When creating a design for the territory of a summer cottage or your own house, it is very popular among gardeners, thanks to its picturesque bright floral arrangements, such a plant as aubrieta. This garden flower looks great on alpine hills, in ordinary flower beds and even on a shady alley.
Description
Aubrieta or otherwise it is called aubretia - this is perennial soil coverthat covers the ground with a picturesque carpet. In order for her to please the amateur gardener with her beauty, it is necessary for her to provide competent, timely care. The flowers of the garden plant are small, but their number is impressive. The color of the flowers is quite varied: white, purple, blue, etc. Aubrieta bushes are low, reaching only 10 to 13 cm. Flowering with proper care occurs 2 times per season. As a rule, this is in late spring - early summer, lasting up to 45 days and in early autumn - about 35 days. The fruit of a garden plant is in the form of a pod, in which brown seeds are elongated.
Varieties of obriety
There are in nature various grades and types of aubernia, which differ from each other in color, shape and structure of the bush. Varieties of obriety:
- Cascading is a fairly well-known type of garden aubre. Flowers are mostly blue or red with a yellowish core. The foliage is gray-green.
- Hybrid or cultivated - this type of garden shaving is distinguished by its early flowering. The color of the flowers is pink, red and purple.
- Deltoid, otherwise it is also called a lilac bush. The flowers of this type of garden shaving are medium-sized purple, purple in color. Since the inflorescences are collected in a brush, the herbaceous plant becomes similar to a lilac, and therefore received its second name.
Planting and leaving
For gardeners - amateurs will not cause difficulty in caring for the shave. To begin with, you must definitely choose a suitable site for a flower, adhering to the rules. Rules for choosing a place for planting aubriets:
- The garden flower is quite thermophilic, so the place should be sunny. If the climate is southern, then it is possible to choose a slightly shaded place for planting a garden plant. In temperate climates, it is necessary to find a sunny place for the perennial, partial shade will not allow the plant to bloom.
- The plant does not like acidic, heavy, clayey soils. Before planting, the soil in which the garden shavings will be planted must be loosened.
- Clear the area from weeds.
- Apply fertilizer to the soil. It is necessary to dig up the soil 15 cm deep and mix with ash or lime.
- Provide drainage.
- If possible, it is better to give preference to a site located on a hill.
After planting a garden plant, he needs constant timely care... Even if the soil is loose and light, it will be very useful to mulch several times a season, that is, mix the top layer of soil with sand with a layer of 3 to 5 cm.It is also necessary to provide the required watering of the plant, to carry out timely feeding and pruning of the aurea.
Watering and fertilizing aubriets
It is necessary to water the garden flower as the soil dries out, monitor watering, especially in hot weather. Aubrieta does not like moisture, therefore, when the plant overflows, the roots may rot or the flower will not bloom.
In order for a garden flower to bloom actively, it must be fertilized. The garden plant follows feed with mineral fertilizers 2 times a season:
- in spring: feeding is carried out before the buds appear.
- in summer: fertilize after cutting the plant to re-bloom.
Pruning and grafting obriety
The blooming period of aubretia is 4 to 7 weeks. In order for the plant to bloom a second time, it is necessary to prune it. To do this, after the first flowering, the stems are removed under the root. The land is fed. After these procedures, the plant will actively begin to grow and will bloom again by autumn. In the fall, the plant should not be cut to avoid the death of the plant during the wintering period.
The main rule in caring for a garden plant is cuttings, which should be carried out once a year. This is done so that the herbaceous flower does not degenerate over time and does not become more capricious in its care. For cuttings, you must use young shoots without peduncles... They must be cut off in May and planted in a greenhouse with a sandy-peat soil mixture. When planting, there should be a distance of 10 to 15 cm between seedlings. In late summer or autumn, the cuttings are transplanted into a flower bed, but if they are weak, you can leave them in a greenhouse for the winter.
Preparing for wintering aubriets
Aubretia is frost-hardy, therefore it tolerates winters well enough. But for safety net and additional protection of the roots, you can cover with dry foliage before the first frosts.
Growing aubrets from seeds
In order for a beautiful flower to delight the gardener in spring, summer and even autumn with its chic flowering carpets, you need to learn how to properly grow Arieta yourself from seeds. Ways to grow a garden plant from seeds:
- in the spring by seedling in a special container;
- in the fall, when planting is carried out immediately in the open field.
Rules to followplanting seeds of garden aubretion in the first way:
Carefully distribute the seeds all over the soil, the main thing is not to sprinkle them with earth on top, because the seeds need light to germinate.- After planting the seeds, cover the container with plastic wrap. It can be removed only after the sprouts appear.
- Maintain the desired temperature (from 18 to 21 0С).
- Spray the seeds regularly, slightly moistening them. After 30 days, the grown sprouts must be transplanted into separate pots. It is necessary to plant seedlings in open ground when the soil is sufficiently warmed up. To do this, it is necessary to prepare the sprouts by lowering the pots into a bowl of water, thereby making it easier to detach the earthen ball with the seedling from the container. Then make the holes with a depth equal to the length of the root of the seedling and wider in width than the soil lump, and you can already plant the seedlings of the garden shaved, observing a distance of 5 cm. Sprinkle sand on top of each planted seedling, watering the plant abundantly.
In the second method, for planting seeds in the ground, it is necessary choose the right landing site and prepare the ground. To do this, you need to loosen it, water it, and then you can already sow seeds. Lightly mix the topsoil with sand.
Diseases and pests
A garden plant can also die due to diseases that appear during perennial aubreition. To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to examine the garden flower and provide it with treatment in a timely manner.
Diseases and pests affecting Aubrieta:
powdery mildew. When this disease appears, a brown bloom forms on the plant. It is necessary to start treatment immediately so that the garden plant does not die. To do this, it is necessary to spray the plant with an aqueous solution of colloidal sulfur.If the lesion has spread to a large number of bushes, then it must be removed.- aphid. To combat it, use nettle infusion. As a last resort, insecticides can be used.
When growing a garden beauty in a garden plot, you need to know all the intricacies of her cultivation, planting and care, only then she will thank her intense long flowering... It should be remembered that the undersized aubriet prefers loose soil, regular watering, while avoiding waterlogging, it is necessary to feed the garden flower in a timely manner, to prune it. And only if the necessary conditions are met for long-term aubration, you can enjoy lush flower carpets that can decorate any place in the garden.
