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Buzulnik, or ligularia, is a perennial herbaceous flowering plant. Its name, derived from the Latin ligula – “tongue”, it received because of the shape of the petals. Some types of plants are actively used in horticulture, including artificially bred varieties. One of them is the buzulnik Othello, belonging to the species Toothed.
The plant conquers gardeners with its bright inflorescences
Description of the buzulnik Othello
The plant is large, up to 1 m in height. The leaves are large, glossy, with branched dark red veins and a purple border. When opened, they reach 40-50 cm. Not fully blossomed leaves are purple-violet. Then they become dark green on top with a purple tint, purple below.
The flowers are large, orange-yellow. Their size is about 13 cm in diameter.
Flowering begins in late August – early September and lasts about a month and a half.
What is the difference between the buzulnik Othello and Desdemona
Buzulnik Othello and Desdemona are considered the most common varieties. They belong to the same variety – buzulnik serrated – and have much in common, but they also have differences. This applies to the color of leaves and inflorescences.
The Desdemona variety is slightly different from Othello, although it has many common features.
Othello’s leaves are dark, rich green, with a purple tint, while Desdemona’s are delicate, light green on top and lilac on the back.
Othello’s flowers are yellow-orange, Desdemona’s are red-orange.
Application in landscape design
Buzulnik toothed Othello is distinguished by the bright colors of the inflorescences and the purple tint of the leaves. According to landscape designers, it looks perfect in groups with other plants, including representatives of its own species. It is used to decorate garden ponds, where it is in harmony with swamp irises and other varieties growing near the water. Thanks to the changing color of the leaves, you can see how the image of the garden changes at different times. Single specimens also look impressive. It is used to decorate garden buildings and fences, as a hedge, to create flower beds. In gardens in a natural or rustic style, a buzulnik planted in groups of 3-5 copies looks good. You can experiment by combining different varieties.
Features of reproduction
Buzulnik Othello is propagated in two ways:
- division of the bush;
- seeds.
The first option is more often practiced as it is simpler and more reliable.
Reproduction by seeds will take more time and effort, while it will bloom only after 4 years. The process includes the collection of seeds in the fall after they are fully ripe, their drying, pre-sowing preparation. Then they are sown immediately in open ground before winter, where they will undergo natural stratification. It is recommended to cover the landing to avoid freezing. You can sow the seeds in seedling containers and transplant them outdoors when the weather is relatively warm.
It is much easier to propagate the buzulnik by dividing the bush. In this case, less labor will be spent, and the result can be admired already next year.
Buzulnik Othello can grow in one place up to 15 years, but it is recommended to rejuvenate the plant every 5-7 years. To do this, the bush is dug up, divided into several parts and transplanted to a new place.
Landing buzulnik Othello
Planting a buzulnik is not difficult, but there are nuances that you need to know about. It is planted with seeds immediately in the ground or in containers for seedlings. An easier way is to plant a delenka taken from an adult bush.
Recommended dates
Sowing seeds in the ground is carried out in late autumn, so that they overwinter in the ground. You can plant them in early spring, but they may not have time to gain strength, as a result, the plant will not be powerful and beautiful.
For seedlings, they are planted at the end of winter in containers. They are transferred to open ground when warm weather sets in and the soil temperature is at least +10 degrees.
The shoots separated from the bush are planted in the ground in spring. It is possible to divide the bush and plant delenki even after flowering, but the spring version is preferable.
Site selection and soil preparation
When choosing a landing site, you need to consider that he does not like direct sunlight and feels great in a shaded area: in the shade of a fence, house walls, tree crowns. Buzulnik Othello is desirable to plant along the fence, in the background of the flower bed, near the garden pond or on the shore of a natural reservoir. It looks good between the trees.
As for the soil, the plant is not too demanding on it. Ideally, it should be moist and rich in nutrients.
Buzulnik Othello can grow even on heavy clay soil without drainage, tolerates temporary flooding without problems
Landing algorithm
When propagating a buzulnik by dividing a bush, the actions are as follows:
- Choose an adult healthy bush that has root shoots.
