Kolkvitsia is lovely: photos and descriptions of varieties, reviews, frost resistance

Kolkvitia adorable is a deciduous ornamental shrub, which is valued for its beautiful spring appearance during the flowering period. Its main advantage is that when it blooms in July, it creates a unique decor for a garden or garden plot at a time when other plants have already faded. Culture looks great as a tapeworm and as an element of landscape composition.

Description of the flowering shrub kolquitsia

Charming kolkwitzia (Kolkwitzia amabilis) is a monoecious (on which flowers of both sexes are placed) deciduous shrub of the Honeysuckle family. The plant is native to Western China. It was brought to Europe over 100 years ago, but has not yet been widely used in landscape design. One of the names of the plant is pleasant kolkvitia.

Main species features:

1. A multi-stemmed shrub with a spherical crown and abundant basal shoots. Its height is up to 3 m, width – up to 4 m. A cultivated plant can be more compact – 1,5 – 2 m.
2. At first, straight branches, growing, bend in the form of an arch, bending to the ground under the weight of flowers.
3. The bark of the shoots of the lovely colquitia is thin, reddish-brown and peels off in plates.

   

4. Broad leaves are oval in shape, pointed towards the top. They are located opposite. Their length is 3 – 7 cm. Their edges are shaggy. The upper part of the leaves are dark green in color, lightening towards the base. In autumn they turn bright yellow and red.

   

5. The flowers, about 1,5 cm in size, have a light fragrance, are collected in corymbose inflorescences and are located at the ends of the shoots. Their shape is bell-shaped, five-lobed. The color of the flower of the lovely kolquitsia is light pink with a lilac tint, inside the pharynx there is an orange pattern. Pedicels – omitted.

   

6. Односемянные плоды созревают к осени. Они сухие, покрыты щетинками и выглядят в форме коробочки коричневого цвета. В них образуются семена, характеризующиеся плохой всхожестью.

This description and species features of the lovely colquis are detailed in the photo:

Кустарник хорошо растет и обильно цветет в любой садовой почве. Для него предпочтительно освещенное солнечное место, хорошо себя чувствует культура и в полутени. Кольквиция прелестная характеризуется свойствами морозостойкости и выносливости в условиях городской среды.

How and when does kolquitsia bloom

Blooming kolkvitia lovely looks very elegant. Its delicate pink flowers, reminiscent of mother-of-pearl, cascade on hanging branches. The flowering of the shrub is plentiful: the foliage behind the flowers is almost invisible. Their sweet scent attracts insects.

The growing season of the plant is mid-April-November. The lovely colquitia blooms from the age of five in spring or summer, depending on the climate of the growing zone. In the middle lane, it blooms in early July, later than other ornamental shrubs. Flowering lasts more than three weeks.

Application in landscape design

According to the opinions of specialists in the field of landscape design, the lovely kolkvitia looks most advantageous as a tapeworm in various compositions:

1. Accent element on a green lawn. The lovely kolquitsia is planted individually on a well-groomed site. When cutting, it is given a neat spherical or fountain shape.
   Advice! Kolquitsia lovely goes well with the texture of stone and dark wood.

   

2. Group plantings of lovely colquis. A shrub planted in the form of a hedge looks spectacular. In this way, you can give privacy to the recreation area in the garden or splendor to the central entrance of the backyard. The combination of different varieties of lovely colquis in group planting creates non-contrasting color transitions from dark pink to almost white.

   

3. Контрастные композиции. Светлую окраску цветов кольквиции прелестной подчеркивают более темными лиственными, хвойными или ярко-цветущими растениями. Осенью ее желтая или красная листва оттеняет менее красочные кустарники. Вегейла и боярышник подчеркивают нежность цветов культуры.

   

4. Mixborders. Pale pink flowers of the lovely colquis highlight the central part of the shrub group. It is placed as a tapeworm and surrounded by lower plants.
   Important! A free-form flower bed is called a mixborder.

   

Varieties of wonderful kolquitsia

Few varieties of this plant have been selected. They are highly decorative. Heat-loving and not hardy enough, varieties of lovely colquis require special conditions for planting and care. For cultivation in the temperate continental climate of the middle lane, Pink Cloud, Rosea and Dreamcatcher varieties are suitable.

Pink Cloud

Pink Cloud blooms more profusely than the original variety of lovely colquis. The shrub is characterized by smaller sizes. At the age of five, it reaches a height of 0,8 m. Its maximum size is 2×2 m. The variety is frost-resistant and drought-resistant. Its shoots grow vertically, and the pale pink flowers that appear almost completely hide them.

