Dicenter: description and varieties, planting and care

Dicentra (Dicentra) is a genus of dicotyledonous plants, the name of which, invented by Karl Linnaeus, can be translated from Latin as a two-spur or a flower with two spurs, according to the modern taxonomy, included in the Papaveraceae family of the Fumaracacia subfamily.

Popularity among flower growers brought them a very unusual shape of flowers, many resembling hearts. In nature, the area of ​​the smokyankovs was torn apart due to climatic cataclysms that gave rise to a series of glaciations in the last million years of the planet's history. Currently, outwardly similar plants from this subfamily grow in eastern Asia and North America. These original flowers began to penetrate into European landscape gardening culture from the 17th century from Japan and China., but even more of them were brought from the American colonies.

The shape of the dicentra flower, which resembles a flattened stylized heart, has given rise to the common folk names of most of these plants. All of them, in one way or another, are associated with folk legends and tales of unrequited love. In the Russian tradition, flowers are called "broken heart". Although in fact, the heart-shaped shape of flowers can not be discerned in all varieties. Most people from North America have flowers that can be compared with a heart very conditionally.

For gardeners, of course, scientific battles and disputes do not matter much. Both American and Asian forms are equally attractive and original.

Most garden dicenters are perennial grasses, some can be classified as shrubs.

A flower bed, a border, an alpine slide decorated with a dicenter can become an independent element of the decor of any site. Even the bushes that have finished flowering look quite attractive due to the dissected leaves and their colors.

In nature, different species grow in different conditions, but in general there is a rather high demand for the composition and structure of the soil. Inhabitants of the subtropics of the dicenter will not tolerate waterlogging, but they will not like drying out. The temperature regime is no less important. Frosts can kill even alpine species that can withstand a significant drop in temperature during winter dormancy.

The stems of most varieties are erect and can grow in different species from 15 cm (mountain American dicenters) to 1.5 m in height. All plants are characterized by developed fleshy rhizomes, very sensitive to moisture and easily decaying with excess moisture or its stagnation.

Typical garden pests affect the dicenter rather reluctantly.

The roots of all dicenter contain poisonous alkaloids, the amount of which can vary greatly depending on the type of plant. They can cause serious poisoning, therefore, gloves are recommended for any manipulations with the roots, and, in general, with plants. It is also important to protect children and pets from contact with them.

As already mentioned, the Asian form, which in the modern classification received the name of the dycenter, was the first to be brought to Europe. It is believed to have been brought from Japan at the end of the 17th century, although it grows wild in northeastern China and Korea. The plant quickly began to spread in culture. It was bred in parks and court gardens. Monastic territories were actively decorated with it. Gradually, it conquered less respectable gardens and even vegetable gardens of ordinary people, receiving romantic and always with a slight sadness names based on the shape of a flower - a heart - with a gap in the middle, from which the reproductive parts of the flower (stamens and pistils) come out.

In the middle of the 19th century, she, like her American relatives, was included in the genus Dicentra under the name (Dicentra spectabilis).

The plant lives up to its name. The height of the shoots can reach almost one meter. Composite leaves are arranged on long petioles. From above they are dark green, from below - with a slight smoky shade, completely smooth, with a glossy sheen.

Flowers have a rather rare bilateral symmetry and a pronounced heart-shaped shape. In racemose inflorescences there are up to 15. The size of a single flower is close to two centimeters. The color of the outer petals is predominantly pink in the wild form, in culture it can vary from almost white to almost red. The internal organs of the flower are highly developed. The large stamens look like petals, and the pistil is no less powerful. Flowering lasts 1-1.5 months from May to mid-summer. But even after flowering, the plant pleases the eye with its beautiful leaves. Sometimes this smoke bloom in August and blooms until the end of September, if frosts do not occur, which it cannot tolerate.

During the 19th and 20th centuries, on the basis of the wild form of the spectabilis, a number of varieties were bred, differing in color and the number of flowers in the inflorescence, sometimes having a slightly different color of leaves and even the shape of the stems.

