Perennial Iberis flower - cultivation and care
Content:
Perennial Iberis is a popular ornamental plant that belongs to the Cruciferous family. There are many varieties of these crops, each of which is distinguished by excellent decorative properties, abundant flowering, and a delicate aroma.
Description of Iberis: varieties and varieties
The plant includes many subspecies, the height of which reaches 10-45 cm. The culture is distinguished by a squat tree-like base and has green shoots that are directed upward. Some Iberis flowers have branches spread horizontally.
Iberis has excellent decorative properties
The plant has narrow, oblong leaves of a rich emerald color. Flowering begins in May and lasts two months. The bushes are decorated with many buds. Iberis flowers are small, they are placed on the plant in bunches. They can be of different colors - white, purple, red, lilac or pink.
After pollination, small pods filled with seeds appear on the bushes. Within 2-4 years, they can be used for planting.
According to the lifespan, Iberises are annual and perennial. The first group includes umbellate and bitter Iberis.
Bitter Iberis has pubescent stems that reach 30 cm in height. The leaves of the plant are small, pointed. The bushes are decorated with small white flowers.
Umbrella Iberis has a branched structure. Its stems are not covered with fluff. The plant reaches a height of 40 cm. It is decorated with white inflorescences, which are present on the bushes for up to 3 weeks. Iberis umbellate varieties Pomegranate Ice has spectacular white-red buds.
The plant has many varieties
Perennials include the following types of plants:
- Iberis is evergreen. This is one of the most common varieties that can be used to decorate any garden. The culture is characterized by many white inflorescences. It is very easy to care for white Iberis. It needs to be watered in dry weather and wilted flowers removed. Famous varieties of evergreen Iberis: Whiteout, Snowflake, Findall.
- Gibraltar. This plant is unpretentious, so many growers prefer to grow it. The culture has a neat appearance and pale purple inflorescences. The bushes grow no more than 10-15 cm. A popular variety of such an Iberis is Candytaft.
- Crimean. The culture is a low perennial plant. It grows to a maximum of 9-12 cm. Before blooming, the buds are light purple, then they turn white.
- Rocky. This plant spreads along the ground. In height, its shoots do not exceed 15 cm. The rocky Iberis is characterized by abundant flowering, during which foliage is practically invisible.
- Chameleon. The petals of this species shimmer beautifully from white-pink to violet. The culture is characterized by a pleasant sweet aroma.
Planting site, soil
The culture grows well, blooms profusely and looks attractive in well-lit areas. Although the planting of Iberis can be carried out in a shaded place. Culture is often used in the design of alpine slides and rockeries, choosing not the sunniest areas.
Iberis: growing from seed, when to plant
The culture is grown by seed or vegetative method. Most often, it is planted with seeds. Many varieties of the plant are grown outdoors.
Seeds are recommended to be planted in April. If you need to extend flowering until the end of September, they are planted twice. At the same time, it is necessary to sow planting material at intervals of 2-3 weeks.
The first shoots will appear in 1-2 weeks. At this point, the bushes must be thinned out. Iberis rises amicably enough, so the distance between flowers needs to be made 12-15 cm.
Also, the culture is planted in open ground before winter. Thanks to this, the sprouts will appear in the spring.
Planting seedlings
If you plan to grow Iberis from seeds, when to plant them for seedlings? The best time to do this is mid-March. Seed material is placed in the ground 1 mm. From above it must be sprinkled with river sand and covered with glass. Thanks to this, it will be possible to maintain the required soil and air moisture.
Planting should be in a warm and bright place. Water the plants very carefully. It is best to use a spray bottle for this purpose. Iberis has a rather fragile root system, so it is not recommended to dive the bushes.
The culture can be grown in seedlings.
Watering and loosening the soil
Planting and caring for perennial Iberis in the open field have certain characteristics. It is necessary to water the culture only in very hot and dry weather. The soil must be completely saturated with water, but there should be no stagnation of liquid near the roots. Rare watering does not harm the culture.
After each moistening of the soil or precipitation, it is necessary to loosen the earth. This helps to saturate the roots with oxygen and nutrients.
Reproduction methods
Iberis can be propagated in different ways:
- survival of seeds;
- dividing the bush;
- by cuttings.
