Kalina “Buldenezh” is a low ornamental shrub that came to us from distant France more than 4 centuries ago. The name of this plant is translated from French as “snowball”, which most accurately reflects its main external feature – large snow-white inflorescences in the shape of a ball. Kalina “Buldenezh” is a decorative form of the well-known common viburnum, but the difference between them is that the French variety is used exclusively to decorate the landscape, since its flowers are sterile and practically do not form berries.
Care
This decorative culture has always been held in high esteem by landscape designers and gardeners, because in addition to the amazing beauty of the spherical inflorescences that the bush is strewn with during the flowering period, it is unpretentious and easy to care for.
Viburnum “Buldenezh” grows quite quickly – in just a couple of years the plant reaches its maximum height (2,5–3 m) and acquires a spreading crown. The shrub blooms with large white inflorescences with a delicate cream shade from the second half of May, and if the culture is provided with proper care, then the flowering time stretches up to 30 days.
Growing this variety of viburnum is easy. If the planting was done correctly, and the seedling took root, then further care of the crop is to maintain its decorative effect and provide the necessary conditions for growth.
Despite the fact that the shrub adequately tolerates severe frosts, is able to grow in poor soil and responds to any fertilizer, there are a number of necessary measures, of which, in fact, care consists:
- regular watering;
- trimming;
- top dressing;
- disease protection and pest control.
Kalina variety “Buldenezh” is very moisture-loving. It is ideal for planting near a body of water or in another place with a sufficient amount of moisture. If the bush grows in an ordinary garden or in a flower bed, then the main care for it consists in abundant and systematic watering – only in this case the flowering will be long, and the crown will be lush and green. Water viburnum under the root at the rate of 3-4 buckets per adult plant, for a small one 1-2 buckets of water are enough. For irrigation, it is desirable to use rainwater.
In order for the bush to always look fresh and bloom profusely, you should regularly prune dry, damaged, as well as old branches. Young seedlings of the first year of life are not pruned. In the future, starting from the second year, care consists in gentle, but systematic pruning. If skills allow, the bush can be cut, giving it a variety of original forms.
Top dressing is an equally important part, which includes the care of viburnum. You can feed the shrub with both organic and mineral complex preparations. In autumn and spring, humus or compost can be dug around the bush. The same materials can be used to mulch the near-trunk circles of plants for the winter – such a shelter will serve not only as a top dressing, but also protect the roots from freezing. In early spring, it is recommended to feed the culture with a nitrogen-containing mixture, and closer to the formation of buds, apply special fertilizers that promote abundant flowering. You can buy these products at any gardening store.
It is also necessary to carry out preventive treatments from pests from time to time. Insects such as black aphids, cruciferous fleas and leaf beetles most often attack the viburnum of this variety.
For the prevention of pests, the shrub can be treated with a solution of ash (2 cups / 10 liters of water). The agent is applied to the entire bush from the sprayer, after which you need to make sure that it does not wash off for some time.
If insects nevertheless appeared on the bush, then a concentrated soap solution or special preparations (Aktelik, Fitoverm, Spark) are used for processing. Branches affected by the pest should be broken off to prevent the spread of insects to healthy shoots. In the fight against leaf beetles, stronger insecticides are used – Fufanon, Karbofos.
Reproduction
For this type of viburnum, the formation of berries is not typical, and therefore planting a crop from seeds is not possible. Therefore, reproduction is carried out only in three ways:
- cuttings. This method is most convenient to use during spring or summer pruning of bushes. Cuttings are cut from young shoots with several developing buds. Cut cuttings are placed for 10–12 hours in a solution that stimulates root formation (for example, Kornevin), after which they are planted on a prepared (dug and fertilized) bed. The cuttings are buried at a slight angle into the soil by 2-3 cm, and covered with a film or plastic bottle to create a greenhouse effect. Subject to all recommendations, the cuttings take root in 1–1,5 months.
- Branches. This method of propagation of decorative viburnum is the easiest and fastest. It consists in sprinkling the shoots with earth, after which they themselves take root. To do this, you need to dig small (up to 10 cm) depressions around the bush, then bend young annual shoots into the hole, and fix them with hooks. Then sprinkle with earth, water well, you can add a little compost. After about a month, the shoots will take root, and they can be transplanted to another place.
- The division of the bush. This method is not as simple as the previous two, since it is quite difficult to dig a viburnum bush without damaging it. However, if it is necessary to transplant a plant, then it is better to divide the bush in the fall.
Landing
Proper planting for decorative viburnum is more important than proper care. If the plant is planted in compliance with all the necessary conditions, then many caring activities may simply not be needed. First of all, this concerns the choice of a place where a bush will be planted.
For the viburnum of the Buldenezh variety, the ideal place would be a site where the sun shines for half a day, and in the second half of the day the bush is in partial shade.
If you choose a site with a bright scorching sun, then the flowering of the viburnum will be short-lived, and the inflorescences will become burned. If the plant is constantly in the shade, then the inflorescences will be rare and weak. If it is not possible to place a shrub in partial shade, then try to plant it near a garden pond, a fountain.
Viburnum of this variety is undemanding to the soil, but if you want to grow a beautifully flowering ornamental shrub, then attention should also be paid to the composition of the soil. The plant develops well and blooms profusely in loose, moderately acidic or neutral soil. If the soil in the area is clayey, peat, humus or wood ash should be added to it. Depending on the breeding method, viburnum planting is carried out in spring or autumn.
Kalina varieties “Buldenezh” are often planted as a single bush. Planting is carried out in a hole about 60 cm wide and 80 cm deep. During active growth, the shrub especially needs fertilizers, so the planting hole must be filled almost to the brim with organic matter (peat, humus, dry foliage), add a mineral mixture with phosphorus and potassium. Also, do not forget about the drainage, which is laid in the lowest layer.
A young seedling (cutting) is planted in a small depression so that the root system is 5–7 cm deep. The soil around the seedling is compacted, watered abundantly and mulched so that moisture does not evaporate. For mulch, you can use any organic material: dry leaves, needles, sawdust, wood chips.
As you can see, planting an ornamental viburnum is no more difficult than any other plant, and the pleasure of contemplating a lush flowering shrub is incomparable with anything. Even when the flowering period of the viburnum is over, it will still remain the centerpiece of your garden due to its lush green crown.
Video “Recommendations for planting and care of viburnum Buldenezh”
This video contains useful tips that will help you plant and grow a plant famous for its decorative beauty on the site.