The most famous varieties of excellent dicentra are Alba, Aurora and Snowdrift, which have white flowers and are sometimes referred to as the white dicentra, the Golden Vine or Gold Heart with golden yellow leaves and pink flowers... There are also varieties with red flowers, for example, Bacchanal, the Valentina variety is even more popular among flower growers. The latter variety, in addition to red pink hearts of flowers, is distinguished by unusual gray-green leaves.

It is distinguished by shorter shoots (up to 40 cm) and flowers of delicate shades from white and cream to light pink. Unlike her gorgeous cousin from China, the beautiful Taiwanese visitor blooms until autumn.

Another original climbing dicentra (Dicentra scandens) was brought from the Himalayas to Europe. This is a real liana, reaching a length of up to two meters. Flowers are pink, but more often have a bright yellow color. In temperate climates, the plant requires very careful maintenance and is often grown as an annual.

The undersized American species are no less spectacular.

Dicentra excellent or exceptional (Dicentra eximia) usually has deep red flowersalthough there are varieties with pink and even almost white flowers. Flowering lasts about two months. An inhabitant of mountain forests, it has shoots no more than 25 cm. Leaves resembling leaf plates of a fern, a beautiful green-blue hue.

Dicentra klobuchkovaya (Dicentra cucullaria) is one of the shortest. Its shoots reach only 15 cm. It grows on wooded mountain slopes in the western United States. The plant stores nutrients in the overgrown rhizome. The flowers have a very original shape, reminiscent of an unusual headdress - a cowl, which refers to the vestments of the clergy, for which this dicentra received its specific name. The petals are usually white, sometimes pink.

Dicentra canadensis (Dicentra canadensis) is another undersized American form. A plant with white flowers rarely exceeds 25 cm. It is one of the most weather-resistant varieties.

Dicenter vagrant (Dicentra peregrina) also differs in miniature size - up to 15 cm. It has large for its size, although not numerous, purple-pink flowers and beautiful dissected leaves. Perfect for landscaping an alpine slide.

Another original American look dicentra golden-flowered (Dicentra chrysantha), native to Mexico, has bright yellow flowers. The bushes of this perennial herb can grow up to one and a half meters. This plant blooms from spring to autumn. This mountain dicenter is very demanding on conditions and is rarely found in culture.

The smallest size reaches single-flowered dicentra (Dicentra uniflora) from the highlands of the Cordilleras. Shoots rarely exceed 10 cm. Flowers are large, usually one, sometimes 2-3. For the shape of the flower, it is also called "ox's head". Due to the difficulties of care, it is more often grown as a houseplant.

All manipulations with the dicenter associated with planting or transplanting it, as well as planting a new plant, must be carried out in the spring before flowering, that is, in April. If climatic conditions permit, these actions can be performed in September, but in this case there is a danger that the plants will not have time to take root before the onset of frost and will die.

Landing is carried out in a prepared hole. Its dimensions, even with small divisions or in the case of planting a young plant grown from seeds, should be as follows: at least 40 cm in diameter and approximately the same depth. It is impossible to just dig in a seedling or a cut, you need to prepare a layer of drainage material in the hole - brick chips or crushed stone, the task of which is to remove excess moisture, which may appear due to prolonged bad weather.

The soil for planting must be prepared in advance - it is carefully sprinkled on a young or transplanted plant. It should be light so that the rhizomes have access to air, and the water does not stagnate, therefore sand or peat should be added to the garden soil. Be sure to have a sufficient amount of humus. Sometimes liming is required.

It is believed that the more exotic Asian dicenter requires more careful maintenance.

American species and varieties based on them are considered more unpretentious, although there are plants in this group, the cultivation of which can be a real challenge for a grower.

When watering, one should be guided by weather conditions and the forecast, since abundant watering in combination with equally abundant atmospheric precipitation can cause the rhizome to rot and die of the plant. The normal watering regime is 1-2 times a week. With a decrease in air temperature, the intensity of irrigation should also be reduced. That is, in August and September, the plant will need less water than in June or July.When going into a state of dormancy, when the shoots begin to die off, watering, in general, should be stopped.

