Buzulnik Confetti: photo and description

Buzulnik Garden Confetti is an elegant ornamental plant with beautiful flowering. Belongs to the genus of herbaceous perennials of the Asteraceae family. Another name for the flower is ligularia, which means “tongue” in Latin. It is due to the shape of the marginal flowers of the bush. The popularity of buzulnik has been increasing over the years. Gardeners appreciate the plant for its very useful qualities, shade tolerance, long flowering and the ability to grow for a long time without a transplant.

The dimensions of the Confetti buzulnik allow you to decorate a large area of ​​the garden

Description of Buzulnik Garden Confetti

The variety belongs to the buzulnik serrated variety. This is the most common category among ligulars. Garden Confetti has very valuable characteristics that gardeners love. The plant has unique external parameters:

1. Bush about 90-100 cm high.
2. Buzulnik leaves are speckled, light green. The speck is small white. The petioles are red, the veins on the plates are also red, diverge from the very base. On the underside, the leaves are purple, they are the main decoration of the variety. During the season, their color is constantly changing, which gives the buzulnik a special decorative effect. In early summer, the leaves of Garden Confetti are pale cream, tinged with greenish and pink veins. By mid-summer they become bright yellow. End of season – burgundy with green streaks. Only the underside of the leaf remains dark red all the time. Some gardeners call buzulnik leaves “chameleons”. In shape, they look like a carved heart, large, up to 30 cm in size.
3. Buzulnik flowers are yellow, chamomile type. A bit like a basket of reed or tubular flowers, the diameter of which is about 10 cm. Flowering begins in June and ends in October. Ligularia flowers are very fond of bees.
4. The fruits are formed after flowering, this is an achene with a tuft, inside of which are the seeds of Garden Confetti buzulnik.

During the flowering period, the Confetti bush can act as a bright tapeworm

The main characteristics of Garden Confetti, for which gardeners appreciate the variety, are:

1. Shade tolerance. Most often, the plant is planted in shady areas where many crops do not grow.
2. Frost resistance. The buzulnik bush freezes only in severe frosts.
3. Ease of reproduction.

When choosing a planting site, the decorative effect of the leaves should be taken into account.

Application in landscape design

The variety of serrated buzulniks makes the look almost universal for use in site design. It is suitable for planting in any kind of flower garden. Garden Confetti goes well with bluebells, ferns, adenophore, hostas, cuff, daylilies. An adult buzulnik bush, thanks to the decorativeness of the basal rosette, can even replace a low deciduous shrub. And his ability to develop in the shadows is considered the most important. The presence of the Garden Confetti species in the shady corners of the garden will make them very cozy. The buzulnik variety looks equally harmonious in group and single plantings. It can be placed in the lawn or in the foreground of a hedge.

Garden Confetti prefers well-drained soil, so it is recommended to plant it near water bodies of any size.

Another feature of the flower should be taken into account. The variety does not respond well to direct sunlight, especially at noon. If you place a bush next to perennial shrubs or trees, the design of the site will only benefit. The change in color of the buzulnik foliage during the season creates a unique play of color for any composition.

Features of reproduction

You can get new buzulnik seedlings in several ways – vegetatively (dividing the bush) and seeds. Each has nuances and differences:

1. Sexual reproduction goes like this. Seeds should be sown immediately in the ground. Dates are spring or autumn. To increase the percentage of germination, seeds need stratification. Therefore, autumn sowing is preferable. For a spring event, it takes 2-3 months to keep the seed in the refrigerator. Sowing time for seedlings – January-March, transplanting into open ground – May. Seeding depth 1 cm. It is important to keep the soil moist and shade the seedlings from the sun. With this method of reproduction, the buzulnik begins to bloom for 4-5 years.
2. The division of the bush can be performed throughout the life of the buzulnik – from spring to autumn. It is optimal to do this in the spring, when the plant has more strength and its active growth begins. You need to start the procedure when young leaves appear from the ground. At the same time, there is no need to dig up the entire Garden Confetti bush. It is enough to cut off with a shovel and dig out the desired part. Then fill the hole formed near the mother bush of the buzulnik with fertile soil, water it abundantly. Rinse the delenka with clean water, divide with a sharp knife into smaller parts. It is important that each of them has a growth bud. Treat the sections with potassium permanganate, plant new bushes in prepared holes at least 40 cm deep. Before planting, add 1 bucket of humus, 1 cup of wood ash, 40 g of superphosphate to the pit. Leave the distance between several bushes about 1 m. Deepen the renewal bud by no more than 3 cm. An additional plus of the spring buzulnik transplant is the rejuvenation of the parent plant.

