Dicenter is a herbaceous perennial that reaches a height of 30 to 100 cm. It is used as a decoration of sites on flower beds and lawns. There are also undersized forms of this plant up to 20 cm high. Such varieties are most often placed on alpine hills and borders. The plant is very aesthetic. The dicenter, planting and caring for which is nothing complicated, is distinguished by unusually beautiful double-triple leaflets and heart-shaped flowers collected in brushes or inflorescences.
About 20 species of this genus of plants are found in nature. Flowers most often have a pink or reddish hue. For their interesting shape, the plant is popularly called a “broken heart”, since they really resemble a heart split in half.
Dicenter, care of which in the summer period consists in weeding, loosening and sufficient watering, is propagated by dividing the bush, green cuttings and seeds. In the first case, landing is done in spring or autumn. The bush is carefully divided into several parts so that roots remain on each, and transferred to a new place. Green stalks to plant this plant is best in June.
A lovely plant of a dicenter, planting and care of which can be done even by a not too experienced florist, loves loose soil. It is good if the soil on the lawn is fertilized with humus.
When breaking the flower beds under it, it is worth choosing sunny places. The distance between the stems of individual plants depends on the particular species and averages about 30-50 cm.
The center, the photo of which can be viewed on the right, needs to be fed with full mineral fertilizer twice a season. It must also be applied to the soil in the autumn before digging the beds (20 g per 10 l). Although this plant is winter-hardy and drought-resistant, in dry periods good watering is necessary. The buds can be damaged by spring frosts, since the dicentres begin to bloom early - in May. With an unfavorable weather forecast, plants at this time need to be covered with some non-woven covering material.
A dicenter, planting and care of which is quite simple, can also propagate by seeds. It is best to plant them fresh. However, the shoots will have to wait quite a while. The fact is that they will grow only in the second year after they are placed on the ground. Cuttings, as mentioned above, are best taken in June, however, both July and August are suitable for cultivation. They are planted in a greenhouse to a depth of about 10 cm. It is necessary to ensure that the soil is constantly moist. Sprouts appear in about a month. Rooted plants are transferred to a permanent place only next spring.
A dicenter, planting and care of which is quite possible for any summer resident or gardener, is perfect for decorating any site. Both leaves and flowers are considered decorative. At the moment, three varieties of this plant are considered the most common. The magnificent dicenter can reach a height of 80 cm. It is nice to use it to cover all kinds of unaesthetic structures on the site, as well as ballot boxes, compost heaps, etc. Elegant center (up to 30 cm) is perfect for any flower beds and lawns. Short D. exclusive is most often used on the Alpine hills. Its height usually does not exceed 20 cm.