It's a shame, but a huge number of fragrant plants exude their divine aroma not for us - caring and attentive gardeners. For flowers, smell is a kind of language in which they communicate with insects. Thus, the plants “say” that they are full of tasty nectar, and it’s time to visit them, while simultaneously carrying out pollination. Many flowers have a particularly strong aroma during the hours when “their” pollinating insects fly out in search of food.
Since time immemorial, cabbage has been a favorite vegetable crop in our country. It is difficult to imagine a Russian table without sauerkraut or stewed cabbage, borscht, cabbage rolls and all kinds of salads. It is not surprising that many gardeners prefer to grow this crop themselves. The incentive for this is also provided by the wide variety of products that have appeared in Lately varieties - not only white cabbage, but also cauliflower, kohlrabi, and broccoli... But growing cabbage is not easy.
Among the favorite vegetable crops in our gardens, radish is relatively rare. At the same time, radish (Raphanus sativus L.) has many cultural forms that are successfully grown all over the world. Among them, the well-known ones predominate - black radish, large white radish (daikon), Chinese Margelan radish (Lobo), green radish, sweet radish, seed radish (radish), oilseed radish and others. Why radish is worth growing and what features its agricultural technology has, read the article.
The name of the fertilizer “Potassium Metaborate” does not mean anything to most summer residents. At the same time, we have all heard (yes, we have “heard” - we use it regularly) about boric acid. Despite all the disadvantages of preparing the solution, boric acid is very useful for our plants. Now imagine that a fertilizer appeared on the market that has all the same advantages (and many others), but is completely devoid of disadvantages boric acid. What is unique about potassium metaborate?
There is hardly a single gardener who would not encounter such a problem as wheatgrass in the beds. This ubiquitous weed is found almost everywhere. And if wheatgrass growing in meadows is a fodder crop, then when it moves into gardens and vegetable gardens, it turns into a real disaster. The green aggressor is distinguished by unprecedented vitality - it feels great on any soil and in the most difficult climatic conditions. But there is a solution to the problem.
Many areas are shaded by mature trees. Sometimes you want to create a fence “in the corridor” between the walls of your house and your neighbor’s house. Often green spaces are also needed on the north side of the building. Light-loving plants, planted even in light partial shade, will never create dense green walls and will not be able to serve as a hedge. Therefore, it is very important to navigate deciduous shrubs, which will perform best in partial shade.
Vegetable crops during the growing season may be subject to various diseases. A disease that appears seemingly out of nowhere can kill plants in a matter of days and leave the gardener without a harvest. Fungal diseases can appear for various reasons - infected planting material, weakened seedlings, bad weather conditions. Late blight is the most dangerous and widespread fungal disease, most often affecting tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants and peppers.
In terms of health benefits, beans are among the ten most valuable vegetables. Most often we eat ripe bean seeds, which are successfully used in the recipes of many dishes. They are nutritious, healthy and tasty. The Italians told the world that unripe bean pods are also edible and perhaps more tasty. Half a century ago there were no separate pod varieties, so young pods of common grain beans were eaten.
Red lentil cream soup with turmeric is a thick vegetarian soup that is suitable for diet and baby food. Lentils, due to their nutritional properties, can replace many cereals, bread, and even meat products. This is one of the most important sources of protein in a vegetarian menu. Ancient people considered this plant to be medicinal, having a calming and pacifying effect. In addition, red lentils do not need to be pre-soaked or cooked for a long time.
Summer is the height of flowering for most balcony and garden flowers. But in the interior, garden stars do not always look appropriate and require too much attention. Fortunately, many indoor crops also bloom in summer. Moreover, the best of them last for more than three months, captivating either with their grace or with their bright carefreeness. Indoor plants that bloom all summer will help bring bright colors and a sunny mood to your home. However, they only require regular maintenance.
Lazy beef dumplings don't take much time because they're lazy! The taste is no different from regular ones, but they are so easy to prepare - you don’t need to sculpt anything. Any meat or ready-made minced meat is suitable for the filling. Dough made with water and vegetable oil. It is better to steam dumplings with beef, so they will turn out very juicy, the roll retains its shape, and does not need to be cut in advance. For this dish, I advise you to prepare a sauce from sour cream, fresh cucumbers and dill.
A watering hose is an important device, without which it is very difficult to grow plants in your garden. Vegetable beds, berry beds, flower beds, young trees and shrubs - all these plantings will not be able to fully grow and develop without regular watering. The presence of a garden hose greatly simplifies the life of a summer resident, reducing his labor costs when watering. However, when using a hose, minor troubles and unforeseen difficulties often arise.
I have a desire to grow plants in the garden that are unpretentious, but at the same time decorative for a long time. Whenever possible, I collect just such plants. In addition to beautiful flowers, I pay attention to the beauty of the leaves and the overall silhouette. On this path there are both pleasant discoveries and disappointments (where would we be without them). A discovery for me was Japanese kerria - one of the few shrubs that can grow almost without my intervention.
