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Growing aquilegia at home is distinguished by simple and understandable agricultural technology, it does not require special knowledge and skills. The flower, in simple colloquial speech “catchment”, delights with its splendor and harmonious combination of shades. An unpretentious decorative look for decades has been very popular with flower growers and gardeners everywhere. Outside the Federation, the plant is called the “shoe of the elves”, “dove”, “eagle” for the amazing features of the inflorescence and the original structure of the leaves. In the morning or after rain, the aquilegia bush is a delightful sight: sparkling drops of rain or dew roll down the leaves and gather at the base of the stem attachment in the form of large diamonds.
The aquilegia leaf has a unique “lotus effect”, so water is repelled by micro-protrusions on the leaves and is not absorbed.
The corolla of the inflorescence is an original funnel with outgrowths – decorative spurs. Depending on the species and variety, they can be curved, short or long, like the shoes of a magical eastern elf.
Double Aquilegia hybrids (such as Adelaide Edison) may have more than five petals per inflorescence.
The nuances of growing aquilegia in open ground
A modest and at the same time sophisticated look is a worthy decoration of the local area, flower bed or flower garden. Planting and caring for watershed flowers does not require much effort. To start multi-colored eagles in a personal plot, it is enough to know the simple rules for planting a plant in open ground, the basic subtleties of care.
Watershed can be grown from seed. Most often they germinate in the spring with a dense brush as a result of uncontrolled self-seeding. In early March, seeds can be sown for seedlings. However, in latitudes with a warm and temperate climate, sowing directly into open ground in early spring or late autumn is more preferable.
You should be aware that from seeds collected at home, it is not always possible to get a plant that is identical in color to the mother’s inflorescence. During the growing season, crops pollinate each other many times. Reproduction by grafting or dividing the bush will help to preserve the variety of the vending aquilegia bush in the pristine beauty of colors and shades.
Experienced flower growers do not recommend using seeds that have been stored for more than 3 years, because over time, the seed material of aquilegia almost completely loses its germination. The main stages of planting and caring for aquilegia, presented below and supported by photos, demonstrate affordable and simple steps that will help you grow healthy and unpretentious plants in any flower bed, garden, flower garden.
Exquisite varieties of unique elf shoes will delight and delight with magnificent flowering up to 1 month, while the duration of flowering of each individual inflorescence is up to 20 days
How to plant aquilegia in the ground
The conditions for growing aquilegia provide that plants can be planted in open ground in spring or late autumn (before winter). In order to start a decorative culture, you can use several methods:
- seeds (sowing in open ground or seedlings, followed by thinning and care);
- cuttings (with the help of separation and subsequent rooting of young basal rosettes);
- dividing the bush (dividing the root system of an adult plant into parts, followed by transplanting into the ground).
Plants must be placed in the hole carefully, trying not to damage the roots, gently straightening, not bending, twisting or breaking the root shoots.
When can you plant aquilegia?
For planting aquilegia flowers, autumn and spring are considered the most suitable times of the year. The main difference between the seasons is the natural seed stratification (when propagated by seeds), which is provided by the autumn sowing of aquilegia. If sown in the catchment in the spring, the seeds should be pre-treated. The planting of cuttings and plots is also carried out in spring and autumn, it has its own characteristics.
Planting aquilegia in spring
Planting aquilegia in open ground in the spring is carried out immediately after the snow melts. Planting material is stimulated with cold – stratified. For this, several methods are used. Within one month, seeds intended for planting can be stored:
- in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator;
- in a separate container with well-moistened peat in a cool place (basement, veranda, barn);
- in a separate container under the snow.
In the spring, the planting of aquilegia by cuttings is more successful, when young basal rosettes are separated from the mother plant even before the leaves appear. Transplanting by dividing the rhizome in the spring can adversely affect the process of survival of the plant’s root system in a new place.
Forced stratified seeds are to be sown in open ground in March-April
Planting aquilegia before winter
Autumn sowing, according to most flower growers and gardeners, is the most effective and preferable for growing and caring for aquilegia in open ground. During the winter period, the seeds undergo natural stratification (hardening), so in early spring they give more productive and faster shoots. Aquilegia can be transplanted in the fall (after the end of flowering, in early September) by cuttings and division of the rhizome.
The autumn period is considered more successful for transplanting and rooting the catchment
Site selection and soil preparation
As a “permanent residence”, aquilegia prefers partial shade, although it feels great in sunny clearings. In the partial shade of buildings or trees, the catchment produces brighter, larger inflorescences, with the longest flowering time (compared to plants placed in full sun).
The slipper of the elves is not picky in the choice of soil. The plant can be planted even in poor, but moist soil.
When complex fertilizers are applied, the inflorescences of the orlik are painted in more saturated shades.
How to properly plant aquilegia
Proper planting and care of perennial aquilegia allows you to get beautiful, healthy, constantly flowering ornamental plants. To properly plant aquilegia, you should follow the rules.
How to plant aquilegia seeds in open ground
In open ground, stratified seeds of the catchment are sown in small depressions of the required shape prepared with a chopper (depending on the configuration of the flower bed). Seeds are sprinkled with a layer of earth (0,5 cm), watered, mulched with humus or peat.
