Alyssum perennial: description and varieties, planting and care

Increasingly, in personal plots, you can find such a perennial plant as alyssum. These flowers are often used to create rock gardens and garden beds. Alyssum attracts the attention of many with its charming bloom. The perennial is a lush, compact bush with bright, fragrant buds. Alyssium creates a wonderful atmosphere in the garden. The advantage of the plant is its ease of maintenance. In this article, we will look at the features of decorative flowers and the rules for caring for them.

Alyssum is a perennial plant belonging to the Cabbage family. Often gardeners call it beetroot. In nature, there are more than 200 varieties of alyssum. The natural habitat of the plant is the North American continent. Burachok can also be found in the rocky areas of Europe and Asia. Previously, this flower helped people in the fight against canine rabies, this fact influenced the name of the plant. Alyssum is translated from Latin as "canine rabies denial."

This undersized ground cover can grow up to 40 centimeters. Borachka has a branched stem, leaves and shoots are slightly pubescent. The flowering period falls at the beginning of summer and lasts until the onset of cold weather. The flowers of the plant are collected in small inflorescences and have a huge palette of colors. Yellow, pink and white colors are common.

With the onset of autumn, fruits appear on the bushes in the form of small pods. They are suitable for use as planting material. The seeds can remain viable for 3 years. During the period of active flowering, the beetroot attracts a large number of bees, as it is a honey plant.

In nature, there are many varieties of alyssum, most of which are suitable for growing in Russia. However, gardeners cultivate only a few of them. Consider the most popular types of this perennial.

The height of an adult plant is 30 centimeters. The branchy shoots of the shrub form a hemispherical shape, its diameter can reach 40 centimeters. The leaves, due to the presence of felt pubescence, retain their freshness even in the worst weather. They are painted in a cornflower blue shade.

Despite the fact that the small flowers form a dense brush, the inflorescences are quite short. In late spring, alyssum begins to bloom. This process takes about 40 days.

Among the most famous varieties of rock alyssum, the following are distinguished.

• "Golden Wave". The height of an adult perennial bush can be 20 centimeters. The inflorescences of such a beetroot are painted in a golden hue. Flowering occurs at the beginning of the summer season. The leaves, like many varieties of alyssum, are pubescent. They are colored silvery green. Caring for the plant presents almost no difficulties. This variety perfectly tolerates the dry season.

• "Aphrodite". The plant represents undersized bushes, the flowers of which are painted in dark red color. Burachok begins to bloom in June.It is better to plant the flower in a slightly shaded place and observe moderate watering. The soil at the landing site should be enriched with useful components. From time to time, the plant needs feeding.

• "Plenum". The main difference between this alissum is its terry inflorescences, which have a golden hue.

Such a perennial is often called marine lobularia. However, according to the official classification, this name is incorrect. The heat-loving sea alyssum bush can grow up to 35 centimeters in height. Creeping shoots form a lush bush. The leaves of the plant are oval in shape, they are painted in a rich green color. Flowering lasts throughout the season.

Popular varieties of sea alyssum.

• Violet Konigin. Lush inflorescences of an ampelous plant are painted in lilac color, suitable for growing in hanging pots.

• "Princess in Pöpl". This variety is also ampelous. Hanging shoots are a characteristic feature of the beetroot, so they are often grown in pots. If you cultivate a perennial in a flower bed, then it will look like a solid carpet. The inflorescences of such alyssum are colored purple.

• Tiny Tim. These bushes are completely covered with small white flowers. The variety is creeping, its maximum height is 8 centimeters. Due to these features, the perennial looks like sea foam.

This type of perennial plant perfectly tolerates low temperatures. The height of an adult bush is 20 centimeters. Borachka is characterized by creeping stems and pubescent leaves. The inflorescences of wild varieties are yellow. Cultivars have a more varied range of colors.

It is recommended to plant alissum only in fertile, slightly alkaline soil. A neutral soil is also suitable. It is advisable to add organic fertilizer to the planting hole in advance. This place should be located in a well-lit area. Do not allow stagnation of water in the soil.

When the soil is fully warmed up, and the possibility of frost is excluded, you can sow planting material. This process usually takes place in late spring. You can also sow seeds in late fall. Thus, they will undergo natural stratification, which will further affect the plant's endurance. In this case, the first shoots are observed in the spring.

