Ornithogalum: photo and description of the plant, planting and care in open ground

Birdwort is a beautiful plant with white star-shaped flowers. Unpretentious, shade-tolerant, does not require special care. A photo and description of the poultry plant, as well as recommendations for planting and growing it, are presented in this article.

Description and characteristics of the poultry farmer

Ornithogalum is a perennial flower from the Asparagus family. In nature, it is found mainly in warm regions of the Mediterranean, Asia and Africa. Some varieties also grow in the temperate climate zone of Russia.

The name of the flower is associated with a combination of Greek words that translate as “milk” and “bird”.Most likely, it is associated with the characteristic milky white color of the petals, reminiscent of “bird's milk”.

There is another name for the birdbird, which is often found in English-language sources. It is translated as “star of Bethlehem.” The fact is that the flowers of the plant consist of six identical elongated petals, which in appearance resemble a hexagonal star.

What does a birdwatcher look like?

Poultry plant is a herbaceous plant with a height of 30 to 90 cm. The root is in the form of a round or ovoid bulb, often oblong in shape. The covering scales are dense, reaching from 2 to 5 cm in diameter. The root system of the flower is regularly renewed and does not die.

The leaves are basal type, dark green in color, with a whitish vein in the middle. They form first, after which flower stalks appear. There are also species of poultry grass in which leaves are formed only in September, after which they survive the winter, and in the spring, on the contrary, die off.

Poultry flowers are milky white or slightly yellowish in color.

There is a noticeable green stripe on the outside of the perianth leaves. They consist of six elongated petals with sharp edges, the diameter is within 5 cm. They are organized into inflorescences in the form of brushes or scutes, appearing on the tops of peduncles.

When does the bird's eye flower bloom?

The flowering period of the poultry plant occurs in the middle and second half of May, lasting 15-20 days (depending on the characteristics of the variety, weather conditions and care). In summer, in place of wilted flowers, fruits appear in the form of dry boxes. The seeds are round, black in color, flat in shape.

The poultry plant is one of the first to bloom

Properties and application

The bulbs of some species of poultry flower, such as the Pyrenean flower, are edible.They are eaten fried and pickled, just like regular onions. Sprouts are also used and dishes are prepared from them, similar to asparagus (pickling, baking in the oven).

The use of poultry leaves in folk medicine is also known. The juice of the plant contains many useful substances that have analgesic, antimicrobial and wound-healing effects. The plant is used as an additional treatment for various diseases:

radiculitis;
haemorrhoids;
vein pathologies;
gout;
joint pain;
myositis;
osteochondrosis;
bruises;
herpes;
boils;
boils;
warts

Important! Certain species of poultry flower are poisonous. Therefore, you can only eat those varieties whose edibility is reliably known.

Types and varieties of poultry grass

In total, there are about 150 species in the genus of poultry birds. Some of them were used in breeding work to obtain cultivated varieties. They are grown both in open ground and in greenhouses. The most popular flower varieties are described below.

Arabian poultry

The Arabian variety (Ornithogalum arabicum) is found in Israel and neighboring countries. Produces tall peduncles 80-85 cm. The flowers are white, reaching 5 cm in diameter. The core is black.

The variety is notable for its relatively large flowers.

Poultry farmer Boucher

Boucheanum (Ornithogalum boucheanum) is named after the famous German botanist P.K. Boucher. It produces peduncles 40-45 cm high, leaves are linear, reaching only 1.5 cm in width. The flowers are numerous, with a grayish tint.

Inflorescences are presented in tassels

Umbrella poultry plant

Almost all varieties of poultryweeds are early primroses, and the umbrella variety (Ornithogalum umbellatum) is no exception.The plant produces snow-white flowers already in early May and is classified as a primrose. The height of the peduncles is only 25 cm. The inflorescences are small, up to 2.5 cm in diameter, and numerous.

The name is associated with umbrella inflorescences

Orivory of Narbonne

The Narbonne variety (Ornithogalum narbonense) is found in Mediterranean countries. It reaches a height of 50-80 cm. The foliage is linear, with a shade of bluish. The petals are pure white, small in size, with a thin green stripe visible in the middle (on the outside).

This variety blooms in early June.

Poultry drooping

The drooping variety (Ornithogalum nutans) produces flower stalks 50 cm high. The foliage is gray-green, with a whitish stripe visible on the inside. The name is due to the fact that the inflorescences droop.

The plant produces attractive white flowers

Poultry plantar arcuate (arcuate)

The arcuate variety (Ornithogalum arcuatum) is distinguished by tall stems (up to 8 cm) and linear narrow leaves (only 1 cm wide). The inflorescences are large, multi-flowered, reaching 45 cm in length. At first they are denser, pyramid-shaped, then become loose.

The flowers of this variety are small, but appear in large quantities.

Ornithischium thyrsiformes

The thyrsodies variety (Ornithogalum thyrsodies) produces shoots 30-85 cm high. Flowering begins in April, although in some regions the period occurs in May and even June. The color is pure white, classic.

The variety is often used for growing in pots

Saunders Poultry Farmer

The Saunders variety (Ornithogalum saundersiae) produces very tall flower stalks (up to 1 m) with long gray-green leaves (up to 60 cm). The color of the petals is white or cream. Great for both garden decoration and making bouquets.

This variety is not winter hardy and requires shelter.

Pyrenean Orchid

The Pyrenean variety (Ornithogalum pyrenaicum) is also tall - shoots reach a height of 80-100 cm. The foliage is green with a bluish tint, length up to 40 cm, width up to 5-7 cm.

