Mukdeniya - planting and care, photo

Tell us what mukdeniya looks like, planting and care, photos of species, if any. I ordered perennial seeds in the spring, and received a bag of mukdenia as a gift. I don't know if I did the right thing to sow them for seedlings, but they sprouted well. Soon they will plant in the garden. Is it much better in the sun or in the shade? And how does she winter? We live in the south, it is usually warm here in winter.

It is not possible to meet her chic multi-colored curtains everywhere, but the reason is not at all that they are ugly. Just mucdenia, planting and care (a photo of the plant will be further in the article) for which, in principle, they are simple - a very delicate culture. Its succulent roots and leaves absolutely do not tolerate low temperatures. And although by its nature it is a perennial, in our conditions it grows as an annual crop. Only in the south and subject to shelter for the winter do bushes survive in open ground. And then every year they grow and turn into an original grassy carpet that changes its color during the season.

Mukdeniya - planting and care, photo

The heat-loving plant was brought to us from the tropics, and in the wild it grows most of all in East Asia. Mucdenia has an interesting structure: it has no stems, and large leaves grow directly from a thick scaly rhizome. It is located almost on the surface of the soil, so the perennial freezes out. The leaves themselves are also juicy and fleshy, divided into numerous, up to 9 pieces, lobes. At first they are green, in summer a red border appears, and by autumn the plates become crimson. In the month of May, tall, up to 60 cm, peduncles with small white flowers begin to rise above the outlet.

There are only 2 types of mukdeniya, but each has several varieties:

• Ross;
• Acantholis.

In mucdenia Acantolis, leaf plates have a deeper division into lobes. This makes them look like incense foliage. It also has very low winter hardiness and is grown as an annual. In Ross mucdenia, the foliage is incised mainly along the edge of the plate. It is more winter-hardy and in warmer regions can overwinter under good shelter.

Where to plant

In terms of lighting, all varieties of mukdeniya are not demanding. Moreover, they look better in semi-shaded flower beds, but can grow even in the shade. From the soil, the plant prefers light loam or sandy loam. Before planting, it is advisable to fertilize the site by adding compost for digging.

The only condition is that you can not plant mucus in places where water stagnates. Although she loves moisture, but from its excess, the juicy rhizome rots.

How to care

Mucdenia care is to provide the bushes with moisture and nutrition:

1. In the summer it needs to be watered frequently. It is impossible for the earth to dry out, otherwise the bushes will disappear.
2. In drought, it will not hurt to spray the outlets, but not during the flowering period.
3. On fertile soil, it will be enough to apply a mineral complex fertilizing once in the spring. If the land is poor in nutrients, it is better to fertilize mucdenia throughout the season twice a month.

To keep moisture longer, you can mulch the soil under the bushes.

In the southern regions for the winter, it is worth trying to preserve mukdeniya by covering it with a thick blanket of mulch... If the winters are warm and the bushes do not die, then after 4 years they can be divided by digging. Another option is to dig up flowers every year and bring them to the basement for the winter.

Mukdeniya Rossa, grade Karasuba