Rosea or Rosea (Rosea)

Rosea begins to bloom with bright pink bells, which, as they bloom, acquire a light pink, almost white color. The shrub lends itself well to pruning. Perfect balls are formed from it, which are completely covered with flowers. The shoots of culture hang down beautifully in the form of a fountain. Leaves turn orange in autumn.

Dream Catcher Beauty Bush

A common name for this variety is Maradco. Its main difference from other varieties is the more compact size of the shrub. The golden-orange hue of the leaves and the lack of flowering is another varietal feature of this lovely colquis. The culture is also disease resistant.

Features of reproduction of colquis

Kolkvitsia lovely, like other perennial shrubs, is propagated by seeds, cuttings, layering or division.

Seeds

The seeds of the plant have a low germination rate – 25 – 35%, which must be taken into account when choosing this method of reproduction. With such cultivation of lovely colquitsia, special attention is paid to the nutrient substrate. It is made up of peat and sand, taken in equal proportions.

Seeds are planted in early April. To protect the shoots from late frosts, they are placed in a greenhouse or at home in a pot. Sprouts sprout by the beginning of summer, and in August they grow by almost 20 cm.

The procedure for propagating colquitia lovely seeds:

1. Prepare seeds. To do this, the seeds are subjected to stratification for two months: they are stored in a refrigerator at a temperature of 1 – 3 ⁰C in an airtight bag with wet vermiculite or a tissue. To accelerate germination, the seed material is soaked for 10 minutes. in sulfuric acid.
2. Углубить семена в субстрат не более чем на 0,5 см и обильно пролить.
3. The next spring after planting, it is important to dive the plant and plant it in a permanent place.

Layers

The most effective way to propagate the lovely colquis is by layering. The sequence of actions in this case is as follows:

1. Выбирают порослевый побег, растущий наружу кустарника.
2. Dig a small hole underneath.
3. The shoot is tilted and placed in a groove.
4. In the place where the shoot touches the ground, it is slightly incised and treated with a growth stimulator.
5. The shoot is fixed with a hairpin and sprinkled with soil, leaving the top free.
6. The soil is constantly kept slightly moist during the summer.
7. The next spring, after rooting, the cuttings of the lovely colquis are separated from the mother shrub and transplanted to a permanent place.

Cuttings

Cuttings are carried out in one of the following ways:

1. Woody cuttings. At the end of autumn, a lignified twig is cut from a lovely colquitia shrub and added dropwise in a shaded place. By winter, the cuttings are mulched with hay, straw or foliage. With the advent of spring, they are opened. Over the summer, the shoots will take shape and take root. The following spring, the young plant is transplanted to the desired location.
2. One year old cuttings. In early spring, one-year-old shoots are separated from the mother bush and cuttings are taken. Then, for rooting, they are planted in containers with soil mixture and kept in a warm place. At the beginning of summer, the cuttings are taken out into the shade and watered regularly, preventing the soil from drying out. After the appearance of young shoots, they are transplanted into open ground in a shaded place and continue to be watered. Before the onset of winter, the plants cover. In the spring, the young colquitia is transplanted to a permanent plot.

By dividing the bush

It is advisable to use the method of reproduction by dividing the bush when transplanting the lovely colquis. They do it this way:

1. The plant is carefully dug up.
2. Conduct a thorough inspection of the root system. Rotting and dry roots are removed.
3. The bush is divided into 3 – 4 parts so that each division consists of a healthy shoot and good roots.
4. Slices are treated with garden pitch or sprinkled with crushed coal.
5. New plants are planted in pre-prepared holes according to the scheme adopted for colquis.

Посадка и уход за кольквицией в открытом грунте

Growing kolquitsia in the middle lane, in the south of Our Country and in the Moscow region requires compliance with the rules for planting and caring for the plant. Agrotechnical measures for this culture are not difficult and are accessible even to novice gardeners.

Recommended dates

It is recommended to plant a lovely kolkvitsia in open ground in the spring, when the soil in the root layer warms up well:

• end of March – for the southern regions;
• the beginning of April – for the middle lane;
• mid-late April – for the Moscow region and territories located to the north.

Site selection and soil preparation

The place for planting the lovely colquis must meet the following characteristics:

• be well lit, but openwork penumbra is allowed;
  Important! In the shade, kolkvitia blooms sparsely.

• protected from gusts of wind (for example, near the wall of a building or fence);
• groundwater should not lie too high, stagnation of rain or snow water is not allowed;
• the shrub develops well and blooms on fertile, loose and weed-free soil: ideally, it should contain humus, sand, compost and leafy soil.

