Aubrieta is an evergreen, creeping plant of the cabbage family, growing as a perennial herb. Natural habitat is the shores and rocky areas of South America and Asia Minor. The plant is very beautiful - developing, it forms a continuous thick carpet, covered during flowering with bright flowers of violet, purple, red, pink, white flowers and their shades. Few-flowered racemose inflorescences adorn the plant for quite a long time, from about mid-spring until the very beginning of summer. As a result of flowering, fruits are formed in the form of pods filled with brown seeds.
The plant is planted in autumn or spring, when established warm weather and night frosts are excluded, around mid-May. Since this plant is quite demanding in terms of growing conditions and care, it is worth choosing the right site before planting. At the same time, it is assumed that aubrieta loves a lot of sunlight, loose, light soil that conducts moisture well and breathes. Separately, it should be noted that great importance has soil acidity - it should be neutral or low, within a pH range of 6 to 7, no more. If, upon checking, it turns out that this parameter is outside the optimal range, the soil will have to be amended, for example, by adding a little lime to it.
As for the nutritional properties of the soil, here the plant is not at all demanding. Aubrieta grows very well on moderately nutritious soils and even when they are completely poor, but it will be better if you add a little peat or charcoal - this will accelerate the growth of green mass and help the flower to fully reveal its decorative potential.
Landing
Aubrieta seedlings, after germination, are planted in open ground in groups, but no more than 5 plants in one place. If the seedlings were grown in peat flowerpots, the seedlings are planted directly into them, but if the flowerpots are plastic or clay, the plants will have to be carefully removed. To do this, the flowerpots are immersed in water, but only heated to a temperature environment and wait until air bubbles appear on the surface. Now, the seedlings can be carefully removed and planted in holes at a distance of at least 5 centimeters from each other.
After planting all the seedlings, the soil is compacted, sprinkled with sand in a layer of about 5 centimeters and watered, but only through a sprayer so as not to expose the roots.
Rules of care
This plant is very demanding on lighting, the slightest lack of which has a depressing effect on it, but as for care, no special frills are required. And yet, in order for a flower to develop healthy and delight with its splendor and abundance of flowers, you need to follow some rules.
Watering
A mature aubrieta can easily do without watering - natural rain moisture is enough for it. However, during hot, dry periods it will be better to water the plant, but only a little - it is strictly not recommended to water it, especially in late autumn. But young plants require regular moderate moisture as the top layer of soil dries.
Along with watering, you can lightly feed the plant by adding a little sodium humanate to the water. It promotes the overall development of the bush and its root system. But this must be done very carefully, since an excess of nutrients will lead to increased growth of green mass, and flowering, if any, will be very rare and insignificant.
Fertilizer and feeding
Young plants do not require fertilizer; on the contrary, this is contraindicated for them, but it is advisable to feed an adult bush twice a season, but very moderately and only with mineral compounds - no organic matter.
The first feeding is applied in the spring, before the formation of buds, and the next in the summer, after the pruning procedure.
Bush pruning and rejuvenation
Pruning is necessary not only for sanitary care– removal of diseased and outdated branches and leaves, but also to activate the second flowering. The first one lasts about a month and a half, after which you need to cut off all the stems at the roots, loosen the soil, fertilize it a little and mulch it. If this is not done, the aubrieta takes on an unkempt appearance and does not bloom a second time.
Autumn pruning is not recommended - it weakens the plant before the winter cold. It is better to do this in the spring, when it gets warmer.
Over time, the aubrieta degenerates and weakens. It becomes painful, and in addition, it blooms poorly or does not bloom at all, so it is advisable to rejuvenate the plant at least once every 2–3 years by growing a new one from its cuttings. It is best to do this in the spring.
For cuttings, young shoots without flower buds are selected, cut into small sections so that they have several growth points and planted in nurseries. Wide flowerpots or special boxes filled with a feeding substrate - peat mixed with sand, in approximately equal proportions - are suitable for this. There should be at least 10 centimeters between the cuttings, otherwise they will interfere with each other. Such seedlings, already at the beginning of summer, can be taken out into the air in a box, where they will get used to natural conditions, and at the beginning of autumn they can be transplanted into open ground.
For the first winter, it is advisable to insulate the plants by covering them with mulch, and if a frosty winter is expected, preferably also with spruce branches.
If everything is done correctly, the aubrieta will begin to bloom after wintering, abundantly and for a long time.
