Red ice cinquefoil: description, planting, care and reproduction

The ornamental variety "Reid Ice" is an exquisite shrub plant, the peculiarity of which is the leaves resembling paws, hence, in fact, the name of the culture. This garden species is unpretentious in its content and is distinguished by abundant flowering.

The shrub variety Red ace is a small compact plant belonging to the genus Five-leafed, another name is "Kuril tea". The advantage of the variety is not only its high decorative value, but also useful medicinal properties due to the presence of useful substances.

Characteristics of the variety.

• The species can grow up to 60-70 cm in height, sometimes under especially favorable conditions it reaches a meter in height. Moreover, the circumference of the bush is 2 times its height.
• Lobate, unusual leaves have a deep, light green color and are, as it were, composed of 2-3 parts with triple edges. The length of the leaf plates is 10 cm, their width is about 2 cm.
• The branches of the shrub are highly branched and can intertwine, the bark on them is brown with a reddish tint.
• The flowering period begins in June and differs in duration, ending completely only in October.
• The buds at the beginning of flowering are characterized by an orange-red hue, and they are similar to five-leaf corollas. Gradually they turn yellow, and original red spots appear on golden flowers. Flowers can turn red in cool weather, and this is also one of the features of Potentilla.
• The shrub grows rather quickly, adding up to 20 cm in width and 15 cm in height per year.

The variety has medium resistance to low temperatures and requires additional protection in winter. Cinquefoil is a perennial crop that can grow in one place for about 20 years. She tolerates good lighting and shade well.

Red Ice cinquefoil can be bred in a variety of ways that are suitable for both experienced and novice gardeners.

• At the age of 5, the shrub can be divided. The separation procedure from the parent plant is carried out in the spring. Delenki with developed roots and 2-3 buds are immediately planted in a permanent place in open soil. The method is good because the flowers on the bush will appear already this year.
• Reproduction by layering is often used. In the fall, the strongest and healthiest branches are selected in the lower part of the plant, which are tilted to the ground and, fastening with brackets, are placed in prepared shallow grooves. During the autumn-winter period, the shoots have time to give roots, and in early spring, in April, they are separated from the mother bush and transplanted. With this method, the bush begins to bloom after 12 months.
• If you choose cuttings, then you should be patient, since a lot of time will pass before placing on a permanent site. The gardener will have to collect solid lignified shoots 10 cm in size, then place them in containers with river sand and peat so that a top 2 cm high remains on the surface.A complete root system of the cutting will be formed only after a year, only then it will be possible to transplant the cinquefoil into the ground.

An important prerequisite for planting the Red ace variety is choosing a suitable location. Direct sunlight can lead to fading of the beautiful color of the petals and burns on the leaves of the bush. In a completely shaded place, the culture will develop slowly, so it is worth looking for a slightly shaded area with diffused light for it.

It is impossible to plant a plant in the lowlands, since stagnation of moisture is destructive for it. As for the wind and drafts, they are not afraid of him, so a fairly open space is suitable. A small hill is considered an ideal place. Also, for Potentilla, a soft, loose soil with a moderate content of clay and sand is desirable.

You can plant a plant in spring and autumn, but the roots of the plant take root faster and easier in the open field in spring. 2 weeks before planting, a 50x50 cm landing hole is prepared.When a group planting, a ditch is dug to the same depth.

The main points of the planting process are as follows:

• a drainage layer is laid at the bottom of the hole, while expanded clay, broken brick, crushed stone can serve as materials, the layer thickness is 20 cm;
• half of the earth dug out during the preparation of the hole must be mixed with sand, humus and dry leaves, add complex fertilizers and place over the drainage;
• seedlings with an open root system are examined, overly long roots are shortened, damaged and rotten parts are removed, and then immersed in a solution of potassium permanganate for an hour;
• having poured into the hole of nutrient soil in the form of a mound, the cinquefoil is placed in the center, its roots are straightened and the soil is poured, gradually compacting it in order to exclude voids.

For unpretentious cinquefoil, the most common care is required, including basic agricultural work.

• Frequent and moderate watering, which does not allow stagnant water, is especially important for young seedlings. It is enough to irrigate the soil under them once every 7 days. Adult shrubs are watered less often - as the top layer of the soil dries out. The standard volume is 10 liters of water per bush.
• Fertilization is carried out every spring. This requires mineral supplements of potassium and phosphorus. The procedure is carried out before flowering.
• The soil under the young bushes is loosened and weeded if it is not mulched. Mulch in the form of peat is preferable because it excludes frequent loosening and prevents the appearance of fungus and harmful insects.
• With constant stagnation of moisture at the roots, a generally disease-resistant plant can become sick. To avoid this, it is important to regularly inspect the shrub and timely carry out preventive spring spraying with insecticidal and fungicidal agents.
• Cropping of the culture is carried out 1 time in 3 years in spring and autumn. For rejuvenation and for sanitary purposes, the branches are cut to 1/3 of their length. At the same time, sick, damaged branches should be removed.

Preparation for wintering consists in clearing the lower part of the trunk from leaves, then it is necessary to remove any plant residues and debris from the roots, and then cover the near-trunk space with peat to a height of 15 cm. Above create a structure on which a dense non-woven material or burlap is placed, a reliable shelter is especially important during severe snowless winters.

Abundant flowering and bright color of flowers made Red Ice cinquefoil one of the most desirable horticultural crops designed to decorate gardens and home gardens. In addition to decorativeness, the plant is unassuming to the composition of the soil and air quality. In a city environment, culture can be used as group plantings to decorate lawns in parks and squares.as it is not afraid of the presence of smoke and exhaust gases in the air.

The plant is widely used in landscape design of suburban areas. A shrub placed in tubs and containers can decorate the front entrance to the house, porch, open veranda or terrace. The variety is planted in flower beds, used to build interesting ensembles in combination with large-flowered crops, conifers, deciduous trees and shrubs.

The exquisite look of shrub Potentilla allows you to create hedges and picturesque borders from its bushes, complement rocky compositions and alpine slides.

For a detailed video on how to plant and care for Red Ice Potentilla, see below.