Unusual "Christmas Trees" With Bright Lights

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

Many years ago I came across Ipomoea seeds with original inflorescences that look like stars. There were practically no bushes on the pack. The unusual, heavily dissected leaves in the garden immediately caught my eye. The flower fascinated me at first sight. This is how I got acquainted with the morning glory kvamoklit

Varieties

All varieties of this vine are annuals native to the rainforests of the southern and central parts of the American continent.

Three types of kvamoklite are most common in decorative floriculture:

• paddle (Spanish flag);

• Slaughter (palm-shaped, cardinal);

• feathery (cypress).

Blade kvamoklite

Differs in special decorativeness due to the stem of a red shade of 2-3 meters in length, unusual half-open inflorescences, similar in color to the Spanish flag. Hence the second name of this species arose.

Buds 2 cm long are collected in spike-shaped clusters of 12 pieces, 20-25 cm each. At the beginning of blooming, they have red shades, gradually transforming into orange, pale yellow, cream. One brush contains all 4 colors at the same time.

Leaves are cordate, three-lobed, like arrowheads, sharp at the end. Blooms from August until frost. In ornamental gardening since the middle of the 19th century.

Slaughter's Kvamoklit

Thin stems up to 2 meters long. Shiny leaf plates 7cm deeply dissected from edge to middle, like a fan palm. The inflorescences are bright red, associated with the cardinal's mantle. Therefore, the second name of the species is cardinal liana. Their diameter does not exceed 2.5 cm, the structure is tubular, five-pointed, in the form of a star.

Blooms from early July to September. Seeds are triangular, black, shiny, few in number. It tolerates a transplant at a young age.

Quamoklite pinnate

In culture since the middle of the 17th century. Fast-growing stem 2.5-3 meters long. The leaves are pinnate, delicate, strongly dissected into many plates. From a distance they resemble cypress, therefore the second name is cypress liana.

Numerous inflorescences of three variants: white, red, pinkish stars with a diameter of 3 cm. The buds bloom from August until frost. Takes the transplant hard. It is better to sow directly to a permanent place.

Habitat conditions

Prefers sunny or partial shade. Loamy soil enriched with humus mixtures. Loves abundant watering, but does not tolerate the close occurrence of groundwater, wetlands.

Planting and leaving

Propagated by seeds. In the fall, a place for sowing is being prepared. Introduce 2 buckets of organic fertilizers (compost, peat or humus), a glass of ash per 1 square meter of the ridge. Dig a shovel onto the bayonet.

In mid-April, the earth is leveled, grooves are cut with a depth of 1 cm. They are spilled with hot water. The seeds are spread out at a distance of 10 cm from each other. Fall asleep with a layer of earth, crush the surface well along the row. They build a mini-greenhouse from wire arcs, cover with a film. Shoots appear in 10-12 days.

The plants are fed once every 2 weeks with complex fertilizers for flowers. Water as the earthen coma dries. With the onset of warm weather, the shelter is removed.

To speed up the flowering time, quamoklite is grown through seedlings. In separate pots, 1 seed is sown in mid-March. Cover with foil. The rest of the care is the same as in the seedless method. They are planted in a permanent place at the end of May. Carefully removed from the glass, trying not to disturb the earthen substrate.

Lianas are large plants, the leaf area is large, so a lot of moisture evaporates. It is replenished by frequent, abundant watering, at least 2 times a week. They are fed with nettle infusion with the addition of ash and a matchbox of superphosphate in a bucket of water 2 times a month.

At an early age, plants are tied to a support, guiding each sprout according to a given pattern.

Use in design

They decorate the walls of buildings, plant gazebos, create a hedge along the fence near the chain-link mesh. The pyramidal support from a wooden frame, braided with stems of pinnate quamoklite, looks original. From a distance, it looks like a fluffy Christmas tree with bright star lanterns scattered throughout the crown.

Be sure to try planting this unusual vine in your garden. She will give your site an airy charm, add bright colors, surprise guests.