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Buddleya David Black Knight (Black Knight) is a breeding variety of Buddley ordinary from the Norichnikov family. The historical homeland of tall shrubs is China, South Africa. By hybridization, more than 100 varieties of ornamental plants with a variety of colors, shape and height of the bush have been obtained. Buddleya David Black Knight, shown in the photo, is the darkest representative of the species in terms of the color of the inflorescences. Widely used for landscaping.
History of breeding
The wandering missionary and naturalist monk David drew attention to a new type of ornamental shrub. A plant growing in China has not been previously described in any botanical reference book. The monk sent a herbarium variant to the researcher of new specimens, biologist René Franchet, to England. The scientist made a complete description of the plant and gave it a name in honor of the rector of the university in Essex (England) Adam Buddle, a botanist of the XNUMXth century.
Nowadays, buddleia has a double name in honor of the discoverer and outstanding researcher in the field of biology. Subsequently, selection work was carried out, on the basis of a wild culture, new species were obtained, adapted to the weather conditions of Europe, and then Our Country. The buddleia variety of David Black Knight is one of the relatively frost-resistant representatives of the species grown in the territory of the Federation.
Description of the buddleia of David Black Knight
The deciduous plant is cultivated because of its decorative effect and long flowering period. Spreading shrub reaches 1,5 m in height and 1,2 m in width. Flowering begins in the third year of growth. External characteristics of the Black Knight buddley:
- A medium-sized bush forms straight-growing branches of medium thickness with drooping tops, shoot formation is intense. The structure of the stems is rigid, flexible, perennial shoots are painted light green with a gray tint, young ones are closer to beige.
- The root system of buddley is superficial, widely overgrown, the central root is deepened within 1 m.
- Buddley variety, densely leafy with oval-lanceolate leaves arranged oppositely. The leaf plate is pointed, 20-25 cm long, the surface is smooth with a small, sparse edge. The color is light green with a blue tint.
- Flowers with a diameter of about 1,2 cm, purple or dark purple with an orange core are collected in spike-shaped plumes 35-40 cm long, erect inflorescences are formed on the tops of the shoots.
Perennial in one place blooms for more than 10 years. Outwardly, it resembles a lilac, the flowering time is from August to October. The variety belongs to honey plants, attracts insects with the aroma. Frequent guests on the inflorescences are butterflies and bees. According to gardeners, it is possible to grow the David Black Knight buddleia variety almost throughout the Federation with a temperate and warm climate. Buddleia is widely used in design in the Caucasus and Central Our Country. The plant is not suitable for cultivation in cold climates.
Frost resistance, drought resistance
The natural habitat of the buddleia is in a warm, humid climate. The variety safely tolerates frosts down to -20 0C, lowering causes freezing of shoots. In spring, buddleia quickly forms a replacement, restoring the crown. Inflorescences form on the tops of young shoots in the same season.
In the climatic conditions of the Moscow region, the Urals or Siberia, where winters are long and cold, the David Black Knight buddleia variety is grown in compliance with the technology of shelter for the winter. The plant will restore damaged stems, but frozen roots will lead to the death of the buddleia.
The drought resistance of the culture is high, the light-loving buddleia does not tolerate shaded areas. A sufficient amount of sunlight is required for full-fledged vegetation and photosynthesis. A young shrub needs constant watering, an adult buddle has enough seasonal rainfall twice a month.
Disease and pest resistance
Buddleya David of the Black Knight variety is a hybrid with high immunity to fungal and bacterial infection. There are practically no parasitic garden insects on the plant. In prolonged heat without sprinkling shrubs on buddley, aphids or whiteflies may spread. If the soil is waterlogged, the root system rots, the pathological process can cover the entire plant.
Methods of reproduction
In the wild, buddleia reproduces by seeds, self-sowing, capturing quite impressive territories. The buddleia variety of David Black Knight on the site can also be propagated by seeds or cuttings. The difficulty of seed breeding for a temperate climate lies in the fact that planting material does not have time to ripen before the onset of frost. It is better to use the cutting method.
Technology for growing buddley David varieties Black Knight seeds:
- In early spring, planting material is mixed with sand.
- Prepare low containers, pour peat mixed with organic matter 2: 1.
- Seeds are sown on top, sprinkled with soil.
- The surface is moistened, covered with a film.
- Containers are cleaned in a room with a temperature of +18 0C.
After 2,5 weeks, the buddleia seedlings germinate, the film is removed from the container, and fed with complex fertilizers. If the top layer is dry, moisten the soil. When the young shoots of buddleia form 3 leaves, they dive into peat glasses.
In the southern regions, sowing seeds of this variety can be carried out immediately in the ground on the site.
