2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Another unpretentious plant that blooms profusely in spring or summer (depending on the species) with miniature showy flowers. Sparrows look great in rock gardens and on rocky slopes, masking hard-to-reach places. Juicy greenery, silvered with pubescence, the brightness of the flowers, the firmness and unpretentiousness of the plant make it attractive for gardeners. Some species of sparrow have amazing medicinal properties
Genus Lithospermum
The botanical name of the genus "Lithospermum" ("
Lithospermum"), Which in translation means" stone seed ", reflects not the plant's ability to live in rocky areas, but the appearance and density of the plant's fruit. Although the Russian name of the genus sounds much softer, “
Sparrow"Or more romantic -"
Pearl herb , They also reflect the fruits, which have the shape of an egg-shaped nut, which is hard to the touch, as a rule, white in color. Why aren't you pearls against a background of silvery-green leaves?
In the literature, you can also find another Latin name for this plant -
Lithodora (Lithodora).
Varieties
•
Lithospermum sprawling (Lithospermum diffusum) is a dwarf root-sucking dwarf shrub (up to 10 cm high). Its spiny stems are covered with ovoid narrow leaves of a dark green color. In summer, blue glossy flowers bloom with very bright showy specks. Unlike most types of lithospermum, resistant to cold, this species is not friendly with frost.
Many varieties have been bred, differing from each other in the color of flowers and leaves. So, among the flowers there are violet-blue (variety "Sky-blue"), and the variety "Grace Ward" has larger flowers of a deep blue color. Variety "Zvezda" has variegated leaves, the surface of which is lilac with white stripes along the edge of the leaf.
Spreading lithospermum grows in a dense, bright carpet that can mask a bare wall or hard-to-reach areas among stones, hanging its prickly leafy stems.
•
Lithospermum calabrum (Lithospermum calabrum) is a cold-resistant herbaceous perennial plant. Creeping shoots up to 35 cm high are covered with lanceolate leaves. Blue flowers bloom in spring. Ideal plant for alpine slides.
•
Lithospermum Caroline (Lithospermum carolinienses) is a prickly representative of the genus. One-meter stems of a semi-shrub are covered with thorns. Numerous linear or lanceolate leaves have a pointed end, complementing the formidable look of the bush. Corollas of yellow-orange flowers reach 2.5 cm in diameter.
•
Lithospermum olive (Lithospermum oleifolium) is a dwarf shrub with 10-15 cm stems creeping along the surface of the earth. Dark brownish green oblong leaves. For four months, starting in May, the shrub is covered with inflorescences collected from flowers from blue to lilac-pink.
•
Lithospermum purple blue (Lithospermum purpureo-caeruleum) - flowering of the shrub begins in the spring and can last into the summer months. Interestingly, creeping shoots are covered only with ovate-lanceolate or lanceolate leaves, and flowers bloom only on erect shoots. Initially, purple-red flowers, collected in inflorescences, gradually turn blue.
Growing
All species of the genus love sunny places, withstanding both high and low temperatures. The exception is the sprawling thermophilic lithospermum sparrow, which will not be able to withstand the cold winter.
Plants are used as ground covers, for arranging flower borders, decorating rock gardens and stone walls.
The soil for planting sparrows is abundantly filled with organic matter. Calcareous soils are also suitable for them, with the exception of the whimsical spreading lithospermum.
Regular watering is still required by the same spreading lithospermum, while other species are watered only in the dry season of summer. Once every 2-3 weeks, watering is combined with mineral feeding.
Reproduction
In addition to the summer sowing of seeds, they are propagated by separating the spring lateral shoots, or by dividing the bush in late summer or spring. The separated parts are immediately planted in a permanent place.
Diseases and pests
With poor drainage and stagnant water, it is susceptible to fungal diseases.
Ticks and aphids like to feed on leaf juice, leaving the plant without nutrients.
Recommended:
Living Bath Mat
Modern design aims to get closer to nature, landscaping is a popular trend. This trend is especially appreciated by the townspeople, but not everyone has time to grow indoor flowers. There is a rational way - these are lawns, living walls and floor rugs made of moss
Araucaria - A Living Christmas Tree
Russians associate Christmas and New Year with snowdrifts in which a fluffy evergreen Christmas tree is buried. Bearded peasants will chop down a poor Christmas tree under the spine and bring it to the house, where it will stay smart for seven or ten days, and then go to firewood or to a dump. But the coniferous tree from the genus Araucaria, which is popularly called the "Living Christmas tree", has a slightly different fate
Ginkgo - A Living Fossil
Two incompatible words like "living" and "fossil" have combined to tell about the amazing Ginkgo tree. Having appeared in the earthly world hundreds of millions of years ago, it managed to survive many types of lush vegetation of those distant times, outwardly remaining in its original form
Living Carpet For Giving
Lawns appeared in Russia during the time of Peter the Great and adorned mainly the gardens of the Russian nobility. But the real boom in lawn addiction came, perhaps, at the end of the twentieth century, and continues to this day. Now a living, green carpet can often be found on the usual six hundred square meters. However, it is not so easy to grow smooth, juicy and fluffy grass
Living Fences. Vegetation Selection Options
Admiration and delight appears at the sight of a well-groomed green fence. If there is a desire to have such functional beauty, you need to correctly assess your strengths and capabilities
