Aquilegia is a perennial plant of the buttercup family. Most often, this flower is called the catchment. This name is associated with the ability of a plant to collect huge drops of rain in the leaves after rain. In addition, aquilegia is also called an eagle, a dove, a columbus. Aquilegia care and landing are simple and do not require special skills.
According to various sources? the flower has 60 or 120 varieties. Cultivated about 35 species. In vivo, it grows in the mountainous regions of the Northern Hemisphere.
Plant description
Aquilegia flower has been developing for two years. The first is the nucleation of the renewal point, which is located at the base of the shoot. In autumn, after the plant fades, a rosette is formed in this place. With the advent of spring, new leaves and peduncles begin to form from the growth point.
The leaves of the aquilegia flower are triple, sessile, located around the outlet. Leaf shape - triple-dissected with a long stalk.
The plant has many different shades, depending on the variety: violet, raspberry, white, blue, yellow, white-red and many other options. By the number of petals in the inflorescence and their location, terry aquilegia and simple are distinguished. In the latter, the inflorescence consists of five petals located on long peduncles.
Popular views
There are many types of aquilegia, among which the most popular are:
- Hybrid. As a result of crossing several varieties, breeders managed to obtain catchment hybrids. They can reach one meter high. The flowers of such plants are large, of very different colors.
- Common. The height of the catchment is 40-80 cm. Flowers are up to five centimeters in diameter. The color of the petals can be blue, purple. The plant is not afraid of cold weather and can withstand temperatures up to -35.
- Winky. The catchment is low, blooms in double flowers, pointing up.
- Golden Golden hue flowers. In the Russian Federation, this species is rare.
- Series "Stars". Plant height up to 80 cm. Flower diameter up to ten centimeters. In this series, the inner part of the plant is white, and the upper one can be of various shades: blue, red, blue, pink, white.
- Alpine. This species is characterized by an average height of up to 30 cm, although there are plants that reach 80 cm. Alpine species are very beautiful, voluminous, with a flower diameter of up to eight centimeters. The plant blooms in early July. The variety is characterized by flowering in all shades of blue.
- Olympic. The height of the catchment is not more than 60 centimeters. The stem is covered with thick fluff. This species blooms with blue flowers, with the first flowers blooming in May. Most often, this species is found in the Caucasus.
- Canadian A plant with yellow-red petals, does not tolerate drought. In the Russian Federation, this species is extremely rare.
- Ferruginous. In height reaches 45 centimeters. The aquilegia has two-tone color - blue on the outside, and white on the inside.
- Skinner. The variety has low frost resistance. Petals have a yellow-red tint. This species is found in North America, and this continent is the birthplace of the plant.
- McCans. These are high hybrids, more than a meter high. The flowers are directed strictly up with long spurs, of various colors.
Interesting Biedermeier variety. These are low plants, up to thirty centimeters high. It can be grown in pots. The catchment blooms in double flowers, with diameters up to five centimeters.
Other popular varieties
The most sophisticated gardeners grow a Cameo variety up to 15 centimeters high. It is characterized by early flowering, a variety of shades.
Among the old varieties, the Barlow variety is often bred. It is characterized by a height of up to 80 centimeters with large, up to six centimeters, flowers. They are very terry with pointed leaves, almost without spurs. There is a sortotype that looks like Barlow, but its petals are more rounded - this is the Tower.
Aquilegia care and landing is carried out in different climatic conditions in different ways. So, golden varieties are grown where it is warm, since these varieties love heat.
After flowering, seeds are formed. They have an elongated shape, the color is glossy black. Seeds are poisonous. You can get them throughout the year. The resulting material should be sown immediately, otherwise their germination is worsened.
Plant Overview
The plant blooms in June and July. The plant is planted in flower beds in spring or late autumn. It is best to plant a plant with seedlings, sowing in February and March.
Aquilegia has many useful properties. It contains substances that accelerate wound healing. Because of this feature, the plant is used in folk medicine. Decoctions and infusions are prepared from aquilegia, using them to treat burns, peptic ulcer disease, and also to rinse the mouth. The decoction helps with pathologies of the digestive tract, bladder. Raw materials are collected during flowering and thoroughly dried. Nevertheless, it is dangerous to be treated with this plant, since it is poisonous, especially seeds.
Breeding method
Aquilegia at home reproduces in several ways:
- Seeds by sowing in open ground or in boxes on the windowsill.
- By dividing the bush.
- Cuttings.
In the first method, the plant will bloom in the second year, although some varieties may bloom in late autumn.
When dividing the root, you can immediately get an adult plant that will delight you with beautiful flowers.
The catchment is easily propagated by cuttings. For this, in early spring, before the appearance of the first leaves, the shoot is cut off. Its lower part is treated with a root stimulant, for example, “Kornevin,” after which the stalk is planted in the ground and placed in a hotbed. It is recommended to root the cuttings in the shade. Sand is used as a substrate for germination.
After about a month, roots will appear on the plant. After that, the flower is planted in a permanent place in the ground.
Seed cultivation
When cultivating aquilegia from seeds, the timing of sowing should be observed. It is best to sow the seeds in the fall right into the ground right after they are harvested. In this case, a natural stratification of aquilegia occurs. With the advent of spring, the seeds will sprout. After that, they can be transplanted to a permanent place.
