Daurian rhododendron: photo, planting and care, reproduction

Daurian rhododendron or wild rosemary is a perennial, beautifully flowering shrub. The plant belongs to the heather family and reaches a height of 2-3 m. The bush is decorated with a highly branched, spreading crown, which in mid-spring is covered with large purple flowers. Having once seen a flowering shrub in natural conditions, everyone wants to plant an unpretentious plant in their own plot.

Description of Daurian rhododendron

Dahurian rhododendron is prone to strong branching. The plant forms from 20 to 50 vertical, thin shoots colored brown.

Flexible branches are covered with oval, glossy leaves, painted in dark olive color. The leaf blade is small, reaching up to 4 cm in length and no more than 1 cm in width.The plant has one peculiarity - foliage appears only after flowering.

At the end of April, the bush is covered with brightly saturated flowers, up to 5 cm in diameter. The color of the petals can be scarlet, purple, snow-white or lilac, depending on the variety. The flowers open simultaneously and are located at the tips of the branches and in the axils of the leaves. After flowering, a small seed capsule is formed.

Under natural conditions, Dahurian rhododendron grows in deciduous and pine forests. During flowering, the place becomes fabulous and magical. Tourists, seeing such magical beauty, do not hold back and tear off flowering branches and even dig up young growths for planting in the country, not suspecting that by doing this they are causing serious damage to the species. For this reason, Daurian rhododendron was included in the Red Book and is protected by law.

Daurian rhododendron is widely used for gardening. Thanks to the medium-sized shrub, you can improve and diversify your landscape design. The plant looks good:

• in rock gardens;
• with coniferous plants;
• next to juniper and decorative fern;
• in group and single plantings;
• Flowering shrubs can be used to make a beautiful hedge.

Winter hardiness of rhododendron

Dahurian rhododendron is widespread in Eastern Siberia, Transbaikalia, North-Eastern China, the Far East, Primorye and Sakhalin.The perennial shrub grows in deciduous and pine forests, where undergrowth forms. The plant is shade-tolerant and frost-resistant, can withstand temperatures down to -45 °C. In Russia, Daurian rhododendron is often called Siberian wild rosemary.

When does Dahurian rhododendron bloom?

Daurian rhododendron begins to bloom lushly at the end of April and continues until the second half of June. There are varieties that bloom much earlier. The flowers of the bush are bright, the color depends on the variety, but generally the bush turns lilac-pink every spring.

Cultivated Dahurian rhododendron is distinguished by lush and long-lasting flowering, which lasts up to 50-60 days. Funnel-shaped, bell-shaped flowers are located exclusively on the upper part of the shoot.

Is Dahurian rhododendron poisonous?

Rhododendron daurica (Ledum) comes from the Old Slavonic “bagulit”, which means “to poison”. This is because all parts of the plant are poisonous. Essential oils contain the poison iceol, which affects the nervous system. During flowering, the bush emits a heady, intoxicating aroma that causes headaches and dizziness.

Despite the fact that the plant is poisonous, it has medicinal properties and is used in folk medicine.

Medicinal properties of Daurian rhododendron

Young leaves and flowers of rhododendron are used as medicinal raw materials, which are dried under a canopy at a temperature of + 50-60 °C.

Medicines prepared from the flowers and leaves of rhododendron dahurianum can be beneficial and harmful to the body. Preparations prepared from the plant have bactericidal, diuretic, antipyretic, sedative and analgesic effects.Infusions and decoctions prepared on the basis of rhododendron relieve swelling, relieve shortness of breath, palpitations, and lower blood pressure.

Medicinal properties of Daurian rhododendron:

• Therapeutic baths help with neuroses and radiculitis.
• An infusion of flowers is recommended as a sedative and hypnotic. It can be used for colds and cardiovascular diseases.
• The decoction is prescribed for diseases of the internal organs and is used as a diuretic for urolithiasis.
• A tincture of flowers and leaves relieves joint pain.
• Rhododendron dahuriana tea helps with migraines and sore throats.

Varieties of Daurian rhododendron

Daurian rhododendron is a medium-sized, perennial shrub. Thanks to the painstaking work of breeders, many varieties of beautiful flowering shrubs have been developed, which differ in shape, size and color of flowers. The most famous:

1. April Domination - a low-growing variety with double, pale pink flowers. The plant has the earliest flowering, with the first buds appearing in mid-April.
   
