Arabis when it blooms. Varieties and types of arabis (Rezuhi). How to properly care for arabis outdoors
(A. alpina L. = Arabis flaviflora Bunge)
In nature, it grows in the Polar Urals, the Far East, Northern Scandinavia, the highlands of Western Europe and North America.
Perennial plant up to 35 cm tall. Generative shoots are ascending, vegetative shoots are strongly branched, pressed to the ground, in the form of thin lashes, forming cushion-shaped curtains that do not die off for the winter. Basal leaves are oval, stem leaves are heart-sagittate, amplexicaul, grayish. The flowers are white or pink up to 1 cm in diameter, fragrant, collected in a racemose inflorescence up to 5 cm long. Blossoms in April - May 25-30 days. Fruits in July. The fruit is a pod.
Garden form "Schneehaube" (f. schneehaube) 10-25 cm high. The flowers are white, up to 2 cm in diameter, collected in a racemose inflorescence up to 15 cm long. Blooms in April 25-30 days.
In addition, it has a terry variety (var. florе-pleno hort.), morphologically not much different from the original, but its inflorescences are much larger and resemble those of levkoy. Flowers up to 2 cm in diameter. Blooms profusely from early May to mid-June.
Pink variety (var. rosea hort.) - see photo, plant up to 20 cm tall, with pink flowers up to 2 cm in diameter. Inflorescences up to 12 cm long. Blooms from the end of April 30-35 days.
Arabisbryophyte(Arabis bryoides Boiss.)
Homeland - the mountains of Yugoslavia, Greece, Albania, where it grows at the subalpine and alpine level.
Cushion perennial 5-10 cm tall. The leaves are felt-pubescent, ciliated along the edge, small, oval with a sharp tip, collected in rosettes. The flowers are white with 6-7 mm petals in a loose corymb of 3-6 pieces appear in spring. Requires a sunny location in the crevice of rock garden stones. The soil should be rich in calcium, poor, dry, well-drained. Air-dry shelter is required for the winter. Seeds are sown in spring, seedlings appear at a temperature of 10-16 degrees within a month. Plants are divided in autumn, propagated with green cuttings in early summer.
Arabis run-out "Variegata"
Arabisrunning out(Arabis procurrens Waldst. & Kit.)
Found in the Balkans.
Ground cover plant with small rosettes and inconspicuous flowers 10-12 cm tall. Extremely unpretentious. Forms dense clumps very quickly. Good for securing slopes. It is frost-resistant, but in snowless winters, shelter with coniferous spruce branches is desirable. Propagated, as a rule, by cuttings in early spring or autumn.
Var. vochinensis sprang. - forms a very low elegant rug. Interesting variety "Variegata" with white striped leaves. In the center of small rosettes of leaves with a white border, tufts of purple buds appear in spring. At first they are sessile, without petioles, later they bloom on a stem 5 to 10 cm high. The purple color disappears and is replaced by white flowers.
(A. caucasica Schlecht . = A. albida)
Some botanists consider Caucasian arabis as a variety of alpine arabis.
Grows in the Caucasus, in the Crimea, the mountains of Central Asia, the Mediterranean, Asia Minor.
Perennial plant, at the time of flowering reaching 30 cm in height. Lodging shoots take root easily. It differs from Alpine arabis in more pubescent leaves. The leaves are small, oblong, coarsely serrated along the edge, gray-green from dense white omission. In favorable winters, the leaves of vegetative shoots hibernate. Flowers up to 1.5 cm in diameter, white, collected in racemose inflorescences up to 8 cm long. It blooms profusely from the beginning of June for a month, single inflorescences appear all summer. The fruit is a narrow long cone. In culture since 1800.
It has numerous garden forms and varieties. For example: "Schneehaube" - a low plant with white flowers; f. flore-pleno - with white, double flowers on long peduncles, flowering is very plentiful; f.variegata - with yellowish leaf edges; "Rosabella" with pink flowers.
A. x arendsii - garden hybrid (A. aubrietioides x A. caucasica). Perennial plant up to 20 cm tall. Stems erect, ascending at the ends. In culture since 1914. Known varieties with purple-pink ("Coccinea"), pink ("Atrorosea") and light pink ("Rosabella") large flowers that do not fade in the sun. They prefer partial shade.
(Arabis pumila Jacq.)
Native to the Alps and the Apennines.
Plants form low thickets 5-15 cm tall. The flowers are white, collected in racemes. Blooms in May-June. The flowers are inconspicuous and have no decorative value. Interesting in fruits that form a strong vertical element. Propagated by seeds and cuttings. It is desirable to plant the plant in sunny areas, but it also develops in partial shade.
(Arabis androsacea Fenzl)
Homeland - the rocky slopes of the mountains of Turkey, where it grows at an altitude of 900-2300 m.
Cushion perennial 5-10 cm tall. The leaves are small, oval with a sharp tip, collected in rosettes. The flowers are white in a loose corymb appear in summer. Requires a sunny location in the crevice of rock garden stones. The soil should be poor, dry, well-drained. Air-dry shelter is required for the winter. Seeds are sown in spring, seedlings appear at a temperature of 10-16C within a month. Plants are divided in autumn, propagated with green cuttings in early summer.
(Arabis blepharophylla Hook. & Arn.)
Homeland - the mountains of California, where it grows at an altitude of 500 m.
