a landing place
Despite the fact that the colchicum autumn belongs to very unpretentious plants, it is recommended to plant it in the sun for its better development. Since the plant withers at the end of summer, you can plant it among other perennials blooming in the second half of July.
Colchicum autumn (photo presented in the article) looks great like a border plant. In addition, it will adorn a flowerbed surrounded by a lawn, the shores of a small reservoir, as well as a rocky garden or an alpine hill. In a word, this flower can be considered universal. By the way, the flowering colchicum autumn gains special charm when planted in small vessels made of glass or ceramics. Such peculiar pots can be placed on terraces and balconies.
Planting colchicum autumn with bulbs and seeds
Let's look at several ways to propagate a plant known as colchicum autumn. Landing and care in the open ground, as mentioned above, do not require the application of large forces. A flower can safely grow in one place for several years. This crop can be propagated in two ways: corms and seeds.
In the first case, you will need to dig the bulbs from the soil at the time of the complete death of the aerial parts, dry them and leave to "rest" until the end of August. By the way, if you purchased a bulb of Colchicum autumnale and planted it at the end of summer, flowering can begin in 3 years. However, this method has its drawbacks. The fact is that the diseases present in the mother plant are transmitted to the daughter corms. It is better to destroy the planting material from a sick colchicum.
Reproduction by autumn colchicum seeds allows you to get absolutely healthy plants. It is necessary to collect seeds immediately after their ripening (from the first half of June to the end of July). They need to be sown in previously prepared soil immediately after harvesting. Seeds will germinate next spring, but flowering will come only after 5-7 years.
Plant care: watering, top dressing
In care, colchicum autumn is not too complicated. For active growth and lush flowering, it is enough to transplant plants to a new place once every 7-10 years. Abundant watering colchicum autumn, the transplant of which was carried out in the current season, does not tolerate. He has enough moisture that enters the corms during the rainfall period. If the plants are planted too often, thinning can be done. At the same time, it is recommended to pour a small amount of fertile soil into the cleared spaces.
The main measures of plant care are considered weeding and pest control. Slugs can harm autumn colchicum, the methods of dealing with which are their timely collection, loosening of the soil and applying granular superphosphate to the beds.
Precautions for planting and caring for colchicum autumn
Gardeners growing colchicum autumna should always remember that this plant contains colchicine - a potent alkaloid that can provoke severe skin irritation and even burns. Contrary to popular belief, this compound is found not only in corms, but also in leaves and flowers. You can even get poisoned with water, in which there were cut flowers of colchicum autumn. When ingested, colchicine causes poisoning, the symptoms of which are sore or burning in the throat, dizziness and nausea, colic. In especially severe cases, the alkaloid causes paralysis and collapse.
To protect yourself from the toxic effects of plants, it is important to observe safety precautions: wear gloves when weeding, transplanting and caring for plants. In addition, these measures should be applied to cut buds.
Medicinal properties of colchicum autumn
Despite the content of toxic substances, many people know about the medicinal properties of the plant colchicum autumn. Healing properties, oddly enough, are present in him due to the high content of colchicine. The fact is that in small quantities this compound helps to expand the smallest blood vessels - capillaries. It is this property that allows the use of corms and plant seeds as a medicine for gout, rheumatism and neuralgia. It is worth mentioning right away that the difference between the therapeutic and lethal doses is very small, therefore colchicine-based drugs are used under the direct supervision of specialists. In addition, colchicine is widely used in the treatment of skin cancer . This became possible due to the property of the compound to influence the process of cell division.
In conclusion, we recall that it is not safe to use any colchicum autumn for the treatment of various diseases at home!