Content
Ground cover plants are invariably in demand by gardeners who want to disguise not particularly presentable places on the site and “bald spots” in flower beds. Many of them are very decorative and unpretentious. The yaskolka meets both criteria. There are several varieties of it, all of them are suitable for beginners. Even inexperienced gardeners can grow a snow carpet from seeds and further care for it.
History of selection
Biberstein's moth, on the basis of which the cultivated variety Snow Carpet was developed, has been known to gardeners for quite a long time, since the 20s of the 18th century. It has not been subjected to targeted and multi-stage selection, such as roses, chrysanthemums, and lilies. Outwardly it differs slightly from its “wild” relative. Specialists only worked on the size of the flowers (they became 0.5-0.8 cm larger in diameter) and the shoots, forcing them to creep.
From its “ancestor,” the Snow Carpet weed inherited all the qualities that made this weed considered exceptionally tenacious. It successfully adapts to the peculiarities of the local climate and the vagaries of the weather, takes root in a substrate of almost any quality, requires minimal care, and does not need special preparation for winter.
Description of the variety and characteristics
Jaskolka Snow Carpet is a plant from the Carnation family. In nature, its “relatives” are found throughout Eurasia, North and South America, the North African coast, even in Australia. The name (in Greek “horned”) is due to the specific shape of the fruit. However, “cultivated” varieties rarely set them.
Jaskolka Snow Carpet is a herbaceous perennial with intensively branching, thin shoots covered with thick short “pile”. They rise above the soil by a maximum of 25-30 cm, then droop and creep.
The roots are very developed, actively growing in width and depth. In one specimen of the Snow Carpet tree, they occupy an area of about 1 m2. Stems lying on the ground also take root quickly.
The leaves are without petioles, entire, small (4-5 cm), rather narrow, also with a pubescence. Because of this, they acquire an unusual silver-green hue. The size of the sheet plates allows you to reduce the area of evaporation; the snow carpet can survive for a long time without moisture.
Flowering begins at the end of May and lasts for about a month. The flowers are about 2 cm in diameter and look like stars. The petals (there are always 5 of them) are snow-white, the core is bright yellow. The edge of each one seems to be slightly “torn”. The flowering of the Winter carpet is very abundant. The buds are concentrated at the tips of the shoots. Because of this, the plant resembles a snowdrift.
The flowers of the Winter Carpet are modest, but there are a lot of them
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
The undeniable advantages of the Winter Carpet are:
- Decorative throughout the active growing season. Both the flowering plant and its foliage look very beautiful.
- Wide range of applications in landscape design.
- Cold resistance. In central Russia and even in the more severe climatic conditions of the Urals, Siberia, and the Far East, the chickweed overwinters successfully. It can tolerate temperatures as low as -40 °C.
- General undemandingness to the gardener. This applies to the quality of the substrate, the planting site, and care during the growing season.
- "Stress resistance". The winter carpet is not particularly sensitive to heat, drought, or direct sunlight. She will survive even if the summer turns out to be cool and rainy.
- Very good immunity. Pest attacks and fungal diseases are an exceptional phenomenon for the moth.
- Ease of reproduction. The purchased seeds are distinguished by excellent germination; the seedlings quickly take root and begin to grow after planting in the flowerbed. The plant reproduces without the participation of the gardener - the stems take root, the root system expands.
The last advantage of the winter carpet in the eyes of some gardeners is, on the contrary, a disadvantage. If it is not trimmed in a timely manner and regularly, it can quickly “spread” across the flowerbed and area, simply “clogging” other flowers and other herbaceous plants. Over several centuries of cultivation, gardeners have not been able to identify any other objective disadvantages.
Not all gardeners like the fact that the Winter Carpet is actively growing.
Reproduction methods
The winter carpet tree successfully reproduces without human help. Often he even faces the opposite problem - how to restrain the growth of a flower. In addition to planting seeds, there are two vegetative methods:
- Dividing the bush. Specimens at the age of 3-4 years in the spring, before the start of the active growing season, are dug up together with a lump of earth, trying to minimize the trauma to the root system, divided into 3-4 equal parts with a sharp knife or shovel, and immediately transplanted to a new place.
- Cuttings. At the end of June or at the beginning of July, cut off the top 12-15 cm long, without buds. All leaves are removed from the lower third, the base is kept in a solution of a root formation stimulator for 2-3 hours and immediately planted in a permanent place. Until the cutting starts to grow, it is important to provide it with protection from direct sunlight.
Winter carpet cuttings root quickly, in 10-12 days
Planting and caring for perennial weeds Snow carpet
Growing seedlings of the perennial carrion A snow carpet from seeds at home is a task that even a novice gardener can cope with. Preparing a flower bed is also easy. It is only necessary, if possible, to take into account the “wishes” of the plant, of which it has a minimum.
When to plant snow carpet seedlings
The timing depends on the growing region. Snow Carpet seedlings are ready for transplanting into the ground at the age of 25-30 days. It is carried out when the risk of return spring frosts is minimal.For central Russia, the favorable period begins in mid-May; in harsher climates it is worth waiting until the beginning of June; in the south you can plant as early as early May. Accordingly, seedlings are sown during April.
Soil and seed preparation
Preparing a flower bed for a Snow Carpet tree starts with choosing a suitable location. In principle, the plant will take root almost anywhere, but in completely unsuitable areas the pace of development slows down sharply, and flowering is sparse. Jaskolka prefers good lighting or light partial shade. The quality and fertility of the substrate are unimportant if it is not swampy and groundwater does not approach the surface closer than 1 m. The ideal option is fairly light, sandy soil with a slightly acidic pH.