A perennial plant 8 cm high and a bush up to 25 cm in diameter. The leaves are gray-green, the flowers are dark pink. In culture, usually varieties. For example, "Fruhlingszauber" - with pink flowers and small leaves, 20 cm tall; "Rote Sensation" - see photo on the left, with bright pink flowers, more elongated leaves, 20 cm tall. The growing zone of this type of ale is 7. Shelter for the winter is mandatory.
(A. rosea DC. = Arabis muralis Bertol. = Arabis collina Ten.)
A perennial plant 20-25 cm high. It differs from the considered species only in the color of the flowers, and the intensity of the pink color varies from plant to plant. Blooms two weeks later than white non-double species.
Arabis Ferdinand of Coburg "Variegata"
Arabis Ferdinand of Coburg "Variegata"(Arabis ferdinandi-coburgii "Variegata")
Homeland Bulgaria.
A semi-evergreen perennial plant 5 cm high and a bush up to 30 cm in diameter. It is highly valued for its abundant flowering in May, the flowers are white. In addition, it has light green leaves with a white border. Sometimes there are forms with a pinkish border. Wide cushions of small rosettes of leaves are very effective. Requires poor, well-drained but not overly dry soil. Light partial shade is desirable. The plant is hardy with good drainage. Western catalog zone: 5-8.
Arabis is a ground cover perennial from the Cruciferous family. In nature, it can be found growing on the rocky slopes of mountains and even on exposed rocks. The plant grows quickly, thanks to creeping stems that take root easily, wrapping the ground in a green carpet. Arabis bloom usually begins at the end of April (in warm regions) and pleases the eye until June. Modern gardeners are increasingly using arabis to decorate rockeries and alpine slides, near-stem circles of shrubs and trees. When to plant arabis? What is remarkable about him? Landing and care what are they? How to grow arabis from seeds? You will find the answers on this page "Popular about health".
Arabis alpine
Although there are many varieties of arabis in nature, in Russia gardeners prefer to grow only some of them, for example, Caucasian and alpine. Today we will talk about Alpine arabis, as it is very popular among gardeners. What does he represent?
This is a low creeping ground cover plant with very beautiful dark green leaves, which have a slight bluish tint due to felt pubescence, and white inflorescences-brushes 1 cm in size. The leaves are small, but densely arranged on the stems. Its flowering is accompanied by a pleasant honey aroma, because this plant is a honey plant. In the middle lane, it blooms in May and continues to bloom its miniature white buds for 6-7 weeks. Some varieties of Alpine arabis are distinguished by double pink flowers. How to grow arabis? Let's talk about it, but first let's admire the plant.
This is Alpine arabis (photo)
Arabis alpine - growing from seeds
Seeds can be purchased at the so-called garden center or any flower shop. In April, arabis seeds can be sown in boxes to get seedlings by the end of May. Since the seeds are quite small, it is not worth deepening them into the ground, the maximum is to sprinkle with a five-millimeter layer of clean fine sand. The soil mixture for germination should be as light as possible. You can combine sand with peat or even use sand alone. Sowing is moistened and a greenhouse effect is created using a film.
Shoots will appear in two to three weeks, the main thing is to monitor the level of soil moisture and ventilate the greenhouse twice a day. Young sprouts quickly stretch out if the room is hot. Therefore, transfer them to a room where the temperature column does not rise above 20 degrees. When a pair of tender leaves form on the seedlings, make a pick. At the end of May, you can plant seedlings in a permanent place.
Growing from seeds of an arabis plant can also be done in the fall. Then the seeds are sown directly into the ground, digging shallow grooves in the soil. Seeds are scattered into the furrow and covered with a three-centimeter layer of substrate.
Planting in open ground when to plant arabis alpine?
After the formation of 3-4 leaves on the stems, arabis alpine can already be planted in a flower bed. But first you need to find a good place for plants. The ground cover is demanding on the soil. He needs a very loose drained land without clay impurities. The second requirement is a well-lit place. Do not plant arabis in the shade. Only some of its varieties develop well in semi-shady places.
So, if you have already chosen a small area for him in your garden, proceed with the transplant. Usually, when planting arabis seedlings, gardeners use a 40x40 cm scheme, because the plant grows rapidly. If desired, you can place 2-3 seedlings in each hole, so you will achieve a greater planting density. Immediately after the procedure, it is worth watering the flower bed with the addition of complex mineral fertilizers. Next year, you will begin to enjoy the overgrown flowering groundcover and inhale the delicate aroma of its flowers. And what is flower care after planting?
What Arabis loves, what is the right care for him?
Arabis alpine is relatively calm about a short drought. But what he does not tolerate is the stagnation of water at the roots. And therefore, do not get carried away with watering !!! Before planting, make good drainage through the plants, a water drainage system on top of the grooves.
Irrigate the flower bed with a groundcover if there is no natural rainfall. In the first time after landing in the ground, it is necessary to carefully weed the ground near the plants. If this is not done in time, later the shoots will grow and cover the soil, so that weeding will become impossible.
The plant does not particularly need fertilizers, but enter mineral complexes into the care of arabis 2-3 times a season. In late autumn, the shoots of the plant are completely cut off. Regarding the winter shelter, the opinions of gardeners are divided - some cover the plants with a dense plastic film, others say that this is not necessary either. If you are afraid of a snowless winter, cover the arabis alpine with any material. By the way, varieties have already been bred that do not need to be protected from the winter cold at all. Once every 4 years, the bushes of the plant are divided to rejuvenate them.
