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Tulips fascinate with their tenderness and beauty. These flowers belong to the genus of perennial herbaceous plants, numbering about 80 different species. One of the interesting and original representatives is the Bieberstein tulip, or oak forest, which grows in the wild. The variety was named in honor of the first collector, the botanist who studied the flora of the Caucasus, F.K. Bieberstein-Marshall.
Outwardly, the Bieberstein tulip resembles a snowdrop
Description of the Bieberstein tulip
Bieberstein’s tulip (tulipa biebersteiniana) belongs to the bulbous plants of the Lily family. The bulb is small, 1-2 cm in diameter, cone-shaped, with black-brown scales and pubescence at the apex and base.
The stem of the flower is straight, naked, grows up to 15-40 cm in height. The color of the leaves is rich green, their length is about 3 cm.
Flowers solitary, drooping, bright yellow. Their shape resembles an asterisk, the diameter of which does not exceed 3-5 cm. The fruits are an upright dry box with a sharp top, about 1,5-2,5 cm long.
The Bieberstein tulip blooms with the onset of heat, in April-May, bears fruit in May-June. The plant is quite light-loving, therefore, flowering begins before the foliage of trees, the crowns of which can create excessive shade. Flowers exude a strong, pleasant aroma.
Propagated by daughter bulbs and seeds, the plant spontaneously throws out matured seeds around itself.
Seeds germinate easily, forming whole flower meadows
Where does the Bieberstein tulip grow?
Under natural conditions, Bieberstein’s tulip grows in the steppes, on rocky calcareous slopes, saline areas, shaded forest edges and in thickets of bushes. It is found everywhere in the European part of Our Country (Moscow, Rostov, Volgograd regions), in the North Caucasus (Krasnodar and Stavropol Territories), in Western Siberia, in the east and southeast of Europe, in southwestern and northern Asia, in Kazakhstan.
Is the Bieberstein tulip listed in the Red Book
The Biberstein tulip grows in several specially protected natural areas (PAs) in Our Country. The flower is listed in the Red Book of Moscow, Astrakhan, Lipetsk, Samara, Ulyanovsk, Volgograd, Penza and Rostov regions, Krasnodar and Stavropol regions. It also has a protected status in the republics of Bashkortostan, Tatarstan, Kalmykia, Mordovia, Chechnya.
The plowing of virgin steppes, quarrying, and the collection of flowering plants for bouquets lead to a decrease in the population of the culture.
Is it possible to grow a Bieberstein tulip
Despite the fact that the Bieberstein tulip is a wild crop, it can also be grown in home gardens.
It is important to follow these rules:
- It is necessary to choose the right place for landing. It is best to give preference to spacious, open and bright areas. You can grow flowers in partial shade. Too shaded places are categorically not suitable. Plants also feel bad under the scorching sun, they will quickly wither. Rotting of the roots can be caused by the close occurrence of groundwater, which “washes” them.
- Preference should be given to loamy fertile soils. The best option is neutral soil, in which you can fertilize yourself.
- Planting can be done both in spring and autumn, but autumn is the most favorable period.
- Landing holes are recommended to be made small, placing them at a certain distance from each other. You can prevent rotting of the root system by filling the bottom of the hole with sand.
- Bulbs planted in autumn will have time to form roots before the onset of frost, so they should be covered for the winter. It is necessary to carry out pre-winter preparation before the onset of the first frost. Humus or peat is suitable as a covering material.
Tulip Bieberstein needs proper and regular care, which consists in timely, but moderate watering, loosening the soil and removing weeds.
It is recommended to fertilize plants with complex fertilizers no more than 3 times per season:
- before germination;
- during the ripening of the buds;
- during the flowering period.
Fertilizers in dry form can be applied even with incomplete snowmelt in spring. Complex top dressing is added during watering. During the flowering period, potassium-phosphorus fertilizers should be used.
After each watering, the soil must be loosened. Such procedures favorably affect the development of perennial tulips.
It is also necessary to remove weeds around plants in a timely manner. Weeds growing near flowers will draw nutrients from the soil, which can lead to disease. Sometimes even weeds can cause a lack of flowering.
Bieberstein tulips for the winter are recommended to be dug up. In this case, it is necessary to carry out digging not in the fall, but immediately after flowering. Next, the bulbs should be disinfected, dried and put away for winter storage.
Conclusion
The Bieberstein tulip is an unpretentious, vegetatively propagating, wild plant that can be easily grown at home. It can be successfully used for landscaping personal plots, creating a variety of landscape compositions, flower beds and rock gardens. With proper and regular care, Bieberstein tulips will delight every year with their bright blooms in early spring.