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The silvery sparrow resembles a delicate white cloud or a snowdrift in appearance. Invading meadows, mountainous and rocky areas, it creates unusually beautiful silver-white carpets. You can also grow the crop as an ornamental plant in your own garden.
Description and characteristics
Silverweed (Cerastium argenteum) is part of the Carnation family. This perennial is distinguished by its spreading nature. During the period of growing green mass, the crop grows up to 15 cm. During flowering - up to 40 cm.
The stems of the plant are creeping or erect (depending on the type), rigid, with little foliage, 40-45 cm long. Lignification can be observed at the rhizome. Shoots of bushes are often grouped, forming turf. The leaves have an elliptical shape and a characteristic silver-menthol hue.
Silver lily - a plant with a unique survival rate
Inflorescences are concentrated at the top of the stem, most often white. Each flower has five or more petals with characteristic indentations. The silver berry produces fruits that are cylindrical boxes that turn yellow when fully ripe. Each capsule contains spherical seeds of an orange or brown hue.
This culture has more than one hundred and eighty varieties. Most of them are of natural origin. The most famous are “field”, “alpine”, “felt”. In horticulture, silver lily is used to create carpets. In this case, creeping, actively growing perennials are most often used.
The leaves of the tree have slight pubescence and a characteristic silver-greenish color.
The plant begins to bloom in May. This period is one month. The rest of the time, the plant retains its decorative and aesthetic appearance, thanks to the small lanceolate leaves of a menthol shade.
The silver sparrow is distinguished by the following qualities:
- frost resistance;
- ease of care;
- ease of reproduction;
- good survival rate;
- excellent immunity;
- highly decorative.
Among the disadvantages, it is worth mentioning the poor tolerance of excess moisture, which must be taken into account when choosing a place for breeding the variety.
The following signs indicate excess moisture in the soil:
- reduction in leaf size;
- change of silver color to greener;
- loss of compact shape by bushes.
The culture is actively used by landscape designers as a ground cover plant in rocky gardens, on walls, borders, in rock gardens and rockeries. Most often this is a felt or Bieberstein pick.
Where does it grow
This herbaceous crop is most often found in rocky areas, as well as in dunes and temperate grasslands. The culture is distributed wild in North America, Africa, Eurasia and Australia.
Reproduction methods
The plant is propagated in three ways: through seed germination, cuttings and layering. The last method is the simplest and is suitable even for novice gardeners.
When propagating by seed, nutritious soil is prepared already at the end of March. Drainage and soil mixture are poured into a small container and the seeds are planted. After lightly sprinkling them with earth and covering them with glass or film, the container is placed on the sunny side of the window. Watering is carried out two to three times a week. After 14-15 days, the first shoots can be observed.
The silver splinter does not require picking. Several of them are planted in the ground at once. The transplant is carried out in July. As a rule, the culture demonstrates high adaptability and rapid growth.
Propagation by rhizomes or division is carried out in the spring. To do this, the young plant is divided, leaving several growth points on each part. After which the “divisions” are planted and watered.
It is better to carry out cuttings before or after flowering. Cut a shoot of suitable length and dig it in the right place, covering it with a special cap.
Planting and caring for silverweed
For planting, choose areas exposed to the sun with minimal stagnation of moisture. Yaskolka tolerates the climate of the middle zone well, without requiring shelter for the winter and constant watering.
Silver yaskolka is ideal for rocky alpine slides
Despite its “sun-loving” nature, the perennial can also grow in partial shade, however, as practice shows, then its flowering will be less lush.The silver grass is not picky about the soil, however, if possible, it prefers sandy loam and sand. Humus or compost can be added to soil that is too poor; clay soil can be diluted with river sand or sawdust.
The perennial can be planted both in early April (before flowering) and in August. Three to four weeks before planting, the soil is dug up and the necessary additives are added. Then the holes are formed. The plant is planted in small groups, slightly buried, at a distance of 20-25 cm from each other. Immediately after planting, the silver grass is watered with settled water.
Caring for the plant is very simple. It is moistened when the weather is too dry and its growth is periodically limited. It is enough to irrigate the perennial once every seven to eight days. The silver jasper is the aggressor. It easily displaces all other plants.
When leaves and shoots become thin, the crop is fed with organic matter. This allows the plant to quickly restore its decorative properties. But the perennial does not really like mineral fertilizers.
In the spring, pruning is carried out. To do this, remove dry shoots. Most often, the procedure is carried out in June. Starting from August, the culture is not touched.
Silver lily is one of the most “long-lasting” garden crops. However, to rejuvenate the plant, it is recommended to replant it every five to six years.
Pests and diseases
The silverweed demonstrates high immunity to most diseases. When planted in a place with high moisture stagnation, the plant can be affected by fungal diseases. Most problems associated with deterioration in appearance (decrease in splendor) can be solved by feeding and timely pruning.
What plants does it go with?
Gardeners and landscape designers most often combine “summer snow” with armeria and dark-leaved plants, such as bluebells and echium. In the photo, there is a silvery carp with a snow-white carpet, which is especially noticeable against the background of young, lush greenery.
The crop is often planted along flower beds next to conifers
Silver jasmine looks especially advantageous against the backdrop of active green mass. A good tandem for a perennial will be flowers of blue and dark blue palettes. The plant is often sown next to decorative green conifers.
The best neighbors for silver lilies will be bulbous ones: tulips, lilies, daffodils or irises (rhizomatous). But the perennial will most likely “strangle” muscari or crocuses.
Conclusion
Silverweed is a unique ground cover plant that can often be found in wild areas. High survival rate is the main feature of this crop, so gardeners can grow it even with minimal experience in caring for flowers.
