Lambweed is a wild perennial grass. Its homeland is Europe, Iran, Asia and North Africa. Lamia has many species. Some of them are considered weeds. However, there is a list of varieties that are used in landscape design.
One of these varieties is speckled clam. This plant is used to create beautiful grass cover in gardens, on sections of private houses and cottages. Features of this plant are presented below.
general characteristics
Speckled Lamb (Lamium maculatum) is also sometimes called spotted. It grows in meadows and forests of the Caucasus, Europe and Asia Minor. This is a perennial plant. This species is distinguished by hollow stems. They can spread along the ground with a lush carpet or grow directly. In the nodes of the cassock has the ability to take root.
Shoots can reach a length of 30-70 cm. Branching is determined only in the lower part of the plant. On all parts of the plant there are rare hairs. They give some pubescence to the crypt.
Leaves grow on cuttings. Their shape is elliptical. On the edge of the sheet you can see small cloves. Sometimes on the surface of the sheet you can find a bright strip.
The flowers reach a length of 2-3 cm and can have a color from almost white to saturated purple. On the lower lip of the inflorescence there are characteristic spots of light purple in color. It is this feature that determines the affiliation of the cassock to the type of purple. This is a honey plant variety.
Popular varieties
Today, breeders have bred many varieties of the presented plant. Greatly popular in landscape design today is the use of clover, speckled Beacon Silver, as well as Type Ronsdorf, White Nancy and many other varieties.
Gardeners also use varieties such as white cinnamon (deaf nettle), bearded, yellow. The first variety has small helmet-shaped colors. They have a white color. Most often, this clover is used in traditional medicine recipes. Variety Fridey is most decorative. It has a yellow spot in the center of the leaf plate.
Bearded crypt is considered a rare plant in nature. She has quite large flowers. They are painted in light pink tones. Yellow Lamb (Zelenchuk) is most often found in the wild nature of our country. She has creeping shoots. The buds are gathered in whorls of six flowers. They have a yellow pubescent corolla.
Breeding Features
The speckled lamb (spotted), the description of which allows summer residents to conclude that it is advisable to grow it on their site, requires certain conditions for their growth. She prefers a shady, moist place. The best clover grows on the western and eastern sides of the garden.
The plant feels great under the bushes. However, do not plant it under the trees. After rain, its leaves will be wet for a long time. This is an unpretentious plant. It has no special soil composition requirements. The soil should be loose, have a drainage system. If the substrate is rich in nutrients, calendula grows very much. Her decorative qualities in this case are reduced. Therefore, it is not necessary to fertilize the earth additionally. Even on poor soil, the plant develops quite normally.
Propagation is done by cuttings, dividing the bush or seeds. At the same time, it should be ensured that the place for the growth of the crypt is not exposed to direct sunlight. However, in the dark, the cassock will not grow vigorously.
Breeding
If the plantation of mottled nettle will be carried out in its own area, then it can multiply by the above methods. The simplest of them is the division of the bush. To do this, pinch part of it in the spring. After transplanting, the plant takes root quickly. New shoots form. In the first year after the division of the bush, the cassock blossoms.
The spotted type of crypt is also propagated by cuttings. Young shoots are cut off and immediately transplanted into the ground. This procedure can be performed throughout the growing season.
Seeds should be sown in the ground in the first months of spring after thawing snow. Soil at this time should be well moistened. It is required to loosen the soil. Sowing is superficial. Seeds are pressed a little into the ground. The plant is resistant to cold. Therefore, he does not need greenhouse conditions. Seeds can be sown on their own. Therefore, extra seedlings should be removed.
Care
Lamium speckled, landing and care of which are carried out by the summer resident independently, requires proper watering, feeding. The plant does not tolerate excess moisture. Water should not stagnate at the site of the growth of crypt. The plant can tolerate short periods of drought. Its decorativeness in this case will decrease.
After a full watering, the appearance of the clover is quickly restored. If dry, hot weather is established, watering should be increased. Feeding should not be too carried away. If the cassock does not develop fully, you can add a small amount of mineral or organic fertilizer to the soil.
The size of the bushes must be controlled. Lamb must not grow too much. Otherwise, over time, the ornamental plant will become like a weed. After the flowering period ends, the extra stems need to be cut.
Interesting Facts
A few interesting facts are known for mottled nettle. The use of this plant in medicine has been made for a long time. Flowers can be harvested from late spring to early fall. Of these, infusions are made for the treatment of diseases of the upper respiratory tract, bronchitis, as well as for eczema, urticaria, diathesis and even boils.
Applications made of flowers help with bruises, burns. They have a wound healing, hemostatic effect. Also, infusions from the nettle help with colic, liver, kidney, and gynecology. She is drunk from insomnia, with nervous disorders.
In addition to the medical focus, the use of cassava can be food. Salads are made from its leaves, added to soup or borsch. Young shoots can be pickled or pickled, and the roots are similar in taste to asparagus.
Landscape design
Lamium speckled is used in the design of country, garden plots. Moreover, designers are interested in its ground cover qualities. The plant looks good near the curbs, in the surface of the bushes. It masks unseemly areas and corners, and can also grow in shaded places near fences or buildings.
Lamb is well established near the stones. In landscape design, it is often used to design alpine slides. Also flowing shoots in flowerpots look spectacular.
Daffodils, hyacinths, and dwarf tulips feel well next to the crypt. It is also grown in the neighborhood of fern, Lungwort.
Having considered what features the speckled clover differs , you can use it in the decoration of your garden. With proper care, this plant will decorate any personal plot.