Pork knuckle with sun-dried tomatoes is pressed meat that is easy to prepare at home. For this recipe you will need a pork leg - knuckle and spicy sun-dried tomatoes. I advise you to start preparing this dish in the evening - put the pork in a saucepan, add all the ingredients for the broth, put it on the stove and go about your business. A shank weighing about two kilograms takes about 2.5-3 hours to cook. There is no need to take any part in the cooking process.
Even the most meticulous homebody has had to deal with the problem of caring for plants while he is away. Business trips, vacations, interesting travels seem incompatible with the desire to have a collection of indoor plants. Many people, precisely because of the inability to provide constant care for indoor plants, completely abandon landscaping their rooms. And in vain! How to take care of indoor plants when going on vacation, we’ll tell you in the article.
What does the Russian hazel grouse look like? Photos and descriptions can be found in this article. This is not a bird at all, but a flower. It is found in nature and also grows in garden plots. In total, 150 species of this plant are known, but this article will discuss only one of them. This is a Russian hazel grouse. On Latin These flowers are called fritillaria, which means “glass for throwing dice”, they got it due to their shape.
Appearance
The Russian hazel grouse is a plant that has leaves, and also that the top of the upper leaves is thin and curled in the form of tendrils. These are functional devices. This is how the Russian hazel grouse helps itself to support the weight of large flowers and fruits - boxes, clinging to nearby plants. On one stem, reaching a height of 40 centimeters, grows from 11 to 19 leaves, which have a linear, pointed shape. The plant produces from 1 to 4 pieces. They have a bell with the wide side turned down. The perianth is brownish-purple in color. The Russian hazel grouse, the photo of which is presented in this article, is a small bulb, about 1 cm in diameter, consisting of a bottom, two membranous scales and one storage scale.
Help save
People often dig up this beautiful flower to plant near their homes, and they also pick it to make beautiful bouquets. It also dies while plowing the land. However, this attitude created a danger of destruction for this plant. In this article you will see what the Russian hazel grouse looks like, photo and description. The Red Book, on the pages of which it is already listed, warns that its destruction leads to punishment in the form of a fine. Therefore, we all need to remember what it looks like, so as not to inadvertently harm nature. It will be even better if you tell your friends and acquaintances that there is such a flower - the Russian hazel grouse, show a photo of it, so that as many people as possible receive important information about the endangered plant species.
How to help flowers
Interestingly, one of the measures to preserve this species is its cultivation. Gardeners love hazel grouse for their decorative appearance. So why don’t they put Russians in their areas. Many do this, taking them from their natural habitat. The problem is that annoying plants are destroyed, which also exacerbates the problem of extinction of this species. Therefore, it is better to plant it in city gardens and parks, controlling its location and ensuring its safety. Other measures to save the Russian hazel grouse include identifying its habitats and protecting them from any kind of human influence. In such areas, plowing, grazing, and plant collection are prohibited. Russian hazel grouse are also specially grown and planted in natural habitats.
Favorite spaces
This flower prefers fertile soils enriched with humus. Sometimes it grows on chalk and calcareous substrates, as well as on leached black soil. Its neighbors may be steppe grasses, shrubs, broad-leaved forests, oak groves, pine trees, or it may grow alone on rocky slopes. Hazel grouse is widespread in many regions of our country, as well as in Ukraine and Kazakhstan.
Hero flower
The Russian hazel grouse is the hero of an instructive story that is passed down from mouth to mouth in the Volga villages. It talks about a village boy who was able to escape death thanks to this flower. It all happened in the forest when the children went there to play. One of them decided to scare his friends and hid from them. The bottom of the ravine seemed to him the most suitable place for this. He hid there for a long time, until his comrades went to look for him in another place. Then the boy was about to crawl out of the ravine, but he couldn’t - it was too deep. He shouted for a long time and called his friends. But I couldn’t get through. Then he despaired and began to cry for fear that now he would never be found.
There is an exit
On the slope of a ravine, he saw a flower clinging with its tendrils to the stems of neighboring plants. The boy took a closer look and decided to act the same way as he did. And this flower was called Russian hazel grouse. Slowly, grabbing tree roots, bush branches and grass, the boy crawled out of the ravine. But then his strength left him, and he fell unconscious. However, this story ended well. His friends did not leave him in trouble, they called adults for help and with their help they found the boy.
So let's be attentive to nature and not destroy plants, even to decorate our bouquets with them. Let them grow better in their natural habitat, delight us with their beauty and, perhaps, save someone’s life, as the Russian hazel grouse once did.
