Silverweed (differently - Kuril tea) - perennial shrub plant.
It is very long ago introduced into the culture and grown as a decorative.
And in recent years, the silverweed became widespread and as a useful tool. in traditional medicine recipes.
Many varieties of shrubs are cold-resistant and unpretentious in the care. Try it and you grow it on your site - a great option when decorating the garden.
Popular varieties of silverweed: which one is better?
Already, many varieties of Potentilla have been bred - over 500. Each of them is distinguished by its resistance to external conditions, planting and flowering periods, the size and shade of inflorescences, and the height of stems.
Gardeners can choose from the following popular species in landscape design:
• Potentilla Altai. The plant is drawn up to 35 cm in length, which makes it possible to use it when decorating rockeries and rock gardens. Flowers - up to 15 mm in diameter, collected in inflorescences.
• Potentilla is brilliant. Beautiful shrub with pale pink flowers and silver-green leaves. He is very light-requiring and loves frequent soil moistening. Designers used on alpine slides.
• Pineapple stemless. The lowest representative of the whole family - grows up to only 6 cm in length. During the flowering period, miniature herbaceous bushes form inflorescences up to 17 mm in diameter.
• Silverweed Nepalese. Representatives of this species are famous for their long flowering - up to 55 days. Deep red or dark pink flowers will decorate any garden. Hybrids of the Nepalese silverweed - Floris, Miss Wilmotte, Roxana - have been bred.
• Potentilla dark-red-bloody. Plant height - up to 60 cm. Flowering begins early - in June. Inflorescence - up to 5 cm in diameter, scarlet. A beautiful variety of dark blood red silverweed - Gibson's Scarlet.
• Hybrid Potentilla. The shrub, with the observance of the rules of care, can reach a height of up to 90 cm. The shades of the inflorescences of the cultivated varieties of the plant are striking - yellow, purple, pink, bright red. Popular decorative varieties of hybrid Potentilla - Captivity, Volcano, Master Floris, Yellow Queen.
• Silverweed Apennine. It is a perennial that grows up to 15 cm in length. It is usually planted on rocky rock gardens.
• Potentilla arctic. Representatives of the species are well tolerated by cold, but excellent growth rates are only in the illuminated areas. The flowers are deep yellow. Leaves - dark green with light edging.
• White bloodroot. The plant is stretched to a length of 25 cm. Flowering under favorable conditions begins early - in the middle of May. White stems bloom up to 3 cm across. Potentilla white is unpretentious in care and good winters.
• Silverweed goose. Unpretentious plant with yellow buds - can actively bloom even in areas with unfavorable environmental conditions. For shrubs go shaded place.
Each type of Potentilla forms a dense deciduous crown and tolerates a decorative "haircut". You can choose any of the varieties.
Which site to choose for planting Potentilla?
In spite of the fact that the silverweed is considered a non-perturbing plant, take it to the right place! Under all conditions, the plant can bloom until the onset of cold weather.
The site for active growth of shrubs should be:
• with fertile soil (but loam may come up),
• with a moderate content of humus in the ground,
• well lit
• with a pH of 7-8.5
• protected from northern winds,
• well drained.
Especially important is the level of illumination, since not all varieties of silverweed grow well in the shade. Due to the lack of sunlight, the leaves and buds acquire a not so bright color.
Have you already decided on where you will grow your future? You can start preparing the soil for planting.
This will require a number of agrotechnical measures:
• Dig the area and remove all weeds.
• Prepare landing pits 40-60 cm deep. Lay a layer of gravel on the bottom for better drainage. It does not hurt to also add a mixture of sand with humus and 100 g of lime or wood ash to the hole, so that the seedlings settle down better in a new place. The distance between the holes will depend on the plant variety. To create hedges, keep a distance of 50-70 cm between individual specimens.
When the landing pits are ready, you can start planting silverweed in one of the possible ways.
Ways of planting Potentilla on the site
The most popular ways of planting Potentilla - seeds and seedlings ready. Both options are simple and do not require special skills from the gardener. Which to choose?
Please note - not all varieties of plants are well propagated by the seed method! For example, whiteweed is planted only seedlings. Another problem associated with seed planting is quite difficult to get the material itself. Well, if you get some seeds from your friends who collected them from their own plants. But it’s not a fact that all the rules were followed: the plant may not ascend. In addition, you can see the beautiful flowering not earlier than in 2 seasons.
Landing rules, in this case, are:
• Landings should be done in spring or summer, when the temperature is warm outside.
• Immerse the seeds pre-soaked in water for a day in the planting well with a depth of no more than 2 cm. There is another way - just spread the seeds on the soil surface by slightly pressing them with your finger into the soil.
• Seeds are small, so do not cover them with a thick layer of earth.
• Liberally moisten the area.
• After 2-3 weeks, when small sprouts sprout above the ground, spread them out at the desired distance and start caring for the plantings.
(Grown seedlings of silverweed)
Planting Potentilla seedling is much more convenient! But when buying planting material, pay attention to its quality - no traces of diseases and pests on the foliage are allowed.
