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The eremurus flower looks attractive in garden design and does not need complicated care. But before planting a plant, it is worth studying its requirements for conditions.
Description of the plant
Eremurus, or shiryash (Eremurus) is a herbaceous perennial of the Xanthorreaceae family. It has a short fleshy rhizome, processes are spindle-shaped or cylindrical in shape. The stem of the flower is single, naked. The leaves rise directly from the root and form a rosette at the base of the bush. The plates are flat, linear-trihedral, keeled in the lower part.
The perennial is common in the southern regions of Europe, as well as in Central and Western Asia in arid regions. In Our Country, you can meet a plant in the Crimea and the Caucasus. The flower settles in sunny areas, prefers sandy or sandy soils.
The eremurus flower, depending on the species, can reach 0,5-3 m in height.
Winter hardiness of eremurus
The perennial plant has average frost resistance. In temperate climates, eremurus can withstand temperatures down to -28 °C. At the same time, the rhizomes of the plant require careful warming from frost and wind.
When does the eremurus bloom?
Eremurus brings white, yellow, pink or brown buds, forming a large brush, in early summer – at the end of May or in early June. The perennial inflorescences are long, up to 60 cm, slightly pointed at the top.
The flowering period of eremurus lasts about a month. Then fruits are formed – spherical three-cell boxes with a wrinkled or smooth surface.
What types and varieties to choose?
Photos of eremurus flowers in a flower bed show that the perennial is represented by a large number of varieties. There are several types most popular with gardeners.
Eremurus angustifolia
Shiryash narrow-leaved, or Bunge (Eremurus stenophyllus) – perennial up to 1,7 m tall. It has powerful simple shoots and a short vertical root with cord-like processes. The leaves of the plant are bluish-green, numerous, only about 2 cm wide. Inflorescences have a cylindrical shape, consist of small buds with a broadly bell-shaped perianth.
Inflorescences of narrow-leaved eremurus can reach 80 cm in length
Eremurus is wonderful
Shiryash wonderful, or representative (Eremurus spectabilis) reaches 2 m above the ground. It blooms in medium terms, usually blooms in May. The photo and description of the yellow eremurus variety demonstrate that the buds of the variety are small with long stamens. The leaves are bluish in hue, with a rough edge.
A wonderful shiryash begins to bloom for the first time 5-8 years after planting
Eremurus Himalayan
The Himalayan eremurus (Eremurus himalaicus) is distributed naturally in northeastern Afghanistan and the Western Himalayas. It reaches 1,8 m above the ground, the stem is bare, shiny, the leaves are keeled bright green, up to 67 cm long. The plant bears cylindrical inflorescences, consisting of buds up to 4 cm across with white petals and thin filaments. The decorative period begins in June and lasts until mid-summer.
Himalayan Shiryash has been known in culture since 1881
Eremurus powerful
Powerful shiryash (Eremurus robustus) – a plant up to 1,2 m above the ground. Produces numerous white or light pink buds that stand out against the dark green leaves. Both on the plates and on the bare stem of the flower there is a small bluish bloom.
Powerful eremurus grows in the foothills of the Tien Shan
Crimean Eremurus
Crimean eremurus (Eremurus tauricus) is an endemic species that grows in natural conditions only in the Crimea and some regions of Transcaucasia. It has straight, non-leafy stems and long, broadly linear leaves up to 60 cm. Photos and descriptions of the Crimean eremurus show that the species brings apical snow-white inflorescences. The perennial is drought-resistant, often found in pine forests and light deciduous forests, on limestone and shale.
Flowers at the Crimean Shiryash appear from May to July
Eremurus Altai
Altai eremurus (Eremurus altaicus) rises up to 1,2 m above the ground. It has a short thick rhizome and built-up xiphoid or linear-lanceolate leaves. The length of the plates is about 40 cm. The plant blooms with pale yellow buds, collected in brushes up to 30 cm long.
You can meet the Altai Shiryash in Altai, as well as in the countries of Central Asia
How to plant eremurus
Growing eremurus and caring for it are not associated with great difficulties. In open ground, the plant is transferred in the autumn – usually from early to mid-September. On the perennial site, a sunny and open place with well-drained soil is selected. The plant needs a neutral or slightly alkaline soil, it can be placed on rocky ground.
The flower planting algorithm looks like this:
- The selected area is dug up, if necessary, forming a raised flower bed for the plant.
- Pits are prepared according to the number of plants up to 30 cm deep.
- Pebbles or crushed stone are poured to the bottom of the holes, and a layer of fertile soil is laid on top from a mixture of sand, soddy soil and compost.
- Carefully roll the seedlings into the pits and straighten the roots to the sides.
- Fill the holes to the end and gently tamp the soil with your hands.
- Produce abundant watering with tepid water.
If you need to place several plants on the site, 50 cm of free space is left between them.
Eremurus care in the garden
Caring for a garden flower eremurus is quite simple. With proper planting, the plant quickly takes root, in the future it is only necessary to provide it with proper care.
Watering
The plant is drought-resistant and does not require a lot of moisture. If you plant an eremurus in the spring, it will only need to be watered abundantly for 3-4 weeks before rooting. After the flower takes root in the ground, the moisture intensity is reduced to a minimum. Watering is carried out only in hot weather with a long absence of precipitation. When planting in autumn, it is necessary to moisten the soil before the first cold weather.
Use settled tepid water for watering the flower. It is applied to the soil in the absence of bright sun, in the morning or in the evening.
Top dressing eremurus
In the spring, it is allowed to feed the eremurus with a complex preparation with a nitrogen content or rotted manure. Fertilizers will contribute to the growth of green mass and subsequent abundant flowering.