2. April snow - a low-growing, winter-hardy variety with snow-white, double flowers. Flowering is early, occurs in mid-April.
   
3. Elite - a beautiful hybrid bred by crossing Dahurian rhododendron with Carolinian rhododendron. Daurian rhododendron elite is a tall shrub, reaching a height of 4 m. The variety is frost-resistant and fast-growing. At the end of April, the plant forms a lush crown of bright pink flowers.
   
4. Chess – a slow-growing dwarf hybrid, up to 1 m high.The plant produces small, bright pink flowers that bloom in the first half of summer.
   

Growing conditions for Daurian rhododendron

In order for Dahurian rhododendron to delight with its flowering for a long time, it is necessary to create favorable conditions for its growth and development. Since the bush grows in one place for about 50 years, it is necessary to approach the choice of location with all responsibility. Daurian rhododendron prefers:

• a well-lit place, without direct sunlight and drafts;
• Rain and melt water should not stagnate on the site;
• groundwater should not be located superficially;
• Daurian rhododendron prefers to grow in nutritious, loose soil with high acidity;
• The plant should not be planted near buildings, as they create long-term shade.

Planting and caring for Daurian rhododendron

Daurian rhododendron is unpretentious in cultivation and care. If you follow agrotechnical rules, the shrub will delight you with abundant, lush flowering, which begins in late April.

Selection and preparation of a landing site

Before planting a young rhododendron, it is necessary to prepare the place 3 weeks in advance. Preparing the site for planting:

1. At the selected location, dig a planting hole measuring 50x70 cm.
2. The bottom is covered with expanded clay and 10-15 cm of broken brick.
3. When mass planting rhododendron darsky, the planting rate should be 2 plants per 1 square meter. m.
4. Next, the hole is filled 1/3 with nutritious soil. If the soil is clayey, then use a purchased substrate for azaleas or one prepared independently from peat, leaf turf and pine needles mixed in a ratio of 2:3:1. 70 g of complex mineral fertilizers are added to the prepared soil.
5. The hole is covered with dark polyethylene and left for 2 weeks.
6. After the earth has warmed up well, the film is removed and the hole is shed until the earth absorbs moisture.

Seedling preparation

It is better to purchase Dahurian rhododendron seedlings from a nursery at 2-4 years of age. Before purchasing, you must carefully inspect the seedling. You need to choose strong, viable young plants that have intact roots without signs of rot and healthy, brightly colored shoots. The seedling should not show signs of rot or mechanical damage.

If the seedling was purchased with a closed root system, it should be watered generously before planting. And specimens with bare roots are kept for 12 hours in water at room temperature with the addition of a root formation stimulator.

Rules for planting Daurian rhododendron

A seedling with a straightened root system is installed in the prepared hole. The plant is carefully sprinkled with nutritious soil, compacting each layer so as not to leave any air space. The planted plant is watered abundantly, and the tree trunk circle is mulched. Pine sawdust, straw, and leaves are suitable as mulch. It will stop the growth of weeds, oxidize the soil, retain moisture and become an additional organic fertilizer.

Daurian rhododendron is easy to care for. To obtain lush and abundant flowering, you must follow simple rules:

• watering;
• feeding;
• weeding;
• pruning;
• preparation for winter;
• prevention from diseases.

Watering and fertilizing

Watering rhododendron is done as the top layer of soil dries. In hot, dry summers, irrigation is carried out 2-3 times a week with warm, settled water. Hard water negatively affects the root system, so experienced gardeners recommend softening it with citric acid or vinegar (100 g per bucket of water). To ensure that the plant is saturated with moisture, up to 20 liters of water are used for each bush.

After watering, shallow, careful loosening and removal of weed. Weeds take away nutrients and are carriers of diseases and pests.

For abundant and lush flowering, root feeding is necessary:

1. The first time 10 kg of rotted manure or compost is applied at the beginning of the growing season. Organic matter is necessary for growing green mass, for the formation of buds and the formation of flower buds for next year.
2. The second feeding is carried out immediately after flowering. To do this, use phosphorus-potassium fertilizers diluted strictly according to the instructions.

Trimming

Dahurian rhododendron does not need to form a crown, since the plant has a genetic basis for the development of the correct decorative form. Pruning is carried out for sanitary and anti-aging purposes. The shoots of old bushes are shortened, leaving a length of 30-40 cm from the soil surface.