Growing from seeds
This method is quite effective and not complicated, but it is worth knowing that seed propagation often leads to loss varietal characteristics plants, in addition, seedlings bloom no earlier than after a year, or even two.
Procurement of seed material
To grow high-quality seeds, after the first flowering, you need to cut off the stems of the bush, leaving only a few of the healthiest shoots with fruits and, when they ripen, collect the pods, dry them and extract the seeds from them.
They can and preferably be planted this fall, but they can also be saved until spring planting in dry, cool and dark place, for example, in cardboard box on the refrigerator shelf.
Sowing seeds
There are two ways to germinate aubrieta seeds - in nurseries and directly in open ground.
For nurseries, it is worth using peat pots or tablets, which will then be easy to transfer to open ground. Seeds are laid out in groups of 3 on a damp substrate, covered with a layer of sand about 4 millimeters thick, moistened with a spray bottle and covered with film - a greenhouse is set up. This is done in early February and, until transplantation, the seedlings are kept at a temperature within 18 - 20°C. From time to time, the greenhouse is ventilated and the substrate is moistened, and with the onset of warmth, they are planted directly in the nurseries in open ground.
If you decide to sow seeds immediately in open ground, you will have to dig up the prepared area and remove weeds and fertilize with lime and charcoal. If the soil is heavy and clayey, it is advisable to prepare a drainage layer by laying expanded clay under the soil to a depth of approximately 10 - 15 centimeters, and then pour earth on it.
Sowing of seeds is carried out without deepening them into the substrate - they are covered with a layer of sand about 4 centimeters thick on top, watered from a watering can and a greenhouse is built over them, which is regularly ventilated, and removed when shoots appear. Shoots appear within one and a half to two weeks and, under optimal conditions, quickly develop and give rise to new plants.
When choosing a sowing option, it is worth considering that obrieta reacts very painfully to transplantation. Therefore, it is best to sow it immediately in open ground, or at worst, in self-dissolving seedling pots or boxes. In addition, it is worth immediately determining how many bushes will be planted in one place, since picking aubrieta seedlings is extremely undesirable.
Rules that must be strictly followed
Full development is possible only if very important conditions for the plant are observed, which are quite simple to implement and also few in number:
- For abundant flowering, watering should be as limited as possible - you can water only during dry, hot periods and very little;
- It is also necessary to fertilize and feed the soil carefully - twice a year and in small doses, since an excess of fertilizers, especially nitrogen, is more dangerous for shaving than its lack;
- It is necessary to regularly loosen the soil and weed out weeds. After each weeding, it will be good to mulch the ground - this will greatly slow down the growth of weeds.
Well, and most importantly, growing aubrieta can only be successful if it grows in well-lit, sunny place. No partial shade, and especially shaded areas, otherwise you won’t get flowers, the bush itself will be weak, painful and may even die.
Problems during cultivation
If the plant is provided with optimal conditions, close to those to which it is accustomed in its natural habitat, it is unlikely to bother you with its diseases. However, sometimes the obrieta still gets sick. Most often this is the result of insufficient lighting or improper humidity conditions - overflow. As a rule, the flower is bothered by powdery mildew, which covers the stems and leaves of the bush with a dirty white coating that greatly spoils the appearance. If the disease is not treated, over time the plant greatly slows down its growth, loses its immunity and may freeze in winter. Treatment is carried out with a solution of colloidal sulfur, strictly following the recommendations of the manufacturer of the product.
As for pests, most often these are aphids - an insect that feeds on leaves, sucking the juices from them, causing the plant to starve. Depending on the severity of the infestation, up to four insecticide applications may be needed to get rid of aphids. After processing, be sure to wash the leaves warm water, but only after the sun sets, otherwise another problem will be added - burns.
Aubrieta is very immune to other diseases and pests and suffers from them extremely rarely.
Homeland of the plant aubrieta, or aubrieta, is the Mediterranean and Asia Minor. Today, flowers are distributed throughout the European part and beyond. The flower was named after the Frenchman Claude Aubrier, a floral artist.
Aubrieta: description of the plant
– It is a ground cover herbaceous flowering plant. It is low - up to 35 cm, but grows well in width. If the plant is not contained, it will cover the entire area available for spread with a continuous carpet. The plant loves slopes, rocks and river banks. It has elongated leaves, often with a jagged edge, and the color of the foliage is green with a gray tint. It is typical for the plant not to shed its leaves for the winter; the leaves can withstand even severe frosts.
