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Clematis Alyonushka is an ornamental plant that is very popular among gardeners. To evaluate the characteristics of this variety of clematis, you need to study its description and cultivation characteristics.
Description of clematis Alyonushka
Clematis variety Alyonushka is a perennial climbing subshrub from the group of whole-leaved clematis. As you can see in the photo of clematis Alyonushka, the plant externally resembles a liana and requires support, can reach a height of 1.5 m to 2 m, and has thin and flexible shoots. On the shoots there are simple or compound leaves, composed of several separate leaves.
Basically, clematis Alyonushka is valued for its very beautiful flowers - single, similar to large bells, up to 7 cm in length. The flowers of the Alyonushka variety droop towards the ground, appear on the shoots at the end of May and have a delicate pink-lilac color.A striking feature of the variety is that Alyonushka blooms continuously throughout the summer, until September.
The Alyonushka variety becomes a real decoration of the garden. Thanks to its vine-like shoots, the plant often decorates gazebos, balconies, fences and fences. Clematis is also used to cover the soil; if the shoots are not supported with supports, they will begin to curl along the ground, beautifully intertwining with other plants.
Clematis pruning group Alyonushka
For numerous varieties of clematis, it is customary to distinguish 3 pruning groups; membership in one or another category is determined by which shoots the plant’s flowers appear on. The Alyonushka variety belongs to pruning group 3. It means that:
- flowers appear only on young annual shoots, old branches of the plant do not participate in flowering;
- Alyonushka clematis requires annual pruning; there is simply no point in leaving old shoots, since they do not have aesthetic appeal, and when they grow, they can form large tangled “tangles”.
Pruning is usually carried out in the spring; shoots need to be trimmed to 3 buds. When carrying out the procedure, you can leave untouched those shoots that appeared last year, but did not bear flowers.
Conditions for growing botanical clematis Alyonushka
The ornamental variety was bred in the 1960s in the southern region of Russia, in Crimea. But, despite this, a feature of the Alyonushka variety is the increased frost resistance of the plant. Description of the clematis variety Alyonushka states that the subshrub is suitable for growing in climate zones from 4 to 9, in other words, it can tolerate winter frosts down to -30 °C.
The Alyonushka variety is undemanding in terms of lighting conditions and tolerates lightly shaded areas. When growing it, you only need to carefully control the moisture level; stagnation of water has a detrimental effect on the plant.
Planting and caring for clematis Alyonushka
Whole-leaved clematis Alyonushka does not cause gardeners much trouble and grows freely in almost any area. But in order for the subshrub to fully demonstrate all its beauty, it is recommended to adhere to certain rules.
Selection and preparation of a landing site
When choosing a good place to grow the Alyonushka variety, you need to take into account several factors.
- Alyonushka loves light, but tolerates lightly shaded areas well; it is just important not to plant clematis in dense shade, where the sun's rays rarely fall.
- The Alyonushka variety does not like waterlogging, so the site must be chosen so that groundwater does not pass close to the surface of the earth. Alyonushka grows best at light elevations.
- Tall clematis does not tolerate strong winds, even when fixed on a support. Therefore, for Alyonushka it is necessary to select areas protected from gusts of wind.
- Clematis are often planted near fences or near the wall of a house. It is necessary to ensure that there is a space of at least 30 cm between Alyonushka and the wall or fence. In addition, water from the roof should not pour on top of the clematis - this will damage the health of the plant.
Clematis Alyonushka is planted in the ground both in spring and autumn.The dimensions of the planting hole for a seedling are usually 60 cm in depth and width; at the bottom of the hole a drainage layer 15 cm thick of broken brick or crushed stone is arranged.
Clematis thrives in well-drained, fertile soils with slight alkalinity. If the selected area does not fully meet Alyonushka’s needs, it is necessary to further enrich the soil before planting the plant. For this purpose, the excavated soil:
- mixed with 2-3 buckets of compost;
- add a bucket of peat and sand;
- add 200 g of lime, 150 g of superphosphate mixture and 200 g of ash to the soil.
Thus, it is possible to enrich even fairly heavy and wet soils and in the future simply maintain conditions that are comfortable for clematis Alyonushka.
Seedling preparation
Clematis seedlings easily take root in open ground. However, before planting, it is recommended to soak Alyonushka’s roots in water for several hours to stimulate them to grow quickly.