After flowering, all faded brushes are promptly removed. Since they spoil the decorative effect and interfere with abundant growth and future flowering.Pruning must be done while keeping the axillary bud on the top leaf. To avoid the addition of diseases, pruning is carried out with a sharp, sterile instrument, and the cut areas are treated with brilliant green or covered with garden pitch.

Preparing for winter

Dahurian rhododendron is a frost-resistant crop that can easily withstand frosts down to -40 °C. An adult plant does not need shelter, except for abundant watering, mulching around the trunk and fertilizing with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers. In order not to lose a beautifully flowering variety, it is necessary to cover only the young seedling for 2-3 years, until the bush gets stronger and grows a powerful root system. For this:

• the seedling is covered with peat or rotted compost, while covering the root collar;
• pour plenty of warm, settled water;
• fed with wood ash;
• the crown is tied with agrofibre or roofing felt;
• The cover is removed in the spring, only after the soil has warmed up.

Is it possible to keep Dahurian rhododendron at home?

Daurian rhododendron is not recommended for growing at home. Since the plant is poisonous and during flowering it emits a strong, sweet aroma. Regularly inhaling the scent of flowers weakens the nervous system, causing regular headaches and dizziness.

Reproduction of Daurian rhododendron

When you purchase one plant and see its beautiful flowering, you always want to propagate it in order to turn your garden plot into a spring, blooming carpet. It is not difficult to root Dahurian rhododendron; even a novice gardener can handle it.There are 3 methods of propagation: seeds, cuttings and offshoots.

1. Seed propagation - a labor-intensive and lengthy task. Therefore, it is not suitable for beginner gardeners.
2. Bends - an affordable and effective method of reproduction. In spring or autumn, the strongest, healthiest shoot located closer to the ground is selected from the bush. The lower leaves are removed, the upper ones are shortened by ½ length. The prepared shoot is placed in a trench, leaving the top above the ground surface, to a depth of 4-6 cm. To speed up the process of root emergence, the ground must be moistened and mulched. In the 2nd year, the young plant can be separated from the mother bush and planted in a permanent place.
3. Cuttings – in June, after flowering, cuttings 10-15 cm long are cut. The lower leaves of the planting material are removed, and the cut is made at an acute angle. The rhododendron cuttings are placed at an angle of 30° in nutrient soil and placed in a warm room, regularly ensuring that the soil is always moist. After 1.5 months, the cuttings are transplanted into a large container and transferred to a cool but bright room. After 2 years, after the seedling has grown stronger and developed a root system, it can be transplanted to a prepared place.

Diseases and pests

Dahurian rhododendron has strong immunity to diseases. But if agrotechnical rules are not followed, the bush is often affected by the following diseases:

1. Chlorosis – the disease appears when water stagnates, lack of nitrogen and potassium. The first signs of a fungal disease are the appearance of yellow spots on the leaf blade. Treatment consists of spraying the bush with a solution of ferrous sulfate.
2. Necrosis – the disease often appears on young plants, with sudden changes in temperature and humidity conditions.
3. Root rot – the shoots become soft, the leaves acquire a matte-ashy hue, dry out and fall off. The disease often appears when growing a bush on clayey, poorly drained soil. In order not to lose the plant, it is transplanted into light, nutritious soil.

Among the insect pests that are dangerous for rhododendron are mealyworms, weevils and slugs.

Very often, gardeners when growing Dahurian rhododendron encounter some problems:

1. The leaves dry out and fall off - this is due to lack of moisture. The leaf blade first curls, then dries out and falls off. To avoid such a problem, the soil under the plant should be spilled to a depth of 15-20 cm.
2. The foliage turns yellow and falls off, these signs indicate nitrogen starvation. When growing shrubs on sandy soil, the foliage becomes smaller and lighter, plant growth slows down, and flower buds do not form. At the end of summer, the leaf blade becomes lemon-colored, dries out and falls off. To prevent this problem from occurring in the spring, the shrubs are fed with nitrogenous fertilizers.

In order not to encounter serious problems and not to lose the Dahurian rhododendron, it is necessary to eliminate some factors:

• increase acidity;
• carry out regular watering and fertilizing;
• plant the plant on light, well-drained soil, in a well-lit place;
• Before wintering, treat with fungicides.

Conclusion

Dahurian rhododendron is a viable, perennial, hardy long-liver. With the right location, the plant can grow and delight with its flowering for about 50 years.Thanks to its spreading, highly branched and lush-flowering crown, the shrub will decorate any corner of your garden plot.

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