The plant blooms in early April and blooms until June. Aubrieta has small four-petalled flowers bright colors: all shades of blue, white, pink, even dark burgundy flowers are described. Aubrieta bears fruit; the pod-type fruits contain seeds that are used to propagate the plant. One pod contains more than two thousand brown seeds. Aubrieta is grown in seedlings or by sowing in open ground before winter. Aubrieta and all its species do not differ when grown in terms of agrotechnical features and rules for caring for it, just like appearance, except for the color, shape of the fruit and pistil.
Interesting! Florist Claude Aubrier (1656–1708) followed scientific expeditions aimed at studying the flora and fauna of different territories, making detailed botanical drawings. He accompanied the famous French botanist Joseph Pitton; Aubrier's works were published by such respected publications in the scientific world as Botanicon Parisiense.
Types of shaving
Let's look at the most popular and popular types and varieties of aubrieta in gardening and give them a brief description.
The deltoid aubrieta has been cultivated since 1710; the species was taken as the basis for breeding the cultural aubrieta. This type of aubrieta reaches a maximum of 15 cm in height, and its popular variety Aubrieta Bougainville grows up to 20 cm. The deltoid plant has gray-green pubescent foliage with a pair of teeth along the edge. Small flowers are collected in lush racemose inflorescences. The plant blooms in May with lilac and bright blue flowers.
Aubrieta graceful
Aubrieta gracilis is one of the most popular species, bright blue flowers up to two centimeters in diameter, growing on a stem not exceeding ten centimeters. This species is good for forming a living carpet on slopes and stone borders. Its pale green oblong leaves are almost invisible behind the densely growing flowers with a bright yellow center. Popular and beautiful variety Kittie Blue.
Aubrieta Kolumka grows up to 12 cm tall. It has a thick, arching stem with long, carved leaves. The stem at the top can bifurcate, holding two flowers. Both the stem and leaves are covered with thick soft hair. Kolumka has large flowers up to 4.5 cm in diameter, colored lavender and pink tones. Popular variety Speakers Guss.
Aubrieta cultural
Aubrieta cultivated is a hybrid plant, it is low - only 10 centimeters, the color of the flowers is represented by white, pink, red and purple shades. The plant is used as a living carpet, covering unsightly places with it, forming a curtain on stone fences. This type of aubrieta has several interesting varieties. Aubrieta Enchanting Morocco blooms from late spring, about a month. Shades of flowers range from pale blue to bright red. The flowers are up to one and a half centimeters in diameter, bloom thickly, covering the gray-green foliage.
Important! This variety grows in sunlit areas, but will wither in shade and partial shade.
Cote d'Azur– the flowers of this perennial aubriet, the color of the sky, decorate the garden for two months. They are distinguished by repeated flowering in early autumn, the flowers last until the first frost. Dr. Mules is a very interesting variety for landscape decoration. The dark purple flowers are somewhat reminiscent of forest violets, and the leaves are pale green, large with a white border along the edge of the leaf blade. Joy – distinctive feature varieties is that on one planting the blue and purple-lilac flowers, with terry petals.
– a frost-resistant perennial, grows no more than 15 cm. Flowers are 1 cm in diameter, painted in all shades of pink, purple and red. The Argenteo-variegata variety is popular for its decorative foliage and purple petal color. The leaves are light green with a pronounced white edge, sometimes with white spots. 
Red Cascade- a bright and eye-catching variety, the color of the petals is bright scarlet, flexible stems are well placed on rocky slopes or borders, the plant spreads beautifully along the plane. Cascade aubrieta has different flowering periods - from mid-spring to early summer. The plant spreads out in a dense carpet, the most decorative thing about it is the evergreen, dense and large leaves compared to other varieties. The flowers are single, medium-sized, blue and red, with a yellow center. Aubrieta cascade is pruned after the plant has flowered to stimulate the growth of foliage. Plant height – up to 15 cm.
Attention! It is better to water rooting young plants using a spray bottle; watering at the root can wash away the soil and damage the roots.
Aubrieta croata
Aubrieta croata is distinguished by the unusual shape of its leaves; when this plant blooms, delicate flowers open, mostly blue in shades with a darker center - purple or lilac. The lush green leaves are quite large, maple or diamond shaped.
