Aubrieta is a flowering perennial plant from the Cabbage family. Its homeland is Southern Europe, Latin America and Asia Minor. Aubrieta can be found near river banks and rocky slopes. This creeping evergreen plant amazes with abundant flowering, covering the flower bed and even vertical surfaces with a continuous flowering carpet. Shaving care need a small but regular. You can not forget about it for a long time, but in gratitude it pleases with bright fragrant flowering and soft fluffy leaves.
Plant description
Aubrieta is a perennial groundcover. Its stems grow 25-35 cm in length, and their height does not exceed 15 cm. The shoots are divided into 2 types: vegetative creeps on the ground, in generative ones, like lateral processes, rise to the sky. As a result, a dense carpet or oblong bush forms very quickly.
Along the entire length of the shoots there are small pubescent leaves. They have an oval or obovate shape and are attached to the stems with short petioles. The edges of the foliage are solid or jagged. Due to the dense pubescence, the vegetation acquires a bluish-green hue.
In May, the bush quickly becomes covered with small flowers with a diameter of up to 1 cm. They are located singly or collected in small flowered brushes. Flowering lasts 35-50 days. The corolla consists of four bent petals that grow together into a narrow tube. Yellow anthers and ovary peep out from the tube. Flower petals are painted in purple, purple, pinkish red, blue or white.
After pollination, the fruits are tied - small swollen pods. They contain small light brown seeds, flattened on the sides.
Types of Aubriet
12 species of plants were registered in the genus Obrits. Since hybrids are more decorative, only deltoid species are widespread among species.
Aubrieta deltoid (deltoid). Grassy groundcover up to 15 cm high is covered with deltoid gray-green foliage. On the edges of leaflets visible 1-2 pronounced teeth. Since May, for 1.5 months the shoots are covered with racemose inflorescences. Loose brushes consist of purple-blue or purple flowers with a diameter of up to 1 cm.
Aubrieta hybrid (cultural). The plant grows rapidly and forms a green shrub up to 20 cm high. Even under snow, it retains the color of foliage. From mid-May, for 35-40 days, the curtain is covered with loose inflorescences - snowy purple or lilac flowers. For the first time, breeders began to breed hybrids of ubrit at the end of the XIX century To date, the number of decorative varieties has exceeded one hundred. The most interesting are the following:
- Aurea variegata - dense green shoots covered with golden spots, blooms with lavender inflorescences;
- Blue King - blossoms bright blue flowers;
- Cascading aubrieta - gray-green pubescent shoots and foliage are suitable for vertical gardening, in May blue, purple or turquoise flowers bloom above them with a yellow eye;
- Cote d'Azur - dense dark green shoots decorated with sky-blue flowers;
- The Red King - a spherical bush 10-15 cm tall blooms bright red flowers with a diameter of up to 5 cm;
- Royal cascade - hanging shoots are covered with light pink small flowers;
- Joy is an ampel plant with pale pink or lilac double flowers.
Seed cultivation
Seed propagation for shaving is considered the most simple and effective. Unfortunately, this method does not convey varietal characteristics.
In open ground, seeds are sown in April or September.To do this, prepare holes with a depth of 1-1.5 cm. The surface of the earth must be mulched with sand. In spring, care must be taken, since subtle seedlings are easily confused with weeds.
The more common pre-cultivation of seedlings of obuyta.
Crops are produced in February.Seeds without preliminary preparation are laid out on the surface of peat tablets or sandy peat soil in disposable pots. Top seeds sprinkled with a thin layer of soil and sand. Humidification is carried out using a spray gun. Crops are covered with a film and kept in a bright place at a temperature of + 18 ... + 21 ° C. Every day you need to ventilate the mini-greenhouse and moisten the soil.
Seeds germinate within 20-28 days. With the advent of shoots, the film is removed. Seedlings are sensitive to fungal diseases, so hydration is carried out with caution. In late April, plants begin to take out into the fresh air for hardening. After another 1-2 weeks, seedlings are planted in open ground. The roots of the shear are very sensitive to any damage, so they plant it together with peat pots or tablets without a dive. Flowering seedlings occurs a year later in the spring.
You can propagate plants with cuttings. To do this, cut the tops of shoots without inflorescences in the summer. They are rooted in sandy peat soil under a transparent cover. By the end of August, stalks will grow strong roots. A transplant to a permanent place is carried out with a large lump of earth, then before winter the plants will have time to adapt and grow stronger. In anticipation of severe frosts, it is recommended to leave the cuttings in the greenhouse until next spring.
In April or September, a large bush can be divided into several parts. Aubrieta tolerates the procedure quite painfully. The bush is dug up, cut into dividers and immediately planted in the holes. Due to damage to the rhizome, part of the delenok can die.
Landing and care
At the beginning of May, when the frosts recede, the aurete is planted in open ground. The landing area should be well-lit and ventilated. With a lack of light, flowers become less vibrant. The soil should have a light structure and moderate fertility. On heavy clay soils, sheath grows worse, so before planting, the earth is dug up and gravel is introduced. Dolomite flour or slaked lime is added to too acidic soil. The distance between the bushes of seedlings is 5-10 cm.
It is necessary to water the Aubriete in moderation. Plants do not tolerate drought very well, but they also suffer from stagnation of moisture in the soil. Therefore, watering is often, but in small portions. This is best done by sprinkling. Immediately after planting, the soil is abundantly watered and mulched with river sand to a height of 2-3 cm. Since the sand is washed out, the mulch is updated every spring.
Fertilize the shave quite rarely. It is enough 1-2 times a season to feed it with wood ash or potash mineral complexes. If you overdo it with top dressing, the plant will increase its green mass, but bloom will be worse.
At the end of June, when the flowering is completed, the sheath is cut off. Not only wilted inflorescences are removed, but also part of the shoots. For winter, it is recommended to cover the bushes with straw or fallen leaves. In early spring, shelter is removed. To prevent plants from quailing during the spring thaw, grooves are dug around the flower garden in advance. Water from melted snow can go there. Such care will protect the roots from flooding.
Aubrieta has good immunity, but suffers from damp and frequent watering from root rot and powdery mildew. Only correct agricultural technology will help to solve the problem. Of the parasites, the aphritis most often attacks aphids. Under a thick green cover, slugs can hide from the heat. Insecticides help to defeat pests. Snails and slugs are scared away by ash and collected by hand.
Aubriet in the garden
In landscape design, sheen is used for vertical and horizontal landscaping. It creates a continuous flowering carpet and can be used for ampel growing. Euphorbia flower garden partners can be euphorbia, Caucasian rezuha, soapwort, alissum, iris and phlox. Aubrieta is also planted in rock gardens, rockeries or mixborders. Multi-colored thickets often form on stony slopes, walls and fences, which form an amazing green or pinkish-purple soft cascade.
