Content
Brunnera macrophylla is an ornamental plant that is distinguished by large oval or heart-shaped leaves with beautiful patterns. Growing the crop is very simple; the bush requires virtually no maintenance. The only important condition is abundant, regular watering.
Where does Brunnera macrophylla grow?
Brunnera macrophylla is also called forget-me-not. Under natural conditions, it grows in warm regions with subtropical and subequatorial climates:
- Caucasus;
- Transcaucasia;
- Southeast Asia.
This is a perennial bush from the genus of the same name, the Borage family. It is short, up to 50-60 cm in height. The leaves with long petioles are rounded, up to 15-20 cm in diameter, which is how the plant got its name. The flowers are similar to classic forget-me-nots (they are small, blue, with five petals), but the spot is not yellow, but white. At the same time, it is the leaves, not the flowers, that give Brunnera macrophylla a special decorative effect.
Varieties
There are 3 known species of Brunner in the Borage family. At the same time, many more varieties have been bred. Despite the fact that this is a heat-loving plant, breeders managed to achieve the required winter hardiness.Thanks to this, large-leaved brunnera can be grown in most regions of Russia.
Millennium Silber
A small bush with beautiful light green leaves. A distinctive feature is white spots, against which the veins contrast well, creating an interesting relief effect. According to the growing conditions, this variety of large-leaved brunnera is unpretentious.
Variety Millennium Zilber prefers light soils, shading and abundant watering
Jack Frost
An original variety of large-leaved brunnera with silvery, frost-colored leaves and classic blue flowers. The bush is quite tall, reaching 60 cm in height. It has good winter hardiness and can withstand frosts down to -40 °C, which allows it to be grown almost throughout Russia.
The large-leaved brunnera variety Jack Frost prefers light shade and plenty of moisture.
If the supply of moisture stops, the leaves almost immediately begin to droop. Active foliage growth is observed on fertile soils well fertilized with manure. It is in this case that Brunnera is able to decorate the area from mid-spring to late autumn.
Hadspen Cream
A bush with large heart-shaped leaves, the color is light green, the edges are creamy yellow. A pattern is often noticeable on the surface: the border invades the center of the sheet, drawing different patterns. This Brunnera variety blooms from May to June. It grows only up to 30 cm in height, so it is better to combine it with low-growing plants - various types of hostas, petunias, Iberis, alpine asters, rays and many others.
The Hadspen Cream variety has average winter hardiness, so it can be grown in the regions of Central Russia and the south
Langtrees
A low-growing shrub growing up to 40 cm in height. The leaves are oblong, have long petioles and a pointed tip. They are painted in a rich dark green color and have speckles of a silvery hue, reminiscent of frozen raindrops. Large-leaved brunnera blooms already from the end of May (about 3-4 weeks). The second flowering begins at the end of September or at the beginning of October, if a warm Indian summer has established itself.
The bush Brunnera Langtrees is unpretentious, quite winter-hardy, compact and does not grow
This plant can be used in mixborders, borders and rockeries. It will not interfere with neighboring flowers and will fit well even in a small flower bed.
Otherwise, the greenery will begin to stretch out, and the bush will lose its decorative effect.
Variegata
One of the most beautiful varieties of large-leaved brunnera is variegata. The bushes can be easily recognized by their rich green leaves with a rather wide, uneven cream-colored border. The flowers are small, painted bright blue.
This variety of large-leaved brunnera is very winter-hardy (zone 3), withstands frosts down to -40 ° C. Therefore, it can be grown not only in the Central part, but also in Siberia and the Urals. The bush is compact, so 1 m2 You can place up to 9 plants. It prefers partial shade, so it is excellent for decorating tree trunks, in single and group plantings.
The flowering period of Brunnera Variegata is May-June.
Growing from seeds
Brunnera macrophylla can be grown from seeds, but this method is rarely used because:
- The seeds are small and quite difficult to work with.
- Before planting seedlings in the spring, they require long-term stratification.
- Seeds take a very long time to ripen, so in some regions it will not be possible to wait for them to form.
- Brunner is easier to propagate by dividing the rhizomes. If you grow it from seeds, the bushes will bloom in 3 years.
However, you can grow a large-leaved brunnera bush yourself. Most often, seeds are sown in the fall, in early October. The area is pre-cleaned, dug up, and wood ash or a mixture of superphosphates and potassium salt are added. They are laid out on the surface, sprinkled with earth, watered, and mulched. The first shoots will appear next year.