Each bush produces up to 100 white flowers

Poultry pyramidal

The pyramidal variety (Ornithogalum pyramidale) is also very tall - peduncles can grow from 30 cm to 1 m. The foliage has a bluish tint. Flowers are organized into raceme-shaped inflorescences, each containing from 200 to 100.

The inflorescences are large, up to 50 cm long

How to plant poultry garden

The easiest way to plant ornithogalum is with bulbs, since in this case flowering will occur already in the next season. Planting material is purchased in specialized stores at the end of summer. The optimal time for planting is at the end of August and beginning of September.

You can choose any place to plant the plant, since it tolerates shade well and grows normally in bright sun. In this case, the soil should be as fertile and loose as possible, and should allow water to pass through well so that it does not stagnate. Sandy or sandy loam soil is optimal.

The process of planting a poultry plant looks like this:

Several planting holes are formed with a depth of 5-10 cm at intervals of 15-20 cm.
A small layer of sand is poured onto the bottom.
Place poultry bulbs and cover with soil.
Water well and leave until spring. For the winter, it is recommended to mulch with straw, sawdust or other material.

How to care for a poultry bird

Caring for a poultry plant is very simple. It comes down to regular watering - about once a week (twice as often during drought).To maintain a constant level of humidity, it is recommended to lay a layer of mulch. Periodically, the soil is loosened and weeded.

It is advisable to feed the poultry plant during flowering. When buds form in early May, complex mineral fertilizer is given. Instead, you can water it with a solution of superphosphate (40 g per 10 l) and potassium sulfate (30 g per 10 l).

After 10-15 days, a similar fertilizing is applied so that the poultry plant produces as many flowers as possible. At the end of summer, you can feed with any composition that does not contain nitrogen. It is useful to water the plants with an infusion of wood ash (150-200 g per 10 l).

The bush should be inspected periodically, as it may harbor aphids or spider mites. If a colony of insects or characteristic signs are detected (for example, cobwebs on the leaves), you should immediately treat with insecticides. For this you can use, for example, the drugs “Decis”, “Inta-Vir” or “Colorado”.

Attention! The plant requires shelter only in the northern regions, the Urals and Siberia. In the fall, it is recommended to hill up and cover the plantings with moss, spruce branches or sawdust.

Poultry transplant

The poultry plant should be replanted every 4 years. The flower may well grow in the same place for longer, but a long period without replanting has a bad effect on its appearance. Work can begin in mid-spring or at the very end of summer.

It is recommended to replant the plant every four years.

When transplanting a flower, it is recommended to follow these instructions:

They dig up bushes from all sides.
Carefully take it out and shake it off the ground.
Separate the children (small bulbs) and transfer them to a new flowerbed or destroy them.
The mother bush is planted in its original place and watered thoroughly.

Poultry breeding

It is best to propagate the plant by children. To do this, take your own planting material or purchase it in a store. It is better to plan planting at the end of summer.

There is also a seed propagation method. It can be implemented using two technologies - growing seedlings or direct sowing in the ground. In the latter case, the seeds are subjected to long-term stratification - they are planted before winter and mulched. In spring, sprouts appear that need to be watered regularly.

Direct sowing in the ground is not suitable for heat-loving varieties of poultry flower, as well as when grown in regions with a frosty climate, for example, in the Urals and Siberia. Therefore, they also practice the seedling method - the seeds are sown in early March. Standard instructions:

Make up a fertile mixture based on garden soil, compost or humus, black peat and sand in a ratio of 2:1:1:1.
Abundantly moisturize.
The seeds are sown at a shallow depth of 0.5-1 cm.
Cover with film and wait for shoots to appear.
Then the shelter is removed and watered regularly.
After 2-3 leaves appear, a pick is made.
They are transplanted into open ground in early May.

This method of propagation is more labor-intensive, and flowering begins only after 3-4 years. Therefore, in practice it is used extremely rarely.

Why does the bird's eye plant not bloom?

The poultry plant is unpretentious and does not require special care. However, sometimes it does not produce flowers, which is mainly due to improper care. The plant does not tolerate waterlogging of the soil. Therefore, if you regularly violate the watering norm, it will stop producing flowers.

In order for the poultry plant to bloom, it should not be over-watered.

Also, the plant does not bloom if planted in a lowland. Melt and rainwater periodically flow here.If the soil starts to become waterlogged, it can cause the bulbs to rot.

How to get rid of poultry in the garden

The flower is resilient because it is unpretentious and adapts well to different types of soil. Often, when digging, small bulbs fall off and then spread throughout the garden. There are cases when they sprouted even in compost pits.

Therefore, for many summer residents, the question of how to deal with poultry pests is relevant. If you plan to grow a flower, you can do this in special nets or fence the flower beds with roofing felt, slate, or other dense material.

It is also allowed to use general methods of weed control:

weed periodically;
dig up and chop the roots;
mulch with a large layer of grass clippings without seeds, compost and garden soil (“strangle”);
as a last resort, treat with herbicides, for example, Hurricane Forte, Roundup Max, Lintur.

Poultry farmer in landscape design

The flower grows normally in different soils and tolerates shade well. Therefore, it can be planted in a shady area, for example, under a tree or next to a fence. Umbrella birdwort looks great in an alpine hill or rockery, and tall varieties can be used in mixborders. Less tall varieties are used to decorate the lawn.

Some options for using crops in garden design are shown below:

Single landing.
Composition with different plants.
Plant in the shade of a bush.
Use as a ground cover.

Conclusion

Photos and descriptions of the bird's eye plant show how attractive this flower is. The plant produces very beautiful inflorescences, which are among the first to appear.The crop is undemanding in terms of care, so even a novice gardener can cope with its cultivation.