Aubrieta (Latin Aubrieta) is a perennial evergreen creeping plant, belongs to the Cabbage family. In nature, there are more than 12 species that grow in southern Europe and America. It owes its name to the artist Claude Aubrie. During flowering, the aubriet presents a solid carpet of gray-green leaves and many small flowers of purple, blue, violet, white and their shades with a yellow or orange eye in the center of the four petals.
- Sowing in open ground
Abundant and long flowering. With proper care, it blooms twice a year: in spring and autumn.
Description of the aubrieta flower
Small, elongated leaves have serrated ends and a rough surface. The flower's calyx consists of four petals, which reach a diameter of about 1 cm. Their color is very diverse. All flowers are collected in racemose inflorescences. The orbieta blooms profusely throughout the whole season. If you observe regular plant maintenance, following the advice of gardeners, you can also see re-flowering in the fall. The fruit resembles a bean pod in appearance, in which small brown seeds ripen.
To start growing this amazing flower in your garden, you need to learn how to plant seedlings, and only then transfer them to open ground. Below we will look at how the plant reproduces, its diseases, methods of protection from insects and the rules for caring for a flower.
Fertilization and feeding
Plants do not like fertilization very much. Top dressing is required no more than two times per season. Mineral and potash fertilizers are best absorbed. You can limit yourself to adding wood ash.
Advice! You can feed only grown seedlings before flowering.
If the aubriet was fed with nitrogen-containing fertilizers, its cultivation is difficult. It is also not recommended to feed young seedlings after transplanting into open ground. The most advisable is to apply fertilizer before flowering and after pruning the bushes.
When growing, you can skip top dressing.
Growing Aubriets from seeds
Seed propagation for this type of plant gives rather high shoots. However, it is best to take advantage of growing seedlings, which can then be transplanted, as sowing seeds directly into the soil can cause the variety to split. In this case, it is possible to expect the beginning of flowering of the aubriet only in the spring. The seeds are sold in shops selling garden products.
Sowing is best done before the onset of the spring thaw. This time falls around the end of February. They are sown in small pots, which are filled with a mixture of peat and humus. From these containers, young seedlings will then be planted in open ground. Before planting, the soil is pre-moistened, then seeds are placed on its surface, which are sprinkled with a small amount of sand. It also needs to be watered on top.The planted crops are covered with a protective film. For the seeds to start germinating, it is necessary to maintain a constant temperature, which should be between 18 and 21 degrees.
Seedling care rules
As a rule, sowing seedlings from seeds is time-consuming and must be looked after with great care. Do not forget to air and water every day. The first shoots begin to appear after a few weeks. As soon as the green leaves become visible, you can remove the protective film. Try not to overflow the seedlings, as the aubrieta does not tolerate excess moisture. If you feel that the seedlings are not yet fully matured for transplanting and are not developing enough, then the plant can be fed. For these purposes, a mixture of mineral fertilizers diluted in low concentration is used.
Aubrieta is difficult to take root during transplantation and most often dies. In this regard, a flower grown at home on a windowsill is not suitable for picking. If there is a desire to completely eliminate the intermediate transplanting of seedlings, it is necessary to sow seeds for seedlings in different pots.
Planting aubriets in open ground
As soon as the spring frosts recede, you can begin to transplant the aubriet from the seedling container. Choosing a territory for growing a flower should be done with all responsibility. Consider the fact that this plant loves bright sun and does not tolerate shade. To achieve intense and long-lasting flowering, it is necessary to prepare a plot for planting seedlings, which will be located on the sunny side of the vegetable garden or garden. Even the most scanty soil is suitable for growing aubriets. It grows well in any rocky terrain and is not picky about the choice of soil. However, the soil must absorb moisture well and contain ash or peat. A small slightly alkaline or neutral soil environment is allowed.
You can plant Aubrieta on a flower bed as you like. The plant is quite malleable and flexible. The size and length of the roots of the seedlings will affect the planting depth. The width of the hole must be made half the width of the seedling pot. When growing a flower in a plastic container, the dishes must be lowered into water so as not to damage the plant when removed. After air bubbles rise to the surface of the pot, the seedling is carefully removed and placed in the hole. The area of soil around it is pressed a little and sprinkled with sand, then watered.
Planting a plant
As soon as the warm spring sun has warmed up outside the window and the night frosts have receded, you can plant Aubrieta. This is usually done in late April - early May (depending on the region). You should carefully approach the choice of a landing site. Growing is recommended in a lot of sunlight. The lighter the place, the more abundantly the aubretia blooms, and the blooms acquire a more saturated shade.
The plant feels good in light, not very fertile lands. The presence of lime or chalk is encouraged. You will not shave oily soils, peat and clay soils, and on them she will be capricious, if at all take root.
Aubrieta can be planted outdoors in early spring
The plant is buried in the ground in accordance with the length of the root. The distance between the bushes is at least 5 cm. The planting pattern is arbitrary, depending on the goal pursued by the gardener.