Using aubriet in landscape design
Aubrieta is multifaceted in use. This plant feels good in open ground and on a balcony or loggia. Aubrieta looks great in hanging pots, on slopes and rocky areas. It falls beautifully from hedges and stone fences. They cover lawns with it and plant it in rock gardens. The plant decorates crevices in rocks, growing and filling bare areas of soil. Blue aubrieta flowers go well with yellow alyssums and white iberis. The plant is combined with awl-shaped phlox and Douglas phlox, with soapwort, milkweed and rhizome; it looks great in a composition with bells and as a flooring around evergreen ornamental shrubs.
Aubrieta - evergreen from the Kapus family, which originally appeared in Southern Europe, Latin America, Malaysia. It blooms profusely, perennial It grows mainly at the mouth of the river or on rocky slopes. If an amateur gardener decides to start breeding aubrieta, then caring for it will not be difficult.
The main and basic condition (all amateur gardeners must adhere to it) is that this care is regular. Aubrieta goes well with other crops in the flowerbed, for example, iris, phlox or spurge.
Bright, fragrant, blooming living carpet
If you look at the photo of the aubrieta, you can see the carpet bright color, and if you also see this plant live, you will be able to enjoy a pleasant, unforgettable aroma.
Recently, this flower has become one of the most popular perennial plants; it is often used by landscape designers to decorate flower beds and garden plots. What did he do to deserve such close attention to himself?
Varieties of aubrieta as a garden flower
There are a total of 12 types of this beautiful flower. The color scheme is replete with variety - from white to purple or of blue color. There are hybrid or cultivated aubrieta and deltoid beauty. Now a detailed story about each of these species.
The deltoid or deltoid aubrieta is popularly called the “lilac bush”; due to its purple color, from a distance it resembles a lilac twig. The homeland of this variety is South-Eastern Europe, only there you can find this plant in natural conditions. This variety of this plant at proper care reaches a height of 15 cm.
The second common type of this flower is the cultural (hybrid) aubrieta, which is early variety. It is a subshrub Green colour, which reaches a height of up to 20 cm.
Breeders have developed hundreds of varieties of this species: the bright blue Blue King, the spherical Red King, the sky-blue Cote d'Azur and other plants of indescribable beauty.
Planting and caring for the plant
Seedlings of this plant can be planted in open ground in early May only after the frosts have subsided. It is necessary to take care in advance about the place where the flower will live: it should be well lit (then the aubrieta flowers will not be faded) and well ventilated.
The soil should not be clayey and well fertilized (for example, it is best to add gravel if the soil is clayey and slaked lime if the future habitat is acidic).
The ideal soil should not be too fertile, but should have the presence of lime and chalk.
The plant does not like fatty soils - in peat and clay it will either take a long time to take root or die altogether. Many gardeners plant the flower close to the walls, because... When the plant blooms, this place will be visible to everyone.
It is necessary to strictly observe the distance between planting bushes - it should be equal to 5-10 cm. After planting a flower, it needs moderate watering: it does not tolerate too much moisture and stagnation - it dies. It is best to do this more often, but in smaller quantities. After the bush has been planted, it is watered abundantly and mulched with sand.
Planting an aubrieta is not difficult, but during this process you need to take into account several nuances that were presented in the article above.
Caring for the flower is also not difficult. There is no need to flood the flower, because from an excess of moisture it will become sluggish and lifeless. Rainwater will be enough for it (if the summer is not dry).
Fertilizers are contraindicated for young bushes, but for adults, on the contrary, they need sodium humanate or another mineral substance. Due to an excess of nutrients, the plant will not bloom profusely, only more greenery will appear.
Reproduction of aubrieta
This flower is propagated in the hot season using cuttings that are formed from shoots after pruning, then it must be placed in a mixture of peat and sand and placed in a cool place. At the end of summer, by dividing the bush, it can be propagated. You can also grow aubrieta with seeds, but this is a labor-intensive process and not always progressive.
It should be noted that young cultures do not have those characteristic properties, which are inherent in mother plants. Aubrieta seeds germinate 20-30 days after they are planted in a greenhouse.
The greenhouse with seeds should be watered moderately, whenever possible, because... the flower does not like excess moisture.
Pests and diseases of flowers
The main diseases of this plant are powdery mildew and aphids. From these diseases, the flower becomes less attractive and its growth slows down, some of its parts die off.
