Live flowering hedge of bright creeper Kampsis
In gardens along the hedge, they often like to plant a liana - Kampsis... Its main advantage is abundant flowering with the dissolution of bright gramophone buds. Consider the rules for planting and caring for a plant so that the garden is filled with bright colors.
Acquaintance with Kampsis
Due to the excellent frost resistance in the middle lane, including in the Moscow region, Kampsis took root without problems. Moreover, gardeners loved it for its decorative effect, trouble-free cultivation and ease of maintenance.
Kampsis is often confused with tekomaria or tekoma. But these are different plants, despite the fact that they belong to the same family.
The foliage of the vines is pinnate, and each leaf is folded and includes 7-11 small leaves, a characteristic feature of which is a serrated edge. In July, the plant begins to bloom and continues until September with the blooming of large tubular buds (9 * 5 cm). They are collected in long panicles and are located at the ends of the shoots. The color of the buds is varied: pink, orange, red, crimson, etc.
At the end of flowering, the fruit develops - a bivalve pod filled with seeds with "wings".
Planting Kampsis in open ground
Campsis is a frost-resistant plant and easily tolerates minor short-term frosts of -20ºC. Due to this, in areas of the middle lane in open ground, it can be planted in the second half of May. When choosing a planting site in the Moscow region, give preference to the southern and southeastern sides of the garden.
Make sure that the place is reliably protected from drafts and winds, and also located at a distance from the house so that insects attracted by flowers do not fly into it.
The plant is completely indifferent to the soil and can develop well in limestone soil. The only requirement is that the soil must be rich in minerals and trace elements.
It is preferable to plant already rooted cuttings, moreover, cut off from a well-developed and abundantly flowering plant. This will allow you to get your first buds 2-3 years after planting.
Kampsis is planted in a hole 40 * 50 * 50 cm, previously dug and prepared in the fall. The upper soil from the pit is laid separately, half a kilogram of mineral fertilizer, 5 kg of compost are added to it and mixed thoroughly. Next, the resulting nutrient substrate is spread on the bottom of the hole, a seedling is placed on top and sprinkled with fertile soil.
When planting, make sure that the cutting is located at a depth at which it rooted and grew before.
The planted seedling is watered near the trunk, the earth is slightly crushed, and then, when the water is completely absorbed and the top layer of the earth dries slightly, they carry out mulchingusing peat or compost.
It is imperative to establish a support on which the vine can develop and hold.
Care rules
We can say that Kampsis resembles a weed. And all thanks to its rapid growth and vitality.Nevertheless, in order to get abundant and long-lasting flowering, you need to carefully follow the rules for planting and caring for Kampsis in the Moscow region and other regions of Russia:
- Lighting. For proper development, bud setting and vigorous growth, Kampsis needs good lighting. Therefore, select open areas for planting. Do not be afraid - the sun's rays will not burn the foliage even in extreme heat.
- Temperature conditions. Naturally, since the plant is thermophilic, then the temperature of the content should be quite high, as in the southern regions. In areas of northern latitudes, development activity is much lower. In addition, the plant needs to be protected from drafts, and covered for the winter.
- Watering. During a period of extreme heat, as well as when the buds are blooming, the plant needs abundant watering. However, a minor drought won't hurt him. But he does not like "wet feet", so avoid stagnation of water in the soil.
- Top dressing. If the plant is planted in a fertile substrate, top dressing is not necessary. If there are not enough useful and nutritious components, fertilizing should be made in the form of nitrogen-phosphorus complexes.
- Wintering. Campsis needs preparation for the winter - its roots are covered with fallen leaves, spruce branches, sawdust. It is advisable to remove the vine from the supports, put it on the ground and also cover it. If this fails, the vines are simply insulated by wrapping them with plastic wrap directly on the support. But in Belarus, caring for Kampsis does not provide for shelter for the winter.
- Pruning. The vine should be pruned throughout the year. First, pruning is done in the spring to remove frozen and old branches and stimulate new growth. Re-pruning is carried out in the fall to shorten and shape the overgrown liana.
Spring pruning of Kampsis - video
Reproduction of Kampsis
Reproduction is carried out in several ways.
Seeds
This method has drawbacks, therefore it is used extremely rarely. The plants obtained as a result of sowing seeds do not inherit varietal qualities from their parents; they begin to bloom much later than specimens obtained by a vegetative method.
If you decide to propagate the plant with this option, the seeds should be pre-stratified and sent for storage at room temperature.
With the arrival of spring, the seeds are sown in a neutral, permeable and loose soil, deepening about 0.5 cm, covered with foil and placed in a warm place (ideal temperature 25 ºC). After a month, the shoots will hatch and when the third pair of leaves appears on them, the young can be transplanted to a permanent place of residence.
Propagation of Kampsis by cuttings
In June-July, green cuttings are cut off from young shoots, 2-3 leaves are left on top of them, and the rest are removed. The remaining leaves are cut off by a third, and the cutting is planted in the ground at an angle of 45 degrees in partial shade in loose soil, and then watered and mulched.
Lignified cuttings
They are harvested in the spring by cutting cuttings with 4 or more buds from lignified shoots of one year old, and immediately planted in the soil at an angle.
Root shoots
With proper care and ideal keeping conditions, the vine produces many basal processes. They are dug out with a fragment of the root system, and immediately transplanted to a permanent place of residence. The procedure is carried out after the foliage has fallen or in early spring, when there is still no plant growth.
Layers
With the arrival of spring, the shoot that is lowest to the ground is bent and fixed with staples. Throughout the season, some rules should be followed: the ground must be constantly loose and moist. Already next spring, the rooted and grown plant can be disconnected from the mother plant and transplanted into its own hole.
Diseases and pests
Gardeners love Kampsis also because diseases and pests practically do not affect it. The only thing that can affect the plant is root rot with a strong flood and stagnation of water in the soil.True, the problem is solved quite quickly - due to the speed of development of shoots. So all you have to do is fix the watering and repair the damaged parts of the rhizome and stems.
Pests also do not infect Kampsis. The most daring - aphid, which periodically settles on the leaves and buds of the plant. Ants immediately appear after the aphids. Eliminate annoying insects by processing insecticides... You should also carry out preventive spraying with the arrival of summer.
If an adult plant more than 2-3 years old does not bloom, the cause should be sought in a poor substrate, cold winter, or an invasion of pests.
Landscape ideas
Liana grows very quickly, instantly fills the provided support. Therefore, it is often planted near gazebos, hedges, arches. You can also decorate the walls of outbuildings with it. In this case, it is necessary to regularly inspect the walls of the building and prevent the kampsis from getting to the roof. With its suction cups, it is firmly fixed and can even destroy the roof.
Kampsis buds are used in various flower arrangements. In addition, they stand in a vase for a long time.
Correctly planted kampsis, well placed and designed support will help to grow an elegant and beautiful living wall with many colors and bright aroma.