Plants designed to create hedges occupy a special place in the design of the infield. In this article we will talk about one of these. It will be about the mountain ash of the mountain ash - a stunningly beautiful shrub, an excellent honey plant and one of the favorite plants among ordinary gardeners and landscape designers. Today you will learn all about its planting, cultivation and care features.
Description
The mountain ash of the mountain ash came to us from Asian countries. In the wild, it can be found on the banks of rivers and lakes, as well as in ravines. This plant got its name because of its high resemblance to rowan leaves. The total height of the bush rarely exceeds three meters in height and has fairly strong standing shoots with a thickness of about one and a half centimeters. The active vegetative period begins with the onset of spring and continues almost until the first frost.
When blooming, the leaves have a pale pink color, by the middle of the season their color becomes deep green, and by the end of autumn the leaves become yellow-red. During flowering, the shrub is covered with white inflorescences reaching a length of about thirty centimeters and consisting of a huge number of small snow-white flowers with long stamens. By the end of flowering panicles cease to bear a decorative function and are removed.
Varieties
There are about ten different varieties of mountain ash of mountain ash. In more detail we will consider the most popular.
- Felt fieldfare. This type of shrub mainly grows on steep slopes. The main difference between felt fieldfare is the lack of flowering. And in combination with poor frost resistance and a rather high whimsical care, this plant is considered the least suitable for the design of a personal plot.
- Pallas variety. As well as felt, this variety is most often located on steep slopes, mainly in alpine terrain. Due to the rather attractive shrubs of small size, this variety is often found in suburban and garden plots. Dark green, juicy leaves in contrast with snow-white flowers make this plant unusually beautiful. Among the shortcomings of this variety, a quick loss of trunk strength can be noted.
- Fieldfare tree-like. One of the most unusual varieties of this plant. The height of its shrubs can reach six meters. The advantages of this plant can be attributed quite a long flowering period - from early July to late August.
Fieldfare of mountain ash in landscape design
Resistance to long and hard frosts, unpretentiousness in leaving and resistance to various diseases allow using this type of shrubs in the design of parks and garden plots. For decorative functions, both single and group plantings are used, designed to create a hedge. The mountain ash of the mountain ash is excellent in combination with other garden plants. The only thing you need to be prepared for is the rapid spread of the root system of the shrub, which fills large spaces and can crowd out other flowers and shrubs. But this property can be used for good purposes. For example, to strengthen slopes and steep ravines.
In some cities, mountain ash is used as a decoration for a dividing strip on a highway or as a bus stop.
Site selection and soil preparation
Mountain ash in the landscape design is completely not picky about choosing a specific place. Therefore, you can safely plant it both in sunny areas and in the shade of garden trees. When choosing soil, the only thing you should pay attention to is its acidity. It should not be high; neutral loamy soil is preferred.
Planting Features
This shrub perfectly reproduces both by dividing the bush, and by cuttings or seeds. We will consider the process of planting mountain ash of rowanberry seedlings. They need to be planted in early spring, without additional insulation. Do not be afraid of their freezing and death, because in the homeland of this shrub rather harsh growing conditions. Therefore, confidence in the engraftment of seedlings is almost 100%.
Before planting, each seedling is carefully inspected, cleaned of weak, damaged and dry shoots. Healthy and strong shoots are cut to a length of 10-15 centimeters, with the preservation of 2-4 developing buds on each. Pits for landing are dug up of shallow depth, but relatively wide (taking into account the rapidly developing root system). On average, the depth of the pit should be about 40 centimeters, and the diameter should be at least 60 centimeters. A substrate mixture consisting of one part of the earth, two parts of humus and one part of sand is poured into the pit, after which a seedling is placed and sprinkled on top of it with soil. After planting, the seedling is well shed with water and mulched.
Plant care
Despite the general unpretentiousness in care, it is worth observing some requirements that will reveal the beauty of the plant in full.
- Watering. The mountain ash of the mountain ash is sensitive to drought and calmly tolerates even slight flooding. Therefore, do not be afraid to overfill the shrub, overdoing it with watering is not as dangerous as not adding water to it. Especially often and plentifully it is necessary to water a bush in the first year after planting. In the future, it is quite enough 2-3 times of plentiful watering per month with an increase in this amount in especially hot weather. For plants located in sunnier areas, additional wetting by spraying is acceptable.
- In the first year of growing shrubs, weed plants should be occasionally removed. Since the mountain ash of the mountain ash has a not too deep root system, do not actively and deeply loosen the soil around the shrub. And after each watering, it is advisable to mulch the soil with bark or peat to avoid drying out of the soil.
- Top dressing. Due to the abundant and constantly updated greenery, the bush constantly needs additional fertilizer of the soil. Mandatory application of organic fertilizers - peat, humus and compost. You can also supplement the fertilizing with mineral fertilizers - urea, superphosphate and potassium nitrate. All fertilizers are introduced into the trunk circle.
- Preparing for the winter. As you can see, leaving and planting the mountain ash of the mountain ash is an easy process. And thanks to its high resistance to cold, this shrub does not require special shelter and insulation for winter time.
Pruning
Young shoots of the mountain ash of the mountain ash leaf in the autumn of the first two years of cultivation do not need pruning, but from the third year you can begin to remove dry, damaged and diseased branches. Shrub mowing can be carried out during the entire vegetative period, removing shoots that violate the plant shape you conceived. Basically, 3-4 pruning per season is sufficient if it comes to the formation of a hedge.
Diseases and Pests
In the process of growth, the shrub can be exposed to various pests and diseases. Despite the high immunity of the plant, if proper care is not taken, this is quite possible.
- Aphid. Its appearance is dangerous not only for the mountain ash of the mountain ash, but also for all other plants on the site. The first signs of its appearance are curled leaves and their drying tips. Cope with these insects will help specialized chemicals that are sold in abundance in any flower shop. For those who do not want to use chemistry, you can use the infusion of garlic, onions and dandelion.
- Spider mite. You can recognize its appearance by whitish points on the leaves. Shrub treatment should be started as early as possible to avoid the spread of the pest throughout the plant. If spraying with soapy water does not bring the expected result, then you should use the Fitoverma solution.
- Viral mosaic is a disease that destroys a plant in a very short time. This virus is detected by yellow spots on the leaves. Unfortunately, there are no drugs that can cure the plant from mosaics. Therefore, the infected plant is subject to destruction.