Propagation of David’s Buddley Black Knight variety by cuttings is a more productive method. The young plant retains varietal qualities, the survival rate of cuttings is 98%. For propagation, annual shoots or woody stems are suitable. The scheme for growing buddleia by cuttings is as follows. In the spring, cuttings of about 10 cm are cut from young shoots, immediately placed in the ground on the site, covered with cut plastic bottles, upside down for irrigation. By autumn, the buddleia will take root.
From perennial branches, planting material 20 cm long is cut in the fall. The prepared fragments are stored in a cool place, you can in the refrigerator in the vegetable department until spring. In the spring, a buddleia is planted in the ground and covered with a film, after 65 days the seedling will take root, the covering material is removed.
In cold winter conditions, David Black Knight’s buddleia variety is recommended to be planted at the age of two for a permanent place. The stalk is placed in a volumetric container, taken out to the site in the spring, and brought into the room before the onset of cold weather. You can propagate the buddleia variety by dividing the mother bush, there is a serious minus in this method, because an adult plant does not tolerate transplantation well.
Features of landing
Plant the Black Knight buddley David in the spring when the weather has fully recovered and there is no threat of returning frosts. Favorable terms for work – from May to the end of June. In autumn, buddleia can only be planted in the south. Landing requirements:
- Choose a seedling with a healthy root system, without damage and dry patches. Before placing in the ground, the material is placed in an antifungal drug, then in a growth stimulator.
- The site is chosen from the south or east side, open, without shading and close proximity to groundwater.
- The composition of the soil is neutral, fertile, loose.
- They dig a planting hole 25 cm wide, 55 cm deep. Drainage is laid on the bottom (gravel, expanded clay, pebbles), a layer of peat mixed with compost is placed on top, the seedling is placed vertically, covered with soil.
After planting, the buddley is watered and mulched.
Aftercare
The agrotechnics of the David Black Knight buddley variety includes watering a young shrub up to 2 years of growth once a week, provided that there is no precipitation. For an adult plant, 1 time per month is sufficient. Every evening the bush needs sprinkling, regardless of the growing season.
Loosen the soil as weeds grow and the topsoil dries out. Young bushes of David Black Knight’s buddley are fertilized at the root in the spring, superphosphate fertilizer “Kemira Universal” is suitable.
To preserve the decorativeness of the shrub, the variety requires cosmetic pruning during flowering. Faded flower stalks are removed, new ones are formed in their place. In the spring, old shoots, dry fragments are cut, the bush is thinned out. Trim the length, if necessary, reduce the width of the bush. Formative haircut buddley of this variety is carried out at will.
In autumn, the root circle is mulched with dry sawdust, leaves or straw. In the spring, the layer is replaced with peat mixed with straw or needles.
Preparation for winter
For young seedlings of David Black Knight’s buddley, crown shelter is necessary, a cap is made of polyethylene stretched over arcs from above, covered with spruce branches or dry leaves, and covered with snow in winter. Mulching is indicated for adult buddleia and annuals. After two years of vegetation, the buddley variety of David Black Knight is spudded with a root, covered with a layer of mulch (15 cm), and the trunks are wrapped with a cloth.
The main task is to preserve the root system of the buddley. If the winter is with low temperatures and a minimum amount of snow, the shoots will freeze, they are cut off in the spring, the variety quickly gives young shoots, the flowers form on new stems.
Control of diseases and pests
Buddley David is not affected by infection, if waterlogging has caused decay, the variety is treated with an antibacterial agent. In the fight against aphids, the Aktellik preparation and the destruction of a nearby ant colony will help. The caterpillars of the whitefly moth are eliminated with the Keltan contact agent, the processing of the buddley is carried out in sunny weather.
The use of buddley Black Knight in landscape design
A medium-sized perennial with a long flowering period is used in group and single planting. In the photo, the Black Knight buddleia variety, as a variant of the design solution.
In landscape design, buddley is used as:
- background on discounts;
- accent in the central part of the flower bed;
- hedge;
- designing a garden path for the visual perception of the alley;
- delimitation of parts of the garden;
- camouflage option along the fence.
In urban recreation areas, parks and squares, David Black Knight’s buddley is planted along alleys, near sanitary zones, like a hedge. The decorative variety of buddley looks harmoniously with undersized plants in rockeries and on the sides of an alpine hill. It is combined with juniper, dwarf species of conifers.
Conclusion
Buddleya Davida Black Knight is a variety created for the design of the territory. Shrub of medium height, with long decorative flowering, unpretentious care. The frost resistance of the plant allows you to grow buddley in a temperate climate. A high rate of drought resistance of the variety is a priority for gardeners and landscape designers in the Southern region.