Growing in the suburban areas of plants have the most diverse purpose. While some of them are used for food purposes, others perform a purely decorative function, pleasing the owners with excellent landscape design. We would like to tell about one of the representatives of the latter in this article.
Privet privet, description and varieties
Privet privet (or, as it is also called, "ligistrum") refers to evergreen and deciduous plants, presented in the form of small shrubs and trees (the description of different species will be different). They are most common in Europe, Australia, Asia and North Africa. But most of the species are represented in the flora of Japan, the Himalayas, China and Taiwan.
Did you know? The Latin name of the plant comes from the verb "ligare", which means "to bind". In truth, this is fully explained by the astringent properties of privet.
Often you can hear another name of the plant - wild (or European) privet. Semi-evergreen and deciduous shrubs can reach three meters in height, and their erect stems are covered with small lentils. The leaves are oval in shape, their length reaches 6 cm with a width of up to 1.5 cm. The flowers have a pleasant creamy white shade and are gathered into panicles, and the smell is quite sharp.
Beautiful glossy berries adorn the plant until the end of December-January, but still you should not touch the fruits - they are poisonous.
If privet ordinary, which, by the way, requires special conditions of planting and care, grows in regions with a cool climate, the plant will shed most of the leaves, while in areas with high temperatures it can rightly be considered an evergreen planting.
As for the varieties of privet, their there are more than 50 species therefore, we briefly describe only the most famous.
Privet is brilliant. Presented as an evergreen shrub or small tree, which mainly grows in southern Russia. Plant height can reach 15 meters. The leaves of privet shining have an oblong ovoid shape, 15 cm in size.
Flowers are almost white, and the length of their panicles is 17 cm. With the arrival of autumn, the tree is complemented by fruits of dark blue color. This type of privet perfectly got accustomed in the cities, and can very well tolerate significant frosts (up to -15 degrees) and does not require a lot of sunlight.
Lepidoptera - a type more widespread in the vastness of Japan. It is represented by shrubs, the height and width of which is 4 m. This variety is distinguished by bright green oval leaves about 6 cm long. As in the previous version, the flowers have a white color, and their panicle reaches 10 cm.
Important! The black glossy fruits of torpid primrose are very poisonous, so it is worth treating them with extreme caution.
Golden privet - more ornamental plant, different bright golden leaves that can well decorate the garden in the summer and in the winter. In general, this unpretentious shrub still requires good lighting and sufficiently moist soil and without these conditions will grow poorly. The leaves are oval, two-colored (green in the middle, and golden on the sides). Cream flowers, collected in a panicle, the size of which is 10 cm, and berries, as in the previous embodiment, are very dangerous for humans.Japanese privet - an evergreen shrub 3-4 m high. It should be noted that this species is very picky about the composition of the soil, although it tolerates frosts and lack of light. The flowering period of the Japanese shrub is shorter than that of other varieties of privet, but it perfectly keeps its shape and takes root well in the gardens of the city. This type of shrubs can be called a highly decorative plant, which is largely due to the leathery dark green leaves, compact crown and blunt tip.
Did you know? This type of privet shrub has been used in landscape design since 1845 as a hedge material. It is perfect for both single landings, and for the decoration of edges.
View of Aurea - Another valuable variety of privet, characterized by variegated leaves. It is this feature that makes it so popular with designers. Aurea bushes reach up to 3 m in height and up to 2 m in width, which allows them to perfectly fit into the interior of any garden. Dark-colored ellipsoid leaves are supplemented with a yellow border, and the flowers have a soft cream color and are gathered in neat panicles.This variety is unpretentious to the composition of the soil and tolerates small droughts well. Moreover, Aurea belongs to the frost-resistant species, although in the central part of Russia it is desirable to shelter the plant. If winter is not very cold and snowy enough, then privet bushes of this species may not shed their leaves.
View "Sines" (or, as it is called, "Chinese ligostrum") is no less popular among gardeners. About one million hectares of land in different regions of the planet is given to plants of this variety. This evergreen shrub can reach seven meters in height, and the original look made it very popular among landscape designers.
Green leaves about 7 cm long and about 3 cm wide fall for the winter.
Variegated privet - It is a shrub of dark green color, which is a variety of privet Chinese. Plum-white flowers are formed into clusters, thereby giving the plant a pleasant appearance. The leaves are pointed, and on their edges is a golden border. This garden shrub does not differ in large size, and its height is from 1.2 to 1.5 m.
Planting rules of privet ordinary
Like any other plant, common privet requires adherence to certain planting rules. Do not forget that this plant is a "resident" of the undergrowth, so it endures the absence of sunlight. Moreover, privet is not afraid of drought and unpretentious to the choice of soil. However, the plant will grow poorly on sour and dry sandy soils. Therefore, if you want it to reach the peak of its beauty, it is necessary to properly prepare the soil: it must be moderately moist, nutritious and have a weak alkaline reaction.
The optimal composition of the soil is a mixture of sod, humus and sand in the ratio of 3: 2: 1. It is better to plant the plant in the open area, departing from buildings 70-100 cm. As for the specific time of transplantation, it can be done at any time during the growing season, but best of all - in the spring, before the buds swell. True, some lovers of planting ornamental shrubs in the fall, on the contrary, believe that the ideal time for planting privet is September-October.
Before planting the bushes, be sure to dig up the selected area to the depth of the spade bayonet, and then dig a hole. Its dimensions should correspond to the value 65x65, and the depth should be greater than the root system of privet (ideally, it should be 30 cm more). Having dug a hole, fill it with water and wait until the liquid is absorbed. Then pour a layer of crushed stone 10-20 cm thick at the bottom and form a mound of soil mixture (nitroammophos and other minerals are mixed into the soil). Privet seedling placed on a mound, straighten its roots and fill the pit with the same soil mixture, only without fertilizers.
