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Alder leaf cletra is a beautiful ornamental plant that is very popular in landscape design. An additional advantage of the shrub is its unpretentiousness to growing conditions; caring for the plant is quite simple.
General description of alder leaf cletra
Alder-leaved cletra is a perennial deciduous shrub from the Heather family. North America is considered the homeland of the plant, it grows mainly on the banks of reservoirs, but in an ornamental form, the shrub is bred all over the world and grown in private gardens.
In height, the plant can reach 2 m or more, the crown of a shrub at a young age is vertical, and as it grows older it becomes spherical or oval. The leaves of the plant bloom late – the shrub becomes completely green only at the end of May. The photo and description of the cletra show that in the autumn the crown of the shrub becomes bright yellow and very beautiful in appearance.
When and how does the alder-leaved cletra bloom?
Cletra is a shrub with late flowering periods. The first flowers on the shoots appear in July, and flowering continues until August-September. Alder-leaved cletra produces vertically pubescent panicles 5-16 cm long, formed by large white or pink flowers 8 mm in diameter. The plant is a good honey plant, which increases its value when bred in a summer cottage.
The use of alder leaf in landscape design
The alder-leaf shrub is highly valued in landscape design, as it allows you to decorate the garden at a time when most perennials and shrubs have already faded and lost their decorative appearance. Unlike most garden plants, alder-leaved clerestory in the middle of summer only gains a maximum of decorativeness, it is completely covered with leaves and produces abundant bright flowers.
The plant looks attractive in single plantings. But it is no less often used in artistic compositions, for example, a shrub looks good next to rosemary or azalea. Also, amateurs often create groups of several different varieties of cletra, use shrubs in alpine slides and stone gardens.
Common varieties of alder cletra
There are several dozen varieties of shrubs. But several varieties of ornamental plants are especially popular with gardeners.
Pink Spire
This variety is the most popular because it demonstrates high unpretentiousness. For example, the frost resistance of the alder leaf cage Pink Spaer allows the plant to withstand temperatures down to -29 ° C.
Cleatra alderleaf Pink Spire produces inflorescences of a very pleasant pale pink color, and its flowering begins towards the end of July.
Hummingbird
Another popular cultivar is the alder-leaved Hamminbird, which blooms in dense panicles of bright white. The variety is also characterized by increased frost resistance and is suitable for cultivation in gardens throughout the entire middle zone, tolerates frosts down to -29 ° C.
Ruby Spice
The Ruby Spice shrub has a beautiful flowering, the plant produces short, fluffy panicles of dark pink flowers in late July or August. The foliage of Ruby Spice’s alder-leaved clerestory is dark green, very dense, and in autumn it acquires a bright yellow color and does not fall off for a long time.
Beauty of September (September Beauty)
Variety Beauty of September refers to the late – this variety of cletra blooms in September. In the photo of the alder-leaved clerestory, it can be seen that the flowers of the plant are white, small, look great against the background of the dark green foliage of the shrub. After flowering, closer to cold weather, the plant acquires a bright yellow color of the crown.
How does alder leaf reproduce?
For the propagation of shrubs in a summer cottage, mainly 3 vegetative methods are used:
- Cuttings. Green shoots are cut in spring, rooted first in temporary containers and grown at a temperature of about 18 ° C, and at the end of May they are planted in open ground on the site.
- Layers. This method is suitable for propagation from an adult plant – one of the low-lying branches is bent to the ground, laid in a shallow trench, fixed and sprinkled with soil. For a month, the layers are watered, usually this time is enough for rooting. Then the shoot is separated from the main bush and planted in a permanent place for cultivation.
- Root growth. Since the mature alder leaf clerk produces many root shoots, they can be separated and used for propagation. It is recommended to cut off the shoots in the spring after the very first leaves appear, the shoots are usually planted in temporary containers, followed by transplanting into the ground in early summer.