If you want to make your plot bright and very unusual, plant hazel grouse in your flower beds. If you immediately thought of a bird - the common hazel grouse, then you were mistaken. After all, these are flowers that can take the form of unusual palm trees, bright chess bells with glass flowers. Fritillary plants are great for a variety of garden arrangements. At the same time, the growing process itself will not be particularly difficult; even a beginner in gardening can cope with it. Flower beds with hazel grouse blooming in summer are an ideal decoration for the site and garden.
In this article we will take a closer look at the features and description of hazel grouse, and also talk about the most popular and common types and varieties of this flowering plant. Let us note the important nuances of agricultural cultivation technology.
Features and description of hazel grouse
Fritillaries are herbaceous bulbous perennial plants that belong to the Liliaceae family. These flowers are primroses in our gardens, which decorate the area with bright colors in the first months of spring. The flower has one more scientific name- fritillaria. The natural habitat of this plant is considered to be the area with temperate climate, and more specifically North America, Europe and Asia. In Russia, this flowering plant is also very popular, because growing it is not particularly difficult. In the 16th-19th centuries, this plant was very popular among the Italian aristocracy. Now hazel grouse are used to decorate flower beds of various shapes.
There are several stories about the appearance of the name of this flower. On the territory of Russia, the hazel grouse was named for the similarity of its color with the motley plumage of hazel grouse - wild birds. Fritillaria translated from Latin means “glass” or “glass”. This name refers to the bell-like shape of the flowers. There is another name for this plant - “checkerboard”, which is associated with the colors of one of the types of hazel grouse - checkerboard. The color of the petals of this plant resembles a chessboard with purple and white spots.
Description of hazel grouse:
- Fritillaries are perennial bulbous plants.
- In appearance, this plant resembles a palm tree, especially one of its species, the imperial hazel grouse.
- The hazel grouse reproduces mainly by bulbs, which consist of several rather large scales. Due to the fact that the bulbs remain overwintering in the garden bed, the scales are renewed every year. The peculiarity of hazel grouse bulbs is that they are very tender due to the lack of a protective skin.
- The bulbs may contain buds, from which new bulbs subsequently appear.
- On average, hazel grouse need to be replanted once every 2-4 years.
- Stems emerge from the bulbs, which vary in height for different types of hazel grouse. On average, the height of hazel grouse is 0.5-1 m.
- The leaves of the hazel grouse have an oblong lanceolate shape or narrow linear. They are dark green or light green in color.
- There are few leaves on the stems.
- Fritillary flowers can grow singly or be collected in groups of several in umbellate or paniculate inflorescences.
- The shape of the flowers resembles a large glass or bell of various colors: yellow, orange, red, purple, variegated, with checkerboard colors.
- Each flower consists of 6 petals, inside of which there are six stamens and a pistil.
- The flowers are located on the stem at the very top, slightly drooping.
- hazel grouse have a very specific smell that repels various rodents: rats, shrews, mice, moles.
- Flowering begins in mid-May and lasts for 20 days.
- After the hazel grouse flowers fade, fruits appear on the stems, which have the shape of a winged or wingless capsule with a large number of seeds.
Variety of hazel grouse species and varieties
In total, there are more than 150 species of this plant in nature, but only a small part of them is widely used.
Checkered hazel grouse
- Cultivated in gardens since 1572.
- It is a low-growing plant that can grow only 35 cm.
- Usually the hazel grouse has many bell flowers, but the checkered hazel grouse blooms with only one bright “glass”, rarely two.
- Flowers bloom at the top of the stem, hanging head down.
- Named this type because of the color of the flowers: it resembles a chessboard. All petals are colored violet-brown with light spots.
- The main feature of the chess hazel grouse is its ease of care.
- This type of plant has its own varieties, which differ in color.
The most popular varieties of hazel grouse:
- Checkered hazel grouse "Alba". It is distinguished by the white color of its flowers and is also a low-growing plant in height.
- Chess grouse "Aphrodite". Also a form of hazel grouse with white tinged flowers.
- Hazel grouse "Artemis". The flowers have an unusual shade, purple and green.
- Hazel grouse "Jupiter". A very beautiful species of checkered hazel grouse that blooms with dark red flowers.
Imperial hazel grouse
- The birthplace of one of the most beautiful and spectacular flowers, the imperial hazel grouse, is Turkey, from where it came to Europe in 1580.
- People often call this plant the “tree of paradise.”
- A fairly tall plant that can reach 80-100 cm in height.
- The bulbs of this type of hazel grouse have a specific unpleasant odor.
- In appearance, the imperial or royal hazel grouse is similar to an exotic palm tree.
- The leaves of this plant grow close to the ground, as well as at the very top, forming a crown from which flowers grow.
- Flowers grow in large quantities at the very top of the plant.
- The flowers reach 6-7 cm in diameter and are brightly colored red, orange, yellow with darker veins along the petals.
- Very unpretentious variety, can withstand light frosts, so it blooms earlier of all primroses.