How to plant a lovely colquis

For planting choose one- or two-year-old healthy seedlings with well-developed roots. In order for the lovely kolquitsia, regardless of the variety chosen, to take root well and bloom densely, adhere to the following planting algorithm:

1. Prepare a hole measuring 60x60x60 cm. In group planting, the distance between the bushes should not be less than 1,5 m.
2. Pour a fertile mixture of earth, humus and sand into the bottom of the pit in a ratio of 2: 1: 1.
3. Install a lovely colquis seedling in the hole, making sure that its root neck is not buried.
4. Spread the roots of the plant.
5. Portionally introducing the earth and watering each layer with a small amount of water, fill the landing hole.
6. Pristvolny circle lightly tamp.
7. The final stage of planting is watering and mulching the soil around the seedling.

How to plant kolkvitia in the suburbs

The procedure for planting a charming colquis in the Moscow region and the Moscow region does not differ from the generally accepted scheme. Prepared seedlings are placed in holes, sprinkled with earth and watered. The soil must be mulched. This helps retain soil moisture and keeps the roots from overheating.

Colquis transplant

An overgrown shrub can be transplanted every five to six years to a new place. It is best to do this in the spring, when the air temperature stabilizes. So the plant will take root well and give young shoots. Kolquitsia lovely tolerates transplanting to a new place well. She quickly takes root and blooms well. At this time, you can propagate the bush by dividing. Algorithm for transplanting an adult plant or seedling with a closed root system:

1. The shrub is carefully dug up or removed from the container, being careful not to damage its roots.
2. A landing hole is prepared with a size exceeding the dimensions of the root system with an earthen clod.
3. Pour into the hole a soil mixture enriched with nutrients.
4. The bush is placed in a planting nest, its roots are covered with earth, avoiding the deepening of the root collar. The soil is compacted.
5. Пересаженная кольквиция требует обильного полива и мульчирования приствольного круга.

Peculiarities of growing

Colquisia adorable is able to withstand frosts down to -15 ⁰C. According to domestic gardeners, she is not afraid of short-term frost down to -30 ⁰C.

Watering and fertilizing schedule

Colquitia adorable can withstand a short drought, but for good flowering and development, it needs regular watering. The shrub is watered, preventing the soil from drying out, while using settled and sun-warmed water. The best time for the procedure is evening.

An excess of fertilizers reduces the winter hardiness of the plant and activates growth processes that lead to a deterioration in the flowering of the shrub. Top dressing is made according to the following schedule:

• with rotted organic matter and mineral additives, the culture is fertilized 2-3 times during the growing season;
• if the plant develops poorly, use liquid top dressing in the form of superphosphate (40 g per bucket of water) or mullein infusion (1:10).

Consumption of nutrient mixture – 10 liters per bush.

Pruning colquis

Colquitia adorable needs gentle shaping pruning. They try not to cut the lateral and upper branches, as this can adversely affect the flowering of the shrub. In summer, the unripened tops of the shoots are shortened, which helps to strengthen their bases.

Anti-aging pruning is carried out after the lovely colquis has faded. Old shoots are cut under the base. From spring, the plant will direct all its forces to the formation of an increase in young branches. They will start blooming next year.

Sanitary pruning is carried out with the onset of spring. At the same time, branches damaged by frost and pests are removed.

How to cover a colquitsia for the winter

Successful wintering of the lovely colquis, especially in the middle lane and the Moscow region, as well as in areas with severe frosts, is possible only with proper preparation. It starts in the fall, without waiting for early frosts:

• reducing the watering of the shrub;
• stopping fertilizing after flowering;
• mulching the root zone for the winter with leaf, compost with sawdust or peat, while laying a layer at least 5-10 cm thick, which protects the soil from freezing.

The best protection of a plant from frost is its shelter for the winter. The crown of young plants is wrapped with non-woven covering materials or kraft paper. Effectively bending the shrub to the ground, followed by laying spruce branches on it. Then a layer of snow up to 30 cm thick is thrown on top, under which the plant will safely winter. With the onset of heat, the lovely colquitsia must be freed from covering materials in order to prevent it from rotting.

It is possible to grow a flowering, healthy, disease-resistant shrub, as in the photo, only with proper planting and proper care of the colquis.

Pests and diseases

The shrub has properties of resistance to diseases and pests. But in dry and hot weather, it can be attacked by spider mites, thrips, aphids and caterpillars. In this case, the crown is treated with a solution of insecticides for flowering plants.

Возможно возникновение следующих проблем при выращивании растения:

Conclusion

Charming kolkvitia is a spectacular element of a modern well-groomed garden. It is frost-resistant and almost not subject to diseases and insect attacks. The shrub is not difficult to grow in areas with a temperate continental climate: it is enough to carry out regular watering, pruning and top dressing. To protect against freezing for the winter, the plant is covered.

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