If the disease is not noticed and stopped in time, the plant may die.
In order to rid a plant of aphids, it is enough to prepare a nettle infusion and spray the plant. It is strictly contraindicated to use chemicals in the fight against this disease.
If the leaves of the flower turn brown and curl, this is the very first sign of powdery mildew. To combat this scourge, a solution of colloidal sulfur is used.
If this procedure does not save the crop, then it is necessary to immediately cut off all damaged branches (or even bushes), burn them and weed them out.
Photo of aubrieta
Plant aubrieta (lat. Aubrieta), or aubration, belongs to the genus of creeping evergreen herbaceous perennial flowering plants of the Brassica family, numbering 12 species. Aubrieta is grown in rock gardens and gardens throughout Europe, and in nature it can be found in the Balkans, Italy, the south of France, Asia Minor and even South America, where it lives on rocks and river banks. Latin name The flower was given in honor of the French artist Claude Aubrier, who worked in the genre of botanical illustration, and in our country it is called... empty talk. The blooming aubrieta is a bright continuous carpet. Characteristic feature The plant is that it retains its beautiful foliage even in winter.
Planting and caring for the shaving
- Landing: sowing seeds in open ground - in May or September. Sowing seeds for seedlings - at the end of February, planting seedlings in open ground - in the second half of May.
- Bloom: from mid-spring to early summer, blooms again in autumn.
- Lighting: bright sunlight.
- The soil: scanty, even rocky, but loose and permeable, containing peat or ash, with a pH of 6.0-7.0.
- Watering: moderate at the beginning and scanty as the plant develops. It is best to use the sprinkling method.
- Feeding: before flowering - with a solution of complete mineral fertilizer For flowering perennials, during the season the soil is mulched 2-3 times with a layer of organic matter 3-5 cm thick.
- Trimming: after the first flowering, the stems are cut off at the surface level of the site to stimulate the growth of new shoots.
- Reproduction: seeds and cuttings.
- Pests: aphid.
- Diseases: root rot, powdery mildew.
Read more about growing aubrieta below.
Aubriet flower - description
The aubrieta flower has an alternate leaf arrangement, the edges of its small, simple elliptical or obovate pubescent leaves are entire or serrated. Small four-petalled flowers of aubrieta, reaching 1 cm in diameter, violet, purple, red-pink, blue, and sometimes white, are collected in few-flowered racemes. Aubrieta blooms profusely and for a long time - from mid-spring to early summer. In autumn, with proper care, it blooms again. The fruit of the plant is a pod with flat brown seeds.
We devoted this article to a story about how to plant and care for aubrieta in open ground: how to plant aubrieta as seedlings, how to grow aubrieta on a windowsill, when and how to transplant aubrieta flowers to a flowerbed. You will learn all about the methods of propagation of aubrieta, as well as about diseases and pests that can threaten it.
Growing aubrieta from seeds
Sowing aubrieta
Aubrieta reproduces well by seed - seedlings and non-seedlings, however, growing Aubrieta by sowing seeds directly into the ground in May or September often leads to splitting of varieties. That is why we recommend you the seedling method as a more reliable one. Aubrieta from seeds blooms only in the second year. Aubrieta seeds can be purchased at any flower shop.
When to sow aubrieta seeds for seedlings? About two or two and a half months before the onset of heat - at the end of February. How to sow aubrieta? Sowing of aubrieta seeds is carried out in separate containers - peat tablets or peat-humus pots, in which you will then plant the seedlings in the ground. Seeds of 2-3 pieces are laid out on the surface of a moist substrate, covered with a layer of sand 3-5 mm thick on top, this sand cushion is moistened with a fine spray and the crops are placed under film or glass. Optimal temperature for seed germination 18-21 ºC.
Caring for aubrieta seedlings
Growing aubrieta from seeds is a simple process. Ventilate the crops daily, moisten the soil as needed. Shoots usually appear after 3-4 weeks, and as soon as this happens, the coating can be removed. Be careful with watering: aubrieta seedlings do not like wet soil. Two weeks before planting in open ground, if it seems to you that the seedlings are developing too slowly, feed the seedlings with a solution of complex mineral fertilizers in low concentration.
Picking aubrieta
The plant does not tolerate transplantation very well, so growing aubrieta at home from seeds does not involve picking. In order to avoid intermediate transplantation of seedlings - picking - we recommended sowing seeds for seedlings in separate containers.