Popular varieties of imperial hazel grouse:
- Variety "Sulferino". Very decorative variety, which is characterized by excellent unpretentiousness and orange flowers with darker red veins.
- Variety "Aurora". In the group of imperial hazel grouse varieties, this variety is the shortest. It reaches a height of only 60 cm. It has flowers of an orange-red hue.
- Variety "Lutea". A tall plant up to 1 m in height, blooms with bright yellow flowers.
- Variety "Lutea maxima". Also a tall variety that can reach 120 cm. It is distinguished by golden-yellow flowers.
Russian hazel grouse
- This species of hazel grouse is listed in the Red Book, as it is on the verge of extinction.
- A low-growing species that can reach only 40 cm in height.
- The stems of the plant are very fragile and are practically devoid of leaves up to the middle.
- The leaves grow on the upper part of the hazel grouse and reach 9 cm in length.
- Up to 4 flowers can bloom on one plant.
- The species is distinguished by a rather unusual shade of flowers - dark chocolate with bright purple spots.
- Flowering begins in mid-spring, around the end of April.
Persian hazel grouse
- For our latitudes, this Arabian beauty is an exotic plant.
- The natural habitat is considered to be the territory of Turkey and Iran, as well as Israel.
- The plant is tall and can reach 100-120 cm in height.
- The flowers of the Persian hazel grouse bloom at the very top, and their total number can reach 30 pieces.
- The flowers have a bright purple hue.
Popular varieties:
- Variety "Ivory Bell". A very rare plant variety that is distinguished by ivory flowers.
Mikhailovsky's hazel grouse
- The natural habitat is the territory of Turkey.
- It is a dwarf plant that reaches only 20 cm in height.
- It features bright burgundy flowers with a yellow edge that grow solitarily.
- This type of hazel grouse was discovered and described by the scientist Mikhailovsky, after whom this flower was named.
Kamchatka hazel grouse
- In nature, it can be found in Russia, Japan, and North America.
- This plant can reach 35-60 cm in height.
- The leaves are oblong, arranged in 5-10 pieces together.
- The flowers have a bronze or purple hue, lighter and brighter inside the flower.
- The flowers are funnel-shaped up to 3.5 cm in length.
- Flowering begins at the end of May.
- Hazel grouse flowers have a very unpleasant smell.
In addition to the above mentioned types of hazel grouse, the following can be noted: Radde's hazel grouse, spiny hazel grouse, Caucasian hazel grouse, yellow hazel grouse, checkered grouse, Greek hazel grouse and others.
Hazel grouse breeding: the most popular methods
You can breed hazel grouse yourself; to do this, you just need to decide on the breeding method that suits you. All types of hazel grouse reproduce in two ways: seeds and vegetatively.
Seed propagation of hazel grouse
- This method is most often used by breeders to develop new varieties of hazel grouse. In addition, this method is very time-consuming and labor-intensive. You will be able to get a flowering plant a long time after planting.
- To obtain hazel grouse seeds of any type, at least two plants must grow on your site. This is necessary for pollination and obtaining a seed capsule.
- After ripening, this seed pod rises and assumes a vertical position.
- You need to remove the seeds after the box has completely dried. If the season was very rainy, the box can be cut off and placed in a dry and well-ventilated place.
- Hazel grouse seeds do not need to be treated with a solution of potassium permanganate, as they are resistant to various fungal diseases.
- On the site you need to prepare beds for sowing seeds, which are sown immediately in open ground.
- The soil must be nutritious, since the seedlings will grow in these beds for several years.
- Next, you need to raise the beds a little for drainage.
- After this, carefully make small grooves along the ridges. The width of one groove should be 6-10 cm.
- Seeds need to be buried in the grooves only 1 cm.
- The top of your bed needs to be mulched with a layer of clean peat, about 2 cm thick.
- The first small seedlings appear in the beds next spring.
- Propagation by seeds is a very labor-intensive process, since after two years the seedlings, which are still quite small, need to be dug up and stored in a cool place. In this case, the bulbs are often lost due to their tiny size.
Propagation by bulbs
- This method is simpler and more effective, so it is recommended for independent breeding of hazel grouse on the site.
- Each bulb forms several children in 1-2 years, which in the future are able to grow into a beautiful flower.
- To separate the children from the mother bulb, you need to carefully dig up an adult bush. This is usually done in June or July, when the foliage on the plant has not yet dried out.
- When separating the babies, be very careful, as the hazel grouse bulbs are fragile and easily damaged. This occurs due to the lack of protective scales.
- You can dig up an onion with children every year. Although each type of hazel grouse has its own transplantation regime. These plants require digging up every 2-4 years.
- After digging, the children need to be dried and treated with a solution of potassium permanganate for several weeks.
- Next, the bulbs need to be planted in the prepared place.
- A hazel grouse grown from a bulb will bloom to its full potential only after a few years.
