Use of rhododendrons in green building. Rhododendron - a beautiful fantasy of nature Garden landscape compositions from rhododendrons and conifers
Word rhododendron(emphasis should be on the third syllable) means “ rosewood" This word denotes a genus of plants family-owned heather
Description
In nature, this plant can be found in the middle and southern latitudes of the northern hemisphere. There is a huge variety of varieties of rhododendrons, they can be either deciduous or evergreen shrubs or trees, ranging in height from 0.5 m to 30 m. All of them are remarkable for their beautiful dark green foliage and especially for their magnificent flowers, which also have a wide variety of colors and shapes . Rhododenrons usually grow near bodies of water, in the foothills and mountains.
Surely many are familiar with azalea, which can often be found in apartments as indoor plant. Azalea also belongs to the rhododendron genus. During flowering, azalea produces lush, bright flowers various shades. Looking at indoor azalea, it’s hard to believe that rhododendrons can be huge in size: up to 30 m high.
Rhododendrons can be either or plants. Rhododendrons can bloom in red, purple, blue, as well as yellow or white flowers. Rhododendron blooms in spring period, as soon as the weather stabilizes. The duration of flowering is the entire warm period.
Since rhododendrons love warmth, in mid-latitudes they should only be planted winter-hardy varieties. These varieties include, for example
Planting rhododendron
When plant rhododendrons? You can plant rhododendrons both in spring and in autumn period, but it’s still better in the spring.
Where plant? It is very important for the plant to choose right place for landing. The plant will feel most comfortable in the northern part of the garden, where there will be partial shade during the day. Rhododendrons love acidic soil, which will have a lot of humus and no lime. Alkaline or neutral soil are destructive to the plant. It is best to grow rhododendrons in soil consisting of a mixture of peat and clay.
The root system of rhododendron is superficial, so it will not grow well next to trees that have the same superficial root system, for example linden, elm, poplar, maple. At the same time, oak, pine, apple, and pear trees, whose roots go deep, are good neighbors for rhododendron.
How plant? Planting occurs as follows:
- To begin with, a hole is dug with a depth of 30 to 35 centimeters. The width of the hole should be approximately 60 centimeters.
- Sand and pebbles should be poured into the bottom of the hole for drainage. The thickness of the drainage should be approximately 10-15 centimeters.
- The drainage layer is filled with peat and loamy mixture.
- Next, you need to compact the soil and make a small depression so that you can freely place the earthen lump of the plant.
- Then you need to lower the seedling vertically and fill it with soil up to the root collar. It is important that the root collar is level with the soil surface.
- After planting, the plant is watered.
- Next comes mulching. Both peat, leaves and moss are perfect as mulch.
To make the root system develop faster, you can resort to a little trick: during the flowering of the rhododendron, you should cut off the most magnificent buds. This will allow the shrub to redirect its forces to the development of roots.
Rhododendron care
When caring for plants, it is important to carefully monitor watering, weeding and pruning of the plant. It is also important to fertilize on time and ensure that rhododendrons are not infected with various diseases and pests.
You should loosen the soil around the plant carefully, because the root system of rhododendrons is in close proximity to the soil surface. When removing weeds, do not use either a hoe or a knife. Weeds are removed manually.
Watering
Rhododendrons are capricious about moisture. The plant does not tolerate overly waterlogged soil, but it responds very positively to constant spraying, as well as watering with pre-prepared water.
Watering should be regular, the water should be slightly acidified. To acidify the water, you need to dip several handfuls of peat into it for a day. It is best to use rain or settled water for irrigation.
Rhododenron does not tolerate stagnant water.
Pest Control Measures
Various pests can be found on the plant:
- snails and slugs;
- spider mites;
- scale insects;
- mealyworms.
To get rid of unwanted guests, it is necessary to treat the leaves and stems of the plant. For processing you can use either Tiram, or Karbofos.
If rot appears on the plant, it should be cut off completely.
