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Photo and description of mock orange Airborne is similar to jasmine. But these two species differ in belonging to different families and principles of care. French jasmines became the prototype for the creation of frost-resistant, beautifully flowering shrubs by Academician N.K. Vekhov.
Description of Jasmine Airborne
Mock orange Airborne forms a compact green bush over two meters high. Green oval leaves cover the bush abundantly. Mock orange is unpretentious and blooms for a long time even when planted in partial shade.
How jasmine blooms Airborne
The mock orange got its name Airborne because of the shape of the flowers. The inflorescences that cover the bush in early spring consist of simple white flowers that look like small parachutes.
Jasmine Airborne flower photo:
Erect two-meter shoots are flexible and plastic.Under the weight of leaves and flowers, they bend, creating a snow-white fountain during flowering. Because of its unique aroma with notes of strawberries, this variety of garden jasmine is sometimes called Strawberry. Abundant and long flowering from the beginning of May until almost mid-summer is a distinctive feature of the Vekhi mock orange.
For abundant flowering, mock orange requires nutritious soil and regular fertilizing.
Main characteristics
All types of mock orange are winter-hardy. This is one of the main differences between the shrub of the Hydrangeaceae family and the heat-loving jasmine, grown in our climate as an indoor crop. The Airborne variety tolerates winter cold well in central Russia. When grown in northern regions with more severe conditions, the shrub is covered. Unripe shoots of mock orange may be partially damaged by airborne assault if the snow cover is insufficient for shelter.
One of Academician Vekhov’s tasks was to create varieties of “false jasmine” that do not require much care. Airborne is one of the most disease and pest resistant varieties.
Features of reproduction
Mock orange is propagated by seeds and vegetative methods. But, given that the varietal jasmine Airborne is a hybrid, it is not recommended to propagate it by seeds. During the breeding process, the decorative basic qualities of the shrub may be lost.
Chubushnik Airborne is easiest to propagate by cuttings. A large amount of planting material can be obtained as a result of formative trimmings. To propagate shrubs, 15-centimeter shoots are cut with a sharp knife with a small “heel” (part of an annual shoot).
The cutting must contain at least two pairs of leaves. Before planting, the lower leaves are completely removed.The upper ones are shortened by a third to reduce moisture loss during the period of root growth.
The shoots are planted in nutritious soil from a mixture of fertile soil and sand. The rooting process is carried out in greenhouses. Be sure to monitor the moisture of the soil mixture. To protect future seedlings from fungus, it is necessary to ventilate the cuttings daily.
To provide your garden with mock orange for autumn planting, cuttings are cut in the spring or at the very beginning of summer. In this case, the seedlings will be ready for planting in open ground by the end of September.
For planting in the spring, mock orange shoots are harvested from woody shoots. They are cut in the fall and stored in a cool room. In the second ten days of March, the cuttings are cut and rooted according to the usual pattern.
Airborne jasmine can be propagated by layering throughout the season. To do this, the lower branches need to be cleared of leaves and secured with hairpins. By covering such a layer with soil, you can get a seedling in just a couple of months. For rooting, the cuttings should be watered in a timely manner.
Planting and caring for jasmine Airborne
To grow this unpretentious, lushly flowering shrub in the garden, you just need to choose the right place and provide minimal care.
Recommended timing
Experts recommend planting Chubushnik Airborne in a permanent place in the fall. The seedling will have time to take root and overwinter well if planting is carried out no later than the first ten days of October.
It's better to hurry up with spring planting. The seedling must be placed in a permanent location before the buds swell. Otherwise, the young plant will get sick and may not take root.
Site selection and soil preparation
Chubushnik Airborne can develop quite well and bloom in partial shade. But over time, the flowers may become smaller, and the flowering will be less lush. The best place to plant garden jasmine is a sunny area with protection from the wind.
The soil for mock orange must be very fertile. After all, the bush will grow in one place for decades. Be sure to add at least a bucket of high-quality humus to the planting hole to provide the seedling with nutrition.
The soil should be neutral or slightly alkaline. Acidic soils are alkalized with ash or lime. The best soil composition for planting mock orange is a mixture of peat, leaf soil and sand. It is imperative to fertilize the soil mixture with a complex of minerals.