Look again at the photo of Arabis. The beautiful ground cover arabis alpine is absolutely non-capricious, resistant to pests and hardy. However, its roots are susceptible to the development of fungal diseases, which is most often associated with waterlogging of the soil. Take note - arabis does not like an abundance of moisture. Try to get yourself an Arabis to your delight (growing it from seeds will not tire you), and you will not regret your decision, because this plant will be an excellent decoration of the garden.
Planting and caring for arabis (in a nutshell)
- Landing: sowing seeds in the ground - in October, sowing seeds for seedlings - in April, planting seedlings in the garden - in late May or early June.
- Bloom: in May-June.
- Lighting: bright sunlight or partial shade.
- The soil: loose, sandy, moderately moist, pre-fertilized.
- Watering: moderate and only in severe drought.
- Top dressing: one per season: in early spring, before flowering, a complex mineral fertilizer is applied. The site is mulched with humus.
- Reproduction: cuttings, layering, dividing the bush and seeds.
- Pests: cruciferous fleas.
- Diseases: virus mosaic.
Read more about growing arabis below.
Arabis flowers - description
Arabis flowers are grown as annual and perennial ground cover plants with rooting creeping stems. Arabis can reach a height of 30 cm. The leaves are green, densely pubescent, whole, heart-shaped, sometimes serrated at the edges. Pink, white, purple or yellowish flowers, simple or double, up to 1.5 cm in diameter are collected in small but dense racemose inflorescences. The lush and long flowering of arabis, which begins in the second half of spring, is accompanied by a pleasant aroma, on which bees flock en masse. The rezuha fruit is a pod with flat seeds, winged in some species.
Arabis relatives are plants such as alissum, horseradish, colza, cabbage, mustard, iberis, radish and other cruciferous crops. In addition to a strong aroma, rezuha is undemanding to growing conditions, so planting and caring for arabis in the open field is not burdensome and pleasant.
Growing arabis from seed
Sowing arabis
Rezuha is perfectly propagated by seeds, which can be purchased at garden centers, shops or at flower shows. Sow seeds directly into the ground before winter in October or early spring (in April) for seedlings in boxes or containers with garden soil with the addition of sand or small stones in a ratio of 3: 1. Close up the seeds shallowly - 5 mm - and germinate at a temperature of 20 ºC. To increase germination, the container is covered with a non-woven material, for example, agrospan.
Arabis seedling care
After 20-25 days, when seedlings of arabis appear, the cover can be removed by watering a little and moving the container with crops to a bright, warm place. They take care of Arabis seedlings, like any other: water as needed and carefully loosen the substrate.
Arabis pick
In the development phase of the first true leaf, if you want to grow arabis as a separate plant, the seedlings swoop at a distance of at least 30 cm from each other, and even better, plant them in separate containers. If you want to grow arabis as a ground cover, then you can not engage in picking. Before planting in open ground, the seedlings are hardened for 10-12 days, taking them out into the open air for some time every day and gradually increasing the duration of the sessions. During hardening, make sure that the seedlings are not in a draft. As soon as the seedlings adapt to the conditions of the garden, they can be planted in open ground.
Planting arabis in open ground
When to plant arabis in the ground
Planting arabis, or planting rezuha in the ground, is carried out at the beginning of June or at the end of May, but not earlier than the seedlings develop three true leaves. They choose sunny, well-blown areas for Arabis, although it grows well in partial shade, but it does not bloom so luxuriantly and does not grow so much.
How to plant arabis
The soil on the site for Arabis should be loose, sandy, not too wet, well-cultivated, weed-free and fertilized with mineral and organic fertilizers. To increase moisture and air permeability, sand, small pebbles and turf can be added to the garden soil. But if you plant rezuha in calcined or poor acidic soil, it will also grow, although not as violently. Arabis planting scheme 40x40 cm. 3-4 seedlings can be planted in one hole. Immediately after planting, the site is watered, and if fertilizers were not applied to the soil before planting, then literally a day or two after planting arabis, feed it with complex mineral fertilizer. Arabis blooms from seeds in the second year after planting.
Caring for arabis in the garden
How to grow arabis
Growing arabis includes simple and familiar procedures - watering, fertilizing, weeding, pruning, loosening the soil and protecting against pests and diseases, if such a threat arises. Rezuha is drought-resistant and more easily tolerates the absence of moisture than its excess, so it should be watered only during periods of prolonged drought and heat, but even then it must be done in moderation.
Caring for an arabis involves its frequent weeding, in any case, until the rezuha is strong enough that the weeds will not have a chance to develop near it. It is necessary to regularly trim the fast-growing shoots of arabis, maintaining the shape of the bush. To prolong the flowering period of arabis, you need to remove wilted flowers.
Arabis breeding
Arabis propagates not only by seeds, but also by cuttings, layering and dividing the bush. We have already told you about the seed method, which is mainly propagated by species arabis. Rare or terry varieties of arabis are propagated by cuttings. As a cutting, you can use a leaf with a heel - part of the cambial layer, which will give roots. To get such a stalk, you need not cut the leaf, but tear it off with a brace, separating part of the stem bark with the root pulp along with the leaf. Do this after the rezuha fades. You can also use the top of the shoot as cuttings - a segment about 10 cm long, from which the lower leaves are removed. The cuttings are planted at an angle in a loose substrate, after which they cover the container with a transparent cap and place the greenhouse in a bright but not sunny place. Keep the substrate slightly damp, let the cuttings breathe daily and remove condensation from the cap. As soon as the upper leaves restore turgor, and this can happen in three weeks, you can prepare for transplanting the cuttings into open ground.
