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Diablo bladderwort is an ornamental plant suitable for growing by novice gardeners. Thanks to the bright color of the leaves, delicate abundant flowers with a pleasant aroma and unusual seeds, the shrub does not lose its attractiveness throughout the growing season, and caring for it is not difficult.
Description of Diablo
Diablo (Physocarpus opulifolius Diabolo) is a fast-growing, flowering shrub with a spreading, dense crown in the shape of a hemisphere with a diameter of about 3 m. The height of Diablo reaches 3 m. Over the course of a year, the shrub is capable of growing by about 40 - 45 cm.
The leaves are coarsely toothed, with an elongated middle part, consisting of 3–5 lobes. Their shape resembles the shape of a viburnum leaf blade, which is reflected in the name of this variety. Of particular interest is the color of the leaves - depending on the place of growth, they have different colors.So, in plants planted in sunny areas, they are dark purple. When the shrub is grown in the shade, its leaves are green with a slight reddish-brown tint. If the sun's rays illuminate the bush unevenly, the color of its crown will also be of different colors.
In June, numerous white-pink flowers with a diameter of just over 1 cm appear on the bush. Red stamens and a dark yellow core give them a particularly delicate appearance. The flowers form fluffy corymbs measuring 6–8 cm. Typically, the flowering of this variety lasts 2–3 weeks, but sometimes lasts up to two months.
At the beginning of autumn, in place of flowers, unusual voluminous fruits, collected in inflorescences, ripen. This shrub bears fruit in leaf-shaped boxes, which have decorative value due to their unusual shape and purple color. They do not lose their attractiveness even in winter.
Diablo bladderwort in landscape design
Thanks to its decorative qualities, unpretentiousness and insensitivity to urban pollution, Diablo bladderwort is widely used in landscaping megacities. It is planted in courtyards, parks and squares, and serves as a decoration for private gardens. Diablo (pictured) in landscape compositions creates colorful ensembles in which it is the main accent. This variety of bladderwort also looks advantageous in single plantings.
Very often, Diablo vesiculus is used as a hedge. Dense planting and proper care provide reliable protection of the territory not only from penetration, but also from prying eyes.If you combine the Diablo variety with other varieties of bladderwort, for example, the Red Baron variety, you can get interesting options for multi-level hedges with different shades of foliage.
Conditions for growing vesicular carp variety Diablo
Diablo's bladderwort is distinguished by its frost resistance, ability to tolerate air pollution, immunity to diseases and pests, and rapid crown growth. This opens up great opportunities for its successful cultivation in a variety of conditions.
Planting and caring for Diablo bladderwort
Planting and caring for the viburnum-leaved vesiculus Diablo does not require any special skills from the gardener. If you choose the right place and apply minimal effort, the shrub can live up to 40 years, and over time it will not lose its attractive appearance.
Preparing the landing site
Bladderwort can grow even in low light conditions, but when grown in an open sunny area, its foliage takes on an unusual purple color.
The shrub is undemanding to the composition of the soil - it feels equally good on any type of substrate, as long as it is drained and moderately moistened. The best soils for it are fertile sandy loams and loams. The only requirement of the bladderwort is the absence of moisture stagnation. If the area is swampy, the bush may die. For the same reason, bladderwort should not be planted in places with shallow groundwater.
Landing rules
If a Diablo bladdercarp seedling was purchased in a container, then it can be planted throughout the season.A plant with an open root system is planted in the spring, before the growing season begins, or in late autumn.
Planting the Diablo bladderwort is very simple and occurs according to the following algorithm:
- dig a planting hole 2–3 times larger than the size of the root ball;
- soil based on peat or humus is poured onto the bottom in a slide;
- a seedling with an open root system is left in water for 3–5 hours and then planted;
- container plants are placed in a hole together with a lump of earth and covered with nutritious soil;
- as when planting other shrubs and trees, it is not recommended to bury the root collar;
- the ground around the seedling is well watered, a root formation stimulator can be added to the water;
- The tree trunk circle is mulched.
Watering and fertilizing
Diablo bladderwrack does not tolerate drought well. The frequency of watering depends on several factors. During dry summers and if the shrub grows on loam, it needs watering once every 3-4 days. Clay soil retains moisture well, so you can water it no more than once a week. Watering is carried out in the morning or evening to avoid sunburn of wet leaves. Newly planted bushes need especially careful watering, since it directly affects their survival rate.
In the spring, manure, bird droppings or weed infusion are added to the water for watering the bladderwort as a fertilizer. Ammonium nitrate and urea are also suitable. In autumn, plantings are fed with wood ash dissolved in water. You can use other mineral fertilizers.
Pruning Diablo bladdercarp
The fast-growing Diablo vesicle needs sanitary and formative pruning, especially if used as a hedge.Damaged branches can be removed throughout the season. Formative pruning is carried out in spring or autumn. The bladderwort recovers well after pruning and responds to it with rapid growth of young shoots.
Preparing for winter
This shrub is extremely frost-resistant and can withstand large temperature changes, so only young bushes are covered for the winter. Spruce spruce branches are most suitable for this purpose. Mature plants do not need shelter. In severe winters, the tips of the shoots or individual branches may freeze, but this does not affect the health of the plant or its decorative qualities. The damaged parts are simply cut off during the next sanitary pruning.
Reproduction of Diabolo bladderwort
You can get new plants of the viburnum-leaved vesicle carp Diabolo by forcing from seeds, cuttings, dividing the bush and layering.
Propagation by seeds is used very rarely, since not all seed material inherits the decorative properties of the mother bush. The main condition for propagation by this method is seed stratification.
For cuttings, at the end of summer, young shoots with several vegetative buds are cut. They are rooted directly in the ground in small greenhouses, protected from direct sunlight. The nutrient substrate for cuttings is enriched with peat and sand. The cuttings are regularly watered and ventilated. Plantings should be protected from frost with spruce branches. Already in the spring they can be transplanted to a permanent place.
You can propagate the bladderwort bush by division. This is done in early spring, before sap flow begins.They dig up a strong, developed shrub and separate a part of it along with the root system. The separated plant is placed in a weak solution of potassium permanganate to prevent infection. Separated bushes are planted in the same way as seedlings purchased in a store or nursery.
To obtain young bushes using layering, the bark is removed from a strong, healthy lower branch, leaving only the upper leaves, then it is secured in the ground with hooks and dug in.
The best time to obtain layering is spring. Over the summer, the shoots take root, and next spring they can be planted.
Diseases and pests
The Diabolo variety is highly resistant to diseases and pests. Very rarely, a plant can be affected by chlorosis, the main symptom of which is yellowing of the foliage and drying out of the shoots. The causative agents of this disease are viruses that infect plants growing in very depleted soils. When complex fertilizers are applied, the bladderwort quickly recovers.
Regular care minimizes the likelihood of the plant being damaged by diseases and pests.
Conclusion
Diablo is an excellent variety to quickly and easily decorate any area of the garden, create a romantic corner or grow a reliable hedge. The description of the Diablo bladdercarp and photos of compositions created by amateur gardeners indicate that even a beginner can cope with the task of planting the crop.
