Alpine currant is a deciduous shrub that belongs to the genus Currant of the Gooseberry family. It is used in landscape design to create hedges, figured sculptures, to decorate private and public areas.
Description
The Latin name for alpine currant is Ribes alpinum. This is a slow-growing shrub with an annual growth of about 10-15 cm. It reaches its final height in 10-20 years. Has deep roots, sensitive to soil density. Alpine currant does not belong to light-loving plants; it grows best in partial shade or in the shade. Grows well in a sunny location in moist soil.
Description of alpine currant and its photo:
- shrub about 1-2 m in height and width;
- branches are straight, elastic, dense, compactly located;
- leaflets are small, up to 4 cm long, frequent, three-lobed, single-toothed along the edge, dark green;
- the surface of the leaves is shiny, covered with glandular bristles;
- their reverse side is smooth, light in color;
- flowers are greenish-yellow;
- pedicels also with glandular setae;
- racemose inflorescences, include from 15 to 30 male and 1-5 female flowers;
- fruits – berries from 6 to 8 mm in diameter, pink in color, have a powdery taste.
Alpine currant blooms in May for 1,5-2 weeks, the berries ripen in July-August. They stay on the bush for a long time, until frost. They are very decorative against the background of green foliage and are quite edible, but not very tasty. However, they are sometimes used to make juice along with other berries or added to fruit preparations. The age of fruit-bearing currant branches of this species is 5-6 years, so they are then cut off and replaced with new ones.
Alpine currant is very decorative. It can decorate the site throughout the warm season. In summer it is green, in autumn its leaves turn golden green or ocher green, which gives the plant a particularly elegant look.
Varieties
Alpine currant has been known as an ornamental plant since the end of the XNUMXth century. Since that time, many garden forms have been bred: classic, decorative with yellow and red leaves, dwarf. In Our Country, the most common variety is the alpine currant Schmidt. This is a winter-hardy, shade-tolerant, drought- and wind-resistant and very durable variety – the plant can live up to 40 years. Great for landscaping cities, as it feels fine on gassed streets and near tall trees.
Alpine currant Schmidt is not very demanding on soils, but prefers well-drained loose and nutritious loams and sandy loams with a high content of humus. The soil reaction is neutral or slightly acidic. At the same time, on too fertile soils, the currant loses the compactness of the bush. It does not tolerate waterlogging, on soils with stagnant moisture it is affected by fungal diseases and dies off.
What currant Schmidt looks like can be seen in this video:
The next variety of alpine currant, which is popular – Golden (Aureum). This is a dwarf form, the height of its bush does not exceed 1 m. It is unpretentious to growing conditions and is resistant to diseases, but differs from the previous form in that it cannot tolerate shading. It has golden-colored young leaves, but this currant is especially decorative during flowering, when the plant is covered with a mass of pale yellow inflorescences.
Another variety of alpine currant – form of Pumilum (Pumila). The plants are low, no more than 1,5 m, dense and have a spherical crown with a diameter of up to 0,6 m. The shoots are curved, strewn with small carved decorative leaves. Currant Pumila is winter-hardy, characterized by high rooting of cuttings. It begins to bloom only from the age of 5.
And finally cultural laciniata form. Its bushes are tall, the leaves are incised-toothed. This currant demonstrates excellent rooting of cuttings.
Landing
Alpine currant is propagated by seeds, layering or cuttings. Of all three methods, it is easiest to propagate it by cuttings. To do this, in early spring, even before bud break, lignified shoots of last year or basal shoots about 20 cm long are cut from the bushes. Root them in a loose light substrate in greenhouses or containers. The optimal composition of the soil for this plant is a mixture of humus, sand and soddy soil in a ratio of 1 to 1. In autumn, the bushes are cut and planted in a permanent place.
For propagation of currants by seeds, they are sown in spring or autumn. Before this, the seeds are stratified. They are sown in open ground on a separate bed. The seeding depth is 0,5 cm. After sowing, the soil surface is sprinkled with a thin layer of peat. With good care, seedlings become suitable for planting next spring. To create layering, 2-year-old shoots are selected, they are dug in, and when they take root, they are separated from the bush and transplanted to a new place.
You can plant seedlings from March to late autumn, even in summer. Container-grown seedlings are best suited for this purpose. They quickly take root and adapt to a new place, since their roots are not damaged.
Currant plants are placed in ordinary plantations at a distance of 2-2,5 m, and in order to create a hedge – at a distance of 1,5-1 m from each other. Before planting, humus is added to the pits in the amount of 1-2 buckets, 20-30 g of potassium salt and 150-200 g of superphosphate. Seedlings are examined, broken or diseased branches are cut off, healthy ones are shortened by 1/3, too long and bare roots are also cut off, the rest are dipped in a clay mash or powdered with Kornevin. After that, the plants are buried in the soil below the root collar by 5-7 cm, watered with 1-2 buckets of water, and the soil is compacted. It is recommended to place the seedling at an angle of 45 ° C – this way it grows better.
How to plant currants can be seen in this video:
Care
After planting the alpine currant, caring for it consists in watering, fertilizing, loosening the soil, shaping, and protecting against diseases. Water the bushes before they take root often, young ones – moderately or rarely (depending on the weather), adults can not be watered. As the plants grow, the ground around them is weeded to remove weeds. When the currant grows, weeding is no longer required. They are fed in early spring and autumn, introducing humus, manure and ash under each bush. Then the earth is loosened. Complex mineral fertilizers are applied in April and at the end of flowering.
Pruned bushes in the spring, before the start of sap flow, removing all old or affected by diseases and pests, twigs, as well as those that thicken the bush. They are cut to the very base. Then align the branches in height and give the bush the desired shape. Large sections can be sprinkled with ash, put garden pitch or paint on them. If necessary, in the summer, additional shaping is carried out, removing excess green mass.
Alpine currant can be affected by rust, terry, spotting, it can be attacked by aphids, sawflies, scale insects and spider mites. They are destroyed by fungicides and insecticides. To prevent fungal diseases, the bushes are sprayed with Fitosporin, tobacco and soap solutions.
Stamps of young plants in the first 2-3 years of their life are recommended to be covered for the winter to protect against frost. To do this, currant trunks are wrapped in 1-2 layers of burlap.
Use in landscape design
In landscape design, Schmidt’s alpine currant is used to form neat hedges, but also looks good in group plantings on lawns, and can decorate any other area, for example, an orchard. Schmidt’s currant lends itself well to shearing and quickly overgrows with leaves, it can be used to form both simple geometric shapes and topiaries.
Because of this, other crops can suffer if they are placed too close. This rule does not apply to currants grown as a tapeworm or as part of group compositions.
Conclusion
Alpine currant is a valuable shrub that is now used in landscape design to create hedges and decorate plots. It looks great in almost any type of planting, single or group. The main advantages of this currant are tallness, density of branches, bright carved foliage, and in summer and autumn – golden inflorescences and red fruits contrasting with foliage. This ornamental plant does not require special care, so even an inexperienced gardener can handle its cultivation.