In order to get layering of arabis, bend its shoot to the ground and attach it to the soil in the area of the leaf node, and pinch the top. When the leaf node sprouts roots into the soil, separate the cuttings and plant.
The division of the rezuha bush is resorted to when propagating a particularly valuable or terry variety. The bush is dug up, divided into parts and seated. It is best to do this after the arabis has faded.
Arabis transplant
Actually, you can divide the arabis bush without digging up the plant, but simply, pinning its shoots to the ground, wait until they take root in the leaf nodes, then separate the layers from the mother plant, divide them into segments according to the number of root bundles and transplant them to a new one. place.
Pests and diseases of arabis
Sufficiently resistant to harmful insects and diseases, arabis sometimes suffers from a viral mosaic and the eternal pest of cabbage crops, the cruciferous flea. Symptoms of viral mosaic look like small brown spots on the leaves, gradually increasing in size and eventually merging with each other. The mosaic is incurable, so the diseased specimen must be immediately removed and burned, and the soil in which it grew should be shed with a strong solution of potassium permanganate and nothing should be grown in this place for at least a year.
As for the cruciferous flea, you should not waste time on the laborious dusting of arabis with wood ash, it is better to immediately treat the area with Aktellik, Aktara, Biotlin, Karbofos or Iskra.
Arabis after flowering
How and when to harvest arabis seeds
Select the most beautiful arabis inflorescences during flowering and mark them. It is necessary to collect seeds after the first frost, on a dry, fine day, since seeds collected in wet weather have low germination. Cut off the inflorescences with a part of the stem and dry them in a dry, well-ventilated room in a suspended form, then peel the seeds and store them in a cardboard box in a dark, dry place.
Preparing arabis for winter
Arabis can withstand cold down to -5-7 ºC, but in severe frosts it dies without shelter. With the onset of winter, the shoots of arabis are cut off, leaving only 2-4 cm above the surface, which are covered with dry leaves, spruce branches or covering material.
Types and varieties of arabis
In culture, the following types of arabis are most often grown:
grows in the Far East, in the north of Scandinavia, in the Polar Urals, in the highlands of North America and Western Europe. This is a perennial arabis, a plant reaching a height of 35 cm, with ascending generative shoots and very branched lash-like vegetative shoots pressed to the ground, which do not die off in winter and form pillow-shaped curtains. The basal leaves of Alpine arabis are oval, and the stem leaves are swept-heart-shaped. Fragrant pink or white flowers up to 1 cm in diameter, forming racemose inflorescences up to 5 cm long, open in April and bloom for about a month. Alpine arabis has the following garden forms:
- schneeshaube- plants no more than 25 cm high with white flowers up to 2 cm in diameter, collected in brushes up to 15 cm long;
- terry- different from the original species in larger inflorescences, similar to levkoy;
- pink- arabis up to 20 cm high with pink flowers up to 2 cm in diameter in inflorescences up to 12 cm long.
Planting arabis alpine and caring for it were the basis of the article.
Arabis bruovidny (Arabis bryoides)
comes from the subalpine and alpine belt of the mountainous regions of Albania, Greece and Bulgaria. This is a cushion-shaped perennial up to 10 cm high with small, oval, ciliate leaves covered with felt fluff, collected in rosettes, and white flowers, which form loose corymbose inflorescences in an amount of 3 to 6 pieces;
some scientists consider it a subspecies of the alpine arabis. It grows in the Caucasus, in the Crimea, the Mediterranean, Central and Asia Minor. At the time of flowering, this perennial reaches a height of 30 cm. The leaves of the Caucasian arabis are small, gray-green from dense white pubescence, oblong, with large teeth along the edges. White flowers up to 1.5 cm in diameter in racemose inflorescences up to 8 cm long bloom for a month from the beginning of June. But individual flowers can appear on the plant until autumn. The fruit of the plant is a long narrow cone. Cultivated since 1800. There are such garden forms of Caucasian Arabis:
- flora-captivity- a plant that blooms profusely with double white flowers on long peduncles;
- variegata- a variety with yellowish leaves along the edges;
- Rosabella- a variety with pink flowers.
found in the wild in the Balkans. This is a ground cover plant up to 12 cm high with small rosettes of leaves and faded flowers. Most often, the plant is used to secure sliding slopes. Arabis running out is unpretentious and frost-resistant, but it is still desirable to cover it for the winter. The most famous variety is Variegata, with green leaves with a wide white border and a bunch of purple flowers that gradually turn white;
Arabis undersized (Arabis pumila)
in nature grows in the Apennines and the Alps. It grows up to 15 cm. Its white, inconspicuous flowers with no decorative value open in May or June. The fruits of undersized arabis are attractive - because of them it is grown in culture;
Arabis prolomnikovy (Arabis androsacea)
grows on the rocky slopes of Turkey at an altitude of up to 2300 m. It is a perennial 5-10 cm high with small oval pointed leaves collected in rosettes and white flowers in loose corymbs;
growing in the Californian mountains at an altitude of 500 m, is a ground cover perennial up to 8 cm high with a bush diameter of about 25 cm. Its leaves are gray-green, and the flowers are dark pink. In culture, the varieties most often grown are:
- Route Sensation- a plant with elongated leaves and bright pink flowers;
- Frühlingshaber- a variety with small leaves and pink flowers.