Stages of preparation before planting hazel grouse
To get beautiful and bright hazel grouse flowers on your site, you need to carefully prepare. After all, planting bulbous plants is a responsible task in itself. Therefore, it is worth paying a little attention and care. First of all, it is important to purchase high-quality planting material and find the most suitable place for planting on your site.
Stage 1. Selection of planting material
Hazel grouse is planted in the fall, namely at the beginning or end of September, when the growing season of the plant is over. This means that planting material must be purchased immediately before planting, otherwise the plant bulbs may dry out. Alternatively, you can buy the bulbs earlier, then you need to store them in damp peat in the refrigerator.
Buy bulbs only in specialized stores or agricultural companies that breed various plants. Remember that the bulbs will not be cheap, since a maximum of two children grow on one mother bulb. Under no circumstances purchase planting material from spontaneous markets, especially in late autumn. You risk getting non-viable bulbs.
Also, before purchasing, think about the composition you want to get in the end. Choose hazel grouse varieties. that grow well in your area. For planting along fences or in a single flowerbed, choose tall varieties, for example, imperial hazel grouse. To create bright spring flower beds, you can purchase low-growing varieties, for example, checkerboard hazel grouse.
Stage 2. Selecting a landing site
Planting hazel grouse flowers should be done in sunny and open areas of your site. You can also choose a place with a little partial shade. When choosing a planting location, consider the height of the plant first. Tall hazel grouse can be planted along buildings, while shorter ones can be planted as a frame for flower beds and flower beds.
The area you choose must be protected from strong wind and drafts that can break plant stems. Also remember that hazel grouse can grow in one place for 2 to 4 years, depending on the specific species.
Stage 3. Selection and preparation of soil
Hazel grouse prefer to grow on fertile and nutritious soils, since the plant will remain in one place for several years and will need a lot of nutrients. The chosen place for planting should be well drained. Hazel grouse cannot tolerate prolonged stagnation of moisture at the roots, because the bulb may begin to rot. Drainage can be created artificially if your site is close to groundwater.
Before planting the bulbs, it is necessary to carefully prepare the soil. You need to dig it up about one spade bayonet, 30-35 cm.
Technology for planting hazel grouse in open ground
- The optimal time for planting hazel grouse is the end of August or September. If you plant hazel grouse in November, you risk losing the bulbs and the future plant. In such conditions, the hazel grouse simply will not have time to take root and will die at the first frost.
- Next, we prepare the selected area for planting. To do this, you need to add a little sand to the dug soil to make it lighter. It is also important to add clean peat and humus to the soil as a natural organic fertilizer.
- Some time before planting, it is recommended to treat the bulbs with a solution of potassium permanganate. If there was minor damage when separating the children from the mother bulb, it is recommended to treat them with wood ash.
- Next, you need to make planting holes in the prepared area. The size of the hole will depend on the specific variety of hazel grouse. If the plant is tall, the holes should be deeper, about 20-30 cm. For low-growing varieties, a depth of 6-10 cm is suitable.
- If you are planting several plants in one place, you must also maintain the distance between them. For low varieties, the distance between holes should be 10-15 cm. For tall varieties, up to 30 cm.
- Be sure to place a small layer of drainage at the bottom of each hole to prevent water stagnation. Fine fines can be used as drainage river sand or small stones.
- You can add a little wood ash to the bottom of each hole.
- Next, place the bulbs, while carefully straightening the roots so as not to damage the delicate planting material.
- Cover it with earth.
- It is believed that this process is the transplantation of a perennial plant.
Agricultural technology for growing hazel grouse: secrets and nuances of care
Hazel grouse are considered unpretentious plants, so planting them and caring for hazel grouse will not be particularly difficult, even if you do not have much experience in growing garden crops. It, like any other plant, needs a little attention and care. First of all, the general set of care actions includes watering the plant, mulching, and fertilizing.
Watering hazel grouse
Grouse need constant and moderate watering. You can check the moisture level on the surface of the soil. It shouldn't dry out too much. During the driest time of summer, the amount of watering can be increased. On normal days, 1-2 waterings per month are sufficient. It is important that the bulb does not dry out, otherwise your plant may die.
Mulching
It is not recommended to loosen the soil around the plants, since the roots of the hazel grouse are located close to the surface and you can damage them. After planting, the soil surface can be mulched with peat so that the plant does not suffer during drought and does not require unnecessary watering. In addition, mulch can reduce the number of weeds. Dry and clean peat can be used as mulch.
Feeding hazel grouse
For active growth and lush flowering of hazel grouse, it is necessary to fertilize the plant. Applying fertilizer twice per season is usually sufficient.
- First feeding. Held at the end of April. In this case, dry nitrophoska fertilizers and fertilizers for flowering plants, for example Agricola, are used, which are diluted in one bucket of humus. Approximate dosage: 4-5 kg per 1 square meter.