Rhododendron in landscape design
Rhododendrons can be planted as single plants, but they are especially good in groups of 3-5 plants, as well as in compositions with other plants - for example, thujas, other conifers, or other types of shrubs. Rhododendrons will look good against the wall of the house, in borders around
These shrubs are magnificent when in bloom. At the beginning of the 19th century, rhododendrons first began to decorate Russian gardens. Varieties, cultivation in open ground, planting, care, propagation: we cultivate rhododendrons according to all the rules.
Description of rhododendron: varieties and varieties
The genus of rhododendrons is quite extensive - more than 1,000 species, which include diverse varieties of this wonderful plant. The natural distribution area of rhododendrons is limited eastern countries: China, Japan, Korea, Himalayas; some varieties of the plant are found in the Caucasus, in North America, in northern Africa and Australia. On European territory two varieties of rhododendron grow in the mountainous regions of Germany.
The culture belongs to the flowering deciduous or evergreen shrubs heather family. The branches of the plant may have smooth bark or pubescence. The leathery, dark green, small, ovoid leaves are sometimes pubescent. The flowers are bell-shaped, funnel-shaped, simple and double. The color of the petals varies depending on the variety: white, pink, lilac, red, purple. Modern varieties Rhododendrons are yellow and orange in color. Numerous small seeds ripen in boxes.
Rhododendrons, the cultivation of which is most acceptable in Russia, are limited to 26 species belonging to three groups of plants.
- Evergreens are tall shrubs that do not shed their dark, leathery foliage even in winter. Large flowers are colored different colors and tone. Growing evergreen rhododendrons in open ground requires compliance with a number of necessary rules: plants are located in places with diffuse shade; the soil for them should include a large amount of peat.
Advice: It is important to choose the right neighborhood for evergreen species of rhododendron, especially when designing territories in landscape design. It can be all types coniferous plants, heather, ferns grown in open ground.
- Intermediate (semi-evergreen) - low shrubs that winter well under a layer of snow. The plant is characterized by a compact shape and a huge number of flowers during the flowering period. IN winter period the main part of the leathery leaves falls off, leaving only a whorl of leaves at the ends of the branches, from the center of which new foliage grows.
- Deciduous - rhododendrons of this group are most adapted to the conditions of the Russian climate. Growing these plants is not difficult, and the plants themselves do not require special adaptation in winter. Flowering in spring, repeated in autumn.
Planting a plant
Rhododendron: planting and caring for plants in compliance with agrotechnical rules - plant replanting is allowed in spring and autumn. In autumn - in any of three months, in spring - in warm, settled weather, when the soil is no longer frozen (usually April or May).
The choice of place for planting a plant must be done with special care. Rhododendron plantings should be protected from the prevailing wind and direct sun rays. It is important that the bush is accessible for viewing, then decorative look plants during the flowering period will decorate the area and please the eye.
Tip: before planting a plant from a container in open ground, it should be thoroughly saturated with water.
The planting hole for rhododendron bushes is prepared based on the actual size of the root system, and should be 2 times larger in volume. Natural soil should be completely removed. To plant a plant, you need to prepare a special soil consisting of equal parts of heather soil; peat; garden soil or leaf humus; rotted manure; needles (pine).
The prepared hole is filled with the mixture, and a place is prepared in it for planting a rhododendron bush, which must be placed strictly vertically. The soil around the root system of the plant must be compressed tightly; the formation of voids and “pockets” in the soil is not allowed. planting soil. At high level groundwater, provision should be made for laying a special drainage layer at the bottom of the pit. Top layer After planting, the soil should be mulched with peat chips.
Rhododendron: proper watering
Watering the planted plant is carried out at the time of planting - abundantly, sufficient to moisten the soil to a depth of 20-30 cm. Subsequent watering of the rhododendron should be done with soft, acidified water, completely moistening the soil.
Tip: When planting a plant with buds, it is necessary to remove most of them.
Plant care
The transplanted plant requires attention and careful care. In addition to regular, abundant watering, rhododendron requires foliage spraying, especially when planted at a later date. spring time. The soil needs to be mulched to retain sufficient moisture. When mulching, you should choose options that increase the acidity of the soil.