Large-leaved Brunnera seedlings are grown at home. At the same time, you should also start working with seeds in the fall. They are stratified for three months: placed in a cup with moistened vermiculite, sphagnum or perlite. Then cover with film and put in the refrigerator. Periodically ensure that the “soil” does not dry out.
In mid-March, Brunnera macrophylla seeds are planted as seedlings. For this you can use cassettes, peat pots, cassettes and other containers. You can buy the soil in a store or make it yourself, for example, from turf soil with compost and humus in a ratio of 2:1:1.
Large-leaved brunnera seedlings are first grown in greenhouse conditions (temperature 25 ° C, under film). After 10-15 days, the film is removed and the temperature is reduced to room temperature. Liquid complex fertilizer is applied every 2-3 weeks. Brunner seedlings are transferred to open ground in early July (it is not advisable to plant the plant in spring). They can be pre-hardened at a temperature of 15-18 °C.
Landing
One of the features of Brunnera macrophylla is that it is planted not in spring, but in the second half of summer. The fact is that in spring bushes are susceptible to various diseases, so it’s better not to take risks.
Brunnera macrophylla prefers shaded areas
Site selection and preparation
Almost all varieties of brunners need shade and moisture, so it is optimal to place the crop under a large tree or next to a taller shrub (in the tree trunk). It’s not scary if the site is located in a lowland, but prolonged stagnation of moisture is also undesirable.
A few weeks before planting, the site should be prepared. It is cleaned and dug up. If the soil is depleted, it is fertilized with humus and complex mineral fertilizer at the rate of 50-60 g per 1 m2. An alternative way is to scatter a few pinches of wood ash with sand.
Planting stages
Standard landing instructions:
- Several holes are formed, the depth of which corresponds to the rhizome. The interval between them should be 30-40 cm. A less dense fit is also allowed - it all depends on the design features.
- If the soil has not been fertilized, it is necessary to create a fertile mixture of turf soil with humus, or add a tablespoon of superphosphate and potassium salt to each hole, mixing them with the soil.
- The rhizome of large-leaved brunnera is sprinkled with soil and watered abundantly.
- To keep the soil moist for as long as possible, be sure to lay a layer of mulch (peat, hay, straw, spruce branches).
Care
Caring for brunnera is very simple, but has several features:
- Watering should be regular and plentiful.The soil should not dry out, much less crack. It is optimal to use settled water at room temperature.
- It is not advisable to loosen the soil, since the roots of Brunnera macrofolia lie near the surface.
- The plant does not need feeding. In early spring, you can place several granules of complex fertilizer directly on the snow.
- Brunnera is rarely transplanted to a new place. Experienced gardeners grow it without replanting for 12-15 years.
Diseases and pests
Since the Brunner needs good hydration, it often suffers from fungal diseases:
- powdery mildew;
- brown spot.
Periodically, the bush should be inspected for spots, white plaque and other foreign formations. If they are detected, all affected foliage is immediately cut off and thrown away from the site or burned.
Treat with any fungicide: Bordeaux mixture, Tattu, Profit, Fitosporin or others
Also, whiteflies and aphids often parasitize Brunner macrophylla. They are removed manually or sprayed with an insecticide (Biotlin, Decis, Konfidor, Aktara). You can also use folk remedies - a solution of baking soda, an infusion of onion peels, crushed garlic cloves and others.
Trimming
It is recommended to prune large-leaved brunnera 3 times:
- After flowering ends, all flower stalks are removed. The fact is that the plant spends a lot of energy on the formation of fruits, so the decorative effect is reduced.
- Before the second wave of flowering, large-leaved brunnera begins to tear off all the buds.
- After the first frosts (October - November), all leaves and shoots are removed at the root (stems are left at a height of 4-5 cm).
Preparing for winter
Almost all varieties of large-leaved brunnera tolerate frost well, as they are characterized by high winter hardiness. Therefore, they do not need special preparation for the winter period. In October, the bushes can be watered abundantly and then mulched with compost, peat, humus, and fallen leaves.
Reproduction
Along with the seed propagation method, large-leaved brunnera is also bred by dividing the bush. The procedure begins after flowering ends - this can be July or August. An adult bush (at least 3 years old) is dug up and cut with a knife into several sections so that 2-3 healthy shoots remain on each of them. Then they are planted in a permanent place according to the same algorithm.
Conclusion
Brunnera macrophylla is a plant that can decorate a garden, especially the tree trunk, and nondescript corners. With its help you can create a composition in a rock garden or rock garden. The culture is unpretentious and does not even require feeding. Therefore, any gardener can cope with growing brunnera.