- To separate part of the plant, the entire bush does not need to be dug up. Using a shovel or other suitable tool, you need to carefully cut off the required fragment.
- Dig up the cut-off part, fill the formed hole with nutrient soil and pour abundantly with water.
- Rinse the excavated fragment under running water, divide into sections so that each has at least one viable kidney.
- Before planting, dig the earth to the depth of a spade bayonet. Form holes measuring 40×40 cm at a distance of about 1 m from each other.
- Plant prepared delenki in the pits, straightening the roots. Cover with soil mixture consisting of garden soil, superphosphate, humus and wood ash, water. The kidneys should be located above the ground.
A year later, the Othello buzulnik, propagated by dividing the bush, can bloom.
Seeds are planted in autumn in open ground:
- Dig up the ground for planting to a depth of about 30 cm. Per 1 sq. m fertilize: 1 bucket of humus, 2 cups of wood ash, 1 cup of superphosphate. The soil must be moist.
- Form long grooves.
- Deepen the seeds by 1 cm, leaving a distance of about 1 m between them. If dense thickets are required, make intervals of 0,5 m long. Moisten the planting site.
Features of care
Despite the fact that Othello’s buzulnik is undemanding, he needs care, then he will always be strong and beautiful. The plant needs watering, fertilizing, loosening, mulching, pruning. Tall specimens may need supports to which they must be tied so that they do not break.
Watering and fertilizing schedule
Buzulnik Othello is a moisture-loving plant. Even the slightest drying of the soil leads to a slowdown in the growth of the bush and wilting of the leaves. The soil must be constantly moistened, so irrigation is required. In hot weather, you need to water as needed, preventing the top layer of the earth around the plant from drying out. In case of drought, it is imperative to spray – this is best done in the morning or in the evening, when there is no scorching sun. If the weather is moderately warm, you need to water once a week. If it’s cool, there’s usually enough rainfall. Young, newly planted bushes are watered once every 1-1 days. Watering should be plentiful, since the buzulnik has a rather long root.
Buzulnik Othello grows well on fertile soil rich in nutrients. The first time fertilizer is applied immediately after planting. It consists of wood ash, superphosphate, humus. Then feed 1-2 times a year. In the spring, cow dung diluted with water is introduced into the soil under the bushes. The next time you can fertilize with humus after flowering, so that the buzulnik has the strength to winter. When feeding, humus should not fall on the roots.
Loosening and mulching
It is desirable that the earth around the bushes be loose and provide oxygen to the roots. This requires weeding. You can place mulch in the form of dry peat on the site, reducing the number of loosening procedures and providing longer moisture retention.
Trimming
Pruning is carried out after the buzulnik fades.
If you want to get seeds, leave a few large inflorescences
Pruning is necessary for the transfer of nutrients from the inflorescences to the stems and leaves. The procedure helps to rejuvenate the plant.
Preparation for winter
Buzulnik Othello must be prepared for winter. Colds can harm the plant if there is little snow in frosts.
With the onset of the first frost, the aerial part of the buzulnik is completely cut off, this area is mulched using dry peat and straw. In areas with cold winters, you need to cover it with spruce branches.
Diseases and pests
Buzulnik Othello is distinguished by good health and resistance to pests and diseases.
As for pests, you should pay attention to the slugs that appear on the plant in the spring and eat the leaves. To protect the buzulnik from this pest, the soil near the bush is sprinkled with superphosphate in granules for prevention. If slugs have already appeared, they must be collected manually.
Infrequently, powdery mildew can be found on the buzulnik. In this case, it must be treated with colloidal sulfur or potassium permanganate solution.
Conclusion
Buzulnik Othello is a spectacular plant that stands out for its unusual foliage and bright orange inflorescences. To provide him with the necessary care, it will not take much time and labor, because it is picky. The main thing is to remember about moisturizing and protect from the scorching rays of the sun.