- Second feeding. It is carried out after the end of flowering. In this case, potassium and phosphorus fertilizers are used, which are scattered around the plants in 1 tablespoon. Next, the hazel grouse need to be watered.
Throughout the entire season, all hazel grouse plants can be fertilized with wood ash, which is scattered around them. Ash can also be embedded in the soil to a depth of 3 cm.
Digging and storing hazel grouse bulbs
After the hazel grouse has finished flowering, around June-July, it is necessary to carefully cut off the entire plant, leaving about 5 cm of the stem. Next, you need to dig up the plant bulbs, this must be done carefully so as not to damage them. Next, the dug up mother bulbs along with the children are carefully washed with water, and the dry husks are removed from them. Also, all the bulbs can be kept for some time in a weak solution of potassium permanganate. If they are damaged, treat them with wood ash.
Bulbs should be stored in a dry and well-ventilated area with a temperature not exceeding 30 degrees. During storage, periodically inspect and turn them over.
Using hazel grouse in landscape design
Fritillaries are one of the very first spring flowers to bloom. They, like bright lights, decorate the area with multi-colored paints. These are very decorative plants that can be used to create unusual garden compositions:
- Tall hazel grouse will look great along fences and various buildings. Such plants can also be planted singly against a green lawn.
- Low-growing hazel grouse will look great in flower beds and as a frame for garden paths.
- By combining different varieties of hazel grouse you can create bright flower beds or rock gardens.
Photos of hazel grouse in landscape design
You can more clearly see all the features of these plants in the proposed photos.
Fritillaries are interesting and unusual flowering plants that look great in any landscape. And planting and caring for these flowers is so simple that you don’t need any special skills.
Small hazel grouse Meleagris Alba. White-flowered form, white streaks merge with the white background of the perianth, only near the nectaries there is a green spot. The flowering period of the small hazel grouse Meleagris Alba is May-June, height up to 30 cm. Winter hardiness zone: 3 (-39 C)
Grouse. Among the flowers that can be grown on your own plot, the amazing hazel grouse flower occupies a special place. Grouse are fragrant, unpretentious large plants up to 90 cm tall with drooping flowers. Grouse blooms from April to May. Planting and caring for this plant is quite simple, but requires some care in the timing of digging up the bulbs. If all growing procedures are carried out on time, there should be no problems with hazel grouse. There are several mandatory rules of agricultural technology that allow you to get a beautiful plant.
Place for planting hazel grouse.
The place for the flower is chosen to be warm, in the sun or partial shade, not affected by drafts. The soil will need to be fertile and fairly well loosened. Royal hazel grouse, which is usually planted at the very beginning of autumn, does not tolerate waterlogged soil. That's why experienced flower growers It is recommended to equip flower beds with this plant with good drainage. To construct such a drainage system, you can use simple river sand mixed with high-quality, but fresh humus. These components allow you to “lighten” the soil and feed the young hazel grouse.
Planting and care.
Transplanting hazel grouse begins with digging up at a time when the plant trunk begins to dry out and lean toward the ground. You need to wait 1-2 weeks and immediately transplant the plant to a new location. If you plan to buy hazel grouse in a store, it is better to do this at the end of August and immediately plant the material in the ground. The distance between planting holes should be about 30 cm, and the maximum depth is calculated based on the size of the bulbs. Large specimens require 20-25 cm, medium ones - 13-20 cm, and small ones - 6-12 cm. The soil needs to be loosened occasionally and shallowly, mineral fertilizers must be applied, but you need to be careful with watering. Since the root bulbs can quickly rot, you need to carefully moisten the soil: moderately but regularly. At proper care hazel grouse can actively grow and bloom in one place for 2-3 years, after which they will need to be dug up and moved to a new area.
Preparing hazel grouse for winter.
Imperial hazel grouse is a fairly frost-resistant plant. However, if winters have little snow and are harsh, it is worth covering the flowerbed with spruce or pine paws. The plant can easily withstand spring frosts down to -6 C.
Hazel grouse breeding.
The hazel grouse reproduces by natural division of the bulb. This is the simplest, but slowest way. By the end of the season, the mother bulb naturally divides into only two daughter bulbs, which only need to be replanted. The next year, full-fledged flowering plants grow from the bulbs. Reproduction by children is a little more productive, but the problem is that the hazel grouse gives birth to children rarely and in small quantities, and it will take several years to grow the “baby” plants to the point of flowering.
Using hazel grouse in the garden.
Far from the last place in the garden is occupied by hazel grouse. Among daffodils and tulips, this amazing flower will become a spectacular decorative decoration that attracts a lot of attention. It is better to plant hazel grouse in groups of three or more. This royal plant looks very beautiful in group plantings.
The hazel grouse flower, like the bird of the same name, has a variegated color. And in some varieties of hazel grouse, the spots on the petals are arranged in the same way as on a chessboard. When growing hazel grouse flowers, you should act very carefully so as not to accidentally damage neighboring plants: hazel grouse cling to them with their antennae and can break the thin stems of their “neighbors”.