Seeds
To obtain seedlings, seeds are planted in containers with peat in March. At a temperature of 18 ° C, sprouts appear after 10 days. They need to be slightly moistened. In open soil, the culture is moved in mid-May. You can plant seeds directly into the ground. This is done in April. Bushes grown by the seed method will bloom only in the second year.
By cuttings
For this procedure, you need to wait until the end of the flowering culture. From the shoots, it is necessary to cut small cuttings 5-8 cm in size. They should be soaked in a growth stimulator, and then transferred to moist soil.
By dividing the bush
An adult plant over 5 years old should be dug up in the spring before the start of the growing season. After cutting off the upper part, the bush must be divided into equal fragments and planted in prepared places. The soil around the shoots must be compacted and watered.
To decorate the garden plot, you can use ready-made seedlings, which are sold in flower shops. To choose high-quality planting material, you need to pay attention to its appearance. It is important that there are no symptoms of diseases or damaged areas on the bushes.
Iberis can be propagated in many ways.
Top dressing and transplanting
The amount of fertilizer depends on the type and characteristics of the soil on the site. If the soil has a poor composition, standard complex fertilizers should be applied 2 times a year. In spring and summer, you can use Nitrofoska.
An excessive amount of dressing causes the rapid growth of the bush. In such a situation, you will have to constantly adjust its size. When growing a flower in fertile soil, it is permissible to apply fertilizers once every 2-3 years.
It is often not recommended to transplant Iberis. If the taproot is damaged, it will quickly die off. This will lead to the death of the culture. Shrubs can be transplanted after 5 years. Older crops bloom more poorly, so plants need rejuvenation.
Pruning Iberis
Iberis bushes must be pruned periodically. This procedure promotes more abundant and long-lasting flowering. Fading shoots must be systematically removed.
The main pruning is carried out immediately after the end of the flowering period. At this time, the aboveground part of the culture is cut by about a third.
Pests and diseases
Iberis is often attacked by scale insects and earthen fleas. They eat the stems and leaves of the flower. To cope with parasites, you need to use special drugs. The drug Aktara is highly effective. It is important to systematically irrigate the soil around the bush.
In addition, the plant can suffer from aphid attacks. Its appearance can be suspected by whitish spots on the leaves and drying of flower shoots.
The culture has a fairly weak root system. She often encounters fungal infections and rots. Alarming signs in this case include growths on the roots, a slowdown in the development of culture, and yellowing of the foliage.
To prevent infection with a fungus, it is necessary to treat the area with fungicidal preparations. It is recommended to do this before planting the crop in the soil. The affected plant must be destroyed, and the soil must be treated with the drug again.
How to prepare for wintering
Iberis is a fairly frost-resistant plant, however, in a snowless and harsh winter, the culture can freeze. A perennial plant can hardly tolerate temperature fluctuations and a change from frost to thaw.
In order for the culture to endure the winter normally, even in the middle lane it needs to be covered. This procedure is carried out in the last decade of autumn. Fallen leaves and spruce branches will be an excellent protection against frost. Ordinary dry twigs are also suitable. They need to make layers of hay and straw.
Flowering period and care after
Iberis have a special bud development schedule. The culture blooms in May and August. At the same time, lush flowers decorate the bushes not too long - on average 2 months. After flowering is complete, oval or bivalve pods appear on the plants. Inside, they are filled with seeds.
With proper care, Iberis blooms profusely
Use in landscape design
Plants are often used in landscaping. With the correct creation of flower beds, they are able to form fancy patterns.
Iberises look great in the structure of ridges and mixborders. They can be used to decorate the edges of the borders. Group plantings of flowers are used to decorate garden paths.
The flower goes well with evergreens such as juniper or cypress. Low-growing varieties can be used to decorate rock gardens and rocky hills.
Dwarf crops are in good harmony with drought-resistant ground covers. These include creeping phlox, creeping tenacious, sedum. Delicate Iberis flowers can be combined with large bells.
Iberis is often combined with gazania, yarrow and small marigolds. A spectacular composition is obtained with the participation of phlox and tulips. At the same time, flowers should not be combined with ground cover perennials.
The culture fits perfectly into garden compositions
When growing an Iberis plant, planting and care must be carried out in accordance with all the rules. This culture is considered quite unpretentious, but in order to achieve abundant flowering, certain recommendations must be followed.
