Blooming "goatee"

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

Looking at this pretty plant with elongated, lush inflorescences, you won't even think that people call it "goat's beard". It is ready to decorate any flower bed, delighting with its attractive curtain and unpretentious character. Russian gardeners have long fallen in love with this plant and affectionately call it Volzhanka (tavolzhnik) because of its favorite habitats on the shores of the Volga. Botanists have chosen a more prosaic name for it - aruncus

Good for both flowers and leave

Volzhanka belongs to the genus Aruncus (Rosaceae), whose representatives are distinguished by spectacular fluffy panicles of inflorescences, as a rule, on a long single stem. Numerous small white-yellow or cream flowers betray their fluffiness. But Volzhanka is also good after flowering: its beautiful, openwork-pinnate leaves look very decorative. Among the 12 species of aruncus, the most common are aruncus ordinary (dioecious) and volzhanka forest. They are quite unpretentious, they are not afraid of frost and shade. Domestic flower shops often offer seeds of Asiatic Volzhanka, American Volzhanka, Kamchatka Volzhanka and Parsley Volzhanka.

In the old days, tavolzhnik was grown not only for eye pleasure, but also for the treatment of fever. Now it is better known as an ornamental plant. In nature, the flower is found mainly in the North, in the mountains and light forest thickets. Its wonderful sweet honey aroma is well recognizable.

Flowers will have to wait

Since Volzhanka is a perennial plant, it is better to plant it before winter. In this case, it usually blooms in the third year. It is propagated more often by rhizomes or cuttings. The seed method is quite painstaking and lengthy: after sowing, the sprouts first dive (10-15 cm), and the next year, in the spring, the seedlings are transplanted to a new place with an even greater distance from each other. And only after a year, two young bushes can be moved to their permanent place of residence. Well, you need to wait for flowers only for the third year.

Often, gardeners also choose a vegetative reproduction method. To do this, in early spring or autumn, small bushes with two buds are carefully separated from a 4 or 5-year-old plant. If everything is done correctly, then the flowers on such young Volzhankas can bloom already in the same year, or next summer.

And in the sun and in the shade

When choosing a permanent location for aruncus, it is advisable to prefer shaded areas of the garden. There he will feel more comfortable, although he will also take root in a sunny flower bed. When preparing the soil, you don't need to mess around a lot: it is enough to loosen it well and fertilize it with humus. The plant is very grateful to the abundant watering (for an adult Volzhanka you need 3-4 buckets). Without moisture, it can withstand about 1-2 weeks. Diseases and pests are practically not observed in the meadowsweet, except, perhaps, caterpillars and sawflies.

Caring for him consists in regular watering, weeding and loosening the soil. Volzhanka is especially grateful to feeding. It is important to do them during the growing season of the plant. To do this, you can choose nitrogen or complex fertilizers, as well as self-prepared and diluted weed infusions. As soon as the flowers appear, it's time to add organic matter or formulations with phosphorus and potassium. Later you can do sawdust and peat mulching (5 cm layer). But you don't need to overdo it with subcortexes. Providing good, fertile soil with enough humus, it is not necessary to fertilize Aruncus.

Good in winter bouquets

The plant has a bright but short flowering period - the first month of summer. Due to its almost two-meter growth, the Volzhanka is usually planted in the background of flower beds, otherwise all other flowers risk "drowning" in its shade. If the aruncus is not disturbed or transplanted, then it is able to safely live up to six or more years. The beauty of its flowers is not only pleasing to the eye, but also well attracts pollinating insects to the garden, who are delighted with the honey scent of the plant.

For lovers of floristry, Volzhanka is just a godsend! Its inflorescences are able to decorate both summer and winter bouquets. However, the plant must be dried very carefully and it is advisable to do this immediately after the flowers are fully disclosed. A fresh cut of it does not live long - a maximum of three days. But the winter ikebana from Volzhanka will last a long time. In early July, after the end of flowering, only leaves are left, which are no less attractive. The stems are cut closer to frost. It is advisable to cover young shoots.