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Alpine star or edelweiss is a perennial plant growing in the mountainous terrain on rocks, limestone layers, rock embankment. However, gardeners have managed to tame this amazing plant, so now landing and caring for edelweiss is not difficult and in the conditions of a summer residence. In height it reaches no more than 30 cm, has a special appearance, allowing it to be easily distinguished from other representatives of mountain flora.
In nature, the flower grows in a scarce soil consisting, by and large, of sand, gravel, limestone. Planting it at home, you should not prepare a fertile, well-fertilized heavy soil, as it will not grow in it. It is better to use a light substrate, which will be well drained.
Among a variety of varieties, gardeners recommend choosing a leontopodium or edelweiss alpine planting and care for which will give results not only in the alpine and sub alpine climate, but also in the climatic zone of the middle Russia.
Description
Has a mountain edelweiss flower is modest and gentle, fascinating with its simplicity and form. Inflorescences-baskets are painted in yellow, their uncomplicated form is beautifully set off by pointed leaves. Having an unusual silvery color, they found the name of the Alpine stars. Their top is darker than the underside, densely covered with white felt. Silvery with a white range of colors is valued for its originality among florists. They gladly use fresh and dried edelweiss flowers in bouquets.
Cut off Alpine stars retain their shape and color in the dried form. They can be safely used in herbaria and ikebana.
On the flower bed, the flowers coexist with their neighbors, do not clog them with their wild growth. However, they look best against the background of stones. They are recommended to combine it with rock and coniferous trees.
Leontopodium in the garden design
Gardeners, keen on landscape design, appreciate the silvery leontopodium for its unusual coloring and actively combine it with other plants. For example, next to it well look aquilegia, curb, alpine aster and violet. Breaking an alpine hill or a garden of stones, flowers try to land between the stones. Thus, it seems that they grow directly on the stones. This effect is achieved only when plants grow.
When beautifying the designer garden, it is necessary to take into account what conditions the edelweiss requires, the agrotechnics of which are very different from the usual garden colors.
Methods of using the alpine star in landscape design
Florists decorate the garden with silver plants in different styles: Japanese, fusion, eclectic, oriental, minimalist. In doing so, they apply several ways of planting:
- when working on creating a mixborder, the plant is used to fill the foreground, and also plant between large boulders;
- for the rock garden pick up deciduous bushes with an unusual coloring, a juniper, as a plant growing, shoots of edelweiss are taken, beside which are placed lavender and mountain violet;
- For rockery, select the medium-sized coniferous tree species (dwarf pine, western thuja), place smaller ones next to large stones, next to the coniferous trees, low shrubs (Kurilian tea, Japanese spiraeus), the edges of rockaria are filled with soil plants, placing them in groups (gentian, edelweiss, thyme creeping, subulate phlox and others).
Leontopodium should not be placed next to bright, large flowers. Against their background, it fades and becomes almost invisible.
Techniques of agricultural technology: planting and care for edelweiss
In order for a mountain flower to grow well in the garden, it is sufficient to observe several conditions:
- Choose a sunny place, preferably under a slope, so that multi-stage landscapes are clearly visible. In this case, all species will have enough sunlight (in the shade the edelweiss will wither).
- Prepare light mail with high concentration of lime. On well-fertilized soil, the flower will not grow, but from fresh humus it will literally burn.
- Provide good soil drainage. Stagnation of water in the roots leads to the death of the plant.
- Once in three or four years, rejuvenate the leontopodium, otherwise it will eventually become obsolete.
- When caring for the leontopodium, one should completely forget about the use of nitrogen, phosphorus and any other fertilizers;
- To cover in a snowless winter a clearing with lapnika or fallen leaves, and in the early spring to take cover.
If you plant not your own grown seedlings, but purchased parts of an adult plant, while recently dug out, keep in mind - it must be planted immediately after purchase.
As soon as a clod of earth on the roots dry - the specimen will die. If you wrap the roots with a packet to preserve moisture, the leaves will rot. Therefore, if you need to restrain the baby in the apartment before traveling to the dacha, it is better to drop it into a regular pot.
How to grow Edelweiss from seeds
In order to breed at your country alpine star, do not necessarily go hiking in the mountains. It is enough to buy a bag of seeds in a flower shop. Please note that in the middle band I recommend Edelweiss Alpine, growing of seeds of which gives good results.
The following technology is used for sowing seeds:
- Prepare a substrate of perlite, sand in a ratio of one to one, adding two parts of the universal soil.
- Pick up a plastic is not very shallow container and fill it with steamed soil.
- At the end of winter, the seeds are prepared for planting.
- To grow an edelweiss from seeds, for the beginning they need to be mixed with sand. So small seeds will be easier to distribute in the ground.
- Then they are distributed over the surface of the soil, pressing it with the palm, spraying and covering with glass.
- Before the first shoots appear, it is better not to lift the glass. Humidity can be monitored by the color of the soil and the sweat on the inside of the glass.
- Once the sprouts appeared above the surface of the soil, the glass is removed. The container is rearranged to a well-lit place. Moderately watered and waiting until they reach a couple of centimeters in height.
It is worth noting that before growing edelweiss from seeds, you need to be patient. Seedlings rise rather long, and meanwhile, as a small sprout will appear and the plant will reach two centimeters, it may take several months.
Care of seedlings
When the planting of the seeds of the edelweiss passed normally, that is, the shoots appeared and began to grow, it is necessary to wait until three or four real leaves appear on them. At this time, the seedlings can be transplanted into pots to grow or directly into the open ground to a permanent place.
When transplanting, it is important to take into account that the root system has developed well for a long period of growth in the plant. The roots became unusually long compared to the stem. They can not be cut or twisted, then the flower will grow poorly. You need to prepare deep holes, so that the roots can be straightened. Then they fall asleep with a dry clod of earth and crush their hands. When all the specimens are planted, the flower bed is watered abundantly.
The plant can sit for a long time on the spot and not move in growth. To understand that it has been started will be possible with the appearance of new lateral shoots.
How to protect flowers from aging
In the period when edelweiss blossoms, reached a year and a half, are considered to be their youth. It is a pity that after a couple of flowering they become mature and begin to age. To protect them from this and keep them in the rock garden, you need to start the multiplication procedure by dividing.To do this, in the early spring the bush is excavated and divided into 10 or more parts. All parts can be planted by multiplying the plant in this way. But in a few years, when the flower will fill all the necessary places, it will be necessary to get rid of unnecessary parts, sending them to compost or pleasing acquaintances with exotic seedlings.
Rejuvenation is the key to good growth and a beautiful appearance. Edelweiss, landing and care (photo), which excludes the division of the bush, after five years will begin to die. After all, it does not expand over the area of the flower bed, and at the same time it practically strangles itself with roots.
Conclusion
Landing and caring for edelweiss is a fascinating experiment. Starting it, you do not have time to look back, as an ordinary dacha turns into a systematized landscape filled with design ideas. In total, adding an edelweiss with stones, lavender and coniferous trees gives an original mountain landscape.