Shaving care in the garden
Aubrieta is a rather unpretentious flower and does not require any special efforts when leaving. Adult specimens may not need watering for a long time, the only exception is dry and hot summers. Typically, under normal temperature conditions, over-watering can cause overgrowing of the plant, which in turn will drown out flowering.Young shoots need to be watered a little more often until they are completely strong. Sprinkling is considered to be the most optimal watering method. The soil in the flowerbed must be constantly loosened and weeds removed.
During the flowering period, the soil around the plant is sprinkled with sand to preserve the root moisture. In early spring or autumn, Aubriet needs to be fed with special mineral fertilizers, which are used by gardeners when growing perennial plant varieties.
It is necessary to carry out a complex pruning of all green shoots after the aubrieta ends the growing season. Thanks to such measures, young green stems and leaves will soon begin to appear. They will be a wonderful addition to the flowers growing next door in the flowerbed. This floral carpet will retain its beauty until the next autumn bloom.
Aubrieta: combination with other plants
Most often, garden partners are plants that creep along the ground. It goes well with milkweed or Caucasian razuha, red soap or alyssum.
The combination is carried out according to the color scheme. Varieties that have all shades of red will complement the perennial dwarf irises, which are dominated by a blue tint in bloom, or Douglas phlox.
Aubriet in landscape design
Aubriet flowers after flowering
Recommendations for collecting seeds
As mentioned earlier, the seed propagation method does not make it possible to preserve the varietal properties of the seedlings. Nevertheless, if the task is to collect seeds, then for this, during the pruning, it is necessary to leave several shoots with ovaries on the bush. After the pods have matured and darkened, they need to be cut off. The husked seeds are dried and well ventilated. They are then used for seeding in the manner described above.
Preparing for winter
After spring blooming, experienced gardeners usually prune. In the event of another bloom that occurs in the fall, it is recommended to leave all leaves and shoots intact for the winter. Re-pruning is best done next season. An adult perennial plant can easily survive the winter if there is sufficient snow cover. Under more severe conditions, it is necessary to cover the bush with dry foliage and spruce branches to protect it from death and freezing.
Success secrets
Aubriets like poor soils, highly fertile soils are contraindicated for them. Best of all, these ground covers grow in slightly alkaline, moisture and air permeable soil.
ON THE PICTURE: Aubrieta can be planted in crevices between stones.
The place where the plants grow should be well lit. In the shade, these representatives of the flora stretch out and bloom sparsely.
Watering is needed only for young plants. The formed Abrieta bushes have enough natural precipitation. The need for watering appears in a too dry summer.
Obligatory measures - loosening the earth, killing weeds, mulching with sand. Perennials are fed several times a season with complex mineral fertilizers.
When Aubrieta has faded, it is recommended to prune almost at the root. Thus, they stimulate repeated (autumn) flowering. By the way, the segments are great for grafting. If the plans include obtaining seeds, then several stems with ovaries should be left. The darkened pods are collected, ripened indoors, the seeds are husked. In autumn, pruning is not carried out, only yellowed shoots are removed, the plants leave for the winter with green foliage.
Young Aubriets survive the cold without damage, but as they grow older, frost resistance weakens. Easy cover of dry foliage greatly reduces the risk of plant death.
Breeding methods
Aubriet flower can be propagated in any convenient way, since the plant is unpretentious in this regard.The method of propagation by seeds or cuttings is mainly used. The cultivation of the seedlings was described in detail by us a little earlier. Gardeners who have extensive experience in breeding various flower crops choose the seed method of propagation. Before planting, the flowerbed area is cleared of weeds, small stones and dug up. A mixture of fertilizers is applied to the prepared soil, then it is sprinkled with wood ash and chalk and moistened. The seeds are planted at some distance from each other, after which they are sprinkled with sand and watered. If the planting was carried out in the spring, then you can expect the first shoots after 10-20 days. In the case of autumn planting of seeds, young shoots will appear only the next year.
Propagation by cuttings
The method of propagation by cuttings is widespread. When pruning aubriets in summer, as a rule, a large number of green shoots remain, on which there are no flowers. A greenhouse is used for planting cuttings. Prepared soil is poured into it in advance, consisting of peat and sand. Cuttings that have taken root are transplanted into a flower bed. In areas where low winter temperatures prevail, seedlings are left in a greenhouse until spring arrives, so that they, as it should, can get stronger and take root.
Reproduction by dividing the bush
The division of the bush is carried out both in spring and in autumn, however, the plant is quite difficult to tolerate such an event. It is often carried out in a specific sequence. Initially, it is required to dig out the Aubriet bush and divide it into equivalent parts, in which strong shoots and roots will be present. Then they are planted in different holes. It is worth noting that this breeding method is far from always successful. The separated parts of the plant are difficult to take root, so gardeners prefer growing aubriets from seeds or cuttings.