Arabis Ferdinand Coburg Variegata (Arabis ferdinandi-coburgii "Variegata")
- a semi-evergreen plant with a height of no more than 5 cm and a bush with a diameter of about 30 cm. This arabis is valued for its abundant and long flowering. It has attractive light green leaves with white, yellow or pinkish edging and white flowers. Wide cushions of sheet rosettes look spectacular. With good drainage, this plant is able to tolerate low temperatures.
What could be more pleasing to the eye than a beautiful and well-groomed area with lots of flowers. That is why every gardener strives to make his spring garden unique. Every year, flower beds and slides require a lot of work and a constant search for new plants, but you always want to admire the bright colors from early spring. A beautiful and lush carpet of small arabis flowers will help create a spring mood and help to embody the most incredible garden compositions.
At first glance, a delicate and fragile flower, but in fact a rather strong and hardy plant, arabis is just an ideal ground cover crop that can be used to form a unique landscape design, create interesting alpine slides and rocky gardens.
In this article, we will consider the features of growing arabis, give a description of the most popular species and varieties of this crop, and note the most important points of planting and caring for the plant.
Botanical description of arabis and its features
Arabis is a herbaceous flowering plant, which most often belongs to perennials, although among the variety of species and varieties there are also annual representatives. This wonderful plant belongs to the large Cabbage or Cruciferous family. Arabis is considered a ground cover plant that can grow and cover large areas of the ground surface in a short time. For this feature, this culture is used to create bright and unusual garden compositions, alpine slides and rocky gardens, which are the optimal habitat for arabis. The natural habitat of this evergreen plant is the mountainous territory of tropical Africa, temperate regions of Europe and Asia, as well as the territory of North America. Arabis is a mountain plant, so in nature it is found on the slopes of mountains and rocks high above sea level.
The origin of the scientific Latin name of this creeping shrub is not known for certain. However, besides him, this plant has several more names that characterize the appearance of a small bush. In Russia, arabis is most often called a cutter. This is due to the fact that the stems and leaves of many varieties of plants are covered with hard villi, which severely injure hands when trying to pick a flower. Translated from Greek, the word Arabis means "grinding", which may also be due to the presence of villi on the shoots of the flower. Today, many gardeners call this plant a sunbeam, which very accurately conveys the brightness and freshness of flowers against the backdrop of lush green foliage.
Arabis has been known in culture for many years. It was first grown in gardens and yards about 200 years ago, and since then this delicate flower has not lost its popularity among gardeners. It can still be found in the design of rock gardens, mixborders, rockeries and rocky gardens. On the Internet, you can find just a huge number of photos of perennial arabis in a variety of garden compositions, which once again prove that this is a unique plant, ideal for creating carpet landscapes.
Arabis Description:
- Arabis is a perennial herbaceous plant that endures winter frosts and does not lose foliage. Therefore, many varieties of this crop are considered evergreen, perfectly withstand temperature changes, differences in lighting and severe prolonged cold.
- It is a low-growing ground cover plant that grows and takes root very quickly, which allows it to create beautiful flowering and fragrant carpets.
- Bushes are formed by creeping stems, which take root on their own as the plant grows.
- In height, the bush can be a maximum of 15-30 cm, but in the horizontal direction the stems grow by 35-40 cm.
- The stems are covered with small villi, rather hard to the touch, which can be easily injured.
- Arabis leaves can be small to medium in size, heart-shaped, whole, with a smooth or serrated edge.
- Evergreen foliage may vary in color. There are varieties with bright green foliage, with a variegated color, which is expressed in silver spots or stripes.
- The leaf blade may be smooth or slightly pubescent.
- The flowering of arabis begins around the end of April or the beginning of May and lasts for quite a long time, about 4-5 weeks. If the weather is cool, the plant will please you with longer flowering, which can last up to 8 weeks.
- Arabis bushes look spectacular during abundant flowering. The entire pillow of green foliage is strewn with small and delicate flowers, which can be 1.5 cm in diameter.
- Flowers can be simple, consisting of several petals, or double, collected in small racemose loose inflorescences.
- The color scheme of arabis inflorescences is also striking, which is represented by pink, purple, yellow and white shades.
- Another feature of this creeping plant is the presence of a wonderful sweetish aroma that flowers exude during the flowering period.
- After the flowering of the inflorescences, fruits appear on the stems in the form of oblong pods with flat seeds.
- This plant is characterized by good resistance to cold and drought, as well as undemanding to growing conditions.
- It is widely used in wild cultivation and for decoration of garden plots, greenhouses, flower beds and alpine slides.
Variety of species and varieties of arabis
Arabis is a herbaceous plant for open ground, which has been pleasing gardeners with its beauty for more than two hundred years. Breeders are doing a great job of developing new species and varieties of crops that would complement those already successfully cultivated. In the genus of this plant, there are approximately 120 varieties that differ in foliage, shade of inflorescences and height of the bush. Not all of them are popular, only a few types of arabis stand out, which are actively used in landscape design.
Arabis alpine
- This is one of the most common types of arabis, which is widely used in Russia.
- The natural habitat of this plant is the highlands of Europe, North America, there are also specimens in Eastern Siberia and the Urals.
- This is a natural species of arabis that has been cultivated for over 200 years and has long been used to breed new ornamental varieties and varieties.
- It is a perennial herbaceous plant that can reach a height of about 30-35 cm.
- The bush is formed by erect and branched shoots, which are attached to the surface of the earth with the help of a large number of thin roots.
