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FLOWER BOARD OF CONTINUOUS FLOWERING "SPRING-SUMMER" AND PLANTS FOR IT

The view of a continuously blooming garden is mesmerizing and can hardly leave anyone indifferent - blossoming flowers replace freshly withered ones. But around the end of May, the first violent spring flowering fades, and there is a pause in the garden. The turn of peonies and roses has not yet come, and letniki will begin to decorate flower beds only from June and, moreover, will not solve the problem in the long term. Fortunately, there are perennials that can provide a smooth transition from a spring garden to a summer one.

Curtains of aquilegia wake up early, grow quickly and bloom for a long time starting from May. Aquilegia is especially good in the corners of the garden, decorated in a natural style, but in general, this plant is versatile. Tall forms are suitable for the background, medium-sized ones will decorate the center of the flower garden, dwarf ones can be planted along the border or in rockeries among the stones.

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Most often in gardens there are hybrid aquilegia, which have earned popularity with a variety of colors and flower shapes. The well-known series of Nora Barlow varieties combined plants with medium-sized (about 3-5 cm in diameter) double flowers of various colors - pink-white, brick-red. One of the most spectacular is the black variety Black Barlow.

Varieties of aquilegia blue differ in the height of the peduncle (from 40 cm to 70 cm), the flowers of the plants are large, with long spurs, and the color scheme is quite extensive: there are white, red, blue, purple forms. Interesting varieties such as blue-white Blue Star or yellow Maxistar.

Aquilegia golden blooms in May and serves as a decoration of the garden for almost the entire summer. Its yellow flowers are located on high (up to 80 cm) peduncles.

In the shade, aquilegia bloom longer and grow faster.

Miniature aquilegia discolor is a smaller copy of the usual blue aquilegia. More precisely, only the plant itself is small, exceeding 15 cm in diameter, and the flowers, whose diameter reaches 5 cm, are almost the same as those of large garden hybrids, while there are many of them.

Aquilegia scopulorum is even more compact. It differs from other species in that its white-blue flowers do not droop, but are directed upwards.

Dicentra magnificent, or broken heart, blooms from May, does not require special care, can grow up to 80-90 cm in height and is able to give colors even to a deep shadow. It is better to place the plant among other perennials, since after flowering its aerial part dies off.

For most varieties of magnificent dicentra, pink hearts are characteristic, but on sale you can also find white-flowered forms (Alba variety), as well as forms with golden leaves.

The compact (up to 40 cm in height) variety Candy Hearts is very beautiful. Saturated pink flowers with whitish strokes are collected in inflorescences of 4-8 pieces.

Grows early, grows well and blooms beautifully - a perennial with lyre-pinnate leaves collected in a basal rosette. The foliage is preserved under the snow and dies off only in the spring, when it is replaced by a new one, so we can say that the gravel is attractive all season - from snow to snow.

Flowers can be either single or collected in inflorescences. The plant is generally undemanding, but loves the sun and is responsive to watering.

The most famous species is Chilean gravel. A plant up to 60 cm tall, with red flowers, its flowering occurs in June and lasts 6-7 weeks. A very interesting delicate pink-apricot color in the new variety Mai Tai. Various forms of hybrid gravel are also popular. Flowers in plants are both simple and double, red, orange and yellow, depending on the variety. The compact variety Gladis Perry has very bright orange-red flowers that decorate the plant profusely in the first half of summer. Variety Princes Juliana is distinguished by semi-double rich orange flowers.

The spring umbilicus blooms up to 6 weeks, capturing the beginning of June. A relative of the forget-me-not differs from it in larger flowers, which, moreover, stay on the plant longer. Forms curtains, stably decorative from early spring to late autumn. Oval leaves are about 12 cm long and 5-6 cm wide. By the end of flowering, creeping shoots (stolons) appear on the plant, which end in a rosette of leaves. Such mustaches from one bush can be 5-6 pieces. In August, new rosettes take root, and the whiskers die off.

The Caucasian umbilicus is more compact, does not form stolons, and its foliage is more rigid. But this species is not particularly stable in our gardens, it can freeze.

Unusual blue flowers with a white rim in the variety Starry Eyes, obtained from the Cappadocian umbilicus. The height of a perennial plant is about 30 cm, it grows due to short underground rhizomes.

Purple foxglove is a biennial, but before it disappears, it usually has time to self-sow. This is a large accent plant that always attracts attention. The tall powerful stem is adorned with a majestic spike-shaped inflorescence, which is always turned towards the sun and consists of hanging bells of various colors.

Large-flowered foxglove is a perennial with small yellow bells and slightly pubescent leaves and flowers. Her one of the most beautiful varieties of Pink Panther reaches a height of 70 cm, bright pink flowers have a large speck in the throat.

For foxglove, a sunny or semi-shady place is suitable. The soil should be loose, fertile and necessarily well-drained, as foxglove does not tolerate wetting of the roots.

Large-rhizome geranium grows naturally in the Balkans, hence the second name of the species - Balkan. It blooms in early summer with medium-sized bright pink flowers. The plant quickly forms a closed cover about 30 cm high, leaving no chance for weeds, and in autumn its curtains acquire a beautiful color. Geranium stems are woody, lodging, fragrant foliage. The species prefers partial shade and, which is very important, tolerates even dry shade under dense tree crowns.

