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Gardeners love original plants. The tamarisk bush will be a wonderful decoration of the area. It is also known by other names: tamarisk, comb, beaded. The culture is distinguished by its original appearance and beautiful flowering. It is only necessary to create optimal conditions and follow the rules of care, so that in a couple of years a tree 2-5 m high will form.
What does Tamarix look like?
A detailed description of the tamarix bush will allow you to distinguish it from other trees. The main distribution area is the Mediterranean and Central Asian countries. In Crimea you can find wild bushes. In the desert, the comb bush grows up to 8 m in height, and its diameter is 1 m. The bush is called a bead bush because in the spring small buds resembling beads appear on it. At this time, the bush is very beautiful and elegant.
According to the description, the tamarix bush (pictured) is presented in the form of a small tree. It has scaly leaves arranged alternately and miniature shoots. The bush blooms with pink or purple inflorescences.
According to the description, tamarix is a persistent plant that does not require much effort to care for. He likes light, but the bush can grow normally in the shade. The tree adapts to any type of soil and can easily withstand elevated temperatures and dry periods. Tamarix shrub can be trimmed and used to form hedges.
Features of flowering
The tamarix bush (pictured) is original during flowering. This is especially noticeable when buds have formed. The inflorescences are formed by circular buds resembling beads. After the flowers bloom, the plant loses its attractiveness a little. The flowers are small, white or pinkish in color. If you move a little away from the tree, it will resemble a foggy cloud.
The Tamarix plant (shown in the photo) blooms in spring and summer. This may happen intermittently. Flowers form racemose or paniculate inflorescences. The length of the flower is 1.5-5 mm. Bracts can be ovoid or linear in shape. The stamens have a thread-like shape.
After pollination, small fruits in the form of pyramidal boxes with seeds are formed on the bush. The seeds are equipped with tufts. After opening the box, the seed material is distributed over long distances by the wind.
The advantage of tamarix is its undemandingness to soils. The tree can grow not only on dry soil, but also on saline soils. Tamarix are planted even in infertile soils. If the plant is used for decorative purposes, it is planted on sandy loam with lime reaction.
Tamarix normally tolerate city conditions, even if the air is heavily polluted due to transport and industrial enterprises. Shrubs love light, so they are planted in areas where there is a lot of bright sun.A slight shadow negatively affects their condition, and strong shading can destroy the tree.
The plant responds normally to transplantation, so they can be transferred to another area even in adulthood.
In order for the bush to bloom beautifully, it must be pruned. This procedure is easily tolerated by the plant. It is advisable to trim the crown with the arrival of spring, but before the buds appear. Old branches are cut into rings, after 4 weeks new shoots appear. After sanitary pruning, Tamarix will again delight with its splendor.
During the growing season, you can find branches and stems damaged by cold, which are cut back to healthy wood.
Pruning is also done after flowering has finished. The crown should have a neat appearance, and for this, elongated stems and fading inflorescences are removed. The bush must be stable during pruning; the branches can be fixed to supports. Tamarix quickly acquires a dense crown, so it should be thinned out regularly.
The bush is resistant to pests and diseases. They only appear when another infected plant is placed nearby. To remove insects, spray with insecticides.
In rainy weather, tamarix may suffer from fungal diseases. Damaged stems and branches are removed, and the bush and the ground around it are sprayed with a fungicide solution. It is necessary to constantly monitor the appearance of the plant, since due to diseases and pests its flowering deteriorates and its decorativeness decreases.
Varieties and types of tamarisk
There are over 70 species of Tamarix in their natural habitat. But not all are used for cultivation. Only plants with high frost resistance are selected.
Branched (Tamarix ramosissima)
This is a popular variety of tamarisk. In nature, it is found in Iran, Mongolia, and Moldova. The tree chooses river banks, pebble shallows and river bank terraces. The height can reach 2 meters.
Graceful branches have a light gray or pale green color, and annual shoots have a pale red hue. The leaves have an awl-shaped shape and curved tips. The length of the lush inflorescences, formed from pink flowers, is 50 mm.
The bush does not need a special soil composition, because it grows well on any soil. It can adapt to urban conditions in a short time. If freezing occurs, Tamarix recovers quite easily. To prevent the plant from freezing in regions with cold winters, it is recommended to cover it.
Loose (Tamarix laxa)
The bush grows in the northwestern territory of China, in the northern part of Iran, and in Mongolia. Pink tamarisk (pictured) is a small shrub. It usually does not grow more than 5 meters in height.
The branches are bluish or green in color. The leaves are oval-rhombic or ovoid in shape. The upper panicles include lush racemose inflorescences. Flowering lasts about 8 weeks.
Dioecious (Tamarix dioica)
The tamarisk tree of this variety is distinguished by bisexual, smallish flowers, the length of which reaches 5 mm. Their inflorescences have a light red tone.
This plant variety is considered heat-loving and grows in Asia.The shrub can be grown at home in open ground. With proper care, the plant will delight you with beautiful flowering and unpretentiousness.
Four-stamen (Tamarix tetrandra)
In its natural environment, the bush can be seen in Greece, Crimea, and Asia Minor. It also exists in Russia, but only in the southeast of the European part. The plant is large, its height can be 5-10 meters. The red-brown branches have a curved shape.
The green leaves have an ovate-lanceolate shape. The side shoots contain inflorescences in the form of racemes. As you can see in the photo, tamarisk flowers can have shades from pink to white. The bushes tolerate drought well and live up to 75 years.
Graceful (Tamarix gracilis)
In nature, the plant can be seen in China, Ukraine, and Siberia. It reaches four meters in height. Thick branches have dust spots. The bark is greenish-gray or chestnut-brown in color. The foliage on the shoots is tiled.
Spring inflorescences reach a length of 50 mm. They are beautiful because of their bright pink flowers. Summer flower clusters are formed in large paniculate inflorescences.
The elegant appearance of the plant shows high resistance to frost, therefore it is often used to decorate landscape design.
Meyer's (Tamarix meyeri)
Shrubs do not tolerate frost well, so Meyer's tamarix is chosen for areas with warmer winters. The bark has a reddish tone, the plant height is 3-4 m.
The leaves of the bush are scaly, the color is green-blue. The inflorescences are long (up to 10 cm), brush-shaped, formed by small pink flowers.
How to choose the right variety
Winter-hardy plant species are especially in demand. They are great for the middle zone. All of the plants listed above can be used in the landscape design of the local area.Purchasing a species with low winter hardiness will lead to a waste of money and time. The bush may not die in the first winter, but it will need special care.
Conclusion
Tamarix bush is a beautiful crop with excellent survival rate. Tolerates drought well. The plant is suitable for growing even in large, polluted cities. Tamarix does not require special attention or complex care. It is necessary to choose the right place for planting and provide protection from waterlogging.
