Rare stars of the garden. Stachiurus early

Send

The assortment of garden plants with attractive flowering is so great that it can present even the most unexpected surprises when looking for alternatives for popular decorative cultures. And perhaps in no category of garden plants there are as many species undeservedly deprived of the attention of garden fashion as among flowering shrubs. Unique flowering in not quite typical terms is the advantage of one of such “rarities” stachiurus earlyadorned in early spring with the luxurious fringe of their elegant “earrings”.

Stachiurus (Stachyurus) - a genus of plants of the Stachyurov family (Stachyurus), including about 10 species from Southeast Asia.

Description of Stachiurus

Stachiurus are deciduous shrubs with medium winter hardiness (they can withstand up to -15 degrees without shelter), up to 2 m high with a classic crown shape and almost straight shoots. Young branches, or rather, a bright red tint of the color of new shoots, give stachiurus a special appeal. The reddish, sometimes purple shade of dark bark on old branches gives the plant even greater graphic quality, as if emphasizing a spreading, strictly-disordered crown.

A neat, transparent, attractive throughout the year, the shrub of the most decorative reaches from March to early May, when its flowering period lasts. On the plant, in strikingly long “earrings”, neat flower bells (up to 30 pieces) are collected, brightly glowing and seeming translucent against the background of dark red branches.

In fact, the stachiurus inflorescences are spikelet, but due to their ability to hang from branches, they seem to be full-fledged earrings. Unique inflorescences form amazingly beautiful cascades that look like luxurious fringe on bare branches.

Leaves at the stachiurus bloom only after flowering is complete. Its luxurious reddish branches gradually disappear under large, very brightly colored leaves up to 10 cm long. In addition to the classical forms, the stachiurus also has varieties with variegated leaves decorated with bright patterns. In autumn, elliptical or pointed leaves change color to scarlet red, one of the most catchy among autumn crowns.

The Stachiurus are today called the potentially main competitor of Forsythia. This is one of the earliest flowering shrubs, which, unlike the main spring star with a bright yellow color, can boast not only colorful, but also very long exotic flowering. After all, it blooms for me for several weeks, and almost 2 months. Flowering begins in March and lasts until the end of May.

Features of growing stachiurus

Stachiurus are easy to grow and belong to the best landscape shrubs. They do not need to provide protection for the winter in the southern regions, and in the middle lane it is better to grow it as a frame or with full shelter. Stachiurus can overwinter with a good shelter by the air-dry method of the entire crown (it is removed at the end of February-March or later, as soon as the frosts become milder and night temperatures do not drop below minus 10-15 degrees).

A plot for growing is easy enough to pick up. This unique shrub feels good both in the sun and in shading. The only thing he will need is high-quality loose and moist soil, not distinguished by a high content of lime, which the stachiurus simply cannot stand.

The main difficulty in growing is to find planting material. Stachiurus is very rare in our country and is almost completely ignored by garden centers. When buying, it is important to make sure that you are buying a plant that is already adapted to your climatic zone and is able to tolerate harsh winters with shelter, and not varieties bred for the south.

The use of stachiurus in garden design

Stachiurus as if created to decorate a modern garden. He perfectly copes with the role of the brightest plant in early spring, the main major soloist. They place the bush near the most spectacular spring compositions, in the most winning locations, where it will become the main "highlight" of the design. Stachiurus inflorescences are used for bouquets.