Description of the imperial hazel grouse
The botanical name of hazel grouse is fritillaria; this plant belongs to the Liliaceae family. Wild species grow in the Caucasus, Turkey, Iran, Central Asia, Europe, the Far East. Total for globe there are about 100 species of these wonderful ones. They are very diverse in appearance, shape and color of flowers, flowering time.
Of the hazel grouse, the one most often seen in our gardens is the imperial hazel grouse. Gardeners are very proud of this plant, which is very different from other flowers, as it gives the garden an exotic look. And who doesn’t want to show off a beautiful rarity! Several varieties are known: yellow-flowered - “Flava”, “Maxima Lutea”; with fiery orange flowers - “Orange Diamond”, “Aurora”; with red ones - “Maxima Rubra”. The “Prolifera” variety is distinguished by its double row of petals.
As you can see in the photo, the imperial hazel grouse plant amazes not only with its shape, but also with its size:
The height of the peduncle is up to 1 m or more, and the bulbs of some varieties, for example, Rubra Maxima, can have a diameter of up to 15 cm and a weight of about 1 kg.
In mid-April, strong, dark-colored shoots appear from the ground, which grow very quickly and reach a height of 100-120 cm. The shoots are resistant to spring frosts. The leaves of the plant are dark green, quite large in the lower part of the stem, and become smaller closer to the top. The shoot ends in a bunch of small narrow leaves, under which in May large, up to 5 cm long, drooping bell-shaped flowers appear. Usually there are from 4 to 6. The flowers are orange-red, with brown veins on the outside of the petals, with a characteristic odor.
Look at the photo - hazel grouse flowers have a white spot with a dark rim on the inside of each of the 6 petals at the base:
It is a nectary that secretes a rich sweet liquid that attracts pollinating insects. The imperial hazel grouse blooms in mid-May, flowering lasts about two weeks. It lasts longer if the plant is in partial shade. At the end of flowering, the stem and leaves begin to turn yellow. If pollination is successful, fruits are formed - large angular boxes filled with seeds. The bulbs are large, do not have a protective dry film, and ripen after lodging of the stems. The bulbs emit a pungent odor that small rodents cannot tolerate. Hazel grouse are not susceptible to disease and suffer little damage.
How to plant and grow hazel grouse correctly
Growing and caring for hazel grouse is not particularly difficult. Plants do well in both sunny and slightly shaded areas. However, open, flat areas are preferable, where they begin to grow earlier and their bulbs ripen better. The soil should be loose and structural.
Before growing hazel grouse, you need to add sand to the loam - 1-2 buckets per 1 m2. Hazel grouse grow in one place for up to 5 years or more, so before planting, the soil must be well prepared and a sufficient amount of organic fertilizer added to it. Before planting hazel grouse flowers, add a bucket of compost or leaf soil, the same amount of rotted peat and half a bucket of rotted manure per 1 m2 and dig it to the depth of a spade bayonet. This amount of fertilizer is enough for 5 years, so additional applications of mineral and organic fertilizers are not required.
Reproduction of hazel grouse is carried out by baby bulbs and seeds. The bulbs are dug up after the stems have lodged and stored in damp sand until planting to prevent them from drying out. If the roots begin to “peck”, the bulbs must be planted immediately, since the roots reach a length of 8-10 cm in a week and are inevitably damaged during planting. IN southern regions hazel grouse can grow in one place for more than 5 years without digging, and in areas with a cool climate it is better to dig up the bulbs of the imperial hazel grouse annually in order to keep them until autumn at a temperature of 25-30 ° C, which will ensure good flowering the next year.
How to plant hazel grouse bulbs so that they germinate well? Bulbs are planted in September to a depth of 20 cm, at a distance of 30 cm between neighboring plants. For small bulbs, these parameters are reduced by 2-3 times. It is better to place hazel grouse in groups of 5-6 pieces. When planting, it is recommended to place the bulb on its side so that moisture does not get into the hole left by the stem, which can lead to rotting.
How to properly plant hazel grouse seeds and plant them for growing? Seeds are sown immediately after collection on prepared beds or in boxes. Seedlings and bulbs grown from seeds, but not reaching their normal size, are planted for growing to a depth of 5-6 cm. Seedlings bloom only in the fifth or sixth year.
As you can see in the photo, caring for hazel grouse flowers is no different from caring for other plants:
It is necessary to remove weeds and loosen the soil. After planting, when caring for hazel grouse, water the plants only in dry weather (preferably in the morning or evening). When cutting flowers, be sure to leave some of the leaves on the stem, otherwise the growth of the bulb will stop. It is recommended to cover the plants for the winter.
Hazel grouse are used in single plantings and. They are also good for cutting; the flowers remain fresh for 7-10 days.