There are several decorative forms of the plant: Album with almost white, slightly pinkish flowers, pure white Whiteness, Ingw er sens Variety with pale pink flowers, bright purple Czakor. Balkan geranium is easily propagated by dividing the bush and rooting segments of the rhizome.

Abundant flowering of magnificent geranium begins in June and lasts about 2 weeks. This beautiful hybrid of flat-petal and Georgian geraniums has been cultivated since the XNUMXth century. and earned popularity as a very frost-resistant unpretentious plant.

Powerful bushes up to 70 cm high with large (up to 5 cm in diameter) lilac-blue flowers grow best in open sunny places, flowering is not so plentiful in the shade, besides, the stems lose their strength and lie down. After flowering, the plant does not lose its decorative effect due to large semi-dissected leaves. Very interesting is the blue-violet variety Rosemoor, the petals of which are covered with clear dark blue veins.

In the garden, magnificent geranium is successfully combined with soft cuff, orange gravilates and poppies.

At the end of May, intermedia irises bloom - a hybrid obtained from crossing dwarf and tall bearded irises. The group got its name, meaning "in-between", for two reasons. Firstly, due to the flowering period. Intermedia open buds when dwarf irises have already faded, and tall bearded irises have not yet blossomed. The second reason is the height of plants, which in their growth occupy an intermediate link between dwarfs and "bearded men".

It is also worth mentioning that intermedia irises inherited the best qualities of their parents - the growth rate and the speed of the formation of bushes, abundant flowering and rather large flowers. Although, of course, the intermedia flowers are not as large as those of tall bearded irises, there are much more peduncles on the bush. Due to the abundant flowering, they form bright spots in the garden. And their colors are varied and charming. For example, sky blue Neon Blue with light olive veins and a blue beard. The v Rare Edition has a violet-blue border and a small rare speck on a snow-white background. There are also dark varieties. A wine red Ruby Slippers with a rich orange tangerine beard that has an elegant light pattern around it. Or Garnet Slippers - maroon with more intensely colored, almost black falls.

In late May - early June, oriental poppy begins to bloom.

The species belongs to the ornamental species, which are allowed to be grown in gardens. The homeland of the plant is the Caucasus and Asia Minor. In culture, only varieties. Peduncles 60-90 cm high, the stem is hard, hairy, leafy. The leaves are dissected, hard-haired, the lower ones are collected in a rosette. Very large single flowers up to 20 cm in diameter can be simple or double and have a very bright color - fiery red, scarlet red, snow-white, orange, salmon.

After flowering, the stems turn yellow and dry, and after them the leaves in the rosette, the yellowed aerial part is cut off. But by autumn, the foliage grows back and goes green into winter.

Oriental poppy is quite winter-hardy and does not require shelter. Can grow in full sun or light shade. The soil can also be almost any, only too acidic will have to be limed. The only thing he does not tolerate is the stagnation of water at the roots.

Many plant varieties are known. Allegro is notable for the fact that it blooms already in the year of sowing, large bright scarlet poppies create picturesque spots in the garden. The plant itself is compact, bushes up to 40 cm high, resistant to any bad weather. The height of the Perrys White variety is also small, the flowers are white, about 16 cm in diameter, the foliage is dark green. Tall (up to 90 cm) Picotee is distinguished by two-color flowers, the main background of the petals is white, the wide border is orange-red. Kleine Tanzerin is a semi-double variety with corrugated salmon-pink petals, plant height is about 60 cm. Very bright fiery red flowers of Brillia n t reach 15 cm in diameter, peduncles up to 80 cm high. .

THE GARDEN DOES NOT SUFFER VOID

No matter how carefully the design of the garden is thought out, annual changes in it cannot be avoided. The whims of the weather, the natural cyclical development or the need to transplant and divide overgrown plants make their own adjustments. Sometimes there are clearings in the landings, and they need to be filled quickly. "Candidates" for vacant places should have a high growth rate and a long period of decorativeness. A luxurious solid background with a steel sheen will create a Byzantine, or woolly, who likes open sunny places and well-drained soils. The plant very quickly forms a beautiful rosette of soft velvety silver-green leaves, blooming from early summer to autumn with pink-purple flowers collected in erect spikelets.

Hardy handsome catnip will be added to the blue mixborder. The most winter-hardy species are Fassen, feline, racemose. Strongly branched perennials bloom for 1-5 months, drought-resistant. The plants quickly close, forming a continuous cover, which, depending on the variety, can be 3-30 cm high. The cuff is soft and prone to growth and quickly fills the gaps in the flower garden. Plant height 60-40 cm. It blooms in June with greenish-yellow small flowers collected in corymbose panicles. It can grow both in the sun and in partial shade, but the soil must be moderately moist and fertile. With its smooth outlines, the cuff can soften the strict angles and transitions of the mixborder.

All living things in nature strive to continue their kind, and plants are no exception. The main task for them is to reproduce the seeds. Flowering is only one of the stages in achieving the goal. And for us, this is a long-awaited period that we want to enjoy as long as possible.

