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Alyssum Snow Princess is a small shrub with a regular spherical shape. It blooms profusely throughout the summer. Its white flowers resemble a beautiful snow cloud. Alyssum is very easy to care for. It is grown for seedlings from seeds, which can be collected independently in early October.
Description of vegetative alyssum Snow Princess
Alyssum Snow Princess is an ampelous flowering shrub that is part of the Brassica family. Alyssums are considered to come from the Mediterranean region, but thanks to selection they can be grown even in the climatic conditions of Russia. They decorate the garden with flowers of various colors - white, pink, purple, yellow.
The name Lobularia Snow Princess comes from the Latin. lobularia Snow Princess. As it grows, the aliussum acquires a regular spherical shape, so it practically does not need pruning. The leaves are lanceolate, small, green.The root system is fibrous, so the plant does not need deep deepening: it receives all nutrients and moisture from the top layer of soil.
Snow Princess produces numerous white flowers that densely cover the plant. The bush turns out to be quite tall (50-60 cm), but at the same time compact and very attractive. Another advantage is lush, long-lasting flowering. From a distance, this form of alyssum resembles a beautiful green hill, as if powdered with snow.
How Lobularia Snow Princess blooms
Alyssum Snow Princess produces small white flowers collected in numerous inflorescences (tassels). They cover the bush evenly and appear at approximately the same time. The flowers are four-petaled and regular in shape. A pleasant aroma is felt at a short distance.
Flowering of Alyssum Snow Princess begins in June and continues until the onset of the first frost.
Application in landscape design
Alyssum Snow Princess is widely used in landscape design. This is one of the best ways to decorate an inconspicuous or unattractive corner of the garden. The culture can be placed in the center of the flowerbed, then alyssum looks especially beautiful.
Snow Princesses are often used in single plantings. This beautiful plant is also suitable for flower arrangements - for example, in rock gardens and rockeries, in multi-tiered flower beds. It can also be combined with other forms of alyssum.
Snow Princesses are often planted along park paths
White Snow Princess balls can be placed in front of the entrance to your home or office
The culture is suitable for growing in outdoor flowerpots
Alyssum Princess Snow can also be used in combination with other, brighter flowers and ornamental plants
A pot with a plant can be placed on a stand and moved to any place
Features of reproduction
Lobularia Snow Princess is easy to grow from seeds. They can be purchased at the store or assembled yourself at the end of September. Landing instructions:
- a thick cloth is laid out under the bush - for example, a blanket, an awning;
- take the inflorescences in their hands and carefully grind them;
- Separate the seeds and store them at home in bags made of breathable fabric.
Planting and caring for alyssum Snow Princess
To grow alyssum, purchase seeds and plant them in early March. Ready seedlings can be transferred to open ground in mid-May or in the last ten days of April (in the southern regions).
Sowing time
Alyssum Snow Princess can be planted as seedlings at the end of February or early March. The seedlings will be ready for transplanting in about 60 days.
If it was not possible to meet this deadline, it is allowed to sow seeds directly into open ground in mid-May. In this case, flowering will begin not in June, but in mid-July, and it will hardly be possible to collect the seeds.
Preparing for sowing
Alyssum is undemanding to the composition of the soil. Under natural conditions, the bush grows on depleted soils, on rock slopes and in other not very favorable conditions.
Therefore, any soil is suitable for seedlings. You can purchase it in a store or make it yourself by mixing garden soil with peat in equal quantities. It is recommended to keep the mixture in advance for 12 hours in a weak solution of potassium permanganate, then drain and dry.
Boxes, plastic seedling cassettes or individual pots are suitable as containers. They must first be disinfected and then rinsed thoroughly under running water.
Alyssum seedlings can be obtained in ordinary plastic cups
Growing Alyssum Snow Princess seedlings
Instructions for growing are to follow the following points:
- It is not necessary to wet small seeds, but they can be pre-etched in a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
- Fill the pots with soil, place the seeds and crush them a little; there is no need to deepen them. Moisten with a spray bottle.