If it is not possible to plant seeds immediately in the ground in the fall, then you can grow seedlings of aquilegia. To increase seed germination, they are stratified by placing them in a refrigerator for three weeks, after mixing the seeds with soil. It is best to plant 1-2 seeds in one container.
Planting a plant
When cultivating aquilegia from seeds, transplantation into open ground is carried out in early summer. The scorching sun should not be allowed to fall on the plant. In late summer, and better in early spring of next year, the plant sits on a permanent place where it will grow for many years.
Adult flowers can be planted in direct sunlight, in the shade: they ideally tolerate any conditions. In the second year, the aquilegia grown from seeds will bloom, and in the third year, the bush will reach maturity.
Any soil is suitable for planting: compost or humus is introduced into it. A bucket of fertilizer is needed per square meter of land.
Aquilegia care and planting require compliance with planting density requirements. This flower does not like dense settlement - no more than ten plants are planted per square meter. When planting plants with high stems, a distance of 40 cm is maintained between them, and 25 cm between the low ones.
After flowering, a seed box is formed on the plant. If it is not removed, then the plant itself will shed seeds. The next year they sprout. After 2-3 years, when the old bushes lose their decorativeness, they are removed, leaving self-sowing plants.
Care Features
Both the departure itself and the landing of aquilegia are a simple matter. It grows on any soil, the main thing is to choose the right place. The catchment can be planted in the shade, partial shade, in the sun. Although ideally this plants select a partial shade. When placed in the sun, the flowers become smaller, bloom poorly.
It is useful to renew the soil every year by adding fresh substrate. If in the process of growing leaves and flowers become pale, then this is a signal to a lack of nutrients. To fix this, the bushes are watered with mullein infusion. Otherwise, care for terry aquilegia and other varieties is reduced to weeding, cultivating, watering and timely top dressing.
Plant nutrition
When planting aquilegia in open ground, three top dressings are carried out:
- In early May, the plant is fed with organic fertilizers such as "Agricolla". Fertilizer is bred at the rate of a tablespoon in a bucket of water.
- In early June, a second top dressing is carried out. It is necessary for flowering plants. Nitrofoska is added to the soil at the rate of two spoons per bucket of water. A solution of urea is added to the solution.
- After trimming the faded stems, be sure to feed urea bushes and potassium sulfate.
If you feed bushes on time, they will delight you with plentiful and long flowering for a long time. And if after the first flowering, remove the stems with faded flowers, preventing the plant from forming seed bolls, then in the fall the catchment will again delight the second wave of bright, beautiful flowers.
Proper watering
The plant loves moisture, so it should be watered often. The soil should always be moist. Ideally, watering should simulate rain. After this procedure, droplets are formed on the leaves, which are attractively poured in the sun. If it is not possible to carry out regular irrigation, then this can be done less often, but very plentifully.
Care during and after flowering
According to the description, aquilegia blooms in early summer. She gradually reveals her inflorescences. To extend the flowering period, remove stems with faded flowers: you can leave a couple of boxes for seeds.
If the catchment does not bloom, then the time has not yet come. Usually, after sowing, the aquilegia blooms only in the second year. If the plant is two years old or more, then its refusal to bloom may be caused by the wrong location. After the bush fades, it is cut by a third.
The catchment belongs to “fidgets” - in one place the plant can be grown for no more than five years, after which the coots are transplanted.
In winter, the catchment area is not covered. Its aerial parts die in frosts, and with the advent of spring, it regrowth from the central point of growth.
Diseases and Pests
Most often, the plant is affected by the following diseases:
- Gray rot. If the catchment is affected by gray rot, it is necessary to immediately remove all leaves and flowers. Sick parts of the plant are burned. You can treat the plant with a solution of potassium permanganate or any fungicide.
- Powdery Mildew This disease affects the catchment quite often. When infected, the stem and leaves become covered with white coating. If you do not take action, the plant will die. At the first signs of the disease, a double treatment with a sulfur solution should be carried out.
- Rust. Less commonly, the catchment is affected by rust. In case of a disease, it is necessary to remove all diseased parts of the bush, remove leaves and stems. After this procedure, the catchment is treated with a soapy solution with the addition of copper sulphate or preparations containing sulfur.
Of the pests, the bushes are most often affected by aphids, spider mites, scoops, nematodes. You can get rid of pests by processing with special drugs. It can be Karbofos, Aktellik and other means.
To get rid of nematodes, you will have to transplant the plant to a new place. To get rid of parasites living in the soil, in the place where the catchment grew, plant garlic or onions. Those flowers that are affected by the pest are burned.
So that the plant does not hurt and is not damaged by pests, it is necessary to carry out preventive treatments. From aphids and other pests, the bushes are sprayed with fungicides. To protect against diseases, the catchment is treated with preparations containing sulfur, manganese, and soap solutions. Treatments are carried out once a month. From pests, preventive spraying is carried out at least three times during the growing season.
Preparing for the winter
When growing a plant in one place for a long time, its root system grows strongly, begins to go outside, interfere with the growth of new shoots. To prevent freezing of the plant and allow new flowers to grow, after cutting the peduncle, it is necessary to add soil mixed with humus. Thus, you can not only cover the roots that have come out, but also save aquilegia from frost, and also feed the flower.