Contents
Planting and caring for the action in the Moscow region is an activity for experienced gardeners. An ornamental shrub originally from the east, but in the vastness of Our Country it has taken root well and has become widely known. He is able to demonstrate all his magnificent beauty with the right care, but even without it he looks picturesque.
Is it possible to grow action in the Moscow region and central Our Country
For central Our Country and the Moscow region, special varieties of action have been developed that can endure long frosty winters. Bushes that are unpretentious in care can grow even without pruning in one place up to 25 years or more. In gardens, they are planted next to lilacs and conifers. Lilac differs in terms of flowering, which allows you to get a beautiful effect of the transition of one type of flower to another. Delicate shades of deutsia greens, changing in autumn to bright yellows and crimson tones, make up a picturesque, but soft color contrast with needles, giving the beds a special sophistication.
Varieties of action for the Moscow region
Among the varieties of action that have proven themselves in cultivation in the Moscow region, it is worth noting the following:
- Deutzia graceful (Deutzia gracilis) – evergreen and deciduous are found, but only the second variety is suitable for the Moscow region. A bush about 70 cm high, depending on the variety, has thin arcuate branches. Flowering is lush white or pink, but lilac is also found. It starts in the second half of July and lasts up to 35 days. Inflorescences racemose, up to 9 cm in length. Foliage up to 6 cm in length, emerald hue, covered with star-shaped hairs on the front side, turns purple-cherry tones by autumn.
- Amur deutsia (Deutzia amurensis) or small-flowered – deciduous shrub with a spreading crown up to 2 m in height. Large leaves are slightly pubescent, saturated green in summer, brown-yellow in autumn. The corymbose inflorescences reach 7 cm in diameter. Flowering usually begins in the second half of June and lasts up to 20 days. The white flowers are almost devoid of fragrance.
- Rough deutzia (Deutzia scabra) or star-shaped, reaches a height of up to 2,5 m. The branches are covered with brown or red bark. The leaves, depending on the variety, are from 3 to 8 cm long, covered with star-shaped hairs on the front side. Racemes of pink or white inflorescences reach a length of 12 cm and are strewn with flowers that look like stars. Under their weight, the branches bend, acquiring a weeping shape. Flowering begins in early August and lasts up to 20 days.
Varieties of action for the middle band
Less frosty winters in the regions of central Our Country allow you to plant more different varieties of action. For example:
- Action Vilmorena (D. vilmorinae) – one of the oldest garden varieties, cultivated in Europe since 1897. It reaches a height of 2 m. Young shoots are pubescent and covered with bright green foliage up to 6 cm long, and last year’s ones are easily distinguished by exfoliating brown bark. Blooms in June for about 20 days. White flowers up to 2,5 cm in diameter are collected in corymbose inflorescences. Winters well when covered with spruce branches and dry foliage.
- Deutsia Lemoine (D. x lemoinei) – shrub up to 2 m high, characterized by good winter hardiness. Even a bush that has frozen dry in a snowless winter quickly recovers. Gray-green lanceolate leaves reach 10 cm in length and are pubescent from the inside. In winter, they are painted in pinkish, yellowish and brownish shades. This action in central Our Country gives abundant root shoots. Last year’s shoots are almost bare, arched with red-brown bark. Flowering continues from May to June. White flowers up to 2 cm in diameter are united in erect pyramidal panicles 3 to 10 cm long, practically odorless.
- Pink Deutzia (Deutzia rosea) – obtained by crossing the purple and graceful varieties. An undersized shade-tolerant bush does not grow above 1 m. Flowers up to 2 cm in diameter are bell-shaped in pale pink or white, collected in multi-flowered short brushes. Planting and leaving the action pink in the Moscow region are contraindicated, since it only tolerates frosts down to -28 ° C. Sharply serrated ovate-lanceolate rough and wrinkled leaves of dark green color up to 5 cm long are covered with stellate hairs. Flowering lasts from April to May.
Rules for landing action in the Moscow region and the middle lane
Since the action is distinguished by its moisture-loving nature, it is often planted in the Moscow region along water bodies. Also, the bush is good for forming a hedge, a mixborder. Most hybrids prefer sunny places, but there are also shade-tolerant varieties. Therefore, a place for planting should be chosen individually for a particular variety of action, on the recommendation of the supplier of planting material.
Recommended dates
In the Moscow region, with its long spring and early autumn, planting is practiced exclusively in the first decade of May. This time is enough for the seedling to take root in a new place.
