Potentilla as a flower has been known since ancient times. This plant is not only a wonderful garden decoration, but also has healing properties, is widely used in medicine.
There are many types of potentilla and low-growing, creeping grass, and high semi-shrub, and shrub, reaching 1.5 meters (1.6 yard) in height. To decorate the garden, use both. The former are bred for beautiful flowers planted in borders, on rockeries, the latter are used for low and mixed hedges. Potentilla blooms in late May-early June. It grows on the banks of swamps, streams, pastures, rivers – that is, wherever it is fresh and moist.
Planting and growing Potentilla
The choice of a place to plant a potentilla depends on the type of plant that you are going to plant. There are types of unpretentious, and there are also capricious. For example, Potentilla nitida prefers dry sandy soil, Potentilla alba likes partial shade. Potentilla propagates by plots, seeds, cuttings.
Before planting, the soil should be dug up and leveled. Then plant the seed that sprouts in the fertile land. After planting, you need to water it. In three weeks, the seedlings will germinate, and in another week they will have to be located at a distance of 30-40 cm (1-1.3 foot) from each other.
Potentilla breeds in areas in autumn or spring separated by root shoots from the buds and is planted in the warm season. Place them in a humus smoothie for 12 hours. Then the plant grows back and the bud becomes 5 cm (2 inch) deep. After watering, the seedlings can be mulched into the soil with sawdust or pine needles.
The plant will bloom in 2-3 years after planting. Ideally suited for the production of bushes of three years of age, but you can share and younger.
Care Potentilla
Potentilla does not require maintenance, but needs regular watering. It is fed with mineral fertilizers in the spring. In the summer, loosen the soil and remove weeds. To get a lush flowering tree, cut off last year’s shoots by about a third.
The types and varieties of Potentilla
There are many types of potentilla – there are more than five hundred of them. They complement other flowers, bloom profusely and continuously, for which they are so loved by gardeners. So, in English and European gardens, they are very often present. Shrubby potentilla looks great in hedges. Here are a few types of potentilla that are suitable for different areas of your garden.
- Potentilea acaulis
Very low species, stems 1-6 cm (0.4-2.4 inch), prefers rocky, gravelly, sunny slopes, but the soil should be well drained and moist.
- Potentilla nitida
- Potentilla nepalensis
- Potentilla Atrosanguinea
- Potentilla Ñ… hybrida
Beautiful pink flowers on the background of small, forming a carpet of silver-green leaves create a magnificent decorative effect. It likes dry, sunny places, sandy soils, limestone scree and fine gravel.
Also a great candidate for garden decoration. The flowers are dark pink and red, flowering begins in July and lasts for 50-55 days. Beautiful hybrid varieties with gorgeous flowers.
Another herbaceous species. Height up to 60 cm (2 foot), blooms in June-July, after about 50 days, bright scarlet flowers up to 5 cm (2 inch) in diameter.
A plant with large flowers of red, yellow, pink, purple flowers, obtained from various types of potentilla, including those listed above. It grows up to 90 cm (3 foot) tall, with flowers up to 4 cm (1.6 inch) in diameter.
- Pentaphylloides fruticosa
Yes, the leaves are shrubby, and in fact they can be brewed and drunk. Erect shrubs are relatively low (from 50-70 cm/1.6-2.3 foot to 1.5 m/1.6 foot), well tolerate cutting, can form a neat crown. Large flowers with different colors. In the potentilla, growing in the sun, the bright color fades and becomes pale. Types of shrubby potentilla will look great on an alpine slide among the stones, as well as on various flower beds, you can create a low hedge.
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