Narrow-ear Buddleya

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Narrow-ear buddleya (Latin Buddleja stenostachya) - flowering shrub; a representative of the Buddleya genus of the Norichnikov family. Comes from the mountainous regions of Western China. This is a truly unique and amazing shrub, often called a butterfly bush or a butterfly magnet. The thing is that with its beauty and honey-hydrangea aroma, buddlea inflorescences with narrow ears attract butterflies, they are also pollinators of culture.

Characteristics of culture

Narrow-spiked buddleya is a deciduous shrub up to 3 m high with a wide spreading crown and slightly curved shoots covered with gray-green bark. The leaves are alternate, narrow-lanceolate or broadly lanceolate, narrowed at the base, pointed at the ends, naked on the outside, dark green, on the back - dull, pubescent, whitish-green, over 6 cm long.

The flowers are small, purple or lilac, fragrant, collected in loose long panicles. Like buddleia with alternate leaves, in the species under consideration, flower buds are laid on last year's shoots. Long-lasting, abundant flowering occurs in May-June.

Fruits when grown in central Russia rarely ripen, which is due to the intolerance of frost plants. The culture cannot be called winter-hardy, it can withstand frosts down to -20C. In cold winters, plants are damaged by frost, but with the onset of spring they recover to their previous size, although they do not always bloom.

Narrow-ear buddlea grows quickly, of course, with proper care and favorable growing conditions. The species grows from early May to mid-late October, which completely depends on the climate. Narrow-ear buddleya is suitable for cultivation in countries with warm winters, in Russia it can be cultivated in the southern regions.

Care

Despite the fact that the narrow-ear buddlea is a drought-resistant plant, it responds positively to irrigation, especially in dry periods. Also, the culture has a positive attitude to fertilizing with mineral fertilizers. In early spring, the shrubs are fed with nitrogen fertilizers and compost or a solution of chicken manure, and in the middle of summer - with phosphorus and potassium fertilizers. Top dressing stimulates active growth and abundant flowering. Color saturation also depends on dressings.

Growing in regions with cold winters involves sheltering the plants for the winter. Without it, the plants will freeze and die. In the case of David's buddleya, the shrubs are pruned almost flush with the soil; with the species in question, such pruning is not necessary. It is enough to bend the bush to the ground, fix it, cover it with a wooden box, and fill the voids with dry fallen leaves, or cover the plants with spruce branches, and spud the foot with compost. With the onset of heat, it is important to remove the shelter in time, otherwise the shrubs will begin to rot and then rot, which leads to inevitable death.

Propagation by cuttings

Narrow-ear buddley is propagated by seeds and cuttings. Cuttings are carried out immediately after flowering, but not later than September. Each cutting should have 3-4 buds, 2 of which are buried when planting in a loose and moist substrate. Also, cuttings must have at least 2 internodes. Treatment of cuttings with growth stimulants is not necessary, but such a procedure will speed up rooting. The cuttings planted in the substrate are covered with a film cover, but so that it does not touch the cuttings.

Periodically, the substrate is sprayed from a spray bottle with warm and settled water and ventilated by removing the film. Planting cuttings in a permanent place is carried out immediately after rooting. For the winter, young plants are spud with fallen leaves for warming, otherwise they will freeze out without reaching flowering. Cuttings will begin to grow in growth next spring, caring for it is no different from caring for adult bushes.

Application

Unfortunately, the narrow-ear buddleya has not received widespread use in ornamental gardening. The most popular buddleya of David and buddleya alternate-leaved, which is associated with a variety of varieties. All types of buddles look great in small groups and singles. Plants look especially impressive in groups of 3-5 specimens against the background of a lawn. Narrow-ear buddleya gets along in alliance with undersized shrubs and herbaceous perennials.