Growing features
Aubriet disembarkation takes place on May 15-20 or October 1-5 When sowing seed in May, the first shoots will appear as early as 12-15 days. Planted seeds in October will allow you to admire the shoots only in April. Seeds can be sown directly into an open bed.
When sowing seed, the appropriate spacing must be observed. Thickening of crops does not allow seedlings to fully develop. Plants are deficient in nutrients. Experts recommend keeping the distance between crops within 16-20 cm.
Priming
When choosing a site, it is worth giving preference to areas that are well illuminated by the sun's rays. The soil in the selected planting site should be nutritious with an alkaline reaction. Acidic soil will negatively affect plant health. Aubrieta, as a rule, does not take root in such conditions. It is also worth avoiding areas with heavy clay soil.
Aubrieta belongs to the category of light-loving plants, which, when planted in the shade, provoke the stretching of leaf plates and negatively affect flowering.
The selected area is cleared of stones and weeds. The soil is dug to a depth of 12-15 cm. A small percentage of humus, chalk, lime and wood ash is introduced into the ground when sowing is carried out in the spring months. When planting seeds / seedlings in autumn, mineral fertilizer and ash, chalk and lime are applied to the soil.
The fertilized soil is loosened so that not a single lump remains. The structure of the earth must be uniform. The soil is moistened.
Step-by-step process of planting and pre-seed preparation
- When choosing seeds for sowing, you should give preference to large, flat specimens colored in a brown tint.
- Seed material before sowing must undergo preliminary preparation and disinfection. First of all, the seeds are soaked in a growth stimulator like Epin or Heteroauxin, which must be dissolved in warm water.At the same time, it is very important to observe the proportions that the manufacturer indicates in the instructions. For disinfection, you can use the dry method. In this case, you will need to dust the seeds with a fungicidal agent. If desired, you can soak the seed for 60 minutes in a solution of potassium permanganate.
- Seeds are sown in the wells prepared in advance, observing the recommended distance.
- The crops are sprinkled with a layer of sand and peat mixed in equal proportions. The soil is moistened with a spray bottle.
Note! The seeds can be buried between large stones. Aubriet shoots, which will fall from stones over time, will look quite impressive.
Growing aubriets for seedlings
If you wish, you can plant seeds in cups and grow aubrieta using the seedling method. Ornamental culture can not be dived and planted in the ground together with a glass.
- With the help of peat tablets and pots, you can grow a herbaceous perennial at home.
- The seeds are planted in prepared containers filled with fertile soil at the end of winter. After planting the seed, the soil must be moistened with a spray bottle. After a couple of weeks, seedlings will begin to appear in pots, which, on the 10th day of appearance, need to be introduced into the soil with mineral fertilizing.
- Transplanting seedlings into an open bed should be postponed to mid-April. Plants that have been grown in this manner begin to bloom in early summer.
Diseases and pests
Aubrieta is a resistant ornamental plant to the effects of any diseases and pests. Occasionally, there are cases of infection with powdery mildew. This fungal disease causes a white coating that appears on the leaves and flowers, which turns brown over time. Due to illness, the flower loses its attractiveness. The plant gradually begins to wilt and turn black. To stop the further spread of the disease, the bushes are treated with a solution of colloidal sulfur.
The greatest danger to the aphid is aphid, which takes away the strength of the plant and feeds on its cell sap. Aphids are a carrier of various viral diseases. To destroy it, drugs such as Fufanon or Karbofos are used. If the number of pests is too large, then the treatment is repeated several times in order to completely get rid of the insects.
Aubriet flower growing in rocky terrain is practically unaffected by pests and diseases.
Types and varieties of obriety
Today there are about 12 species of this flower, including cultivated varieties. In our area, such types as white aubriet, graceful aubriet, and Kolumka aubriet are rare. Here, for example, the deltoid aubriet, which looks like a short perennial green plant, is more widespread. The leaves are jagged at the edges and gray-green in color. Small purple flowers gather in racemose inflorescences that resemble a lilac bush. The flowering period begins in late spring and lasts about a month. This variety is considered to be the first cultivated cultivated flower species.
Aubrieta hybrid or cultivated is a plant that reaches a height of about 20 cm, which can winter well. Leaves with serrated ends are elongated, purple flowers of small diameter. Aubrieta cultivated is propagated by seeds. The most popular varieties are:
- Aubrieta is cascading, with flowers of various colors and gray-green leaves. A bush of this kind retains greenery even for the winter.
- Fascinating Morocco is a graceful flower with large cups of blue, red or pink color.
- Cote d'Azur is an Abrée variety characterized by abundant and frequent flowering throughout the year.
- The giant waterfall is a perennial hybrid of lilac, pink or red, grows up to 15 cm and has small flowers.
There are other equally famous varieties of obriety: Carnival, Gloriosa, Wanda, Blue King, Queen, Royal Keskade, Triumfant and others.