Planting aubrieta in open ground
When to plant aubrieta in open ground
Aubrieta is planted in a flowerbed when the return spring frosts have passed - in the second half of May. Approach the choice of site very responsibly: shaving in the garden should receive the maximum sun rays– only then will you be able to truly see abundant flowering aubriet.
As for the soil, in this regard everything is very simple: the poorer the soil, the better for the plant. Aubrieta grows beautifully between stone steps and concrete slabs. The soil should be loose, permeable and contain a small amount of ash or peat. As for the level of acidity, soil with a neutral or slightly alkaline reaction is preferable - pH 6.0-7.0.
How to plant aubrieta
Aubrieta is a flexible plant, so you can plant it in accordance with your idea of what your flowerbed or rock garden should look like. The planting depth is determined by the length of the plant’s root system, the width of the holes is twice as large as the container in which the seedling grows. The distance between copies is at least 5 cm.
If you grew seedlings in a ceramic or plastic dishes, before planting, place it in water and hold it until bubbles begin to appear on the surface of the soil - then carefully remove the plant with the earthen lump and lower it into the hole. After planting the aubrieta, compact the soil, mulch it with a 5 cm thick layer of sand and water it carefully.
Caring for aubrieta in the garden
How to grow aubrieta
Growing an aubriet flower is an easy and enjoyable task. In watering mature plant only needed when there is a long drought. If you frequently water the aubrieta in normal summer weather, you can provoke an abundant growth of greenery to the detriment of flowering. Young plants need more frequent watering than mature ones, but even here moderation must be observed. The best way watering the aubrieta - sprinkling. After watering or rain, the soil in the flowerbed needs to be loosened and weeded.
During the growing season, it is recommended to mulch the soil in the flowerbed 2-3 times with a layer of sand 3-5 cm thick. In the spring, before flowering, and in the fall, the aubrieta is fed with a solution of complete mineral fertilizer for perennial flowering plants.
Caring for aubrieta involves pruning the plant after spring flowering almost to the level of the surface of the site - this measure promotes the growth of new shoots with fresh, bright foliage, which will be an excellent background for other flowers in the flowerbed or in the rock garden until the time comes for the aubrieta to bloom again .
Reproduction of aubrieta
As you can see, planting and caring for an aubriet flower is not difficult and does not require much effort. The plant can also be propagated simply by cuttings and seeds. We have already told you about the seedling method of growing aubrieta. But experienced gardeners They prefer to sow aubrieta directly into the flowerbed.
Sow the seeds in well-moistened soil, dug to a depth of 15 cm, cleared of stones and weeds and seasoned with complex fertilizer, wood ash and lime (chalk). Sowing is not done too thickly; the seeds are not buried, but covered on top with a layer of sand 3-5 cm thick, which is carefully moistened with a watering can. Spring shoots appear in 10-20 days, and seeds sown in September will sprout only next spring.
Another way to propagate aubrieta is by cuttings. After pruning the plant in mid-summer, you will have plenty of plant debris to use as cuttings. Cuttings (cuttings of stems without flowers) are planted in a greenhouse in a substrate consisting of equal parts of peat and sand, and at the end of August, when they form roots, they are transplanted into permanent place. Before winter, the seedlings have time to take root and grow stronger. If winters in your area are too harsh or unpredictable, keep the cuttings in a greenhouse until spring.
Propagation by dividing the bush is best tolerated by shaving in spring or autumn. This is a rather painful process for the plant. It is performed according to the usual scheme: the bush is dug up, divided into parts so that each section has well-developed shoots and roots, after which the parts are planted in prepared holes. However, no matter how hard you try, a plant suffering from any transplant is unlikely to recover from such a complex procedure as dividing a bush, so we strongly recommend cuttings or seed propagation of aubrieta.
Pests and diseases of aubrieta
Planting and caring for aubrieta will not be a burden to anyone, especially since this plant is extremely rarely affected by diseases and pests. Sometimes aubrieta becomes infected with powdery mildew, a fungal disease, the sign of which is a whitish coating on the leaves and flowers of the plant, which becomes brown as the disease progresses. As a result of damage by powdery mildew, the aubrieta loses its decorative effect, its growth slows down, the diseased areas turn black and die, and the winter hardiness of the plant decreases. You can get rid of the disease by treating the plant with colloidal sulfur in accordance with the instructions.
