Types and reproduction of decorative honeysuckle, planting and care of honeysuckle
Decorative honeysuckle called honeysuckle is a plant that can be easily planted and cared for. The unpretentious shrub will withstand any weather conditions. The main thing is to plant it in the ground in spring or summer, so that the plant has time to acclimatize in a new place before winter. Honeysuckle will grow anywhere, but fertile soil and plenty of light are needed to achieve a lush canopy and abundant flowering.
Description and peculiarities of the plant
Honeysuckle is an incredibly beautiful plant that is used for landscape gardening. A distinctive feature are fragrant tubular flowers collected in whorls of white, yellowish or pinkish-purple hue, which bloom in the axils of the fused upper leaves.
Honeysuckle translated from Latin means "goat leaf". Another name for the plant is goat honeysuckle. Grows wild in southern latitudes.In our region, it perfectly adapts to moderately cold winters, but before the onset of frosts it loses its foliage.
Honeysuckle lends itself to training pruning, so it can be shaped like a low, lush bush or a tall, climbing vine. The plant can reach 6 meters in height. Honeysuckle has a beautiful elliptical shape with leathery leaves growing away from the branches. The upper leaves grow together and form disc-shaped formations, a kind of support for the inflorescences.
Honeysuckle blooms, depending on the species, in 1-2 months. Flowering is abundant and long lasting. Closer to autumn, orange or red berries ripen. They are inedible and poisonous. Ornamental honeysuckle is grown exclusively for gardening the personal plot.
Varieties
There are several types of decorative honeysuckle. Varieties differ from each other in the shade of flowers, the shape of the crown, morphological characteristics. These plants are used to create hedges or to decorate certain areas of the garden.
Alpine
Ornamental plant characterized by slow growth and a compact appearance. Delicate pink flowers appear in late spring and last only 3-4 weeks. But in their place, closer to autumn, small red berries appear in large numbers, scattered on the green leaves of the bush. It is they who give the alpine variety a special decorative effect.
Golden
Ornamental culture with beautiful yellow flowers giving off a light aroma. It blooms for only a few weeks in May-June.
maaka
Tall, spreading perennial shrub used to shade the area or to decorate the landscape. This decorative variety has beautiful fragrant snow-white flowers.
Maksimovich
It is a shrub with a spreading crown, the height of which is from 1 to 3 meters. Reddish flowers appear at the end of May, and after two weeks they fly.
Ordinary
It is a deciduous shrub 1 to 2 meters high. The creamy flowers appear in late spring. In their place, closer to autumn, reddish berries that grow in pairs grow together.
Bed-cover
It is a shrub that can reach 3 meters in height. This variety has long leaves, as well as flowers that change color (first yellow, then burgundy). The berries are dark in color.
Sizaya
Sprawling shrub up to 2 meters high.This honeysuckle has yellow-purple flowers, reddish berries, greenish-gray leaves.
Hecrotta
This is a hybrid culture, which is a lush bush that can reach 2-4 meters in height and 1.5-3 meters in width. Differs in abundant flowering from June to September. The pink flowers have a strong vanilla scent.
Thalmann
It is a climbing vine that can reach 6 meters high. It blooms with golden orange flowers. This honeysuckle has inedible reddish berries.
How to plant correctly
Decorative types of honeysuckle are used exclusively for decorating a personal plot or creating hedges. It is best to plant this plant near or around the house, in a specific spot in the garden.
Seat selection
Honeysuckle grows well in shade, but blooms best in full sun. You can make a hedge from this plant, surround a resting place in the garden with bushes, a playground. With honeysuckle, you can create an impenetrable wall and highlight specific areas.
When choosing a planting site, pay attention to the degree of waterlogging of the soil. This ornamental culture does not tolerate excess moisture, but grows poorly without regular moderate watering.It is advisable not to plant the vine in a draft and in a place not protected from the north winds.
Manufacturing Support
Shrubby honeysuckle only requires training pruning. For the creeper you need to make a special support. It can be a metal arch, wooden garden screens, partitions, trellis, pergolas. The support can be made independently from wooden slats, or you can buy a ready-made one. The main thing is that it is strong and can withstand the weight of the shoots.
Ground requirements
Honeysuckle is demanding on the soil. This plant prefers neutral or slightly acidic, but still fertile soils. If the soil is too clayey or sandy, its composition should be improved. The soil should be loose and light, but contain all the nutrients necessary for plant growth.
To do this, a hole is dug to a depth and width of up to 70 centimeters, and the selected soil is mixed in equal proportions with humus, turf, vegetable garden, leaf soil.