- Shoots grow rapidly and create lush and dense curtains, strewn with small foliage.
- Arabis shoots do not die off for the winter and are perfectly preserved under a layer of snow.
- This type of arabis has basal and stem leaves that differ in shape and parameters. At the roots, the foliage is oval-shaped, emerald green, the stem leaves are arrow-shaped and heart-shaped with a gray leaf plate.
- In early spring, all the curtains are abundantly covered with small flowers. Flowering usually begins in late April or early May. It lasts for about a month, but if the weather is cool and cloudy, then flowering will be longer and will be about a month and a half.
- The flowers are small, they can be about 1 cm in diameter. There can be a large number of them on one bush, which sometimes makes it difficult to even see the foliage.
- All flowers are collected in loose racemose inflorescences.
- The flowers of the plant can be white or pink.
- In horticulture, there are various varieties: Schneeskhaube - with white flowers, Meeting - with pink flowers, Pink - with light pink flowers, Lapland - with white flowers.
Arabis caucasian
- This type of arabis has another name - whitish.
- It is a perennial herbaceous plant, the natural habitat of which is the territory of Asia Minor and Central Asia, the Mediterranean, the Caucasus and the Crimea.
- Many scientists put forward the opinion that the Caucasian arabis is a subspecies of the alpine arabis.
- The bush is formed by creeping shoots, the thin roots of which are able to penetrate deep into the crevices.
- In height, the plant can reach a maximum of 25-30 cm, and in width - 30-35 cm.
- The stems of the plant are covered with oblong-shaped leaves with a serrated edge. The color of the foliage is gray-green, which is associated with a whitish dense pubescence of the leaf plate.
- The species is distinguished by rather large flowers, which reach a diameter of about 1.5 cm.
- The color of the flowers is white.
- Arabis Caucasian blooms very profusely and grows rapidly.
- Popular varieties: Flore Pleno - double white flowers, arabis Variegata - leaves with a yellowish border around the edge, Rosabella - with pink flowers.
Arabis bruovidny
- This is a low-growing plant that can reach a maximum height of about 10-13 cm.
- The natural habitat of the bruovid arabis is the territory of Albania, Bulgaria, Greece.
- The creeping stems are densely covered with small oval leaves, which are covered with whitish villi.
- White flowers are collected in loose corymbose inflorescences, which consist of about 3-6 pieces.
Arabis running out
- The natural habitat of this species of arabis is considered to be the territory of the countries of the Balkan Peninsula.
- In height, arabis running out reaches about 10-12 cm, it is an excellent ground cover plant.
- The leaves are small, oval in shape, collected in small rosettes.
- Due to its excellent growing qualities, the arabis of this species is often used to strengthen various slopes.
- Violet flowers that gradually fade.
- The plant is frost-resistant and unpretentious with growing conditions.
Arabis of Ferdinand of Coburg
- Arabis coburgis is a semi-evergreen groundcover that can grow to about 4-5 cm tall.
- It grows strongly, in diameter the bushes can reach about 30 cm.
- The leaves of the plant are green with white. pink or yellow border.
- During flowering, a lush cushion of leaf rosette is abundantly covered with white flowers. Flowering is very long.
Reproduction of arabis: the most common methods
Arabis can be propagated in various ways, it all depends on the particular variety and decorativeness of the plant. The most common methods for obtaining young plants are the following: seed propagation, propagation by cuttings and dividing the bush. Each option is characterized by its own characteristics and rules, which must be taken into account in order to obtain healthy and abundantly flowering plants.
seed propagation of arabis
- This method is used to propagate species plants. If you want to grow seedlings of ornamental varieties, for example, with double flowers, then with the help of seeds you will not get the desired plant. During seed reproduction, maternal traits are not transmitted.
- Arabis seeds can be easily purchased at various garden centers or flower shops. If a handsome arabis is already growing on your site, then you can try to collect the seeds yourself.
- On the Internet you can find a huge number of photos of planting arabis using seeds. There is nothing complicated here, and the sequence of actions is the same as for many other flowering herbaceous plants.
- Seeds must be sown directly into the ground in the fall before winter, while with the seedling method, seeds are sown in containers in early spring, around April.
- The seeds are buried in the ground by about half a centimeter, after which it is worth waiting for their emergence.
- After the appearance of strong seedlings with a pair of leaves, young arabis plants dive at a distance of about 35-40 cm from each other.
- When using the seedling method, it is necessary to prepare containers with a soil mixture, which should consist of garden soil and sand.
- Be sure to warm the soil before sowing, after which the seeds are buried and covered with a film on top to increase germination.
- The temperature for germination should be around 20 degrees.
- After about 20-25 days, the seedlings will germinate and the shelter can be removed. When the first leaves appear, seedlings can be hardened off. If you are going to use arabis as a groundcover, you do not need to dive seedlings.
- Seedlings after planting will begin to bloom in the second year.
Reproduction of arabis by dividing the bush
- Only terry and other ornamental varieties of arabis breed in this way. This allows you to save all the maternal characteristics of the plant.
- It is necessary to engage in the division of the arabis bush only after they have reached 3 or 4 years. It is not recommended to divide young bushes.
- Such a process should be carried out at the end of summer or at the beginning of autumn after the end of the flowering period.
- To do this, it is important to carefully remove the bush from the ground and slightly shake the soil from the roots.
- From one adult bush you can get up to 20 young plants.
- Using a sharp knife or pruner, the arabis bush must be cut into the desired number of divisions.