The root system of rhododendrons consists of delicate, thin hairs, similar to matted hair, so loosening the soil, especially deep, should be excluded from flower care measures. Weeds that grow near the plant must be removed periodically.
The appearance of the plant will immediately indicate a lack or excess of water - the leaves of the rhododendron will begin to turn yellow and fall off. Watering must be carried out in sufficient quantities, but without overflowing; this is one of the main rules for caring for crops.
To ensure proper care of rhododendron, it is important to carry out timely pruning of overgrown bushes. To prevent infection of the plant, the cut areas are covered with paint or garden varnish.
Compliance with simple plant care requirements will allow you to grow a wonderful flowering bush.
Fertilizer and feeding of rhododendron
In the first year, transplanted plants already require careful fertilizer, which is applied in a highly diluted form, in small portions. The plant itself will signal the need to apply fertilizer: it will stop growing, shed its foliage or the leaves will change color, and the formation will stop. flower buds.
Organic fertilizer for feeding rhododendron bushes is semi-decomposed manure that needs to be infused in water. Feeding is carried out aqueous solution manure To increase the formation of flower buds, as well as extend the flowering period, granular superphosphate, or double superphosphate, is used, which is scattered on the moist soil under the plants. Feeding the plant with microelements is also beneficial - fertilizers are applied in the form of watering or spraying the green mass of the bush. It is necessary to intensively fertilize the bushes until the end of August.
Rhododendron propagation
Growing rhododendron involves propagating the plant by layering and seeds, dividing the bush, grafting, and cuttings.
Propagation by seeds is a great way to get plants with improved traits. Sowing takes place from the end of December to the end of March. The second period suitable for seed propagation of rhododendrons is the end of November.
Sowing of seeds is carried out in shallow bowls or boxes filled with a nutrient mixture of peat, sand, coniferous and turf land, taken in equal proportions. The seeds are pre-soaked for a day. Sowing is done on the top layer of soil, without planting deep into the ground. The crops are moistened by spraying. It is required to provide the seedlings with 12-hour illumination with fluorescent lamps. The timing of seed germination depends on the variety. The first flowering of seedlings is possible after 3-4 years.
This method has its advantages, but seed propagation For rhododendrons, it takes up to 5-6 years to obtain full-fledged plants.
New plants can be obtained faster using vegetative methods of crop propagation: cuttings, dividing the bush, rooting layering.
Diseases and pests
Compliance with the requirements for agricultural technology of rhododendrons guarantees excellent growth and development of plants. However, repeated waterlogging or overdrying of the soil, alkaline soil reaction, and sunburn of leaves can provoke a surge in crop diseases.
Plants can be damaged by blight, rust and chlorosis. Disease control measures - improving plant conditions, application special means to fight diseases. Rhododendron diseases are often caused by pathogenic fungi: gray rot, fusarium, late blight.
Pests that damage rhododendrons: slugs and snails that eat young leaves and buds. These pests are collected manually. In addition, the plant is harmed by: bugs (rhododendron), spider mite, mealybug, weevils, scale insects, rhododendron fly. Getting rid of pests is not difficult when using systemic insecticides.
Rhododendron: combination with other plants
Planting plants in combination with conifers and a group of heathers has a positive effect on the development of rhododendrons. In this case, you should remember the height of the rhododendron bush. Low cultivars should be located away from the dense shade of mature trees, but avoiding direct rays of the sun.
An excellent combination is observed when shade-loving ferns and hostas are located next to rhododendrons.
Rhododendron in landscape design
In landscape design, rhododendron is an indispensable attribute for planting in partial shade. The great advantages of the plant are its long-lasting and very decorative flowering. Rhododendrons are widely used in the design of heather gardens, as an addition to the planting of pine groves. The plant looks great in mono plantings.
Low-growing varieties of rhododendrons are planted near alpine slides, in mixborders and decorative flower beds.
Planting garden rhododendron: video
Types of rhododendron: photo
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Some of the most beautiful bushes, numerous representatives of which have unsurpassed decorative qualities. A huge variety (about 1,300 wild species and more than 12,000 varieties) in the color and shape of flowers, flowering times allow you to create blooming compositions, the decorativeness of which is capable of captivating the richest imagination.
