Rose Bonika

The Bonika rose variety is conventionally considered young. This rose is capricious, not particularly resistant to diseases, but all this is more than compensated for by its high decorative effect. These are some of the most delicate, romantic plants that can turn a humble plot into an image from a vintage English postcard.

Bonika appeared in 1985 in Meilland kennel, France. The plant has synonymous names: Bonica, MEIdomonac, and also Bonica 82, Bonica Meidiland and Demon. The plant belongs to the group of ground cover. This is a sprawling bush that can grow up to 80 cm, and maybe up to 120 cm. If you do early pruning almost half the height, this guarantees the fluffiness of the bush. Therefore, the bush will turn out to be rather round. Bonika's leaves are dark green, bright, not very large and dense.

The color of the buds of the variety is bright pink, the color of the flower is from pale pink to pearl, the main color is pink. Bonika's bud is pointed, the flower has a cup-shaped shape, it is average in size, the diameter is 6-7 cm. The rose is considered densely double, there will be fifty petals or a little more. Flowers are arranged in inflorescences. One stem can have up to two dozen flowers. Bonika's aroma is sweet, but it cannot be called strong, persistent. It is poorly expressed.

It is not afraid of rain much, it does not tolerate heat very well. But it can actively resist diseases, although it also gets sick and is affected by pests. But still, on this point, she is better than many of her "relatives".

The main advantage of the plant is lush, delicate, immaculately beautiful flowers. The spreading bush looks convincing on the site, no matter what size the last one is. The way the rose blooms is also convenient: on one branch there will be several, up to 10 buds at once, and the renewal will be gradual, imperceptible. One ovary will be replaced by another, and so on until September.

It is also convenient for what Boniku is called a flower carpet. As a ground cover crop, it is indeed planted with a carpet type (more precisely, it can be done this way, but it can be done differently), therefore it is often used for the design of parks.

The advantages of the plant include frost resistance, resistance to diseases, as well as versatility - it is grown both in parks and in summer cottages, in containers too.

But it was not without its drawbacks: the variety is vulnerable to black spot, due to burnout, the flower can lose brightness (and this is often the case), the aroma is weak, and the flowers are small. But the last minus is conditional, because Bonika takes quantity.

Alas, the opened bud of this rose quickly fades in the sun, which makes the center faded, like the extreme petals. They also have an unusual wavy shape, which is very suitable for this plant. And when the flowers fall off, fruits, orange or deep red, will appear in their place, and they will persist until spring. This, by the way, is also excellent from a decorative point of view, although it is costly for a bush, it will take a lot of effort to maintain these fruits. In general, Bonika blooms beautifully, for a long time (from May to November) and abundantly.

When choosing a seedling for planting, you need to take a good look at it.It should have bare roots, three stems (ideally three, but with two you can take), a root collar up to 10 mm in diameter, a developed root system. By the way, the roots should be in a container with soil or be wrapped in polyethylene or paper.

With a group planting of Boniki, the scheme is 70 by 95, with an ordinary one - with a step of 65 cm. The holes must be dug in advance, filled with water. The soil is needed this: the earth is mixed in equal proportions with compost and peat, universal fertilizers for roses are also used there. The bottom of the pit is drained, ready-made soil goes over the drainage. If the soil is sandy, you can do without drainage.

If the seedling has long roots (more than 30 cm), they can be pruned. A seedling purchased in a container must be removed from there along with the earth. It was decided to cut off its shoots, only 3 of the strongest are left, they are cut to 3 buds. The finished bush goes into the hole, the roots are straightened, and sprinkled with earth on top. The soil must be tamped, the seedling must be raised up a little so that the soil does not leave voids. The bush is spud and watered. If the seedling has a graft, it is buried 5 cm.

Bonika is hygrophilous, so that she grows normally, she must receive 10 liters of water every week. When the buds appeared, flowering began, the rate was increased, and if it was hot, then instead of once a week, the plant was watered twice. In autumn, on the contrary, watering is reduced to 5 liters under a bush. And irrigation is optimal in the afternoon. It is better if it will be watered with settled water, and only at the root.

Fertilize Bonika according to the scheme: the first time after pruning in early spring, the second - until the buds open, but in the summer, and the third - at the end of summer to strengthen the plant (potash compounds will be required). The first two times there should be special dressing for roses.

After each watering, the rose is loosened, otherwise the formed crust will prevent air exchange. Weeds need to be removed in a timely manner, and in order to mess with it less, the soil around the bush can be mulched. Mulch will keep moisture in the ground, and still prevent pests from making their way to the roots. You can mulch with hay, peat, sawdust, dry leaves.

Pruning is needed to maintain the shape of the bush and maintain its density. Every year, in the spring, Bonika is pruned strongly or moderately. If pruned strongly, the start of flowering will be delayed, if moderately - on the contrary, it will accelerate. Pruning is mainly good as a means of uniform shoot development. Medium pruning, which is chosen more often, involves the removal of 5-6 eyes. And if Bonik needs to be rejuvenated, then it will be held in the fall. Whatever type of pruning is, dry, frozen and deformed branches must be removed.

The variety is considered frost-resistant, even capable of surviving temperatures down to -30 (according to some sources, up to -40), but preparation for winter is still necessary. This is necessary so that after the cold weather the rose will recover faster. Preparation includes pruning buds, shortening shoots and breaking off all foliage at the length that remains. Then the bush is watered and spud very well. Then the shoots are gently pressed to the ground, covered with leaves or spruce branches, and on top with a non-woven material. All this is done after the final flowering wave, and it can drag on until November.

Powdery mildew threatens Bonika: a white bloom will appear on her leaves, on the shoots, which will later turn brown. The shrub dries up before our eyes. Fungicidal treatment will help. And also Boniku is affected by rust, this happens at the end of summer. Since the disease is rapid, insecticides must be applied quickly. Gray spot often "visits" the site at the end of summer, you need to regularly inspect the flowers.

Among the pests, aphids, leafworms, spider mites, and rose cicada should be noted. If you do not violate the feeding scheme, as well as the mode of watering, loosening and mulching, the likelihood of a pest attack is very low. Prevention is an effective remedy against them. If they have already appeared, insecticides are used.