In the middle lane, planting dates are shifted to the last decade of April. At this time, the soil should warm up to + 5 ° С. If the spring is late, with prolonged frosts, then the planting of the action is postponed until the beginning of May.
A seedling of deutsia suitable for planting has well-formed, but not broken, buds. Under favorable conditions, the bush should bloom already in a new place.
Site selection and soil preparation
A spacious clearing about 2 m in diameter is taken under the seedling. Over time, it will grow, so it needs space. A closer landing of action in the Moscow region is practiced with the intention of getting a hedge.
The place is chosen in such a way that the bush is in the shade for part of the day. For this, flower beds near the house, near the hedge, are suitable. Cold strong winds inhibit the growth of action. But under the protection of the walls of the house or a high fence, she feels good.
Deutsia loves well-drained loose soil. To do this, the soil taken out of the planting pit is mixed with peat compost, humus, and river sand is added. The optimal reaction of the soil is slightly alkaline. If the reaction is acidic, then the soil is enriched with slaked lime (about 300 g is mixed with the soil mixture poured into the planting pit).
Landing algorithm
The optimal root length for seedlings with an open root system is 35-40 cm. If the planting material has longer roots, then they are shortened. The survival rate is higher in action with a closed root system, which is less traumatized during delivery to the site.
The optimal depth of the landing pit in the Moscow region is 50 cm. There should be at least 1 m of free space on all sides of it. A thin layer of broken brick, sand or fine gravel is poured onto the bottom for drainage. The seedling is placed vertically, and the roots are sprinkled with pre-prepared soil, to which 100 g of nitrophoska is added.
The root collar is placed flush with the ground level, or it is permissible to deepen it by 2 cm. Immediately after planting, the action is watered. The stems are shortened, leaving up to 5 buds on each branch. The trunk circle must be sprinkled with a layer of 5 cm thick of mulch.
Features of growing action in the regions
In general, the rules for caring for ornamental shrubs in the Moscow region and the middle lane do not differ, with the amendment that only those varieties that can withstand the maximum sub-zero temperatures in this region should be planted.
Watering
When using mulch, which is abundantly sprinkled with near-stem circles, there is no need to water the action in the Moscow region too often. It is enough during the growing season to water once a week. Up to 1 liters are poured under each bush.
If the precipitation in the area is regular, then you can do without artificial irrigation at all.
Top dressing and mulching
During the season in the Moscow region, top dressing is carried out once a month, that is, they will need 1-4 in total. Manure is best suited, which is diluted with water to a liquid state. Under each bush, action is poured 5-3 liters. Complex mineral dressings are recommended no more than 4 times per season – before flowering and at the end of summer. Under one plant, a portion of 2-100 g is added.
Mulch makes it easier to care for the action in the suburbs. It retains moisture and prevents it from evaporating too quickly. Weeds will not break through a layer of 5 cm. When watering, the mulched soil is less compacted, so it needs to be loosened much less frequently. The mulch remaining for the winter will not allow the roots and shoots to freeze.
Pruning rules and preparation for winter
Snow alone is not enough to reliably prepare the action for wintering in the Moscow region and protect against freezing. It is necessary to create an air-dry shelter. To do this, immediately after the leaves fall, the branches are bent to the ground and tied. Dry leaves with spruce branches are thrown on top, and then covered with a film. This is what they do with young bushes of action. Adult bushes are tied with twine, and then covered with burlap.
Wintering action in the Moscow region is preceded by its pruning. Completely cut off the young shoots of the current year. They will not bloom next season, and the plant does not need them. You can leave a segment with 1-2 kidneys just in case. Old branches are removed from the action if they lead to excessive thickening of the crown. In the spring, pruning is repeated when all the buds have blossomed. At the same time, all branches frozen over the winter are removed. If the bush suffered very badly during the winter, then they arrange a rejuvenating pruning “on the stump”, leaving a short ground part with several buds.
Pests and diseases
Among the many ornamental shrubs, action is perhaps the best resistance to pests and diseases. If, nevertheless, the bush is affected by one or another pest, then they are treated with a solution of karbofos. If the recommended watering regimen is followed, the bushes rarely suffer from fungal diseases, but if they are found, they reduce watering and treat with an antifungal drug.
Conclusion
Planting and caring for the action in the Moscow region is not so difficult, but the efforts spent are more than paid off by the beauty of the lush inflorescences. The minimum life expectancy of a bush is 25 years. With regular feeding, pruning and warming for the winter, every summer the action will delight with its flowering, which is not inferior to the splendor of more familiar shrubs – lilacs, honeysuckle.
Reviews