(Potentilla seedling)
This technique is simpler - it is not necessary to prepare planting material in advance and wait several years for flowering. Beginner gardeners should choose this agricultural technique.
Plant a bush like this:
• Roots process a special compound for better rooting.
• Place the seedling so that its root collar is at ground level.
• Pour the soil around the trees and fill in some needles or sawdust as mulch.
Potentilla Care Rules
In experienced gardeners, silverweed grows for 10-15 years. Unpretentious plant for the season gives a good increase in green mass, which provides rapid landscaping of the site - this is especially true for species with pale colors of inflorescences.
Care rules are simple:
• Watering. Watered cinquefoil infrequently - enough 1-2 times a month. If the summer is hot, make sure that the soil around the shrub does not dry out much. Only young saplings need frequent watering - moisten the soil once a week. Do not use cold water - it can destroy the roots of the plant! The average rate of watering - 1-1.5 buckets for each instance. To keep the moisture from evaporating quickly, regularly update the mulch under the plantations.
• Top dressing. In early spring, mineral fertilizers are applied under the bush (100-150 g) - buy a special complex suitable for ornamental plants. Just before the start of flowering, the silverweed is fed with potassium and phosphorus - this will contribute to the durability of the buds and their brighter color. Closer to the fall again fertilize the flower bed with minerals.
• Loosening and weeding. Do not loosen deep planting, because the root system of Potentilla is located close to the ground surface! Careless actions will damage the roots, so do not dig up the soil deeper than 7 cm. Make sure that the flowerbed does not overgrow with weeds, regularly removing the seedlings from here. Significantly reduces the growth of weeds with a layer of 5 cm.
• Pruning. During the whole season, remove the flowering inflorescences and dried leaves from the twigs - so you prolong the flowering for a long time. For the season you need to spend 2 decorative "haircuts" of the bush. If this is not done, the stems will grow strongly - there will be no decorative appearance. Remove from the plants all damaged branches and stems directed to the middle of the bush. Crown can be given the most bizarre form - square, circle, animal figurines. The rejuvenating pruning is carried out every 5 years in mid-April - the bush is cut almost to the very base. So the plant is completely "updated" - for the next season, expect abundant flowering. Before rejuvenating pruning do not forget to feed the plant with mineral or complex fertilizers.
Bloodroot tolerates winter cold. Moreover, its frost resistance over the years only increases. Therefore, in the southern and temperate climate, the plant can not additionally cover for the winter. Only in the north, to prevent the death of shoots, you can take care of the protection of shrubs. Bend the branches to the ground (this can not be done) and cover them with plastic or non-woven material.
(One of the ways to shelter lapatchatka)
To prevent gusts of wind from raising such a “cloak”, fix the edges of the material with stones or stakes. According to the observations of experienced gardeners, all varieties with pink or red inflorescences necessarily require a light winter shelter.
Reproduction Methods of Potentilla
When you become a real pros in the cultivation of Potentilla, you can expand the planting area. Now it is not necessary to buy saplings in nurseries - for reproduction use those plants that actively bloom in your flowerbed.
Gardeners propagate cinquefoil in several ways:
• Layering. This is the easiest method, and therefore, the most frequently used in ornamental gardening. The technology is such that the incised shoot bends down to the ground, fix the stem at the place of the incision with a hairpin, sprinkle it with earth. After some time, the root will have its own root system - you can detach it from the mother plant and plant it in a permanent place.
(Reproduction by layering)
• Division. Shrubs can be divided from the age of 4 years. The process is carried out in spring and autumn, the main thing is that the weather should be warm outside. Choose a healthy process with growth buds and detach it from the mother bush. Plant the planting material to a new place using the same technology as the sapling.
(Delenka Potentilla)
• Cuttings. Twigs for cutting are cut in early summer from last year's shoots. To make them better settled down, it is necessary to remove the lower leaves. Rooting spend on a shaded area after processing the cutting with a special solution. For the next few weeks, it is better to cover the escape with a glass jar to create greenhouse conditions. Spray water regularly. Transfer to a permanent place an already grown plant.
(Cuttings of potentilla)
• Seeds. If you chose this method of propagation of Potentilla, be prepared for the fact that the quality characteristics are not always transferred to the new plant from the parent. Gather seeds at the end of summer or mid-autumn. Many gardeners plant bushes immediately after collecting the seeds. This year you will not carry out the landing work? Then dry the collected material and pack it in a bag. It will retain its properties for 3 years.
Diseases and harm Potentilla
When growing Potentilla you do not need to frequently carry out preventive measures for the "extermination" of insect pests and the treatment of plantings. The plant almost never gets sick, and beetles do not like it.
Only occasionally suffers from the spread of rust. It is a fungal disease that manifests itself as orange round spots on the leaves. Sometimes they are noticeable on the stems.
(Rust on the leaves of potentilla)
Rust leads to the premature dying off of green mass.
In the future, silverweed does not grow well and does not bloom so abundantly. The fungus appears in frequent rainy weather and low temperatures. It will help to cope with the spraying disease with a 1% solution of Bordeaux mixture.