With the help of seeds, alder-leaved clerestory is rarely propagated. Planting material is sown into the soil in indoor pots or in greenhouses, usually in December. After 3 weeks, seedlings should appear, and then the sprouts will only need to be looked after until the onset of spring and the transfer of the plant to open ground.
Rules of landing
In order for the alder-leaved clerk in the summer cottage to please with beautiful flowering and a lush crown, it must be properly planted. It is necessary to take into account the place of landing and the composition of the soil, as well as other nuances.
Recommended timing
Vegetation in alder-leaved cletra begins rather late, the plant begins to leaf out only by the end of spring. Therefore, it is recommended to plant shrubs in the ground in May, when the soil warms up completely, and the cage is ready for active development.
Site selection and soil preparation
Alder cletra is a shrub that needs good shading. It is necessary to plant a plant under the cover of taller bushes or trees, in the shade or in a place where a shadow is established at least in the afternoon.
As for the soil, the alder leaf prefers loose and acidic soil – it cannot be planted on alkaline and fertile soils. The following soil mixture will be optimal for shrubs – forest soil and sand are mixed in equal proportions, and then more peat and a little sawdust are added.
Landing algorithm
The site for planting alder-leaved cletra is prepared as follows:
- the upper part of the soil is removed to a depth of about 10 cm;
- dig a planting hole, in size it should be approximately twice the volume of the root system of the plant;
- a drainage system is organized at the bottom of the hole, and a prepared soil mixture of sand, peat and forest land is poured from the top to half of the hole;
- the soil is poured with water with dissolved citric acid or apple cider vinegar – 100 ml of solution is added to a bucket of water;
- the seedling is carefully lowered in the center of the hole and covered with earth to the end.
Peculiarities of growing
Growing Pink Spire Alder Cletera or any other variety is fairly easy. The shrub does not require any special measures, it is enough to adhere to the irrigation regime and regularly trim the plant.
Watering and fertilizing schedule
Alder-leaved clerestory does not tolerate drought well, so it needs to be watered frequently and plentifully. It is especially necessary to carefully monitor the moisture content of the soil on dry summer days – the soil should not dry out. Watering is recommended to be carried out early in the morning or late in the evening, in the absence of bright sun, and the water for the plant should be well-settled and slightly warm.
The ornamental shrub almost does not need top dressing – this is one of its advantages. In the first year, alder-leaved clerestory has enough acids and sulfur introduced into the soil during planting. Subsequently, the shrub can be fed annually before flowering with liquid complex fertilizers.
Trimming rules
Pruning for the plant is carried out mainly sanitary, annually in early spring or autumn, all dried and broken shoots must be removed. It is also recommended to remove the root growth, which grows very quickly, and pinch the tops of young shoots. This allows you to achieve maximum decorativeness of the bush, as it forces the cage to release new branches.
Preparation for winter
Reviews of the alder-leaved Pink Spire and other varieties claim that the plant has excellent frost resistance – it is not afraid of colds down to -29 ° C. Therefore, alder-leaved clerestory in the Moscow region for the winter can only be mulched with peat or sawdust, this will prevent the roots from freezing.
In more northern regions, for the winter period, the shrub can be bent to the ground and covered with spruce branches or lutrasil.
Pests and diseases
The plant is rarely affected by diseases and insects. Of the fungal diseases, it is mainly late blight that develops in conditions of high humidity that is dangerous for him. The main symptom of the disease is the appearance of gray spots on the leaves and the drying of the branches. Late blight is treated with fungicidal agents or copper sulfate, while all diseased parts of the shrub are removed.
Of the pests for alder-leaved cletra, the scale insect is dangerous – an insect that damages leaves and shoots. When a pest appears on a plant, it is necessary to treat it with an ordinary soapy solution or use insecticides in case of severe infection.
Conclusion
Alder leaf cletra is a beautiful and undemanding flowering shrub. The plant becomes especially attractive in the middle of summer and retains its decorative effect until autumn, for which it is valued by gardeners.
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