Content
Looking at the photo of Iberis in a flowerbed, I want to admire the charm of this plant. It is not only very beautiful, but also widely applicable in landscape design. Its white, pink, lilac, purple flowers serve as an integral part of the design of gardens, alpine slides, and tubs.
Botanical description of Iberis
Iberis (lat. Iberis), also Iberian, is a herbaceous plant belonging to the Brassicaceae family of the Brassicales order. Other well-known names are wallflower, peppercorn, and variegated. Most often, this plant is found in the mountains of Anatolia and the Caucasus, in the south of Ukraine, in the Crimea, and in the lowlands of the Don. The genus Iberis includes over 30 different species, which differ significantly from each other: annual and perennial, heat-loving and frost-resistant, herbaceous and shrubby.
What does Iberis look like?
This genus of plants is characterized by the following external attributes:
- root - taproot;
- creeping or erect stems;
- leaves are simple, dark green with a tint;
- flowers - up to 1 cm in diameter, form umbrella-shaped inflorescences, which is uncharacteristic for Brassicas;
- petal color - white, pink, purple, lilac or red;
- corollas zygomorphic;
- stamens are simple, honey glands are located nearby;
- sepals erect, not saccular;
- fruits are bivalve pods in the form of an oval or circle, flattened on the sides, with a narrow partition, at the top there is a deep notch;
- each nest contains 1 hanging ovule;
- The cotyledons are flat, the embryo is located on the side of them.
When and how does it bloom
Iberis flowering begins in May or August and lasts up to 2 months. It is accompanied by lush, abundant shoots: sometimes there are so many flowers that the leaves are not visible behind them. Annual Iberis bloom longer than perennials. Almost all species have pleasantly smelling, fragrant flowers.
Good germination persists for 3-4 years after collection. Reproduction occurs through seeds, cuttings and dividing the bush.
What are the differences between alyssum and iberis
Alyssum or alyssum is the closest relative of Iberis. They are very similar in appearance, and the smell of the flowers is almost identical. People often use these two plants together when planting their flower beds, along with liatris and bergenia. The differences between them are as follows:
- The leaves of alyssum are endowed with a grayish color, and not dark green, like those of the Iberian.
- Since ancient times, alyssum has been known for its healing properties: people resort to its help for hernias, urolithiasis, and bites. Of the Iberis, only umbelliferous varieties are used for medicinal purposes.
- Alyssum's native habitats are the Mediterranean region and, in particular, the coast of the Bay of Biscay.
- Alyssum can continue to bloom all year round in frost-free areas.
Types and varieties of Iberis
There are many common types of annual and perennial Iberis, with photos and descriptions of varieties. In total, there are currently about 40 species of plants. Among annuals, gardeners usually cultivate only 2 types - umbrella and bitter.
Umbrella
Iberis, surprising in its beauty with bright purple flowers, reaches a height of up to half a meter. This species has been cultivated since the 16th century. Popular varieties are shown in the photo.
Fair Mixture – a combination of seeds with different colors looks good
Albida - 30 cm spherical bush with dense inflorescences of small white flowers
Dunnetti - a characteristic feature of this variety is purple umbrella-shaped inflorescences
Tourmaline – has densely growing pink and purple flowers
Confetti - the plant loves the sun, stretches 30-35 cm high, the flowers have different colors - from white to scarlet
Collage - another mixture of colors, this time - white, lilac and dark purple
Pink dream - Iberis with amazingly beautiful and fragrant bright pink flowers, a true decoration of any garden
Two more well-known varieties of this type of Iberis are Red Rash with red and purple flowers and Pomegranate Ice (the combination of white and red-scarlet inflorescences creates a semblance of pomegranate seeds mixed with ice cubes).
The umbrella Iberis Iceberg deserves special attention. This is a beautiful plant with fragrant white flowers, 30-35 cm in height.
Iceberg blooms at the very end of spring and serves as a good honey plant.
Bitter
This annual is characterized by branching stems and white or lavender flowers.There are many popular varieties.
Tom Thumb - a very short Iberis (up to 20 cm) with white flowers
Weiss Risen - looks almost the same, but can reach up to 30 cm in height
Hyacintenblütige Risen - a variety with a delicate lilac color of flowers, 35 cm high
Hyacinth-flowered
The bitter iberis variety Giant Hyacinth Flowered has won particular love among gardeners.
