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Decorative almond conquers with its extraordinary picturesqueness everyone who has seen the flowering of its bushes – fragrant pink clouds. Planting and growing a beautiful plant in the climate of the middle zone is not difficult at all. Ornamental almond care includes watering, fertilizing and regular pruning.
Description of an ornamental almond shrub
This ornamental culture is more common in the form of medium-sized bushes. Sometimes almonds are formed on a trunk or in the form of a low tree. In Our Country, low and three-lobed almonds are usually grown. The grayish-red trunks of the deciduous plant rise from 1 to 1,5 m, or up to 2,5-3 m in different species. The bush forms straight, slightly fanned shoots in all directions, forming a spherical-oval silhouette. After the third year of development, the plant puts out root suckers, which later replace the first shoots that are outdated after 7 years of growth. The roots of ornamental almonds are brittle.
Leaves do not bloom equally in all species. They also differ in size – 4-8 cm long, 1,5-3 cm wide. Almond steppe, or low, provides an opportunity to admire its flowering against the background of young leaves. In most other species, leaf buds open after the flowering period. The lanceolate leaf blades of the culture are leathery, dark green in color, with an elegant serrate pattern of edges.
Decorative species delight with early spring flowering 4-5 years after planting. Depending on the variety, simple and terry whisks are incredibly picturesque. In many species, the petals are rounded, although some are elongated, usually in different shades of pink or white. Numerous graceful stamens of decorative almonds, as seen in the photo, create the image of a fragile and delicate flower. The diameter of the corolla is from 1 to 2,5-3 cm. The buds open very densely along the entire length of the shoot, especially its upper part. The flower show lasts from one to three weeks.
Use in landscape design
The ability of ornamental crops to endure low temperatures allowed gardeners, lovers of beauty, to grow them not only in the south of the country, but in the middle climatic zone and even in Siberia. Planted species that can recover after freezing:
- steppe;
- Ledebura;
- Georgian;
- three-bladed.
The culture is suitable for creating decorative hedges, very showy in spring, and as a bright tapeworm in the garden. Beautiful flowering bushes act as an element for alpine slides against the backdrop of large coniferous groups. In autumn and winter, the shrub also has peculiar decorations – fleecy fruits.
Popular varieties of ornamental almonds
Each of the decorative forms has separate varieties. Steppe almond, or beaver, is represented by white-flowered and pink-flowered shrubs, which are highly decorative for 7-8 days.
Intermediary – a frost-resistant variety created by I. V. Michurin, a 2-3-meter tree with pale pink flowers.
The Pink Mist has corollas up to 2,5 cm in diameter of a rich shade.
Pink flamingo flowers up to 1 cm, but lush, double.
Anyuta variety blooms bright pink.
The White Sail has small white flowers, but very abundant.
Gessler’s form is represented by a low-growing shrub with petals of a bright and saturated color.
The type of Ledebour almond, from the foothills of Altai, is famous for the Fire Hill variety with red-pink petals, its corollas are up to 3 cm. The shrub is decorative for 14-20 days. Shoots grow up to 1,2-2 m in height, the crown is compact – 0,8-1 m.
Tall, up to 3-5 m, three-lobed almond, a plant originating from China, has recently been given a different name – three-lobed louiseania. Its shoots with gray bark create a spreading crown with leaves of three lobes. It blooms in large, up to 3-3,5 cm densely double or simple corollas of rich pink and raspberry color. The species has many varieties.
Tanyusha strikes with densely double swirling petals.
The shade of the Uimura Snow variety turns from pink to cream by the end of flowering.
The saturated color of the petals of the decorative variety Ladislava approaches raspberry.
Planting and caring for decorative almonds
The gardens are decorated with both the usual decorative steppe almonds with edible nuts, and the more picturesque louiseania. The culture is resistant to urban conditions, very colorful in spring. Bushes quickly rise and grow.
Landing site and material preparation
The natural habitat of almonds is calcareous and stony soils, sandy loam, light loam, with an acidity index of pH 5-7,5, open sunny areas. It is advisable to reproduce similar conditions on the site, placing the tree from the south, under reliable protection from the north winds:
- light penumbra is allowed, no more than 120-150 minutes during the day;
- deep occurrence of groundwater;
- for planting substrate, garden soil, humus or compost, sand are prepared in a ratio of 3: 2: 1;
- 300-400 g of dolomite flour or slaked lime are added to the mixture;
- pits in a group planting are dug after 1-2,5 m.
Before planting, seedlings with an open root system are placed for several hours in a mixture of water and clay to restore moisture.