The preparation goes like this:
- 20-25 days before planting, dig up the flowerbed to a depth of approximately one spade length, adding humus or compost (2-3 l/m²).
- Immediately before planting, loosen the soil, mark holes 8-10 cm deep with an interval of at least 50 cm (preferably 70-80 cm) between them.
Seed preparation for planting requires standard preparation. Although, in principle, you can do without it altogether, the germination rate of the planting material is good. From the seeds of the Snow Carpet, those that definitely will not germinate are first selected (they float if placed in a container with a saline solution), then the remaining ones are soaked in a biostimulant for 30-40 minutes.
Planting a seedling Snow carpet for seedlings
Planting seeds for seedlings proceeds according to the following algorithm:
- Fill peat pots or plastic cups with special soil for seedlings or a mixture of peat and “baking powder” (sand, perlite, vermiculite) in equal proportions.
- Create a “greenhouse” by covering them with glass or a plastic bag. Place containers in a dark place. Provide a temperature of 22-25 °C. Ventilate daily to get rid of accumulated condensation.
The germination percentage of Snow Carpet seeds is large, but they germinate unevenly. The process lasts for 10-20 days.
Caring for seedlings and planting in open ground
Containers with seedlings are transferred to a well-lit place. Water them no more than once every 10-12 days. Fertilizers are not required before transplanting to the flowerbed. Picking, if more than one seed was planted in one pot, is carried out when the seedlings reach a height of 5 cm and they have 2-3 true leaves.
It is more convenient to plant the seeds of the sprout immediately in separate containers, so as not to have to deal with picking the seedlings later
It is best to plant Snow Carpet flowers in open ground on a cloudy but relatively warm day. About an hour before the procedure, the soil in containers with seedlings is watered abundantly. This will make it easier to remove them without damaging the roots and the lump of soil on them.
Plants are planted in prepared holes. If desired, you can throw a handful of sifted wood ash or a teaspoon of complex fertilizer containing nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium at the bottom. The gap between the earthen ball and the walls of the hole is filled with soil. Having reached the top, it is carefully compacted, and the Snow Carpet seedlings are watered abundantly, spending about a liter of water for each.
Aftercare
Jaskolka Snow Carpet is a truly problem-free plant, caring for which takes the gardener a minimum of time and effort. The flowerbed does not require weeding, mulching or loosening. Weeds simply cannot break through the dense “carpet”, the soil underneath does not become crusty, and the water does not evaporate quickly.
The plant requires the following agrotechnical measures:
- Watering. Iskolka can make do with natural precipitation. But if dry and hot weather persists for a long time, it is recommended to water it every 5-7 days, spending 8-10 liters of water per adult plant.
- Top dressing. If the substrate is quite fertile, adding humus or rotted compost to the flowerbed once every 2-3 years in the spring will suffice. If the soil in the flower bed is poor, once a month during the active growing season, apply any complex fertilizers for decorative flowering perennials or natural organic matter (infusions of manure, bird droppings, “tea” from weeds).
- Trimming. If the Snow Carpet grows excessively, during the summer the “unnecessary” shoots are simply shortened. If desired, you can give the correct geometric configuration; the bush tolerates such a “haircut” well. When flowering ends, it is recommended to get rid of all faded buds and shorten the stems by about a third, stimulating branching.
- Preparing for winter. If particularly severe frosts are predicted, the flowerbed can be covered with 2-3 layers of any air-permeable covering material. It is better not to use spruce branches and fallen leaves.
After flowering, it is recommended to “cut the tree” short.
Pests and diseases
Jaskolka Winter carpet, with minimal care and a well-chosen place for planting, does not suffer from diseases and pests in principle. Excellent immunity is one of the main advantages of the plant.
The only problem that a gardener who grows carnivore may encounter is rot. It develops if you are too zealous with watering, not taking into account how often it rains, turning the flowerbed practically into a swamp. Another reason for the appearance of rot is planting in muddy or peat soil, where water stagnates for a long time.
Having discovered “watery” dark spots on the leaves of the tree, the bases of the shoots turning black and becoming wet, or mold in the flowerbed, it is necessary to sharply reduce watering, allowing the soil to dry 8-10 cm deep. All damaged parts of the plants are cut off, taking about another 0.5 cm of tissue that appears healthy. Severely damaged specimens are completely destroyed.
In the future, you need to adjust the watering schedule. Within a month after the disease is detected, use not ordinary water, but a solution of any fungicide, reducing the concentration of the drug by half compared to that recommended in the instructions.
What plants does it go with?
Judging by the photos of flower beds and reviews of the Snow Carpet plant, gardeners prefer the most obvious options for using it in landscape design - creating “green” carpets or “rivers” that occupy the space between tiles or boulders, decorating alpine slides and rockeries.
A carpet made of wood is a suitable option for filling any empty spaces on the site.
It looks impressive, but by combining the Snow Carpet plant with other plants, you can create more original flower beds. The following are suitable “neighbors”:
- any large bulbous plants (lilies, tulips, certain varieties of daffodils);
- all flowers in blue-violet tones (lavender, sage, cornflowers, bells, armeria, sisyurynchia, echium);
- ornamental foliage plants with silvery, whitish, bluish-blue leaves, used to create so-called lunar gardens (juvenile, “cultivated” wormwood, yarrow).
Companions in the flower bed for the snow carpet need to be selected so that they can withstand its growth
Conclusion
Growing a snow carpet from seeds is a task that even a novice gardener can cope with. The plant fully lives up to its name. The flower beds really look like impervious snowdrifts. The non-flowering jasmine remains decorative until the end of the active growing season. Gardeners value it for its low maintenance requirements, fast growth rate, ease of propagation, and original shade of leaves.