Many gardeners prefer to remove the old earthen ball at the roots of the seedling. But it is better to plant clematis along with the remnants of the previous land. Alyonushka's root system is fragile, and thin roots are very easy to damage when removing an earthen clod.
Landing rules
In general, the algorithm for planting clematis Alyonushka looks approximately the same for both spring and autumn planting.
- A support for long shoots of clematis is placed in the center of the hole, and then the hole is filled halfway with prepared soil, making a small mound in the center.
- The seedling is carefully lowered in the center of the hole, allowing its roots to rest freely on the mound, and the hole is completely filled with soil.
- Immediately after planting, water the plant and mulch the filled hole with dry leaves.
It is important to consider that Alyonushka needs to be buried; the variety cannot be planted flush with the surface of the earth. For a young plant, the depth should be no less than 8 cm. In this state, the planting hole should be left until the shoots of Alyonushka begin to become lignified, after which the upper part of the hole can be filled to the end.
Watering and fertilizing
Clematis Alyonushka does not tolerate stagnant moisture, but it loves water very much, so you need to water the plant regularly. On average, 10-20 liters of water are applied to the root zone once a week, and in dry weather the frequency of watering should be increased to 2 times a week.
It is possible and necessary to feed clematis Alyonushka; with regular fertilization, the plant demonstrates maximum decorative value. Feeding is done as follows:
- complex fertilizers are applied to the planting hole before planting the subshrub; this feeding of clematis will be enough for the entire next year;
- Subsequently, the plant is fed 3-4 times during the season; it is best to alternate organic matter with mineral fertilizers.
As for organic feeding, clematis Alyonushka accepts mullein diluted in water well; as for minerals, potassium fertilizers in early spring and a solution of boric acid once a season will benefit the plant.
Mulching and loosening
Mulching for clematis variety Alyonushka is recommended once a season. If you neglect this procedure, the moisture from the soil will evaporate too quickly, and weeds will appear at the roots of the plant, taking away nutrients.
Along with mulching, it is also necessary to carry out regular loosening; without it, the soil will no longer allow enough oxygen to pass through. The soil is also loosened once a season, after removing the old layer of mulch, this improves the soil composition and additionally prevents the growth of weeds.
Support for clematis Alyonushka
Since clematis of this variety has very long but thin stems, it is not capable of growing vertically without support. At the same time, the plant cannot trail along the support; clematis Alyonushka must be tied to a wall, fence or gazebo, or carefully placed on a support. The perennial grows quite quickly, so it needs staking or rearranging of stems several times a season.
Trimming
The perennial shrub grows very quickly and requires annual pruning. Since this variety belongs to pruning group 3, during the pruning process you can radically remove old shoots - flowers form only on young stems of the current year.
In autumn, the above-ground part of clematis is pruned very much - to 2-3 buds or completely, so that the plant rises only slightly above ground level. The procedure does not harm clematis, but, on the contrary, is of great benefit; after pruning, the plant tolerates winter better and produces larger flowers in the new season.
Preparing for winter
One of the main advantages of clematis is its high frost resistance.Alyonushka tolerates harsh winters well in almost all regions of Russia, and at the same time there is almost no need for complex preparations for winter.
Since clematis is cut to the very root in the fall, the plant does not freeze during the cold period. The only thing that can be done to further protect the plant from frost is to cover it on top with a layer of peat before the onset of cold weather. The material will not only serve as additional feeding, but will also help keep the roots of the subshrub warm, so that in the spring clematis will produce healthy young shoots.
Reproduction
Clematis can be propagated in several ways, most often this is done using seeds, cuttings or layering.
Seed propagation of the plant is carried out as follows:
- Seeds are collected from adult plants 1.5-2 months after the start of flowering; they remain viable for several years, but it is better to plant seeds a few months after collection, in February;
- immediately before planting, the seeds are soaked in water for 10 days, and every 4-5 days the water is replaced with fresh water;
- Nutrient soil is prepared in small containers; for this, peat and sand must be mixed in equal quantities and moistened;
- the seeds are laid out on the surface of the soil mixture and lightly sprinkled with sand;
- The containers are covered with glass or plastic film and placed in a warm room, the temperature in which is kept at least 25 ° C.