Evergreen species prefer partial shade, while deciduous species grow well and especially bloom in a sunny place, well protected from the wind. They prefer moist, loose, acidic soil with good drainage. Plants cannot tolerate stagnant water. Optimal soil composition: acidic peat, coniferous land, leaf humus, river sand(3:1:2:1). It is advisable to maintain acidity at pH level 4 - 4.5. Good results are achieved by adding rotted soil to the soil. pine bark, as well as pine, spruce and larch needles. At proper care By selecting species and varieties, you can achieve the maximum decorative effect. Those sold in flower shops should not be planted in open ground, as they are intended only for growing indoors.
The uses of rhododendrons are very diverse. They are used in ornamental gardening, in the perfume, furniture, and leather industries. Some types of rhododendrons are used in medicine, as they contain potent glucosides.
The use of rhododendrons in ornamental gardening
Once upon a time, rhododendrons were a privilege only for large gardens, but today, thanks to low-growing varieties, they can increasingly be found in small gardens.
Rhododendrons arranged freely in groups look most impressive. It is recommended to plant rhododendrons near paths and along the edges of lawns. These plants are moisture-loving, and it is best to plant them near bodies of water. It is advisable that there be at least 3 plants, and at least 1 sq.m. should be allocated for each. If there are no large specimens, you can plant densely young plants with the expectation that as they grow, they will be seeded.
When composing compositions from several types of rhododendrons, it is necessary to pay attention not only to the harmonious combination of flower colors, but also to the flowering period of the plants. A successful selection according to the second indicator will allow you to extend the flowering period of rhododendrons to 4 months!
One of the first (April) to bloom is the lilac-pink, slow-growing rhododendron "Praecox". And varieties late flowering: Large-flowered rhododendron variegated (R. discolor), pink 'Spatlese' and 'Nymphenrose', they bloom in early June.
When creating group plantings, it is not advisable to mix evergreens and rhododendrons. It is also necessary to select plants by height: the tallest in the center, the shorter at the edges. Rhododendrons look very impressive against the background of coniferous plants. Delightful partners of rhododendrons in mixed plantings there will be beautifully flowering herbaceous perennials, bulbous plants and cereal herbs.
Coniferous trees and shrubs planted from the south, east or west will protect rhododendrons from cold winds, winter drying out and spring sunburn. Since light partial shade is desirable for the normal growth and development of rhododendrons, they can be planted between large, old trees or on the north side of buildings.
When choosing a place to plant rhododendrons, it is necessary that these beautiful plants were in plain sight, for example, near the terrace or next to a relaxation corner, from where nothing would interfere with admiring their lush beauty during flowering time.
Low-growing varieties can be grown in pots, and they can remain under open air all year round with sufficient frost protection.
The south side is not recommended for planting rhododendrons, especially for evergreen species. Here plants are more susceptible to diseases, leaves turn yellow, growth and flowering weaken. When placing rhododendrons in groups, plants with purple, pink and white colors or with various contrasting shades look most decorative. Rhododendrons with yellow and orange flowers look amazing. Soft yellow tones effectively set off brighter ones.
Rhododendrons are beautiful not only in groups, but also in single plantings. They are especially beautiful on parterre lawns, but it must be taken into account that decorative effect is achieved by using an adult (at least 10 years old), preferably tall (1.5-2.0 m) plant, otherwise it will be “lost” on the lawn.
You can also use rhododendrons to create hedges and rocky slides. Small-flowered ones are more suitable for rock gardens low-growing varieties in combination with alpine species herbaceous plants. In such plantings, rhododendrons should be planted only in groups, which gives a greater effect during flowering.
To prevent rhododendrons from looking dull even after flowering, it is a good idea to plant flower perennials next to them. Particularly suitable for this purpose are kupena (Polygonatum), hosta (Hosta) and tiarella (Tiarella). Ferns with their leaves-fronds in light green tones are also suitable.
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