- At the same time, it is important to immediately process all the places of cuts with crushed coal so that they heal faster.
- On the prepared site, planting holes are made at a distance of about 35-40 cm from each other and delenki are planted, after which they are watered abundantly.
Propagation of arabis by cuttings
- This method of propagation of arabis is also used for breeding ornamental varieties of crops.
- It is recommended to harvest planting material after the flowering of arabis.
- As cuttings, you can use the leaves along with the heel, from which the roots will appear. To obtain such planting material, the sheet should not be cut off, but torn off by slightly pulling it towards you. So you get a sheet with a piece of bark, which is called the "heel".
- Apical shoots can also be used as cuttings. To obtain them at the end of flowering, it is necessary to cut off the top of the shoot about 10 cm long. After that, all the lower leaves are removed.
- All cuttings are planted in a greenhouse or greenhouse at an angle, after which the beds are watered and loosened.
- It is recommended to cover the cuttings with a film or separately with plastic bottles for each seedling.
- Daily care consists in maintaining the humidity of the substrate, airing the cuttings, and removing condensate.
- When the leaves become elastic again, the cuttings can be planted in a permanent place.
Preparation before planting arabis in open ground
Arabis is an unpretentious and not capricious plant that can grow in any conditions. However, decorative garden forms still require proper attitude, and therefore careful preparation before planting, especially if you are planting arabis for the first time.
The choice of variety and planting material of Arabis
- For planting in Russia, it is recommended to use the most popular and common forms of the plant - arabis alpine and arabis Caucasian. Today, there are many varieties of these species, which are zoned and adapted to climatic conditions.
- The choice of a particular variety should also be based on the future garden composition. For alpine slides or rocky gardens, you can choose undersized plants, the height of which is approximately 10-13 cm. For a single planting, you can buy medium-sized varieties.
- You can grow planting material yourself, or you can buy ready-made seedlings in containers at any garden center or agricultural company that professionally breeds plants.
- Before buying, it is recommended to carefully inspect the seedlings. They should not be damaged, yellow or rotten leaves, signs of disease or pests.
Choosing a place for planting arabis
- The choice of location is an important condition for the growth of a beautiful and abundantly flowering plant.
- Arabis prefers to grow in open and well-lit areas, but without direct sunlight.
- The selected area should be well blown by the wind.
- If desired, you can plant an Arabis seedling in a shady place, but the color of its leaves and flowering will be more scarce.
- For planting this ground cover plant, you can pick up small slopes and hills, artificially created alpine slides are suitable.
- Arabis should not be placed in lowlands, as these plants cannot withstand stagnant water at the roots.
Planting Arabis in open ground - instructions
- It is recommended to plant arabis seedlings in open ground in spring, but not earlier than May.
- Previously, the soil in the selected area must be carefully dug up and all weeds removed. For the full growth of this plant, almost any soil is suitable, for example, soddy land with sand.
- It is important to provide good drainage, as the plant does not tolerate stagnant moisture at the roots. To do this, you can add coarse river sand or small stones to each hole.
- Next, you need to prepare the landing holes at a distance of about 30 cm from each other.
- If you want to end up with a beautiful flowering carpet, then 2-3 seedlings can be placed in one hole.
- Compact the soil around the seedlings gently and add some complete mineral fertilizer.
- After planting, young plants need to be watered abundantly.
How to properly care for arabis outdoors
Caring for arabis is not difficult, because it is not for nothing that this plant is known among gardeners for its unpretentiousness. Having correctly planted good and healthy seedlings, in the future this plant will require practically no effort and time on your part.
- Watering. Arabis is considered a drought-resistant plant, therefore it does not tolerate excessive moisture. This is due to the fact that the root system of the bush is quite large and is able to extract moisture for itself. It is recommended to water this plant in the hottest periods, while observing the measure. The watering regime should be approximately as follows - once a week with a small amount of water. With excess moisture, the root system may begin to rot.
- Loosening and mulching. Arabis prefers to grow on loose and light soil, so regularly after watering it must be loosened to ensure oxygen access to the roots. This plant is very hindered by the development of weeds, so they must be removed until the arabis is fully grown.
- Pruning. An important step in caring for a creeping plant is pruning fast-growing shoots. This will maintain the decorativeness of the bush. It is also recommended to regularly prune faded inflorescences to enhance the growth of others.
- Arabis feed. This plant is a resident of the mountain slopes, so its unpretentiousness is laid down by nature. However, to get a beautiful plant with abundant flowering, fertilizer can be applied once a season. You can do this before flowering. As top dressing, you can use complex mineral fertilizers and humus.
- Preparing for winter. Before starting preparations for winter, you can collect the seeds of this plant. To do this, immediately after the first frost on a sunny day, you need to cut off a couple of inflorescences and dry them. Remove seeds and store in a paper bag. Before the onset of cold weather, all the shoots of the bush are cut off, leaving only small stumps, after which they are covered with foliage and spruce branches.
photo of arabis
If you want to create beautiful garden compositions on your site in the form of flowering carpets or peculiar flower rivers, then you should definitely pay attention to arabis, planting and caring for which in the open field can be done even by a novice gardener.
Very difficult. That is why we will discuss planting arabis, its reproduction and cultivation before picking in the open. We will figure out which arabis looks best when it blooms, how to extend this process.
Planting and propagation of arabis
Let's start the discussion with various flower propagation options that are used by both experienced gardeners and beginners in this difficult matter.
