Common loosestrife and its cultivation

Common verbeynik and its cultivation are the subject of numerous studies by scientists and gardeners who prefer to share their practical experience on special sites and forums. The Mirsinov family has been abolished, so now it is referred to as Primroses, as required by the description and formula of the flower. The plant got its name for the similarity of the vegetative cover with the willow. It is grown for decorative purposes and is used for some medicinal purposes. Previously, it was used to dye fabrics. The indisputable benefits of the perennial led to its spread in Russia.

Common weasel is a perennial, a herbaceous plant, now referred to the family of Primroses. In nature, there are more than 150 species of this genus, ordinary is considered a typical variety. Distribution - throughout Eurasia and on the North American continent:

• habitat - the shores of natural reservoirs, well-lit, but humid places;
• inflorescence - paniculate, located at the top of the stem;
• rhizome - creeping, massive, strong;
• leaf arrangement - can be whorled or opposite;
• the height is determined by the growing conditions and can vary from 50 cm to a meter or more;
• flower formula - five: five petals at the corolla, sections at the calyx and stamens;
• life form - perennial herb;
• fruit in the form of a box, ripening time - late summer-early autumn.

The botanical name is Lysimachia; the plant is called the loosestrife in common parlance because of the similarity of the leaves with the willow family (willow).

Violent flowering during the lean summer period, the ability to attract insects with nectar are weighty, but not the only arguments in favor of breeding loosestrife in a house or summer cottage. In favor of this plant:

• small (no more than 1.5 cm) bright flowers, abundantly placed on the stem opposite each other, making up a picturesque panicle inflorescence;
• tall stems (widespread use for decorative purposes and landscape design);
• medicinal properties (astringent and diuretic) and use in symptomatic treatment;
• honey plant, attracting insects to the site - for pollination of other crops;
• prefers moist areas and can grow well in the shade;
• a perennial plant that does not require any special measures and does not require complex care procedures.

Cultivation of loosestrife in the open field is carried out in all common ways: it is planted with shoots, cuttings and seeds, the bushes are divided when moving and transplanting, which are periodically required.

Necessary conditions for planting and constant presence in the garden plot:

• the right place (moist, with good drainage, aeration, near a reservoir or with a close occurrence of groundwater, non-clay soil);
• time;
• good seed (without young shoots, when transplanting);
• properly treated seeds or rooted cuttings.

Loafers are advised to delimit, since this is an aggressor plant. But this happens only if you do not pay enough attention to it. The seeds should not be allowed to scatter around the garden, and the stems remain uncut for the winter. Common loosestrife is less aggressive than its decorative cousins: speckled, ciliate or brush-colored.

Planting methods, like timing, depend on the method of propagation chosen by the grower. All of them are quite effective, therefore they are chosen according to the availability of planting material available, or the timing of flowering (in each case they may be different).

The stages of care include:

• professionally made planting (choice of site, soil, good drainage system, lighted, but rather wet area);
• correct preparation of the seed (seeds require preliminary stratification, and cuttings and shoots - rooting, it is important to know how to divide the root correctly if division is planned);
• watering and feeding (if necessary, at a well-defined time);
• soil cultivation around plantings (loosening the soil, removing weeds);
• control of diseases and pests (permanent monitoring of the condition in order to start fighting them at an early stage of appearance);
• pruning after flowering;
• collecting seeds if planting is to be done in new areas or rejuvenation is planned.

Experienced flower growers believe that this plant has two indisputable advantages: it only needs occasional grooming measures, and it blooms during the period when common ornamental plants are practically finished (all summer). However, despite the claims that common loosestrife grows in open ground without the intervention of the owner, you still have to take a little care of it so that it blooms quite picturesquely, organically fits into the created compositions and does not spread uncontrollably around the site.

In the course of growing any plant, there are basic secrets and some nuances that are determined by the origin or exactingness. In the case of a loosestrife, you will have to adhere to only the basic requirements: air and soil temperature during transplanting or planting.

Freshly planted plants need abundant watering so that they can safely take root and feel comfortable in a new place. When planting, a drainage layer is created at the bottom of the dug hole, then it is filled with water by 1/3 and they wait until it goes into the soil. Only after that, the plant is placed in a hole, sprinkled with earth and lightly tamped. In the future, you need to be guided by the weather conditions: if there is no rain and the summer is dry, you will need regular weekly watering at the root. Water will need at least two liters for each plant.