Within a month, it will be necessary to ensure that the soil around the sapling does not dry out, and only after that it will be possible to mulch the area around the privet with a layer of peat 5-8 cm thick.
How to care for turquoise
Caring for privet must begin even before its landing in the ground. Selection of the correct composition of the soil is the first step towards successful plant growth. The soil should be fertile, with an average level of acidity and have a drainage system (at a depth of about 60 cm). In addition, a little lime should be added to the prepared soil.
Experienced gardeners are advised to grow the plant in a sunny place, although in the shade it will feel very good. Privet also calmly copes with drought, waterlogging and is able to withstand frosts unswervingly in winter, although a decrease in air temperature to -35 ° C can lead to the death of a shrub.
Watering
One of the highlights of caring for turquoise is the process of watering it. Despite the fact that this plant calmly endures dry days, if it is not watered at all, the cracked earth will destroy the bush. That is why water and spray the plant should be as often as possible, especially when it is very hot outside. In order not to fill the shrub, try to reduce the amount of watering and at the same time increase the volume of water at a time. The soil must be wetted only 50 cm.
The fact that privet will develop in almost any conditions is a fact, but how fast it will grow depends largely on the quality of irrigation. It should be noted that a growing tree often requires 30-40 liters of fluid per day.
Weed removal and pruning
The second important issue when caring for a plant is pruning privet. In most cases, this procedure is carried out in the spring when, when thinning bushes, the diseased branches are removed. Hedges are trimmed in May and August, and for the winter, it is advisable to bend down to the ground as much as possible and cover something, as they can easily freeze.
Dressing privet
Feeding privet is made every 2-3 years, in early spring. If grayish or green spots appear on the leaves of shrubs or trees, this means that the soil at the dacha has an increased level of acidity. In this case, do not forget to pay attention to a number of growing plants: horsetail, wood lice, sorrel, plantain and tricolor violet, because these weeds prefer acidic soil. To solve this problem and avoid the appearance of spots on the leaves, it is necessary to periodically liming the soil. Usually this process falls in the fall. A thin layer of slaked lime crumbles according to the level of soil acidity:
- light, sandy soils - 250-300 g / m2;
- moderate podzolic soils - 300-440 g / m2;
- heavy humus, loamy and clay soils - 500-600 g / m2.
Another good way to normalize soil acidity is to use dolomite flour. It contributes to the enrichment of the soil with valuable trace elements for plants: magnesium, potassium, etc.The amount of dolomite flour introduced into the open ground depends on the soil acidity level:
- acidic soil (pH less than 4) requires 500-550 g / m2;
- medium acid (pH 4.5-5.2) - 450-500 g / m2;
- slightly acidic soil (pH is 5.2-5.6) - 350-450 g / m2.
Propagation of privet in the country
There are two possible ways to reproduce the privet shrub: by grafting and by means of seeds. Each of them is in demand in certain conditions.
In terms of reproduction as a privet evergreen, and deciduous species of this plant are not particularly demanding. You can simply chop off a part of a bush with a shovel and plant it, or dig out the root offspring and move them away from the mother bush. As for propagation by cuttings, it is best done in July, using the young ends from this summer. Carrying out grafting in June, you can use last year’s branches.
The process of grafting of privet is carried out in the same way as blackcurrant: having chosen the right place (in the shade or in the sun), it is necessary to dig up and remove the roots of perennial weeds. Then manure is added to the soil, or well-rotten compost, and watered well. From above it is better to pour the washed sand, into which the cuttings of privet are planted.
When breeding using otvodok, you need to bend down to the soil one of the lowest branches, and before dropping to make on the bark a few grooves (using a thin needle). After that, the twig is buried in the soil, and the moss is put on top - sphagnum, or the wet soil is simply poured and covered with a film (protects the soil from drying). Also, a hydrogel can be preloaded under the pressed branch, which will retain moisture and provide an opportunity not to engage in regular watering of the prikatanny branch for a whole month. Did you know? The popular name of privet ordinary - "wolfberry".
Using privet in landscape design
Privet privet, which does not take much time to plant and care for, is one of the most sought-after plants in landscape design. Many shrubs and trees grow fairly quickly and can add up to half a meter per year. Certain varieties of it are used as bonsai. Dwarf plants with beautiful flowers and shiny leaves are well suited for decorating houses.
The formation of bonsai from young plants is better to start two years after planting. For this, flat containers of rectangular shape are well suited. It is recommended to immediately remove the leaves of privet leaves, on which yellowness appeared, and not only from the plant, but also from the ground. Brush the barrel once or twice a year with the obligatory removal of moss. It is advisable to transplant shrubs once every two years, carrying it out in early spring. You can cut not only the branches, but also the roots, which, by the way, need abundant watering.
Important! Care must be taken to avoid drafts and sudden temperature fluctuations in the environment.When preparing a place for planting a hedge from a privet, you need to pull the rope along the previously marked line (marked to create a future row of greenery). After that, a small hole is dug, 50-70 cm deep and up to 50 cm wide. The bushes of the plant are placed into it, and the distance between the neighboring bushes should correspond to 30-50 cm.
After planting, the cuttings need to be watered properly - to achieve the maximum effect, the liquid is poured at the root.
If you need a beautiful turquoise hedge, you need to prepare special scissors and a rope, although a wooden frame-shaped template is best suited. It can be made independently of the bars.
Did you know? Landscape designers most often use golden privet. It easily takes the desired shape, and its main advantage is the acceptable cost of the plant and its excellent decorative properties.Thus, privet is an excellent solution to the problem of improvement of your summer cottage, and with certain knowledge you can get an excellent "live" fence.