The seeds are buried in the ground for about half a centimeter. So the sprouts will have enough strength to break through a small layer of soil. Next, the sowing must be watered and covered with foil or glass. The greenhouse will promote faster seedling growth. You can not thicken the planting, as this can provoke the appearance of fungus. The seeds are placed at a distance of 20 centimeters from each other. After the first shoots, thinning can be done, if necessary. The perennial blooms within a month and a half after numerous shoots.

Planting material for seedlings is sown in the second half of March. The soil for sowing should be saturated with nutrients, slightly acidic. Usually, this method of breeding beetroot is needed in order to get early flowering, it is often used in regions with insufficiently favorable climatic conditions. Seedlings are planted at a distance of 30 centimeters from each other. Seedlings are grown in greenhouse conditions. The room temperature must be at least +15 ºC. Sowing should be regularly ventilated and watered periodically. Fertilize the plants after the first leaf appears on the seedlings.

Caring for alyssum will not take much time and effort, moreover, the plant does not even need to be transplanted without urgent need. The main thing is to provide the perennial with a comfortable place for its growth, then it will grow rapidly and show good flowering.

This unpretentious plant practically does not need watering. The soil is moistened by precipitation. Alyssum loses its freshness on dry days in the absence of shading. Therefore, in the heat, you need to moisturize the planting abundantly.

Fertilizing the flower regularly is not necessary. It is enough to plant the plant in fertile soil. With a lack of nutrients at the landing site, alissum is fed no more than 2 times per season. This will require a complex mineral fertilizer. Only perennial roots are fed. Avoid getting fertilizer on the leaves.

Gardeners recommend regular pruning of faded bush buds. If you cut the plant on time, it will have a beneficial effect on its flowering. New buds will begin to appear with renewed vigor. Shoots are shortened by no more than 8 centimeters.

Seeds are collected at the end of September. The weather should be dry and calm. To do this, a blanket is laid under the bush and the buds are rubbed by hand. The planting material must be dried. Seeds are stored in small fabric bags throughout the season.

If the beetroot is cultivated as a perennial plant, then after the end of the flowering period it is necessary to prune it, after which the flower is sheltered for the winter. In the middle of the spring season, the shelter is removed. The planting needs to be thinned out, if necessary. Alyssum is periodically fed with liquid fertilizer and moisturized. Flowering begins in June.

In harsh climates with harsh winters, plantings can freeze completely. Therefore, you must first collect seeds from the bushes for planting, then remove them. Next year, you can grow new flowers in any of the ways.

Borage is a resistant plant and rarely suffers from various diseases. However, even despite the fact that the perennial is completely unpretentious in care, it can be struck by a disease. The condition of alyssum is very badly affected by the stagnation of water at its rhizome. The consequences can be detrimental to the plant. In this case the root system may be affected by gray rot... This will lead to decay of the roots and the complete death of the perennial.

Often gardeners are faced with fungal disease powdery mildew... With this diagnosis, the leaves of the plant are affected. They are covered with a white coating. The leaves affected by the disease must be removed from the bush, and then treated with a special preparation. A colloidal sulfur solution is suitable. Powdery mildew is not the only fungal disease that can affect a perennial flower. Dampness in dense plantations of beetroot can lead to white rust... The solution is to thin out the plant by removing diseased elements. The rest of the bush is treated with a suitable preparation. You can also use copper oxychloride.

Insect pests can also have a negative effect on alyssum. Among them stand out:

• cruciferous fleas;
• moth cabbage;
• turnip white;
• mole.

In the case of cultivation of beetroot by the seedling method, there is an excellent opportunity to create a small decorative rock garden on the personal plot. You can also work on creating a rockery, since such a plant looks perfect in stone compositions.This perennial looks great in crevices between stone tiles or in cracks in masonry. Tall varieties of alyssum are usually used in decorating borders. Ground covers will serve as an excellent frame for a flower bed with tall plants. Burachka flowers look gorgeous in a group planting. They go well with forget-me-nots, heliotrope and night violet. Often, designers also mix plants with levkoy and pelargonium.

The beetroot is also suitable for single planting. He lays down as a living carpet on the garden plot and pleases the owners with his honey aroma. The plant can be grown not only outdoors, but also at home. A perennial planted in a pot is used to decorate loggias and balconies. A lush and thick cap completely covers the pot, and the shoots of the bush become more branched and hang down at the edges. Alyssum flowers begin to look more like ampelous. Watering is carried out as needed. The same goes for pruning. The disadvantage in this case is the plant's intolerance to indoor conditions in winter. Therefore, when cultivating the beetroot in a pot, it should be planted annually.

In the next video, you will find additional information about the cultivation, care and features of perennial alissum.