- Leave in a cool place (about 12 °C), constantly illuminated with a phytolamp. The required length of the day is at least 12 hours.
- After the first shoots appear (about 5-10 days), complex mineral fertilizer is applied.
- Then the Princess Snow alyssum is dived. This can be done after two or three leaves appear. If the seedlings grow quickly, this procedure will not be necessary.
Alyssum seedlings can be obtained in ordinary plastic cups
Transplantation into the ground
The seedlings are transferred to the ground in the first half of May. Planted at a distance of at least 20-25 cm from each other. Sequencing:
- first the area is cleared and dug up;
- mark several shallow holes;
- lay drainage (expanded clay, broken brick and other small stones);
- transfer the seedlings and water them moderately.
Features of care
Princess Snow, like many other varieties of alyssum, is unpretentious. However, for lush flowering, the following minimum conditions should be provided:
- Watering should not be too abundant. It is carried out as needed.
- Seedlings need feeding. Nitrogen or complex mineral fertilizer is applied a week before transplanting into open ground. During flowering, potassium salt and superphosphates are added at intervals of 2-3 weeks (last time at the end of August).
- To form a bush, pruning is necessary. It is carried out in the spring and partly in the summer (if necessary). It is not advisable to cut a haircut in the fall.
- It is recommended to mulch the horses with straw, peat or spruce branches so that the soil retains moisture for as long as possible.
- You should also periodically loosen the top layer of soil, especially after applying fertilizers. This will allow nutrients to quickly penetrate the roots and spread throughout the tissues of the entire plant.
Alyssum will bloom magnificently if planted in an open, well-planned place
Wintering
Alyssum Snow Princess bushes are not winter hardy - they do not tolerate frosts below -20°C. Therefore, it is recommended to grow such plants only in the middle zone, in the Volga region, Black Earth Region and in the south of Russia. Before the onset of frost, the bushes are well watered, and then the branches are bent and covered with dry leaves. The top must be covered with burlap or spunbond.
As for Siberia and the Urals, here the Snow Princess alyssum bushes will have to be constantly dug up and sent for storage in a cellar or on an insulated balcony or loggia. However, you can do it differently - grow seedlings every year.
Diseases and pests
Alyssum Snow Princess is resistant to adverse effects.However, the plant is vulnerable to such a dangerous pest as the cruciferous flea beetle (it affects all members of the Brassica family). It is difficult to cope with, so if detected, you should spray the alyssum with a vinegar solution (30 ml per 1 liter of water) as quickly as possible.
If you use insecticides (for example, Konfidor, Decis, Aktara, Bankol and others), alyssum can drop its flowers. Therefore, sometimes you have to say goodbye to the bush so that the pests do not spread to neighboring plants.
Also, caterpillars often settle on the leaves of Snow Princess. They can be collected by hand, or you can also spray the plant with a solution of dry tobacco leaves (1-2 tablespoons per 1 liter of water) with a small amount of liquid soap (0.5 tsp for the same volume).
It is important to understand that certain diseases can also develop from improper care. For example, due to excessive watering, the bush is affected by brown rot - microscopic fungi that parasitize the roots. Usually the first signs appear at the flowering stage:
- wilting of the plant;
- yellowing of green mass;
- wrinkling of foliage.
In this case, watering must be stopped, and the Snow Princess alyssum bushes must be sprayed with any fungicide. You can use Bordeaux mixture, Topaz, Tatta and other drugs.
Cruciferous flea beetle leaves small holes on the leaves of Allisum Snow Princess
Conclusion
Alyssum Snow Princess is a compact bush, densely strewn with flowers. Alyssum is not capricious, and any gardener can cope with its cultivation. The main thing is to be in time with the seedlings, then you can collect your own seeds in the same season.