Growing from seeds
The first breeding option for arabis is growing from seed.
This option is used when you do not have a mother plant and the only way to get a beautiful flower is to buy seed. It is recommended to purchase it in specialized stores, since it will not be difficult for unscrupulous sellers on the market to fake the packaging and fill in the seeds of a completely different plant.
Important! Before buying, check the packaging date, as the seeds have a certain expiration date, after which the germination rate drops several times.
Let's talk about when to sow arabis for seedlings. Sowing is carried out either in autumn (October) or in spring (April or May). It should be noted right away that autumn sowing is not very convenient, since the daylight hours are very short, and the room temperature does not always allow creating the necessary conditions for weak shoots. However, if you live in the southern regions, then you can choose any option.
As for the soil, almost any loose substrate from a flower shop will do, which can be “sweetened” with peat tablets (pre-soaked). You can also make your own mix by mixing turf soil, sand in equal parts, but it is still better to give preference to purchased soil that has already been disinfected. It is worth remembering that the soil temperature should be about 20 ° C in order for the seeds to “wake up” and germinate.
The container should be selected wide and shallow (no more than 10 cm in height) so that moisture does not linger in the ground.
Seeds should be deepened by 4-5 mm, which can be achieved by simply pressing on the seed scattered over the surface.
Important! To increase germination and facilitate watering, cover the soil after sowing with non-woven material.
After sowing, you need to keep it moist, and put the container in a bright place where there are no drafts. 
cuttings
Let's discuss growing arabis from cuttings. This option is only available if you have a mother plant. We do not recommend buying cuttings anywhere.
Cuttings should be cut immediately after flowering. We retreat from the top about 10-12 cm and make an oblique cut. Each handle should have at least five knots, so adjust the length depending on the number of knots.
Next, you can place the cut shoots in a root growth stimulator to achieve speedy germination, or immediately plant the cutting in the ground, deepening 2/3 of its length. We plant the cutting at an angle of 45 ° in order to achieve the correct growth of the rhizome. 
Important! The lower leaves should be broken off before planting.
After a few weeks, the young plant will take root and grow. In the autumn of the same year, arabis can be transplanted to a permanent place.
The division of the bushes
This is perhaps easiest way to breed which does not require the use of any sprouting preparations, special conditions or costs.
You can divide the bush both in the middle of spring and at the end of summer. Theoretically, about 15 new plants can be obtained from one bush, however, we recommend dividing into large parts to increase survival. 
It is worth noting that only those bushes that are 3-4 years old can be divided. Younger ones may die during division.
The process is as follows: carefully dig out the rhizome and with a sharp knife separate part of the aboveground and underground parts from the mother plant. The cut should be sprinkled with activated charcoal so that the plant is not affected by the fungus.
Interestingly, the separated part of the bush can bloom in the same season in which you transplanted. Therefore, this method is the most popular. 
Combination with other plants
As for the combination with other flowers, the arabis looks more colorful in tandem with early bulbous plants (tulip, springweed and others). Arabis is suitable both for creating various compositions with other flowers, and for a "solo" planting in the form of a border or background in a rose garden. Most often, a mountain plant is used in the decoration of a rock garden or rockery.
Important! When planting arabis in tandem with other flowers, it is worth remembering that with uncontrolled growth, it quickly drowns out neighboring plants.
Features of caring for arabis
We figured out what plants arabis is “friendly” with, discussed methods of propagation and planting, now it’s worth talking about caring for the plant.
Watering, weeding and loosening the soil
Let's start with watering, since in this respect the plant differs from many flower beds. The fact is that although Arabis requires a certain soil moisture, a slight drought is not critical. But excessive watering can quickly kill the plant. It is for this reason that frequent watering is carried out only during extreme heat, when the soil dries up and cracks. We recommend to avoid drying out. In this case, even on the hottest days, the root system of the plant will not overheat, and the soil will remain moist.
If you are not going to mulch the plantings, then at the initial stage you will have to constantly weed and loosen the soil in order to prevent rapid growth. When the arabis gets stronger in a new place, it will cope with weeds perfectly. 
We mentioned above that when arabis goes into rapid growth, it drowns out the plantings of all nearby plants. For this reason, it is necessary to prune in order to maintain the shape of the plantings and prevent the death of other flowers. Pruning is carried out in an arbitrary way, that is, you form the shape and height that suits you. However, this should be done after the arabis has fully taken root in a new place.
Plant nutrition
Absence is not critical for arabis, however, if you want to achieve long-term flowering with a huge number of peduncles, then you need to apply a special fertilizer for flowering plants, which can be purchased at any flower shop. Close top dressing begins immediately after transplanting to a new place. You need to apply throughout the flowering.
Wintering
If you live in the southern regions, then you do not need to prepare the plant for winter, since arabis can withstand frosts down to -7 ° C. In the event that in winter the temperature may drop below the indicated one, the flower must be covered with agrofibre, dry leaves or some other material that does not accumulate moisture. It is worth remembering that, even if the winter is warm, then before the onset of cold weather, it is necessary to cut off the aerial part, leaving no more than 4 cm above ground level. If pruning is not carried out, then even minimal frosts will kill arabis.
Control of possible pests and diseases
Finally, let's talk about possible pests that can annoy arabis.
In general, the plant is resistant to most diseases, but there is one incurable disease that can destroy not only flowers, but also 
The disease is known to many gardeners under the name "viral mosaic". This is a virus that infects many plants on