Planting decorative almonds
Shrubs are planted in the evening, in the morning or in the afternoon in cloudy weather:
- pit depth 30-40 cm, the same diameter;
- lay a 10-centimeter layer of drainage;
- an almond seedling is placed on a nutrient substrate, making sure that the root neck is located above the surface level;
- clog a low support for the stem;
- sprinkled with soil, compacted, watered with 10-15 liters of water and mulched near the trunk circle.
Watering and top dressing
The shrub is drought-resistant, but when watered, especially before budding and during flowering, it will look much more decorative. With sufficient moisture, almond petals will retain their original shade longer. Watered 10-20 liters under a bush every 7-10 days, guided by weather conditions. The dried soil is loosened, weeds are removed.
In early spring, preserving natural moisture, ornamental shrubs are mulched with nutritious materials:
- compost;
- humus;
- lowland peat.
In April-May, before flowering, dilute in 10 liters of water:
- 1 liter of mullein, 25 g of urea;
- 40 g of ammonium nitrate and water the bush.
Top dressing of 30 g of superphosphate per bucket of water in the middle of summer will make it possible for the almond wood to ripen well and form future flower buds. In autumn, the site is dug up with fertilizers: 20 g of double superphosphate and potassium sulfate per 1 sq. m.
Trimming and shaping
In almond seedlings, the ends of the shoots are cut off by 20 cm. Future skeletal branches are determined on the central conductor, which grow at intervals of 20-30 cm. The formation of the almond trunk continues for the first 3 years. On stems, the Louisiana species is usually grown.
An adult decorative almond bush is cut off and beautifully formed a crown in 3 or even 4 stages annually:
- In early spring, branches affected by the elements and those that thicken the crown are removed.
- After the flower parade, shoots are cut off, which bloomed violently. The procedure helps the wood to mature and form new branches.
- At the same time, the decorative almond bush is given the desired silhouette. A trunk is formed up to 60-70 cm, 6-7 branches are left on the conductor trunk.
- In summer, almond shoots that go beyond the form are pinched, stopping their growth. Planned branches are also pruned if they grow longer than 60 cm.
Preparation for winter
Properly pruning and pinching the tops of ornamental almonds in summer is the best way to prepare the plant for cold temperatures. Due to the stoppage of growth, wood accumulates and matures, which will not be so afraid of frost. Around 1-3-year-old shrubs arrange a thick layer of mulch from straw, dry leaves, plant debris. Cover up to half the height of the trunk. Additionally, you can put the fallen snow, which is quickly removed with the first warm days. Adult bushes of ornamental almonds usually hibernate without shelter.
Reproduction
The method of propagation of decorative almonds depends on its shape. Species plants are sown by seeds, and varietal plants are sown only by cuttings, layering, shoots or grafting. Fans often grow rootstocks from seeds on their own, and then take cuttings of the variety they like for engraftment. Fruits-stones of almonds are sown in autumn in school. They germinate in spring. On the risen shoots 1 cm thick from below, up to 10 cm in height, all branches are removed on the ring. Transplant plants in the fall. The next year they can already serve as a stock. Plant almonds in spring and August.
Easy ways to propagate decorative almonds are layering and shoots. Root suckers grow after heavy pruning. They are dug out in the autumn a year later, when a separate root system is formed. The lower branches of varietal decorative almonds are added dropwise in the spring, leaving the top. The shoots are transplanted in the fall, a year later.
Cuttings from decorative almonds are cut after June 15 from semi-lignified tops. The length of the segments is up to 20 cm, each should have 2 knots. The cuttings with the lower cut are placed in a growth stimulator according to the instructions, then they are planted in a light substrate of peat and sand so that 1 knot remains above the surface. Segments of almond twigs take root in a month, in the fall they are transplanted into a school, carefully mulched and covered.
Diseases and pests
Leaves and shoots of ornamental shrubs are susceptible to fungal diseases:
- gray rot;
- rust;
- moniliosis;
- Parsha;
- klasterosporiosis.
If there are symptoms of the disease – brown spots and dots on the leaves, the tops die off, almond bushes are treated with fungicides:
- Cuproxate;
- Fundazol;
- Speed;
- Topaz.
Harm the leaves and fruits of ornamental shrubs:
- almond seed-eater;
- leaflet;
- aphid;
- spider mite.
Acaricides are used against the last pests:
- Agravertin;
- Akarin;
- Kleshchevit.
Insects are fought with effective insecticides:
- Zolon;
- Fufanon;
- Calypso and others
Conclusion
The colorful almond is ornamental, drought tolerant and winter hardy, showing its full range of colorful effect with regular pruning, watering and fertilizing. The shrub is durable, can grow up to 100 years in one place. By planting a cute plant on the estate, you can decorate it for many years.