Representatives of this species are endowed with beautiful white inflorescences that have an external resemblance to hyacinths.
Another variety of hyacinth iberis is Express.
Express bushes grow tall (up to 35 cm) and enchant with beautiful white flowers
Hyacinth-flowering Iberis Empress is a common ornamental variety, characterized by dense green clumps with snow-white flowers
Unlike annuals, among perennial plants there are many more species for cultivation.
Iberis Gibraltarica (Gibraltar)
This is one of the most famous and beloved species among the people. Gibraltar Iberis, also known as Chameleon, is a semi-evergreen plant with small pink flowers on the bushes. It is extremely unstable to winter conditions, and usually dries out in the second winter. Because of this, this type of Iberis is closer to biennials. The height of the bush is 25-30 cm, the diameter is up to 40 cm. And it is called a Chameleon because of the tendency of the flowers to gradually change their color scheme.
Gibraltar Candytaft is an amazingly beautiful bush with lilac flowers that become snow-white over time
Alexandrite - fast-growing Gibraltar Iberis with soft lilac inflorescences
Another variety of Gibraltar Iberian, Sweetcandy, with white or red flowers, is usually grown in borders.
Crimean
Iberis Simplex is a perennial 5-10 cm high, with gray-green leaves. Its buds are purple, and the flowers after opening are white.
Iberis Crimean grows on mountain slopes under continuous exposure to sunlight
Evergreen
Iberis Sempervirens (evergreen) is a perennial subshrub up to 40 cm in height, originating from Anatolia. White flowers form umbrella-shaped inflorescences, and the leaves remain green throughout the year - hence the name of this species. Iberis evergreen is optimal for growing in pots, tubs and flower beds. It blooms profusely in early summer for a month, sometimes repeating again at the end of summer.
Dana - a densely flowering 15-centimeter bush
Snowflake (Snow flakes) - a variety with narrow leaves and milky-white flowers
Lapis lazuli - Iberis with pink and purple inflorescences
Subshrub 15 cm high, carpet-like, with white and slightly bluish flowers
Also very popular in gardening are:
- Appen-Etz – tall (up to 35 cm) plant with white inflorescences;
- Little Gem is a lush bush up to 0.5 m in diameter, with white flowers and evergreen emerald leaves in the shape of a semicircle;
- Findel is a branched bush 20-25 cm high, blooms quickly, but fades just as quickly;
- Whiteout is a charming snow-white perennial;
- Climax - this bush forms carpet-like thickets with thick leaves and an abundance of white flowers.
Rocky
This species grows in the rocky landscapes of southern Europe, from the Pyrenees to Asia Minor.
Evergreen Iberis flowers in a flowerbed resemble a snowdrift of dense snow that covers the stems and leaves
This low shrub blooms in April-May.The most famous variety of this species is Pygmy, a bush no higher than 10 cm with umbrella-shaped inflorescences of white flowers.
Iberis in landscape design
People who care about the aesthetic beauty of their garden or flower bed often resort to using Iberis in decoration. Gardeners highly value the plant for its variety of colors and pleasant aroma, and these qualities are especially evident when decorating alpine slides and flower pots.
Iberis is an integral element in garden design
Iberian is an unpretentious plant to care for during the germination period: there is no need to frequently fertilize and water the soil, it is enough to thin out the seedlings and remove wilted inflorescences. This is another advantage of its use in garden decoration. In addition to alpine hills, Iberis will look organically in the edging of lawns, on borders and paths.
Applications in other areas
The varieties of umbrella Iberis Collage, Confetti and Pomegranate Ice, due to their richness of colors, are used as an element of bridal bouquets. In general, umbrella plants are the only species that is used for medicinal purposes. Their preventive properties will be effective:
- for problems with the gastrointestinal tract and liver;
- when circulatory processes are disrupted;
- for women's diseases;
- in people with joint diseases;
- in oncology.
Conclusion
Photos of Iberis in a flowerbed always evoke genuine aesthetic pleasure.There are almost 40 species of this plant, all of them are actively used in landscape design, when designing alpine slides, decorating flower pots and borders. A special advantage of Iberis is that it does not require much care during the growth process.
