The flowers of the imperial hazel grouse are distinguished by their originality and unusual majesty among other representatives of their kind. It is not for nothing that the word “imperial” is present in its name, and the people call it the “royal crown”.
Majesty, sophistication and grace - this is how you can characterize the plant of hazel grouse. These flowers have been known for a long time, they were mentioned in the 16th century, when their cultivation began. In the royal garden of Vienna, a certain professor, Karl Clusius, first planted outlandish bulbs. The mild climate of Europe pleased this plant, and its worldwide triumphal procession began. Naturally, the flowers of the imperial hazel grouse came to Holland - the center of floriculture. There they conducted breeding work with them, and in the middle of the XVIII century the main 12 varieties of this beautiful plant appeared.
The cultivated varieties differed from each other by the color of the buds and the height of the shoots. We list the most popular and common of them:
- Lutea - has bright yellow flowers with a subtle green pattern;
- Prolifera - an excellent variety with flowers arranged in two tiers;
- Aurora - flowers of a classic orange hue;
- Rubra - reaches a height of 1.5 m, the flowers are fiery orange, gradually turning into a red hue with internal crimson touches;
- Premier - inflorescences have a shade of mandarin pulp with a purple pattern;
- Argentovariegata - is distinguished by a silver border on the leaves, a very effective variety, but, unfortunately, it is not frost-resistant.
Imperial hazel grouse flowers are bulbous plants. The bulb of this flower is not quite ordinary. Firstly, it is quite large and can weigh 0.5 kg. Secondly, it has a through hole, which is not some kind of defect. The fact is that the shoot grows from the mother’s bulb and gradually around it forms a new bulb. When the seasonal vegetation has ended, the shoot itself dies and leaves a hole in the young bulb, in which 1-3 buds appear in the autumn.
Imperial hazel grouse flowers can grow up to 1.5 m, have one powerful and direct shoot. The leaves of the plant are broad-lanceolate, form a lush bush at the bottom of the shoot. At the very top of the shoot there is also a bunch of leaves, which is usually called the crown, although many call it a forelock. And it is under the upper bunch of leaves that inflorescences are located, as a rule, with six flowers.
The flowers of the imperial grouse from wintering wake up very early and quite rapidly. Snow is just falling - and the plant begins to grow rapidly. In two weeks it will already reach its varietal maximum growth. At this time, primroses are just waking up, and the "emperor" has already taken its place and prepared for flowering. Thus, grouse flowers never require special attention. But if you still spend a little of your time on them, you will get a real decorative masterpiece on your flowerbed. You just need to know that this flower should be protected from the north wind, and he loves partial shade, also applies to root nutrition. It is better not to conduct foliar concentrated top dressing, it can cause a burn on the leaves of the plant. It is also undesirable to loosen the earth around it, since it is possible to damage the roots located close to the surface.
Loosening should be replaced by mulching, this will help protect the soil from drying out and overheating in hot weather. In winter, it is better to cover the plant with reed, spruce branches or straw. The layer should be at least 30 cm, but do it after steady freezing sets in to prevent the mice from settling in the shelter. In early spring it can be removed, and the imperial hazel grouse will delight you with magnificent flowering.