It is pertinent to recall the recommendations for choosing a landing site.

1. A damp, shaded area, on the shore of a body of water or where groundwater flows close to the surface (in this case, regular hassle can be avoided).
2. However, in the shade, the loosestrife blooms with smaller flowers, which can become paler in color. Here you have to choose between beauty or additional hassle.
3. In the fall, when flowering ends and the dried stems are cut off, you do not need to worry about watering, especially if there is enough rainfall for the cool season.

Experienced growers point to the unpretentiousness of the loosestrife, the ability to germinate on almost any soil, excluding clay or depleted soil. In the second case, it is recommended to apply complex fertilizers 1-2 times a month, add humus when digging up the top layer of soil around the plant.Basically, they say that there is no need for feeding, but if you add a little unconcentrated solution during the periods of budding and flowering, the result will be more than obvious: bright and large flowers, abundant vegetative mass, decorativeness inherent in the plant will delight lovers of beauty.

These are indispensable components of caring for any plant. The verbeynik needs to loosen the root layer of the soil, especially if the summer is hot and dry. Removing weeds will not only remove "competitors" that absorb the necessary nutrients from the soil, but also protect against atypical pests and diseases.

An alternative option to constant worries is mulching, for which you can use the most variable materials at hand: from fallen leaves to cereal straw, dried and removed weeds, sawdust.

The formation of a massive bush with abundant flowering over a dozen years is impossible if it is not cut before frost. Peduncles are removed immediately after flowering, and long erect stems are also removed. Cultivation of loosestrife in the conditions of Central Russia is carried out without shelter for the winter. But some summer residents still protect perennial spruce branches, fallen leaves or sawdust for fear of severe frosts and insufficient snowfall. In regions with harsh winters, it is better to take precautions than replanting the ornamental plant. The pruning tool is recommended to be sterilized to prevent contamination from previously worked plants.

Shoots in the root zone, division of the mother bush, seeds and cuttings - these are all the methods by which a useful ornamental culture propagates. The predominant position is occupied by vegetative methods, since planting with seeds allows you to get flowering only after 2-3 years.

1. Planting with seeds seems to be a troublesome task due to the need to stratify the seed, but if you plant them in the autumn, then you can safely do without it.
2. Seeds can be planted on seedlings - this will save time, earlier flowering, but you need to start at the beginning of March, then dive in separate containers and only in June (after hardening) plant them on the beds.
3. Division can simply be done in autumn or spring by choosing a powerful bush with good immunity in need of rejuvenation. Sometimes this is done simultaneously with the transplant of the loosestrife, which will have to be done, although not as often as with garden perennials. Certain knowledge is needed here: the resulting segments must certainly have both roots and stems quite developed. A part without these components is unlikely to take root during planting.
4. Monet loosestrife reproduces well by cuttings, but this technique is also used in working with ordinary ones. Cutting of the material takes place in autumn or spring, after the formation of roots in a container with water, the cuttings are planted in a slightly shaded corner, loosening and fertilizing the soil

Authoritative sources advise cutting off root layers when dividing a bush, considering them unsuitable seed. However, amateur gardeners contrive to benefit from them. They are inserted into water or planted in peat pots, and after the plant has begun to develop independently, they are transferred to open ground.

Immunity and disease resistance are virtues worth paying attention to. There are also few pests-enemies - aphids that have not passed anyone, weevils and snails. And if in the first case you can use special preparations, then in the second and third they are collected manually and at a strictly defined time. The lack of flowering is caused by insufficient illumination. Sometimes they talk about the appearance of rust and leaf spot, but this is caused by infection or lack of care.

Numerous publications on decorative applications boil down to listing and describing other species, with more picturesque flowers and leaves. Common weasel is considered necessary in the garden for collection as a medicinal plant, and in the garden - to attract bees and other pollinating insects. In fact, it perfectly decorates secluded places where other crops cannot grow, it is very picturesque on the banks of artificial reservoirs and in rockeries, on flower beds, terraces, in tubs and boxes on open verandas, lawns with large flowering plants, as a spectacular background ...