Among the pests, the most dangerous for aubrieta is the aphid, a sucking insect that feeds on plant cell sap and spreads viral diseases. The pest is destroyed by treating the aubrieta with Fufanon, Karbofos, Arrivo or Biotlin. There can be from one to four treatment sessions - it all depends on the number of insects that have settled on the aubriet.
In general, aubrieta growing between stones is extremely rarely affected by diseases and pests.
Perennial aubrieta after flowering
How and when to collect aubrieta seeds
For those who want to start seed propagation of aubrieta, we remind you that this method often does not preserve the varietal characteristics of the seedlings. But if you still want to get seeds from aubrieta, then after spring flowering, when you cut the stems, leave two or three shoots with ovaries on the bush, and when the seeds darken, cut off the pods, remove the seeds and ripen them indoors or sow them before winter in the way that we described to you.
Preparing the aubrieta for winter
If after the first flowering of aubrieta, experts recommend pruning the shoots, then after the second, in the fall, on the contrary, it is advisable to leave both the shoots and leaves for the winter and prune only in the spring. Under the snow, perennial aubrieta overwinters well, but in snowless winters when sharp fluctuations temperature, the plant may die, so just in case, cover it with dry leaves or spruce branches.
Types and varieties of aubrieta
There are twelve species of aubrieta in nature, some of them are also grown in culture. Species such as white aubrieta, Croatian aubrieta, graceful aubrieta, Kolumka aubrieta are not frequent guests in our gardens, but some species are more widely popular. For example:
Or obrieta deltoid - a herbaceous perennial, reaching a height of 15 cm, with deltoid gray-green leaves with one or two teeth on each edge. Purple blue or purple flowers plants of this species, collected in loose racemose inflorescences, reach 1 cm in diameter. Flowering begins in May and lasts a little more than a month. This species has been in cultivation since 1710, and is popularly called the “lilac bush.” Its variety Bougainville with light purple flowers with an orange center reaches a height of 20 cm. Deltoid aubrieta served as the basis for breeding the most common species - cultural aubrieta.
Or aubrieta hybrid is a group of plants up to 20 cm high that overwinter under the snow. They have small jagged oblong leaves, lilac or purple flowers up to 1 cm in diameter. Modern varieties of cultivated aubrieta often have simple, double or semi-double flowers, and they reproduce well by seeds. There are varieties that can be grown in pots, some are even suitable for cutting. We present to you the most famous varieties of cultivated aubrieta:
- Cascade aubrieta- a perennial plant with flowers of blue, purple, turquoise, pink or red with a small center yellow color. The leaves are gray-green in color and do not change color all year round;
- Enchanting Morocco- a lush and attractive plant with very large flowers for this crop - about 1.5 cm in diameter. Flower color ranges from blue to red and pink;
- Cote d'Azur– flowers of this variety, painted in the tone of heavenly blue, decorate the garden for two summer months, and in September they bloom again and bloom until frost;
- Giant waterfall is a variety mixture - violet aubrieta, pink, red, lilac... On this winter-hardy perennial up to 15 cm high, flowers open with a diameter of up to 1 cm. Flowering Plants on O
After this article they usually read
Aubrieta - herbaceous plant, characterized by attractive colors that serve as a harmonious decoration for any area.
Aubrieta perennial: description
A continuous carpet of aubrieta flowers (pale blue, pink, lilac, white), forming dense thickets with their short shoots, will become an important element in decoration vertical garden or designing an alpine slide or flower bed.
The green leaves of the plant are oval in shape, pointed at the edges, and small. In balcony flowerpots, this perennial plant, popularly called windflower, is an expressive addition to the main composition, consisting of large single flowers. The subtle decorative quality of such beauty, created by nature and introducing a touch of tenderness into the surrounding environment, characterizes the small, modest aubriet flower. Growing from seeds - the best way acquire this curiosity on your plot or balcony, which gets along well with all indoor and garden plants.
Characteristic features of the aubriet
Aubrieta, which is not particularly difficult to grow from seeds, is a fairly frost-resistant plant that can tolerate cold winters. The most interesting thing is that in the cold season the flower not only does not change its color, but does not even shed its leaves, standing out as a bright green spot against a snow-white background. In any case, it is better to protect the plant from frost by covering it with fallen leaves of trees. Already in April-May it is covered with attractive bright inflorescences, delighting with their flowering for a month and a half. The fruits are pods with elongated brown seeds.
