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Kirkazon largeleaf is a liana with original flowering and beautiful, lush foliage. In the garden it can outshine many ornamental crops. It is used to decorate vertical structures, buildings, and walls of residential buildings. Kirkazon belongs to an ancient genus of plants distributed throughout the globe. It is also called aristolochia, the woman in labor.
Compared to other vines, the plant requires special growing conditions.
Botanical description of the species
Large-leaved Kirkazon, or tubular Kirkazon, trumpet, or Aristolochia macrophylla, belongs to the genus of the same name, the Kirkazon family. In its natural habitat, it is found on the North American continent, in forests and along river banks. The plant was brought to Europe and Russia at the end of the 18th century.
Kirkazon, or Aristolochia macrophylla, is a perennial, woody vine. Its length reaches 12 m. The shoots are covered with grayish bark with longitudinal grooves. The leaves sit on long petioles. Their shape is heart-shaped, size is large, up to 30 cm in length, color is light green.
Single flowers have a perianth with a three-lobed purple throat. Tubular kirkazon is named precisely because of its greenish tube. A distinctive feature of Aristolochia flowers is the presence of a special trap for insects in the form of thick hairs. It prevents beetles and flies from leaving the flower until they pollinate it. After this procedure, the heads of the large-leaved kirkazon become downward, so that other insects cannot penetrate them.
Aristolochia begins to bloom after reaching the age of 5-8 years. The flowers remain on the vines for 25 days, then fade. Seed ripening occurs after 3-4 months. The fruits of large-leaved kirkazona are hexagonal boxes located on elongated pedicels. Their size is about 8 cm.
The plant needs loose, fertile soil saturated with humus. It should be protected from cold winds and drafts and provided with good lighting. Aristolochia does not tolerate long periods of drought and waterlogging.
Application in landscape design
Large-leaved Kirkazon grows quickly and creates a dense cover. This allows landscape designers to actively use it for vertical gardening. With the help of aristolochia, you can make a beautiful green background for other plants, decorate the facades of houses, terraces, balconies, fences, arches. Any unsightly building in the summer can be easily camouflaged with the help of large-leaved Kirkazon. And since its large leaves are located close to each other and create dense shade in sunny weather, it is pleasant to relax near the plant in the heat. Aristolochia protects against noise and dust.
Large-leaved kirkazon planted on a personal plot cleans the air well
The plant lives for more than 30 years. The photo of large-leaved kirkazona shows how impressive its figured leaf plates and original flowers look against the background of natural and artificial stone, brickwork, white pergolas and metal arches, and wooden gratings.
Reproduction methods
Aristolochia reproduces in different ways:
- seed;
- cuttings;
- layering.
Large-leaved kirkazona produces viable seeds infrequently due to the structural features of the flowers. The germination rate of the seed is low. It is used only in the year of collection. The seeds are planted before winter, and young aristolochia are transferred to a permanent place only in the third year of life due to poor survival in new conditions.
Aristolochia cuttings are recommended to be carried out in May, before the buds open. To do this, take woody shoots from last season. Cut sections about 12 cm long with two leaf blades, which are shortened by half to reduce moisture evaporation. The lower cut of the cutting is made oblique, the upper cut is made straight. Then proceed like this:
- Prepare a bed with loose soil for large-leaved kirkazona and sprinkle it with a layer of sand about 6 cm thick.
- Well watered.
- The cuttings are deepened into the soil to the level of the leaf blades.
- Cover with plastic bottles.
- Protect from direct sunlight with non-woven material.
- Rooted Aristolochia cuttings are transplanted after 2-3 years.
The easiest way to propagate large-leaved kirkazon is by layering.The plant produces many shoots, which are dug out along with a lump of earth and transferred to a new place.
Aristolochia propagation by layering is best done in May.
Planting and caring for large-leaved kirkazon
When planting large-leaved kirkazona, you need to carefully consider the choice of location and soil preparation. It is necessary to provide support. The liana should curl freely along it.
Rules and terms of landing
It is recommended to plant large-leaved kirkazon in May. Sometimes gardeners do this in the fall, but in this case there is no guarantee that the plant will have time to take root well before winter. The culture feels comfortable on loose soils with the addition of sand and compost. The planting site should be chosen in the shade, close to suitable support. Its height should be at least 2-3 m.
Aristolochia is planted as follows:
- Prepare a pit with a depth and diameter of 50 cm.
- The bottom is covered with expanded clay, crushed stone or gravel. Layer thickness – up to 20 cm.
- Sand and humus are added on top.
- Install a support with a length of 2 to 8 m.
- The roots of large-leaved kirkazona are shortened by a third.
- The plant is placed in a planting hole and dug in so that the root collar is at the level of the soil surface.
Features of cultivation
Within 2-3 weeks after planting, large-leaved kirkazon needs shading and regular watering. Further care is as follows:
- systematic watering (the soil should not dry out);
- spraying in hot weather;
- two feedings per season with a mullein solution diluted in a ratio of 1:10;
- shallow loosening of the soil;
- weed removal;
- soil mulching;
- pruning dried shoots of aristolochia.
To get rid of a vine, it is completely cut off and watered with a weed killer.
Preparing for winter
Young aristolochia under the age of 3 years must be covered for wintering. To do this, in October the shoots should be removed from the supports, carefully folded into a ring, and then non-woven material should be laid on top. If the branches of the plant cannot be carefully removed under cover, then the root zone is sprinkled with dry soil, and fallen leaves on top.
With the onset of spring, the shelter must be removed. It is recommended to do this in mid-April. Kirkazon shoots can be raised onto supports after the likelihood of night frosts has passed.
Diseases and pests
Aristolochia is resistant to pests and diseases. It is susceptible to attacks by spider mites or aphids in cases where insects live on neighboring plants. To combat spider mites, they resort to spraying with Kirkazon. To do this, prepare a decoction of creeping bittersweet. 100 g of dry raw materials are infused in 1 liter of boiling water for half an hour and diluted with water in equal quantities. The decoction is sprayed on the foliage of Aristolochia.
Conclusion
Large-leaved Kirkazon is a beautiful decorative vine that can be used to decorate any buildings and vertical supports in the garden. The plant is so unpretentious, disease-resistant and capable of growing quickly that gardeners often have to deal with the need to remove abundant growth.