With the onset of autumn, superphosphate is added to the soil at the site at the rate of 40 g per 1 m2. Top dressing will strengthen the endurance of the flower and increase its winter hardiness. In general, the culture does not need abundant fertilizers – the perennial feels best on poor soil.
Trimming
The flower does not require a decorative haircut. However, in the summer it is recommended to remove wilted stems along with dried buds – this will preserve the attractiveness of the perennial.
Autumn pruning is carried out only after the natural yellowing of the leaves. Green plates cannot be touched – they continue to nourish the rhizome of the flower. If you cut the leaves ahead of time, the frost resistance of the perennial will suffer.
Supports
Low-growing flower varieties do not require support when grown. But next to tall bushes, it is recommended to install wooden poles for tying the stems. During the flowering period, the perennial can break from strong winds.
You can tie an eremurus for support to a fence or a wooden fence
Wintering
The perennial eremurus winters well without careful shelter in the middle lane and in the Moscow region. With the onset of autumn, it is only necessary to tightly mulch the remains of the plant with leaves and spruce branches with a layer of about 20 cm. Cooling down to -30 ° C in this case will not cause any harm to the flower.
Eremurus in Siberia needs more careful shelter. A frame structure is built over the flowerbed and agrofiber is pulled over it, and then the perennial is additionally insulated with coniferous branches. If the winter is expected to be very cold, you can simply dig the flower out of the ground and put it in a dry dark cellar until spring.
When and how to transplant eremurus
From time to time, a flower on the site requires a transplant. About once every four years, the perennial is carefully dug out of the ground and the rhizomes sorted out. The largest and healthiest specimens are planted in individual holes, small tubers are placed in small groups in common recesses.
Eremurus can be planted in early spring or mid-autumn. The flower must be at rest, otherwise it will be more difficult for it to take root in the soil.
How to propagate eremurus
For propagation of eremurus, two methods are used – vegetative and seed. The first is resorted to more often, since it allows you to wait for flowering earlier.
By division
The flower actively propagates by daughter rosettes that emerge from the ground next to the main plant. Children are transplanted according to the following scheme:
- Carefully separate the small rosette from the rhizome.
- Shiryash is treated with a fungicidal agent and a root formation stimulator for quick engraftment.
- Transfer the daughter plant to the prepared hole.
- Sprinkle with soil and water abundantly.
The division method is usually used every 5-6 years. The procedure is recommended to be carried out at the end of summer or at the beginning of autumn, at the end of flowering.
If the children do not separate from the adult eremurus with light pressure, it is worth leaving them in place until next year
Seeds
The flower can be propagated by seed. Planting a plant for seedlings is usually carried out in autumn at the end of September or at the beginning of October. For a perennial, a container up to 12 cm deep is selected and filled with nutritious, but light soil.
The flower planting algorithm is used as follows:
- Seeds are planted in moist soil to a depth of 1,5 cm.
- Plentifully water the soil and cover the container with plastic wrap.
- With regular airing, the flower is germinated at a temperature of about 15 ° C.
- If necessary, re-moisten the soil.
Shootings of eremurus appear rather late – not earlier than in early spring. Individual seedlings can germinate up to two years. For the first time, seedlings are taken out to fresh air a year after planting, having previously distributed the plants into individual pots. For the winter, the flower is not removed into the room, but it is carefully covered with compost or spruce branches. Strengthened plants are transplanted into open ground only after three years.
Diseases and pests
A decorative flower, if the rules of care are violated, can suffer from certain diseases and pests. The danger for him is:
- aphid – a small insect feeds on plant juices and slows down the development of a flower;
From aphids, spraying with soapy water helps well
- mice – the pest damages the roots of eremurus and causes the rapid death of the plant;
You can get rid of mice with poisoned baits
- chlorosis – perennial leaves with this disease turn pale and turn yellow;
Chlorosis affects shiryash on too poor soil with a low iron content
- rust – dark strokes and spots form on the plates of the plant, gradually the green fades.
Rust on eremurus develops in wet and warm weather
It is recommended to treat a perennial from fungi with Fitosporin, Skor or Topaz preparations, as well as copper sulphate. Spraying is carried out at the first sign of ailments, severely affected plants are simply removed from the site.
Why eremurus does not bloom
If the eremurus does not bring flower brushes, it is necessary, first of all, to calculate the age of the plant. The perennial begins to bloom in the fourth year of life, in some varieties the first buds appear after 6-8 years.
If an adult eremurus does not bloom, this may be due to several reasons:
- lack of sunlight;
- excess moisture;
- low temperatures.
It is easiest to reanimate eremurus if it does not bloom due to waterlogging of the soil. In this case, it is necessary to reduce the frequency of watering and in the future not to flood the culture. If a perennial is planted in an unfortunate place and lacks heat and light, all that remains is to dig it up and transfer it to a more suitable site.
Photo of eremurus in landscape design
In the design of the landscape, eremurus is used quite widely – the flower is very decorative, hardy and does not require complex care. In the garden, perennials are planted as part of artistic flower beds, combining it with other cultures. In particular, good neighbors for a flower are:
- roses and geleniums;
- rudbeckia;
- lavender;
- feverweed;
- lilies and gladiolus;
- irises.
You can place the flower in a sunny area with dry rocky soil. Perennial does not suffer in direct sunlight and does not lose color brightness.
Eremurus harmoniously looks in rockeries next to ornamental cereals
Tall plant varieties allow the formation of hedges and borders in the garden. In the flower bed, the culture is placed in the background so that it does not block other perennials.
Eremurus does not fade in water for a long time, so it is often used for cutting.
Conclusion
The eremurus flower is unpretentious, adjacent to most other perennials in the garden and rarely suffers from fungi. The main disadvantage of the plant is the slow development after planting.
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