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Colchis boxwood is a subtropical plant native to the Mediterranean, which is often used for landscaping streets, parks, squares and gardens. This is one of the few cultures that have reached us from ancient times. Currently, the species is listed in the Red Book and is endangered.
What does Colchian boxwood look like?
Colchis boxwood is an evergreen plant belonging to the genus Boxwood of the Boxwood family and growing in the form of a tree or shrub. It is often used for landscaping urban areas.
The height of the plant can reach 15 m, at the age of 200 - 250 years, the diameter of the trunk at the base is about 30 cm. Under favorable conditions, representatives of this species can live up to 600 years.
Where does Colchian boxwood grow?
The natural distribution zone of Colchian boxwood includes Azerbaijan, Georgia, Abkhazia, Turkey and Russia. On the Black Sea coast, this plant can be found even at an altitude of 1800 m above sea level.
Colchis boxwood prefers damp places and can often be found in gorges. A comfortable habitat for the culture is the humid Colchis or Kuban-Colchis forests up to an altitude of 600 m above sea level.
Colchian boxwood is cultivated in the following botanical gardens:
- GBS RAS in Moscow;
- Sochi Arboretum, parks of Greater Sochi, Subtropical Garden of Kuban in Sochi;
- Gorsky Agrarian State Institution in Vladikavkaz;
- Kuban State University in Krasnodar;
- BIN RAS in Pyatigorsk;
- UNN in Nizhny Novgorod;
- Arboretum of the Adyghe State University in Maykop;
- Arboretum of the Sakhalin Forest Experimental Station in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.
Botanical description of Colchis boxwood
Young shoots of Colchis boxwood have a green tint, while old branches are covered with lignified bark. The plant is characterized by slow growth of shoots; per year, the thickness of the trunk increases by no more than 1 mm.
The leaf arrangement of Colchian boxwood is opposite, the surface of the leaf blade is bare and leathery. The leaves are 1–3 cm long and have an oval-lanceolate shape. The upper side of the leaf surface is painted in a rich dark green color, the lower side is lighter. Despite the small size of the foliage, the crown of the tree is dense and dense to such an extent that sometimes it practically does not allow the sun's rays to pass through.
Colchian boxwood begins to bloom in May. The plant blooms for the first time at the age of 20 - 25 years. During flowering, small green-yellow flowers with a delicate, sweetish aroma are formed in the axils of the leaves, collected in axillary capitate inflorescences. Staminate flowers are located at the base of the shoots, pistillate flowers are collected at their tops. In autumn, after flowering ends, instead of flowers, fruit-pods are formed containing small black seeds inside.
Reproduction in nature occurs with the help of seeds; after ripening, they are capable of scattering to a distance of up to 3 m from the mother bush.You can independently propagate Colchis boxwood vegetatively, using cuttings.
Conditions for growing Colchis boxwood
Many gardeners often grow Colchis boxwood as a potted crop. This method is quite convenient for residents of the northern and central regions with a cold winter climate. In winter, the plant can be brought into a warm room and maintained at a temperature of 12 - 15 degrees, and in summer it can be taken out into the fresh air. When growing in this way, it is important that the container for planting boxwood is not too large for it. Otherwise, plant growth may slow down.
In the climatic conditions of the southern regions, planting in open ground is also possible. Boxwood shrubs prefer to be in light partial shade. The crown of boxwood is easy to trim, so it can be given any shape and turned into an original garden sculpture.
If the seedlings were purchased in a store, they need to be transferred to large pots with a nutritious soil mixture with a neutral pH level. In order not to injure the root system during transplantation, the seedlings are transplanted together with a lump of earth. Plants are usually sold in shipping pots along with plain soil. To prepare a nutritious soil mixture, you can take:
- 2 parts of deciduous soil;
- 1 part of coniferous land;
- 1 part sand;
- perlite;
- birch charcoal.
Colchian boxwood is propagated using cuttings and seeds. To propagate a plant by seeds, you need:
- soak fresh, recently ripened seeds for a day in water mixed with any growth stimulant;
- place the seeds on a damp towel, wrap;
- leave until sprouts appear, regularly wetting the towel until damp but not wet (the process may take up to 30 days);
- after white sprouts appear, the seeds are sown in a mixture of peat and sand, taken in a 1:1 ratio;
- make a shelter from film or glass, store in warmth and partial shade.
You should wait for the first shoots to appear in 2 - 3 weeks. After the first shoots emerge from the soil, the shelter is removed. Subsequently, it is also recommended for the sprouts to be in partial shade. Young plants are fed with fertilizers diluted in a weak consistency.
Algorithm for propagating Colchis boxwood by cuttings:
- at the beginning of summer, use a sharp knife to cut semi-lignified shoots no more than 15 cm long from the bush;
- then all lower branches and leaves need to be torn off;
- powder the cut area with any means that stimulates root formation;
- plant the cuttings in a mixture of sawdust and sand, water generously;
- To make the seedlings take root faster, you can build a small greenhouse for them using available materials.
Planting in open ground is carried out in the spring. Planting holes for boxwood must be drained, since the crop does not tolerate excessive soil moisture. Boxwood does not require special conditions for growing: the main thing that it needs to be provided is a well-lit place. In this case, the shape of the bushes will be more compact.
To grow a tall plant, in winter you will need to take care of shelter, which can be built as a wooden box. Colchian boxwood can overwinter only in the southern regions; it does not tolerate severe frosts.
In cloudy weather, boxwood requires moderate watering, in dry weather it requires abundant watering. Feeding with fertilizers will help speed up plant growth. They must be added before August.
During the summer, the bush is regularly trimmed, giving it the desired shape and removing the longest branches. At the same time, it is important to remember that the green mass grows very slowly, so the crown cannot be trimmed too much.
Security status and threats
Over the past decades, there has been a strong reduction in the habitats of Colchian boxwood, which is why the plant was included in the Red Book of the Russian Federation, Georgia and Azerbaijan. The plant's conservation status is considered close to vulnerable.
In 2012, during the Olympic Games in Sochi, along with material for planting boxwood, a dangerous invasive pest was accidentally brought to Russia from Italy - the boxwood moth, which massively destroys boxwood plantings.
After pests were discovered on seedlings in the Sochi National Park, they were supposed to be destroyed, but instead they were treated with pesticides, as a result of which the pests survived, multiplied and spread throughout Russia, Georgia and Abkhazia.
This led to the fact that by 2014, most of the boxwoods in the relict yew-boxwood grove in the Khostinsky district of Sochi had died out, and by the end of 2016, the area of distribution of this plant in Russia had decreased from 5,000 hectares to 5 hectares. In Abkhazia, only 1/3 of boxwood plantations remained unharmed.
Limiting factors are also:
- changes in natural conditions;
- cutting down boxwood forests for timber;
- pruning shoots to make flower arrangements.
Conclusion
Colchis boxwood is an ancient plant listed in the Red Book, which can be grown independently both in open ground and in a pot. Colchian boxwood is especially often grown using the pot method in the northern regions, since it is very sensitive to low temperatures.
