Content
Every owner of a country house would like to have a flowering corner in their garden that will delight the eye for many months. Tomentosa is an ornamental plant that landscape designers and gardeners use as a carpet crop. It makes magnificent curtains, completely covered with flowers.
Description of felt peg and characteristics
The plant is a representative of the Clove class. The length of the stems of an adult tomentosa reaches 30-45 cm. As the plantings grow, the stems intertwine, forming islands that visually resemble pillows.
The felt prickle received its name due to its unusual coating. The leaves have abundant pubescence, reminiscent of natural material to the touch. They have a characteristic narrow shape, the length rarely exceeds 3 cm.
During active budding, the tomentosa resembles a blooming carpet
The most important feature of the plant is its flowers. Multiple buds are collected in corymbose inflorescences.The diameter of each does not exceed 1 cm, however, due to the abundant quantity, it gives the impression of a flowering carpet. The period of active budding lasts from May to the end of June. Provided the climate is favorable, the plant can retain flowers until mid-July.
There are several of the most popular varieties of decorative cherry blossoms. The main differences are habitat, appearance and duration of flowering. In modern landscape design, the following varieties of woodleaf are most often used:
- Felt field. The plant is a weed that grows in fields with perennial grasses. Distributed throughout Russia from the Far East to the European region. The ornamental value is low, so it is most often found in the wild or as an addition to English gardens. The height of the stems of an adult plant can reach 40 cm.
- Felt alpine. Most common in the Altai region. Small bushes up to 15-20 cm high with a short flowering period - 20-30 days in May. A rather capricious plant to care for with poor survival rate at home. Annual spring rejuvenation by cuttings or complete replanting is required. In cold winters with scanty snow cover, they most often die.
- Felt grandiflora. The peculiarity of the plant is the enlarged size of the buds compared to its relatives. The flower can reach a diameter of more than 3 cm with a stem height of 20 cm. The homeland of the species is the countries of the Balkan region - Albania and North Macedonia.This kind of felt peg is most often used to create alpine slides and lush flower beds.
- Felt Bieberstein. Crimean species listed in the Red Book of Europe. The length of the stems does not exceed 25 cm. A special feature is the rather early period of budding - from early April to mid-May. Due to its special protective status, it is quite rare among landscape designers.
- Terry stem. A species of tomentosa, native to the southern regions of Italy. The most decorative representative of the family. Active budding lasts up to 2 full months. Most often used to create alpine slides and flower beds.
A huge number of varieties of felt grass allows you to choose the ideal plant based on the goals of landscape design, as well as personal preferences. Almost all representatives will provide a bright flowering carpet that will delight the eye for a long time of budding.
Reproduction methods
One of the most significant features of tomentose grass for landscape design is its incredible survival rate. In this matter, the plant is similar to weeds. A large number of seeds makes it easy to increase the area of plantings. If there is a need to independently propagate the lichen, you can use:
- seeds;
- cuttings;
- dividing the bush.
Reproduction of the jasper is carried out both by seeds and with the help of cuttings
Both methods are quite simple to implement and do not require strict adherence to algorithms. Even an inexperienced gardener can cope with both collecting seeds and dividing the bush into several parts.
Propagation of tomentose moth by seeds
Immediately after budding ends, small boxes filled with fine pollen form in place of the former flowers. To grow Felt Crystal Waterfall from seeds, it must be carefully collected and placed in an airtight container.
The collected planting material is placed in a dark place. It is important to provide protection from sunlight and moisture. The seeds will be stored in these conditions until next spring.
Cuttings of felted jasmine
The process is carried out immediately after the end of active budding - at the end of June or beginning of July. Before the procedure, it is necessary to water the plantings generously to ensure sufficient moisture absorption. The side stem with 2-3 leaf blades is cut off and immediately planted in soil rich in fertilizers. A cut plastic bottle is placed on top as a temporary greenhouse. The seedling takes root quite quickly, after which it begins active growth.
Reproduction by dividing the bush
The operation of extracting the plant and its subsequent division is carried out either in early spring or late autumn. Once every couple of years, the felt tree is dug up, divided into several parts and planted in new places. Before the procedure, it is recommended to remove the above-ground part of the bushes.
Planting and caring for tomentose grass
One of the reasons for choosing this plant for your garden plot is its low maintenance and ease of planting. Yaskolka is incredibly popular not only among landscape designers, but also among ordinary people. Following simple rules of agricultural technology will allow you to get lush, healthy bushes that will bloom profusely, making the area more pleasing to the eye.
Timing of sowing seeds
Self-planting of seedlings requires preliminary germination of seedlings.At first, felt seeds are planted in boxes with soil. Considering the duration of the process, the picking and growing season before transplanting into open ground, the 2nd decade of March is considered the ideal time for rooting seedlings.
Requirements for place and soil
Considering the incredible love of the tree for sunlight and its endurance to temperature changes, it is better to select elevated areas in open areas for planting it. The plant develops fastest on alpine hills.
The plant requires sufficient sunlight
The soil for the plant can be almost any, with the exception of highly acidic soils. Experienced gardeners have adapted the plant to sandy and even rocky soils. The most important detail when choosing soil is the absence of nearby groundwater. Even slight waterlogging will lead to the immediate death of the plant.
Sowing seeds
Seedlings germinated from seeds are planted in open ground when stable warm weather without night frosts has established. For each seedling, dig a small hole measuring 20x20x20 cm. The distance between each plant is chosen based on the desired density of plantings, but not less than 20 cm between bushes. A small layer of drainage is poured at the bottom of the hole, then a seedling of the felt tree is placed and sprinkled with earth.
Aftercare
Vivid photos of felt grass can be obtained not only through proper planting, but also through high-quality subsequent care. Watering is only necessary when planting seedlings. Further moistening is carried out only during prolonged droughts.Fertilizers are also applied as needed - if growth is too slow and there is no budding.
Mandatory steps when growing are periodic pruning of bushes and rejuvenating transplantation. Once every couple of years, the root system of the shrub bush is divided into several parts and each one is planted in a new place.
Diseases and pests
The only ailment that gardeners may encounter when growing feltweed is rot of the roots and stems. This occurs due to waterlogging of the soil. There are no other diseases found in the moth. Pests do not cause any damage to flowering plantings.
Wintering
Yaskolka is not afraid of frost and easily endures winter even in the Siberian region. The only problem can be a temperature below -20 degrees in the complete absence of snow cover. In such cases, it is necessary to cover the plantings with spruce branches and roofing felt.
What plants does it go with?
Despite the long flowering period, most of the growing season is represented by a lush green carpet. An ideal complement to it would be other flowering plants, the budding periods of which vary significantly - this will ensure the constant availability of flowers on the alpine hills.
When combining a tree with other plants, the main goal is the contrast of shades
Heuchera, cacti, bells and ornamental cabbage are considered the best neighbors. Many landscape designers combine them with bulbous plants - tulips or hyacinths.
Conclusion
A felt bud will allow you to create a lush flowering carpet on your site, which will delight the eye throughout the entire period of active budding.The ease of agricultural technology and minimal care requirements will allow even inexperienced gardeners to get a healthy plant that is not susceptible to diseases and pests.
Reviews
For the first time I purchased the seeds of these beautiful flowers in a large supermarket and immediately planted them as seedlings. The seedlings easily survived picking and rooting in the summer cottage. Flowers appeared already in the first year of life. And how they bloom! Lush, thick carpet. It is best to combine plantings with taller flowers - the effect is simply incredible. All my neighbors were jealous of me, and the next year they bought the same flowers.
