Inversa common spruce: how to apply it in garden design

Detailed description

The Invers variety belongs to the undersized, or rather, the growth depends on the trunk to which the herringbone is grafted. On average, it grows up to 6-8 m, gaining about 200 cm in diameter.

You can increase the height of the tree using shaping.

Crown shape - weeping, unevenly developed. The branches are lowered, the lowest ones spread along the ground in a kind of train.

In general, the tree resembles a tall bush or a flowing cascade. The color of the needles is juicy dark green. The needles are plump, shiny, of medium size. Cones are light green at an early stage, but over time they become brown, they reach 10 cm in length. The root system is superficial, well-branched.

Topiary or model haircut for a Christmas tree

If you prefer, the "live" fence can be equipped in a molded way, turning the multi-tiered branches into interesting configurations, or leave the thorny legs intact. Usually topiary (curly haircut) prevails in design, and chaotically growing needles can take the shape of a ball, cone or spiral in a couple of hours.

The most unpretentious haircut of the model variety is the tapered configuration, ideal for thorny plants, also for junipers and low shrubs. It is within the power of amateurs, and a template will help to cope with the form. To begin with, fix 4 poles in the ground, observing the same spacing, and connect them at a common point, marking a pyramid. Cut branches that do not fit into the geometry of the shape with scissors.

The experience of a gardener allows you to cope with the task at once, avoiding patterns for decorating a spherical crown, but in the absence of skills, use a blank from a wire frame. Bend it in the form of a ring with a holder (resembles a mirror on a leg) with a diameter less than the girth of the crown. Secure it in a convenient way and cut the long naughty shoots that are knocked out of the frame.

Important! Some types of spruce have an initially round dome, which is sufficient to support only a slight correction. These are mountain pine "Mops", thuja varieties "Globosa", "Danica", fir trees "Little Gem" or the species "Nidiformis Elegans".

You can't argue with the elegance of a twisted spiral. At first glance, the figure seems complex, but the simplicity of the scheme is indicated by the ease of action. Take the tape and wrap the trimmed tree cone. It remains to remove the excess in the segments between the turns of matter.

These are just a few examples for ideas. Use any layout, and "get" animals at your place, arrange sculptures on the site, build Christmas tree installations or reproduce any architectural form from thick needles.

1. Note! Due to the need for light access to the lower legs, the most acceptable is the modeling of the shape with a modest volume of the top (cone), otherwise the needles of the first tier will noticeably thin out.
2. A shaped herringbone fence requires aesthetic adjustments to maintain its shape due to the tree's rapid growth.Young shoots are about 10 cm per year, differ in brightness of color and violate the filigree haircut with disobedient protruding ends.
3. Coniferous plantings are characterized by a high absorption of moisture from the soil, with the exception of a few species, and this fact should be taken into account when spruce is included in the design. It is also advisable to remember about the need to feed trees with mineral fertilizers for the density of needles.

Landing rules

It is better to purchase a seedling with a closed root system (in a container). A transplant of such a plant can be done from early spring to the end of November. Fertilizers do not need to be applied - they are already in the earthen coma. The site for planting is chosen sunny or in partial shade.

The Christmas tree is suitable for sandy loam or loamy soil with a neutral or acidic reaction.

The planting hole is dug to a depth of 60-70 cm and a drainage layer is laid: sand, broken brick or small pebbles.

The seedling is placed so that the root collar is not below ground level. Spruce is watered with two buckets of water, covered with a substrate of earth, peat and sand (3: 1: 1). The soil is well compacted so that it adheres tightly to the roots. Above the trunk circle is mulched.

Cuttings

For harvesting cuttings at the beginning of summer, a tree older than 5 years is used. They are looking for a branch in the center of the crown, a little to the north, then a 6-10 cm long shoot is cut off from it with a sharp knife. It is cut off along with the bark of the tree, this will allow the cutting to take root.

The workpiece is carefully processed by placing it in a solution with a growth regulator. After some time, the stalk is taken out, planted in a pre-moistened ground, which includes:

• peat;
• sand;
• leafy soil from the forest.

Planting is carried out by deepening the cutting by 5-6 cm at an angle of 30 degrees. The soil is tamped, watered abundantly several times. The tree takes root for 4 months.

Care

Inversa common spruce is unpretentious to care, but needs to be properly shaped: they choose one shoot as the main one and direct it up, tying it to a support. They continue to tie up as long as it is necessary for the spruce to grow in height. The lateral branches are pinched and thinned out, adjusting the overall shape.

1. This frost-resistant plant can withstand cold temperatures down to -40 ° C. With regular precipitation, an adult tree does not require additional watering. In hot periods, it needs to be watered 1-2 times a week and sprinkled in the evenings.
2. The near-trunk circle of young seedlings is shallowly loosened and mulched with peat chips.
3. Fertilizers are applied the next spring after planting - a special complex for conifers or nitroammofosku (thus the Christmas tree is fed every season).
4. Sanitary pruning is carried out annually, removing dry and diseased branches.

Reproduction

At home, spruce can be propagated in two ways.

In their natural habitat, spruces reproduce in only one way, by seeds... After the cones ripen, grains fall out of them on the ground, under normal climatic conditions, spruce sprouts will appear next spring, which will actively grow and develop all summer. If the winter cold does not kill the tender youth, the next season will harden the young Christmas trees even more. Further, they will no longer be afraid of either frost or drought.

At home, spruce is propagated in two ways:

• cuttings, which is considered the most popular due to its shorter duration
• seed way it is used less often, it is mainly used in breeding for the development of new varieties

It should be understood that reproduction in any way will require sufficient time for both cuttings and seeds. Abandoned without attention, both those and others will die equally quickly.