A month after sowing, the first shoots appear
How to plant aquilegia seeds for seedlings
For seedlings, stratified aquilegia seeds are sown in a specially prepared, well-moistened soil mixture. The catchment substrate consists of equal parts of sod land, coarse river sand and humus. Seeds are scattered not densely, slightly pressed down or sprinkled with a thin layer of soil. To create a greenhouse effect, the container is covered with plastic wrap. At temperatures up to 18 ⁰С and a sufficient level of humidity, the first entries appear after 2 weeks.
If there are 2 permanent leaves on the plants, the catchment is dived in separate cups and transplanted into open ground in April-May
How to plant aquilegia cuttings
Planting eagle cuttings in open ground consists in transplanting young basal rosettes, which are separated from the mother plant and rooted in a new place. The socket is carefully removed from the ground, the cut is treated with a stimulant, deepened into the hole to a depth of 1 cm, moistened abundantly until the cutting is completely rooted.
More successfully plants from cuttings take root in the spring in a shaded place.
How to plant aquilegia plots when dividing a bush
Planting of plots obtained as a result of dividing a bush of an adult catchment area is carried out in prepared pits. Bushes older than 4-5 years of age are dug up and cut into pieces with a sharp knife so that each contains more than 3 viable buds. This method of planting allows you to propagate plants with full preservation of varietal characteristics of the shape, size and color characteristics of the petals. After placing the plots in the holes, the plants are pressed and sprinkled with earth, thoroughly moistened.
The distance between the individual bushes of the elf shoes must be at least 40 cm
How to grow aquilegia
Planting and caring for an aquilegia flower do not differ in complexity. In the photo of individual varieties, you can appreciate the beauty and natural splendor of shapes and colors. The modest and beautiful inflorescences of the eagle go well with any direction of landscape design.
Delicate shades of aquilegia petals of the Mr. Scott Elliot variety amazes with magical combinations of pastel shades
Watering and fertilizing schedule
Aquilegia is a fairly drought-resistant crop. After the appearance of the first sprouts, as well as until the final rooting of the cuttings or plots, the plants continue to be watered regularly and abundantly. On dry summer days, watering should be increased. With sufficient precipitation, the catchment does not need additional irrigation.
To ensure spectacular flowering and rapid development, the elf shoe should be fertilized in a timely manner:
- beginning of May – feeding with humus (at the rate of 0,5 kg per bush);
- the beginning of June – potassium-phosphorus preparations;
- early August – feeding with potash fertilizers.
In addition to regular watering, young plants in the catchment should be protected from the scorching sun.
Loosening and weeding
Loosening the soil around the watershed is one of the mandatory rules for caring for ornamental crops. The plant needs weeding of weeds, as well as thinning seedlings (in the case of sowing seeds).
The thinning process leaves the healthiest, strongest sprouts
Aquilegia care after flowering
After budding is completed, the faded inflorescences of the catchment are cut off. Since the plant spends additional forces on laying seeds, dry flower stalks should be removed in a timely manner.
If you leave faded inflorescences until late autumn, you can collect seeds or the plant can propagate by self-sowing.
Preparation for wintering
Aquilegia is a frost- and cold-resistant ornamental crop. Young (up to 1 year) bushes for the winter period are covered with non-woven material or spruce branches. Mature plants do not need shelter. During preparation for wintering, the bases of the leaves of aquilegia die off and transform into part of the root system. For this reason, in adult eagles, the roots protrude from the ground.
In autumn, a small layer of compost and humus should be poured under adult aquilegia bushes, which will provide additional fertilizer, and also protect the root system of the crop from winter cold.
Pests and diseases
The catchment is characterized by strong immunity, rarely exposed to diseases. In a particularly rainy summer period, aquilegia can be affected by powdery mildew or gray mold.
Powdery mildew appears as a white coating on stems and leaves. To combat the disease, treatment with such drugs can be used: soda ash (at the rate of 1 tablespoon per 5 liters of water), colloidal sulfur solution, Thiovit Jet, Fitospori-M, Chistotsvet, Skor.
Powdery mildew infects aquilegia during heavy rains
Gray rot affects the leaves of the catchment area. The disease quickly spreads to neighboring plants.
In case of detection of gray rot, diseased plants must be burned, the affected areas of the earth should be treated with insecticides.
The main pests of aquilegia are nematodes, spider mites and aphids.
Nematodes infect the root system of the catchment.
At the first sign of the appearance of nematodes, the affected ornamental plants must be burned.
The aphid sucks the juices from the stems, as a result of which the elves’ shoe gradually dies.
Insecticides are used to control aphids
The spider mite settles on the lower part of the leaf blades.
To combat spider mites, you can use such modern drugs as Actellik
Conclusion
Growing aquilegia is within the power of even novice amateur growers. Following simple planting and care rules allows you to grow a mysterious perennial with an amazing flower shape. People have been cultivating the orlik for several centuries. The creators sang the plants in their works. For example, Hamlet’s Ophelia offered Laertes an elegant columbine flower, and medieval painters associated aquilegia with the presence of the Holy Spirit.