Surely every fan beautiful decor wants to have an evergreen carpet on his site, which aubrieta can create. Growing from seeds at home takes a little longer than propagating it by cuttings or dividing the bush. Nevertheless, the seed method is very simple and allows you to grow a plant, so to speak, from scratch. It is enough to purchase seeds of the desired variety or several of its types in total, which will create a beautiful natural picture.
Aubrieta: growing from seeds
When to plant seeds? How to do this correctly? When should we expect germination? Such questions often arise for beginners in floriculture, and experienced gardeners once again try to make sure that the planting dates are correct.
Sowing planting material produced in open ground in spring (May) or autumn (September). You can plant aubrieta indoors, and with the arrival warm days Plant the emerging shoots into the ground. In this case, sowing must be done under film a couple of months before the arrival of warm weather.
The film must be removed when the first shoots of such an attractive plant as aubrieta appear. Growing from seeds (the photo fully conveys the simplicity of this process) is a very popular method, simple and low-labor.
Shaving care
The soil intended for sowing should first be mulched with a sandy mixture, and in order to avoid visual loss of young seedlings among weeds (in open ground), aubrieta seeds should be sown in even beds. The site for future plants should be chosen in a sunny place. The plant can take root in almost any soil, however, preliminary enrichment with lime, chalk or ash will good start in order for the obrieta to feel comfortable on such land.
Growing from seeds requires timely watering, but without excess. Otherwise, excess moisture will lead to active growth of aubrieta leaves and minimal appearance or complete absence of flowers. Preserving the attractiveness of the plant will be facilitated by the timely removal of faded flower stalks and dried leaves.
Aubrieta, growing from seeds of which is the most in a simple way its reproduction may lose the qualities inherent in a particular variety. This is a disadvantage of the seed method, as well as the long wait for flowers to appear: in the second year after planting.
Cuttings as one of the methods
Gardeners often use the cutting method, which allows special effort get this beautiful plant, like a hybrid aubrieta. Growing from seeds is a more time-consuming method, unlike cuttings. IN in this case It is necessary to separate sprouts that are not fully ripe from an adult bush. Future flowers should be planted in a greenhouse with a soil mixture of peat and sand. Planting of aubrieta in a permanent place of growth should be done around August, making sure that the young plants have roots.
Feeding the aubrieta
Feeding the plant should be done carefully, because an excess of fertilizers can negatively affect the growth vigor of the plant. It is optimal to apply fertilizing material 2 times a year. This spring period(before flowering) and autumn (after the final pruning of the plant this year). Pruning is done immediately after the end of flowering, almost to the very base. This will give a start to the growth of new, stronger shoots, which after a short time will become covered with the most beautiful flowers various shades. Thus, pruning the aubrieta is aimed at creating its non-stop flowering throughout the summer.
Like any plant, aubrieta is prone to various diseases. Most often it suffers from powdery mildew. When the first signs of the disease appear, the plant should be treated with an aqueous composition of colloidal sulfur. If the drugs used are ineffective, the only correct solution will be to clear the area of the diseased plant: the living carpet, unfortunately, will have to be torn out and destroyed.
Varieties of aubrieta
- Raspberry sea. The name itself speaks about the color of the flowers and the composition they create. Bright and lush flowering will delight others for 2 months. This variety grows well in height, so it can be used to decorate retaining walls and fences.
- Red King. The flowers of this variety of aubrieta, whose height is 10 cm, are large - about 5 cm in diameter. Excellent propagation by cuttings.
- Cote d'Azur. The flowers will delight you with their incredible blue color for 2 months. The variety is frost-resistant.
- Enchanting Morocco. A very decorative and lush variety.
- Cascade series. The bushes are lush, with long creeping shoots. Bred specifically for growing on balconies, flower beds and alpine roller coaster. The variety combines purple, pink, red, turquoise shades, enlivening the natural composition with such multifaceted diversity.
Aubrieta as the most beautiful element of the site
Careful care and love are the important factors that an obrieta needs. Growing from seeds, about which most gardeners give positive reviews, is very simple method, which consists only in making the right choice plot, its preparation and the seeding itself.
If the seedlings are successful, the aubrieta will become one of your favorite plants and a permanent resident of the garden plot throughout for long years, delighting those around with the lush greenery of a continuous carpet and abundant bright flowering.
