The name of the plant - European bathing suit - comes from the word "Trollblume". Translated from German as a troll flower. There is a popular belief that these flowers were the favorite of the trolls. According to the second version, this name comes from the word "troll", which means a ball.
European bathing suit: description
These are meadow plants. They are part of the buttercup family. The bathing suit in Russia can be found everywhere, especially in forest glades, as well as damp meadows. The plant is distributed in various zones: from deserts to tundra, from highlands to foothills, it is found near glaciers, in the forest belt, in subalpine and alpine meadows.
These flowers showcase a huge variety of oranges and yellows combined with various shades of green. They are beautiful in any weather, but incredibly good against the blue bright sky, near streams, rivers, forest lakes and ponds. Yellow is extremely active, it evokes admiring cheerful feelings, orange - a feeling of warmth, because it is so similar to the color of the setting sun or fire. buttercup familyhas its own biological characteristics.
To date, 7 varieties and 19 species of this plant are grown in the gardens of the near abroad and Russia. They vary in distribution.
- Central Asia and Siberia: Asian, Altai, Jungar, lilac, stemless, dwarf bathing suit.
- Caucasus and the European part of Russia: European bathing suit, highest, semi-open.
- Far East: Chinese bathing suit, large petal, Ledebour, Ridera, beautiful.
Location
In nature, the European bathing suit lives in semi-shaded places. At the same time, in culture it should be grown in lighted open places in front of small shrubs or trees, on the lawn in large spots, among the stones in single specimens. During flowering and growth, if the soil tends to dry out, watering is necessary. In all bathing suits, seedlings need shading and watering. They winter well, and do not require shelter. Without a transplant in a permanent place, this forest flower can grow for a long time.
Soil
Plants are very beautiful and flexible. You can verify this by looking at the photos of forest flowers in this article. When growing, they do not require any specific agrotechnical measures. For the cultivation of bathing suits, medium or light loamy structural soils, which are rich in humus, are most favorable. Flowers grow well on light rich soils, close in acidity to neutral.
At the same time, these flowers can also grow in areas that are poor in humus. They are very useful mixture of earth with sand and peat. Sphagnum can also be added to this mixture, which, by absorbing water, can retain moisture much longer than the soil. Under perennial bathing suits, the earth is not dug up for a long period of time, but it requires weeding. Before planting, the site must be completely cleared of rhizomes and roots of perennial plants that previously grew in this place.
The most drought-resistant plants, among which the Altai and Dzungarian bathing suit, love drained soil, without groundwater. Beds or low hills of plants against the background of stones of various shapes and sizes are considered a good landing site.
Improves aeration artificial relief. All the necessary conditions are created that prevent stagnation of water. At the same time, limestone improves growing conditions, and also reduces soil acidity. To grow seedlings and sow seeds, it is necessary to create a light substance, the main components of which will be peat and sand.
Care
European bathing suit does not require any special care. It consists in regular weeding, watering, loosening. The soil should be mulched with a layer of humus or peat. For normal development, systematic adding to the base of bushes of nutrient soil is required. The culture is moisture-loving, therefore, watering is reduced only by autumn.
For secondary flowering, you need to cut off faded flower stalks. Any plant species is quite frost-resistant. Therefore, they hibernate without any shelter. These plants of central Russia grow well in a permanent place for up to ten years, after which it is advisable to divide the curtain and plant it in a new place.
In autumn the leaves die off. Only at this moment they can be cut off, leaving the base of the petioles a couple of centimeters above the ground. They are the protection of the kidney, located in the heart of the rosette shoot. The following year, a peduncle appears from it. If the leaves are cut earlier, this bud will significantly weaken, and next year we will not get a developed peduncle.
Pests and diseases
European bathing suit, the photo of which is presented in this article, the plant is viable and strong. For its best growth, it is recommended to treat the soil with ash in early spring; with growth in spring, fertilizing with nitrogen fertilizers is indicated. At the very beginning of flowering, it is good to sprinkle the plants with Epin. To prevent various fungal diseases in the fall, it is recommended to remove dead old leaves. Sometimes the swimsuit can be affected by smut, septoria, and also a short-bodied penetrating nematode.
Reproduction
This forest flower is propagated by division of rhizomes, seeds and cuttings. When spring sowing, seed stratification is necessary. Seedlings emerge in spring. Unlike the Altai, European, Jungar, Asian swimsuits, which require seeds of a cold period for germination, large-petalled, as well as types of Rider, Ledebour, can be successfully planted in spring.
Sprouts of all plantsneed watering when the soil dries out, as well as shading. Flowers can be planted in a permanent place from the spring of the 2nd year. European swimsuit blooms after germination in the second year.
Vegetative propagation
It is worth noting that one of the methods of such reproduction is the division of the curtain, as well as the separation of several peripheral shoots from an adult plant along with the roots. Almost all bathing suits have the same type of rhizome system. This is a brush-rooted perennial plant with a huge number of cord-like roots. At the same time, shoots grow along the periphery of the curtain.
In a plant, the diameter in the aerial part primarily depends on the age of the flower. In middle-aged plants, the average diameter is twenty centimeters. At the same time, the central part is kept alive. At this age, when the vitality of the flower is great, it should be propagated by dividing it into parts. Weakened or old plants should not be propagated.
It is desirable to divide the curtain in early autumn, when the shoots of the next year are formed in the buds. The mother plant must be dug up, shake off the ground from its roots. After that, the root system must be thoroughly washed. Next, the plant is divided into several parts with a knife. Landing units can have any size. It is necessary that each had several shoots with roots. Next, the surface of the sections must be treated with potassium permanganate.
Use
Single-species plantings of these plants are used as decoration -large spots, in the form of picturesque free groups in various compositions, with an alternation of closed and open spaces. They are freely placed in various open places, on the illuminated edges of artificial or natural plantings. Bathing suits are perfectly combined with a stone. Hills should ideally imitate a scattering of fragments of vegetation cover and stones.
When creating these compositions, the combination of these flowers with ground cover plants should be recommended. At the same time, undersized perennials are in the foreground, then swimsuits, then taller, later blooming perennials with leaves that are decorative in color and shape. On the slides, this flower is decorative along with the bergenia, located in the foreground. One of the most valuable properties of bathing suits is the ability to create bouquets that do not fade for a long time, which are extremely decorative, unique and very picturesque.
Partners
These plants of central Russia are spectacular in plantings with spirea, magnolia, lilac. It should be taken into account when planting that in the middle of summer the bathing suits lose their decorative effect. Therefore, they are best planted in the background. Combinations are good with cushion-shaped plants located in the foreground. Bells can also be used with bathing suits.