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Use in landscape design

Spruce will decorate your site

Due to its unpretentiousness and original shape, the Invers tree is very common in landscape design.It is often used in mixed compositions or as a tapeworm. It looks great with other conifers, deciduous plants, flowers, ornamental grains.

The tree tolerates pruning and shaping well - its crown can be given a wide variety of outlines. This allows you to use the Christmas tree in different styles: English and Japanese gardens, rock gardens, flower beds, near ponds. From several spruces, an original hedge or border is obtained with lower branches creeping along the ground.

Diseases and pests

The Invers variety is susceptible to fungal infections caused by the dampness of the lower branches. The disease is manifested by a change in the color of the needles. For prevention, spraying with fungicides and a solution of copper sulfate will be useful. Pests affecting spruce:

• coniferous spider mite - it feeds on plant juices, destroying the cells of the needles, causing spotting;
• spruce aphid - yellowing and falling of needles;
• spruce hermes - causes yellowness, curvature of needles and the appearance of seals in the form of outgrowths - gall;
• spruce sawfly - damages needles and weakens plants;
• false shield — leads to the appearance of brown growths and prevents the development of young shoots.

Infection can be prevented by regular (early and late summer) spraying with insecticides.

Testimonials

Judging by the reviews, gardeners are completely satisfied with the Invers Christmas tree: it takes root well, is not afraid of frost, and adequately tolerates the heat. Growth can be adjusted as desired by choosing the desired inoculation height and forming the crown.

The tree does not take up much space, but it brings an original touch to the garden design. As a tapeworm, it is great for small areas.

It is noticed that this ephedra loves well-lit or slightly shaded places. In the shade, it also grows normally, but it turns out not so lush and thick.

Gardeners prefer to mulch the near-trunk circle with peat chips (for the winter - with a thicker layer). In the spring, the mulch is not removed, but dug up together with the soil, and a new one is put on top. This greatly simplifies maintenance by reducing weeds and improving water and air access.

Not everyone likes that the lower branches are literally on the ground. Some users install a special frame to raise the twigs a little.

Blue spruce: queen of conifers

Blue spruce (another name is prickly spruce) and derived varieties are most often found in landscape gardening. A tree with a cone-shaped crown, can reach a height of up to 40 m. In nature, it grows along the banks of rivers and streams, planting is carried out in well-humid places, but the water should not stagnate. Lime and dry soils are not suitable. Preferably - well-lit places, it develops well in the shade, but the color of the needles and its density may be partially lost. It adapts well to urban conditions, easily tolerates gas pollution.

Blue spruces always look exquisite.

But at the same time, young prickly spruce will require attention - care consists, first of all, in regular watering (and even spraying) in the summer. For the winter, it is better to tie the branches to the trunk - the snow accumulating on dense needles can simply break them. In winter, prickly spruce can get burned (the southern direction is especially problematic) due to bright sunlight, so it is better to wrap a young seedling with a cotton cloth (non-woven cloth).

Thanks to active selection, prickly spruce has many varieties, the most popular:

glauca (Glauca) - or gray-gray, with a conical, very dense crown, with bluish-blue needles, it is distinguished by more flexible, less prickly and denser growing needles. The older the tree, the richer the color of the needles becomes.Glauka grows faster than prickly spruce, it can "stretch" up to 1.5 meters in a year. Shade-tolerant, withstands shaping and shearing well, therefore it is often used to obtain hedges

Spruce Glauka can be shaped to suit you

globose (Glauca globosa) - a miniature form of Glauka, refers to dwarfs, grows slowly (annual growth no more than 10 cm), not growing above 2 m. Crohn's - spherical or irregular, may have several trunks at once. Globoza attracts with its needles - very bright, blue color, easily tolerates pruning

Even a very small Globoza will delight you

Globoza looks good on rocks too

spruce prickly hoopsie - has the brightest colored needles, a festive silver-blue, very rich shade. Sometimes it may even seem that the hoopsie is just artificial, its needles are so bright. The variety is fast-growing (can reach a height of 11-15 m), not demanding on the soil, light-loving.

Hoopsie is a beautiful and unpretentious spruce

Practical use

The main application of spruce was found by gardeners in landscape design. Due to its unusual appearance, it fits well into the interior of personal plots, and its compact size allows you to plant a tree in a limited area.

Spruce is used in landscape design

It is widely used to strengthen areas adjacent to highways. To decorate the landscape, it is planted as a specimen (free-standing) and as part of other ornamental crops.

To form the crown in the upward direction, one strong shoot is selected and tied to an artificial support. The rest of the branches are left for free growth downward. They are regularly pinched, creating the necessary shape.

Matching: the art of an unrivaled look

Hoopsie is a unique variant of the prickly beauty, great for planting single and group. The idea of ​​combining young and already adult spruces on one site is recognized as successful.

The best background for ephedra is an emerald lawn. At the same time, it is recommended to pay attention to places located near water bodies, on which representatives of weeping deciduous species of trees and shrubs already grow. Ornamental deciduous trees are another very effective neighbor for the blue beauty. Thanks to the varieties of barberry and willow, maple, spirea or oak, with decorative foliage, you can get beautifully combining and complementing each other landscape elements.

Cereal plants are most effectively combined with Hoopsie. Compositions with lilies are no less attractive. Caution is required when introducing a landscape with spruce roses into the picture, since conifers have the ability to oxidize the soil of growth, which has a very negative effect on the growth and flowering of the queen of flowers.

Spruce can be successfully combined with other conifers not only in height, but in the shape of the crown and the shade of the needles. For example, you can name the weeping inversion and the undersized acrocona.