As the soil dries, the seeds need to be moistened, and it is better to pour water into the pan from below so as not to disturb the soil layer on top of the seeds. It is also necessary to regularly wipe off condensation that accumulates on the inner surface of the film or glass.Clematis will soon sprout its first shoots, and during this period it will need to be provided with more daylight, but there is no need to expose the containers to direct sunlight.
After leaves appear on individual seedlings, they can be transplanted into larger containers and left in this state for the next 2-3 years. In the southern regions, it is often practiced to plant directly in open ground, but in a temporary area, in a shaded place protected from the wind. After the plant reaches 2-3 years and grows shoots up to 15 cm long, it can be transplanted to a permanent site according to the usual scheme.
Clematis is not propagated by seeds very often; it turns out to be less decorative and not as strong as the mother plant. Cuttings are much more popular, it is not difficult to carry out, and besides, the method allows you to preserve all the beauty of the varietal plant.
- Cuttings for propagation are cut from the side shoots of the plant. The lower part of the cutting is cut with a sharp knife at an angle of 45 °, and the upper cut is placed 2 cm above the node on the shoot.
- In a small container, prepare a standard substrate consisting of peat and sand in a 1 to 1 ratio.
- The cuttings are lowered into the ground, having previously been treated with a solution that stimulates root growth. The node on the shoot must be buried 1 cm into the soil; immediately after planting, the cuttings are watered and sprayed.
For successful growth, Alyonushka clematis cuttings require high humidity and access to fresh air.Therefore, the easiest way is to cover the container with the shoot with plastic wrap and remove it from time to time for ventilation. The temperature in the room where clematis is grown must be at least 18 °C.
On average, rooting takes about 2 months. Once the clematis has taken root, it can be transplanted - directly into the ground or into a larger container for further growth. In the middle zone and cold regions, up to 2-3 years old, Alyonushka clematis is often grown indoors so that the plant becomes as strong as possible before planting in a permanent place.
Another method of propagating the Alyonushka variety is intended to increase the clematis population directly on the site. For this purpose, layering is used - long shoots of the main plant with nodules on the stem. The method looks very simple:
- next to an adult clematis bush, prepare small grooves no more than 10 cm deep;
- Overwintered shoots of plants are placed in these grooves, sprinkled with soil on top and secured with staples for reliability - otherwise the shoot may unbend;
- the tip of the shoot is left above the surface of the soil and subsequently pinched to stimulate the growth of roots from the nodule on the stem.
During the summer, the cuttings are regularly watered. By the end of the season, the underground part of the shoots should already have given rise to roots, but in the first year it is recommended to leave the cuttings for the winter, still connected to the mother plant. With the onset of spring, the cuttings can be separated from the main bush and carefully transplanted to a permanent place.
Diseases and pests
A beautiful and unpretentious perennial to growing conditions, it is susceptible to some diseases. Clematis Alyonushka is especially often affected by the following ailments:
- rust — a fungal disease is characterized by the appearance of rusty “pads” on the leaves, which subsequently curl and wither;
- powdery mildew — a fungal disease leads to the fact that clematis is abundantly covered with a white powdery coating, stops growing and dies;
- gray rot - the fungus appears as brown spots on the leaves of clematis, while a slight whitish pubescence can be seen on the surface of the spots;
- verticillium wilt - the fungus penetrates the clematis tissue through wounds in the roots and, over time, clogs the vessels of the plant, as a result of which the entire subshrub darkens and withers.
Fungal diseases of clematis are treated with standard fungicidal and antiseptic agents - foundationazole, Bordeaux mixture and others. To avoid diseases, you need to carry out high-quality prevention, trim clematis in time in autumn and spring, and monitor the cleanliness of the soil around the subshrub.
Of the pests for clematis Alyonushka, the most dangerous are the nematode, which parasitizes the roots, mole crickets and spider mites, which entangle the plant in a thin web that interferes with the processes of photosynthesis and growth. In addition, clematis is often attacked by aphids, which can be seen on the lower part of the leaves of the plant.
Pest control is carried out with insecticidal solutions. It is better to remove and burn seriously affected areas of the plant. For prevention, it is recommended to carry out insecticidal treatment at least once a season, even if no signs of pests are observed.
Conclusion
Clematis Alyonushka is a resistant to growing conditions and a very beautiful perennial plant. Clematis requires minimal care, but with the help of a climbing plant you can truly transform the area and give it a sophisticated look.
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