The division of the bush will allow not only to plant new plants, but also to rejuvenate the old one.

Buzulnik Garden Confetti transplantation is recommended to be done at least 1 time in 5 years. At the time of dividing the bush in summer or autumn, 1/3 of the lower leaves must be removed and the plant protected from direct sunlight.

Planting and care

These important stages in the life of a buzulnik are not at all complicated. The unpretentiousness of ligularia is noted by all gardeners. If you create comfortable conditions, then in one place the bush grows up to 20 years. However, the basic requirements for planting and caring for the Garden Confetti variety must be met.

Recommended dates

It is recommended to plant a buzulnik in the spring. If the plant is bought in a pot or it is decided to plant an adult bush, then any growing season will do.

To plant a variety at a convenient time of the year, it is best to buy seedlings in containers.

Site selection and soil preparation

Ligularia prefers drained, fertile, moist soil. But it grows well on any soil, even on heavy clay. Before planting the plant, the pit should be filled with mineral fertilizers and humus.

It is recommended to choose a place to place a buzulnik seedling near a pond or in the shade of trees. The roots of the variety are located in the upper layers of the soil, which is why protection from drying out and good moisture are needed. In the sun, you will not be able to get a lush green leaf mass.

Landing algorithm

You can call it standard. To plant a Garden Confetti buzulnik, you need:

1. Dig a planting hole at least 40×40 cm in size. If several holes are laid, they must be placed at a distance of at least 60 cm from each other.
2. Prepare a soil mixture from fertile soil and humus (1: 1).
3. Add 40 g of superphosphate, 30 g of potash fertilizer or 1 glass of wood ash.
4. Lay a layer of drainage on the bottom – gravel, broken bricks.
5. Pour a layer of soil mixture.
6. Put the buzulnik seedling on a mound, sprinkle the roots with earth, compact a little.
7. The growth point should be deepened by 3-5 cm.
8. Water the plant generously.

The final step is to shade the seedling from direct sunlight.

Without shading, young bushes suffer from sunlight

Watering and fertilizing schedule

Buzulnik needs moisture in large quantities. With a lack of watering, the leaves droop, the plant loses its decorative effect, the leaf mass decreases. Violation of the irrigation schedule is the main reason for the decrease in the decorative effect of Garden Confetti. You should be especially attentive to soil moisture in dry times. Additionally, it is recommended to spray the bushes.

The initial top dressing of the buzulnik is considered to be filling the planting pit with fertilizers. Then, annually from May to July, you will need to add 0,5 buckets of humus for each plant. It is important that at the time of feeding there are no strong differences in night and day temperatures.

Loosening and mulching

Loosening the near-stem zone should be carried out after rain or watering. Do this very carefully, because the root system of ligularia is located close to the surface of the soil.

Mulching is recommended in the spring. This technique will help retain moisture, especially in the hot season. Also, a layer of mulch will be a reliable protection against the spread of weeds.

Trimming

For Garden Confetti buzulnik, pruning is not a mandatory element of care. But, it has its advantages, which should be used. If the gardener does not set the task of collecting seeds, then after flowering it is necessary to cut off the faded inflorescences. This will give decorativeness to the buzulnik bush at the end of the season. Autumn pruning of the above-ground part of the plant improves its ability to tolerate frost. For a variety, garter of petioles at the time of flowering or when planting in a windy place does not hurt.

Preparation for winter

The variety does not require shelter for the winter. It is quite winter hardy. Garden Confetti can withstand temperatures as low as -30°C. Gardeners are limited to pruning the above-ground part of the shoots and slight hilling of the roots in regions with cold winters.

Diseases and pests

Culture is distinguished by strong immunity. Buzulnik is very rarely affected by powdery mildew. If this happens, you need to treat the bush with a solution of colloidal sulfur (1%) or potassium permanganate (take 10 g of crystals for 2,5 liters of water).

Among the pests, slugs can annoy the plant. This is due to the increased humidity in the places where ligularia grows. To prevent invasion around the bush, superphosphate granules should be poured.

Conclusion

Buzulnik Garden Confetti is a spectacular plant for a shady area. Its ability to withstand temperature changes and its harmonious combination with many garden crops will allow you to decorate even the most problematic places.