Landing algorithm
The pit for mock orange needs to be prepared large enough. The depth should be such as to cover the root neck by a couple of centimeters. The diameter of the planting hole must be at least half a meter. The distance between the bushes should be about 1.5 m. When forming hedges, mock orange can be planted at intervals of 0.8 - 1 m.
- Lay out a drainage layer (broken bricks, tiles).
- Place a pile of soil at the bottom.
- Remove the seedling from the container and place it on a mound.
- Spread out the roots.
- Pour out at least a bucket of water.
- Fill the hole evenly, lightly compacting the soil.
- Water the plant from above to the root.
- Mulch with high peat or compost.
Within a few days, the soil in the tree trunk circle will give rise to sediment. It is necessary to add soil to the original height. This will stimulate the growth of new shoots. To speed up the development of the bush, weakened shoots can be removed, and the rest can be shortened by a third of their height.
Growing rules
In order for the mock orange to retain its decorative qualities, it is necessary to water and feed the shrub in a timely manner. For lush flowering, the plant requires large amounts of nutrients. Be sure to fertilize. Formative trimmings will help give garden jasmine a beautiful shape.
Photo of mock orange Airborne in garden design:
Watering schedule
During the flowering period, the soil around the mock orange needs to be moistened generously. It is especially important to monitor humidity if the weather is hot and dry. An adult plant can require up to 30 liters of water per watering.
The shrub is very moisture-loving, although it does not tolerate stagnation of water. You can determine the need for watering by the condition of the mock orange foliage. If there is a deficiency, its leaves droop.
Weeding, loosening, mulching
The soil should not be allowed to settle in the tree trunk circle. Lack of air in the root system can cause the development of fungal diseases. Therefore, it is necessary to regularly loosen the soil to a depth of 5 - 6 cm.
Weeds around the bush take away some of the nutrients from the soil. Weeding can be carried out together with loosening, during which it is convenient to remove extraneous roots from the soil.
Watering should be accompanied by mulching. This simple method helps retain moisture in the soil.
Feeding schedule
If, when planting mock orange, the soil in the hole was sufficiently nutritious, then the young bush does not need to be fed in the first year of development. In the future, in the spring, mock orange should be fed with mullein solution. One bush requires about a bucket of solution. After flowering, wood ash is added under the bush during loosening or potassium sulfate is added in the form of a solution.
It is advisable to use the full complex of minerals for feeding plants older than 3 years.
Trimming
After winter, branches damaged by frost or pests are cut off from mock orange. Once every 5-6 years, the bush is rejuvenated by removing old woody shoots. Anti-aging pruning should be carried out before sap flow begins.
When the mock orange fades, formative pruning is carried out. It is necessary to remove branches that grow inside the crown and shorten faded shoots. The shoots of the second year of life are actively blooming.
Preparing for winter
Garden jasmine Airborne can tolerate frosts up to 35 degrees. But in this case, it is advisable to insulate young plants. To do this, the shoots are bent to the ground and covered with spruce branches. Non-woven covering materials can be used to protect young plants from the cold.
In the fall, the trunk circle should be covered with peat, compost or a thick layer of dry leaves. This will help preserve the root system from freezing.
Pests and diseases
Chubushnik Airborne is highly resistant to diseases. If not properly cared for, the bush can be affected by gray rot. The disease manifests itself as a whitish coating on the leaves. To combat it, the shrub is treated with any fungicide (Skor, Chistolist).
Weakened bushes can also be affected by brown spot. It can be identified by darkish spots on the leaves. To protect the shrub, it is treated with Bordeaux mixture in early spring or autumn.
Spider mites or voracious aphids are not averse to feasting on the juice of young mock orange shoots. The fight against them consists of treating them with insecticides once or twice a season.
In order not to have to fight for the health of the bush, it is necessary to take timely care of the cleanliness of the area. Fallen leaves and weeds must be removed regularly. They become one of the main causes of disease.
Conclusion
Photo and description of mock orange Airborne should be studied when purchasing a seedling. It can be provided at a specialty store or nursery. Often sellers confuse this beautiful shrub with other types of mock orange or jasmine.
Airborne will decorate the area as a single planting or hedge.