Types and varieties of hazel grouse (with photos)
In addition to the imperial hazel grouse, a native of the Himalayan mountains, many other types of natural flora have taken root in our gardens. Moreover, in cultivation, these plants became more powerful, the flowers increased in size and acquired a more saturated color. Bulbs should not be taken directly from natural conditions. On the contrary, you should be very careful about hazel grouse in the places where they grow. Planting material can be purchased at botanical gardens and specialized stores. Species such as Caucasian hazel grouse, dagana, Russian hazel grouse, Ussuri hazel grouse are included in the Red Book of the Russian Federation.
Here you can see photos and read descriptions of various types of hazel grouse.
Russian hazel grouse. Homeland - Caucasus, European part Russia, Western Siberia, Middle Asia. The flowers are brown-red, with a darker checkerboard pattern, with a yellowish tint inside, bell-shaped, drooping, up to 4 cm long. Collected in a sparse raceme of 3-5 pieces. Forms from 1 to 3 leaves. They are narrow-linear, with spirally twisted tops, with which the plant clings to its neighbors, due to which the thin stems, 30-50 cm high, do not bend. The bulb is small, up to 1 cm in diameter. It produces few children, it is better to propagate by seeds. Blooms in May.
Checkered hazel grouse grows naturally in the European part of Russia. The flowers are dark brown, with a pronounced checkerboard dark purple pattern, bell-shaped, up to 4 cm long, single or two on a thin stem, up to 40 cm high. The flowers of this type of hazel grouse are odorless, just like the bulb. The leaves are linear-lanceolate, located in the upper part of the stem. The bulb is small (1-2 cm in diameter), covered with a thin brown film. Blooms in the first half of May. There are hybrid forms and varieties, and other colors, with a bright, beautiful checkerboard pattern. They are very decorative and create bright spots in the garden. Children give little. The seeds set well and sprout vigorously. Seedlings bloom in the third or fourth year.
Yellow hazel grouse- endemic to the Caucasus. The flowers are solitary, rarely in twos, drooping, rather large. The petals have longitudinal green veins and a red-brown checkerboard pattern. The plant is miniature, stems up to 20 cm (rarely 30 cm) with narrow light green leaves. The bulb is small, up to 2 cm in diameter. Reproduces mainly by seeds. Blooms in the first half of May.
Common hazel grouse- also endemic to the Caucasus. The peduncle of this variety of hazel grouse, up to 30-40 cm high, bears one or two flowers 4 cm long. They are dark violet-purple, with a greenish coating on the outside, and a yellowish checkerboard pattern on the inside of the petals. Lanceolate leaves are located in the upper part of the peduncle. The bulb is up to 2-3 cm in diameter, produces a lot of babies. Blooms in May.
Pale-flowered hazel grouse originally from Central Asia. Bell-shaped flowers up to 5-6 cm long, drooping, light yellow, with a greenish tint, yellow veins, with a light brown checkerboard pattern on the inside. Collected 3-5 in a rare brush. Stems up to 80 cm tall. The leaves are broadly lanceolate, pale green with a bluish tint. The bulb reaches 3 cm in diameter. Blooms in late May - early June.
Eduard's hazel grouse- endemic to Central Asia. One of the most beautifully flowering species. The flowers are orange or brick-red, bell-shaped, up to 7 cm long and up to 5 cm in diameter, drooping, collected 5-8 in an umbrella-shaped inflorescence, above which a whorl of small leaves rises. The stems are strong, thick, up to 1.5 cm in diameter, 80 cm high. The leaves are broadly lanceolate. The bulb is very large (up to 10 cm in diameter), consisting of 3-4 scales fused at the bottom. Blooms in mid-May.
Kamchatka hazel grouse. Homeland - Far East. Sometimes it is called Kamchatka. This is an amazingly beautiful plant with almost black flowers. Inside, the petals are brighter, shiny, with a faint light checkerboard pattern.
Pay attention to the photo - this type of hazel grouse has funnel-shaped flowers, up to 5 cm long, consisting of 6 fleshy petals:
The inflorescence is a rare raceme of 3-7 flowers. Blooms in late May - early June. The stems are quite strong, up to 60 cm tall. The leaves are collected in whorls of 5-10 pieces, bluish below, and soon after flowering they turn yellow. The bulb, up to 5 cm in diameter, consists of scales loosely attached to the bottom. There are underground stolons on which a lot of babies are formed. Reproduces by children, scales, seeds. Seeds are sown in late autumn in open ground or boxes. Shoots appear in the spring of next year. Kamchatka hazel grouse is a champion in frost resistance.
Persian hazel grouse originally from Iran. One and a half meter thick stems from the middle to the very top are hung with dozens of purple-violet drooping bell-shaped flowers. The plant is thermophilic. Difficult to grow in areas with cold winters.