All dicenters are very demanding on the mineral composition of the soil and are responsive to feeding. In the place where the dicenters will be planted, it is recommended to scatter organic fertilizers, for example, mullein, as early as autumn, and urea before planting.

When planting or transplanting plants, complex fertilizers must be applied to the hole. In the spring, to make the flowers brighter, superphosphate must be placed under the plant. This fertilizer will also be useful during the summer, 3-4 more times.

The newly planted plant must be fed with nitrogen fertilizers, and they will not be superfluous at the end of flowering before the transition of the dicenter to dormancy.

On the site of the dicenter, it should attract the eye, so you should not leave the bush unattended for a long time. In a wild state, one plant can contain unopened buds, and flowers in all their glory, and already fading inflorescences, forming fruit pods. Gradually, in addition to live shoots and peduncles, withered leaves appear.

Periodically, the dicenter must be trimmed, removing all dead parts. Their presence not only looks unaesthetic, but in the climate of the middle lane can also cause diseases, since dead shoots and inflorescences perfectly absorb moisture, becoming a breeding ground or refuge for all sorts of pests.

It is imperative to cut off all aboveground shoots for the winter - the lower the better.

To rejuvenate the plants, it is recommended to periodically replant them. If this is not done, their lifespan will not exceed 6 years, in most species it is shorter. In this case, it is necessary to revise the state of the rhizome, since it is its aging that is usually the reason for the wilting of the entire plant and, as a result, its death. All rotten parts of the root must be removed, and the root must be slightly dried. They are transplanted into a hole prepared in the already described way, as when planting a new plant, into newly prepared soil.

It is better to do this in spring before flowering, when the soil has already warmed up enough, although some growers recommend replanting the dicenter in the fall before the plant transitions to a state of winter dormancy, so that it has time to take root in a new place.

After flowering, it is necessary to carefully care for the plant, first of all, remove all dead shoots, peduncles, inflorescences and leaves. This will allow young leaves to grow in all their glory, and the dicenter, even without flowers, will delight the eye.

If the flowering period is long, then it is necessary to remove the dried parts of the bush during flowering.

Some early flowering varieties can be fertilized with nitrogen fertilizers to help them blossom into more lush foliage.

It is practically impossible to get seedlings from the seeds of the dicentra, ripening in fruit-boxes of 3-5 pieces, in the conditions of the middle lane. Often the seeds do not ripen at all.

If you still really want to experiment, then you need to be patient. Sowing in room conditions is carried out in the same autumn when the seeds were harvested. The planted seeds need to create their own microclimate by covering them with a plastic cup or glass jar. Seedlings may appear in a month. If this happy event happens, then you should not open the seedling - it must be germinated for at least a month in greenhouse conditions. It is important to monitor the moisture content of the soil: it should not be overmoistened, but it should not be dry either. If you are lucky, then in the spring the young plant can be planted in a prepared hole in the open ground.

It is necessary to work with rhizomes with gloves - as already mentioned, their juice is very poisonous. The prepared material must be kept in the air for several hours (wither), and only after the rhizomes are slightly dry, proceed to division.

Too young plants for dividing rhizomes are not suitable, as well as overgrown with already rotten roots, it is better to take dicenter 3 years old.

In the spring, the dicenter can be planted in pots in the form of cuttings taken from a growing plant. In this case, it will be possible to land in the garden only next year.

All dicenters are remarkable for their amazing resistance to common garden pests and typical diseases of cultivated plants of the middle lane. The greatest danger to healthy plants can be aphids and snails... However, they are easily remedied with readily available drugs that can be purchased at most specialty stores.

In case of violations of the plant maintenance regime can be affected by viral infections... One of the ways to prevent them can be a thorough weeding of the area where the dicenter is planted, as well as the timely removal of all withered and dying organs.

Dicenters have firmly won their rightful place in such an actively developing industry as landscape design. Both the large Asian varieties and the American stunted species are equally widely used both in group plantings and individually.

Both those and others have become widespread as an almost indispensable element of alpine slides.

Lovers of ambient light, Asian dicenters go well with conifers, and American mountain and forest species will perfectly complement plantings of tall grasses or shrubs.

How to plant and care for the dicenter, see below.