Sand, sawdust and peat are added to the clay soil. The soil is fertilized with nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium substances (50 grams each), up to 100 grams of lime is added to reduce acidity, a pinch of soda is added to prevent fungus.
Time recommendations
A potted plant purchased in the summer can be planted immediately in the garden. Before winter, honeysuckle will have time to adapt to new conditions. True, spring is more suitable for planting in open ground than autumn.A young plant will not have time to acclimatize in a new place, gain strength and may die in a harsh winter.
Landing scheme
In order to plant honeysuckle in the ground, it is necessary to dig a hole 2-3 times larger than the root ball of the plant. It is desirable to improve the selected soil with organic (about a bucket of rotten manure) and mineral fertilizers.
The landing pit usually has the following dimensions: depth - 50-70 centimeters, diameter - 50-70 centimeters. It is advisable to lay small gravel at the bottom. A little earth is poured into the hole, a plant is placed on it and sprinkled with the rest of the earth. The collar should remain above ground level. It doesn't need to be delved into. After planting, it is recommended to water the plant abundantly with water (1-2 buckets under the bush).
Rules of care
At a young age, the bush will need to be constantly cared for, otherwise it will quickly die. The little plant does not compete with weeds. In the circle close to the trunk, it is imperative to carry out weeding. You can mulch the ground near the bush with sawdust, compost, peat, black film. The mulch will keep weeds out and retain moisture.
watering mode
The frequency of watering depends on weather conditions. If precipitation falls rarely, then it is advisable to pour 1-3 buckets of water under the bush once a week. The plant needs moisture at the time of flowering. If the soil is too dry, the honeysuckle will begin to lose flowers prematurely. Before wintering in the fall, at least 5 buckets of water should be poured under the plant.
top dresser
Lush and long flowering, a dense and beautiful crown is the result of regular feeding. Shrubs are fertilized at least three times per season.The first feeding takes place at the beginning of April. Saltpeter, urea or ammonium sulfate is added to the circle of the trunk (about 30 grams of fertilizer is diluted with water for irrigation). In the summer, before flowering, the plant is fed with superphosphate and potassium fertilizers (15 grams each). Before wintering, the trunk circle is mulched with rotten manure.
Disease prevention
Most hybrid species have excellent immunity. Plants rarely get sick. True, it is better to protect honeysuckle from possible diseases. In early spring, it is advisable to whiten the lower shoots of the shrub with slaked lime or Bordeaux mixture. For the prevention of fungal diseases, the leaves are sprayed with Fundazol. Means such as Actellik, Confidor will help destroy overwintered larvae.
Dust the floor against pests
Insects that harm honeysuckle usually live in the ground near shrubs. It is recommended to process the trunk circle in early spring with insecticides (Aktara, Aktellik, Rogor, Konfidor, Inta-Vir). It helps dust the floor with wood ash and tobacco dust.
Size
The first three years of life, the honeysuckle grows, builds the root system and the aerial crown. At 3-4 years old, it begins to flower. At the age of 5, you can perform a formation pruning of the bush. It's best to do this in early spring, before the juices start to move. Shrubs cut in the fall won't survive the winter well. In the spring, sanitary pruning is also carried out, that is, old and damaged branches are removed.
Breeding methods
There are three ways to propagate honeysuckle: by seed, by layering and by cuttings.With good germination care, either of these methods can produce a new plant.
Layers
A simple breeding method that gives one hundred percent results. At the beginning of summer, the lower branch (more than a year old) of the bush is pressed to the ground and sprinkled with earth. The top is left outside. In the fall, the sprout will take root, however, it will be possible to separate it from the mother plant and transplant it to a new place only next spring.
Seeds
When honeysuckle propagates by seeds, a full-fledged plant will have to wait for several years. Seeds are harvested in the fall and immediately sown in open ground or in pots with peat substrate. In the case of an artificial culture, the shoot must be monitored, watered regularly, and planted in the ground in the hot season. Honeysuckle seeds germinate without stratification.
Cuttings
In summer, you can cut lignified cuttings 10 cm long from the top of the bush, tear off the leaves and put them in water. In order for the branches to grow roots, root formation is stimulated. The shoots are placed in water together with a plant that already has roots.
After the roots appear, the cuttings are planted in pots with a substrate. Throughout the year, the shoots are kept indoors, cared for, watered and transplanted into the open ground in the spring.
Additional tips and tricks
Ornamental honeysuckle ages with age. For 6-7 years, rejuvenation pruning can be carried out on the shrub, that is, by cutting off old branches, some can be shortened to a powerful bud. The growth of young shoots is stimulated by nitrogen fertilization. A rejuvenation pruning is desirable in the spring.