Do you want to feel like a conductor of flowering?

The techniques that we offer you, one way or another, relate to different methods of pruning perennials and are aimed at regulating flowering.

We create a flower bed of continuous flowering! We use perennials peonies, poppies, tulips, daffodils, etc.

BEST THE ENEMY OF THE GOOD

In order for the flowering to be more spectacular and expressive, and the flowers to amaze with their size, the smallest buds are removed from the plants. As a result, all the energy and food goes to the rest. In addition, the load on the shoots is reduced, and the plant is better able to withstand bad weather.

Most often, this technique is used on dahlias and peonies. Usually, in a dahlia, 3 buds are formed simultaneously on one flowering shoot: the middle one is located on the shortest peduncle, and the peduncles of the lateral buds are longer and thinner. If you leave everything as it is, then the middle flower will develop and bloom first, and after it the two remaining ones.

But it has been noticed that when the side buds are cut off, the middle flower turns out to be larger and rests on a strong peduncle. If you remove the middle bud, the remaining ones will develop faster, but the size of the flowers will be more modest, and the peduncles will be weaker.

By the same principle, peony buds are cut off when they barely reach the size of a pea. Removing "extra" buds allows not only to get larger flowers, but also unloads the peduncle, as a result, it will tend to the ground less.

HAIRCUT IN ENGLISH

The famous Chelsea flower show has spawned a new farming technique that aims to push the timing and prolong the flowering of plants. Namely, perennials are pruned not after, but before flowering.

Perhaps someone is familiar with the method and has been using it for a long time. But English gardeners claim to be the author of the idea and even came up with a name for such pruning - Chelsea chop. What is the essence of the "Chelsea haircut"?

It is carried out on herbaceous perennials, the bush becomes more compact, denser, looks neat, and flowering stretches over time. You can cut off all the shoots, shortening them by about a third of the total length. And you can cut only some branches, then the flowering will be longer and more uniform.

For example, if on a large phlox bush, shoots that have not yet bloomed are cut in a circle, then they will well support the middle, which tends to fall apart under the weight of the caps. And then the side shoots will pick up the baton of flowering.

Chelsea chop works best on early varieties that have pyramidal caps. In such phloxes, new shoots quickly grow from the axils of the leaves. In addition to phlox, early pruning before flowering is well tolerated by echinacea, geleniums, rudbeckias, goldenrods, sedums, New Belgian asters, and monards.

The British spend it in the second half of May, just before the flower show. It is better for us to focus on plants - they must gain height.

SUMMER ENCOS

Arabis, delphinium, lupine and some other perennials that bloom in spring and early summer can please with repeated flowering. But for this they need help. Plants should not be allowed to set seeds. After all, after the formation of seeds, they consider their task completed and prepare for the end of the season. There is one rule here. In plants with single flowers, they are removed with the onset of wilting. If the plants form inflorescences, then the flowering shoot is cut off with a noticeable weakening of flowering.

This procedure helps to maintain a neat appearance of the garden, because faded, half-circled, out of shape flowers do not add beauty to it. However, it is not only useful from an aesthetic point of view, but also prevents the development of diseases. In rainy summers, dying inflorescences often rot, become limp and can serve as a favorable environment for the reproduction of pathogenic microflora.

In low-growing ground cover plants, such as styloid phlox, arabis, you just need to cut off the faded shoots at a height of 4-5 cm. Then re-flowering can be expected in August. In lupine, the flower-bearing stem is cut off almost at ground level, trying not to damage the basal leaves. The flowers of the dotted and peach-leaved bells are cut off above the "cap" from which the petals grow. Behind it are dormant flower buds, which, after pruning, will grow, and flowering will last until September, weather permitting.

During the few weeks between the first and second flowering waves, when the plants will grow new shoots and form buds, they will need timely watering and top dressing.

THE ABC OF LANDSCAPE DESIGN

When choosing plants, you probably noticed that in catalogs and reference books, the flowering periods are indicated monthly - May, June, etc. Of course, such information should be taken as approximate. After all, in fact, the buds do not open strictly on the first day of the month and the flowers do not fade on the last day. Therefore, it would be more correct to consider the first and second half of each month and draw up your own flowering schedule, based on your own observations and reviews of other gardeners about crops and varieties. Such information will be very useful when planning a garden of continuous flowering.

If you are going to break a flower garden in which the waves of flowering should smoothly replace each other, then adhere to this principle. Let's say you have selected 10 types of plants that should ensure the continuity of flowering throughout the season. In this case, break the flower garden into 20 sectors, allocating 2 places for each species. Landing in this way. For example, as plants that bloom in the first half of June, you have chosen irises and peonies. For these plants, 4 sectors are provided. Plant a curtain of peonies and a curtain of irises in each, or occupy 2 sectors with peonies and 2 with irises. So the flower garden will look more uniform.

And one more piece of advice. Do not place nearby plants that bloom one after another. Let them be separated by decorative foliage, cereals or crops that bloom at a different time - this will give your plantings naturalness.

Reference by topic: DIY garden of continuous flowering and plants for it