Clematis Knyazhik: description and characteristics of the variety, planting and care, varieties

Clematis Knyazhik is a unique garden decoration element that will fit perfectly into any design. This original plant is a beautiful flowering vine.

It is worth noting that Knyazhik is considered a "relative" of clematis, differing from it only in the structure of the flower and growth rate. The flowering of the Knyazhnik attracts the attention of others. It is used in the design of arches, hedges, or simply to create a bright spot in green compositions.

General characteristics of Clematis Knyazhik

Knyazhik is an elegant perennial vine with gorgeous flowers. The family to which it belongs is the Ranunculaceae. The natural habitat is the northern regions.

The plant has flexible, woody, strongly branched stems, densely covered with carved foliage. The vine is attached to the support with long, twisting petioles. Its buds, formed one by one, resemble bells in their shape. Flowers can be blue, white, pink, purple, or two-tone, depending on the cultivar. The sepals of the Knyazhik are quite large, there are from 4 to 8 of them in the calyx. The plant blooms in early summer.

Varieties

There are several of the most popular types of clematis Knyazhik:

Natural habitat - forests of Europe and the B altics. The flowers have the shape of large bells, they have 4 sepals, in which the petals are hidden. Among the shades that characterize this variety, stand out: pink, lilac, blue and purple. The leaf plate of saturated green color has a trifoliate shape and serrated edges.The flowering period begins at the end of May. Popular varieties of this type of Knyazhik: This species is native to the Far East, as well as Korea, China and Siberia. A feature of the large-petaled Knyazhik is the terry structure of the inflorescence, which gives it splendor and elegance. This species has more small petals covered with upper sepals than others. It is also more demanding in care and, in particular, in sheltering a bush in winter.

View	Description
Alpine	Willy; Jackman; Pamela; Lemon Dream; Constance; Blue Dance; Blue Princess.
Large-petaled	The following varieties of this species are common: Ballet Skist; Markhams Pink; Cecile.
Siberian	Under natural conditions found in coniferous forests of Russia.The bush can grow up to 3 meters. The species is characterized by abundant flowering. The flowers are white or yellowish, resemble bells in shape. The flowering period falls in the middle of the summer season. Often pleases gardeners with repeated flowering in early autumn. This Knyazhik is hardy and has a delicate, sweet fragrance from the flowers.
Korean	Least popular variety, rare found in Russia. It features bright yellow, red or purple flowers. The height is from 2 to 3 meters.

Advantages and disadvantages of Clematis Knyazhik

This culture has practically no shortcomings. Among the advantages of Knyazhik, in the first place is, of course, his decorativeness and unpretentiousness. This plant pleases with its appearance even during periods of lack of flowering. It perfectly survives the winter cold and is ideal for embodying the most daring design ideas.

Features of planting clematis

Site selection and soil preparation

When choosing a place to land on your site, it is worth remembering that the Knyazhik, although considered photophilous, feels better in partial shade. Drafts and sudden gusts of wind are unacceptable. Also, it is important to think over and prepare the supports on which the vine will be attached before planting.

Knyazhik does not impose special requirements on the composition of the soil, however, if you follow some recommendations, the liana will grow more intensively:

• The soil should not be damp, swampy. Otherwise, the root system will rot.
• The best option would be loamy, slightly alkaline soil.
• Especial attention should be paid to good drainage.
• The soil should be light, loose, well permeable to water and air.

Preparation of planting material

Before planting in the ground, it is recommended to cut the Knyazhik seedling in half in order to speed up rooting and stimulate the growth of new roots. The cut parts of the cuttings can also be used in rooting.

Boarding process

It is very important to plant the Knyazhik in compliance with the basic recommendations:

1. The planting hole should be of suitable size, approximately 70-70-70, and be located next to the future support for the plant. Leave a distance of at least 1 meter between seedlings.
2. The bottom of the pit should be covered with a layer of drainage. Gravel or broken bricks mixed with sand are perfect for this purpose.
3. Further, it is recommended to place a layer of horse manure, which serves as an excellent fertilizer.
4. After that, you need to fill the remaining volume with the prepared earthen mixture. It should contain compost, ash, superphosphate, complex mineral fertilizer. With increased acidity of the soil, it is recommended to add slaked lime.
5. It is important to remember that the Knyazhik's root system is very fragile, so the planting process must be done very carefully. If the seedling already has damage in the root system, they must be removed, after which it is recommended to treat the sections with activated charcoal or potassium permanganate.
6. After planting the seedling in the ground, water the plant abundantly and loosen the soil.
7. Seedlings that have reached the age of two are best transplanted.
8. In order to protect a young plant from diseases, you can cover the top layer of soil around the root collar with river sand mixed with wood ash and add a weak solution of potassium permanganate when watering.

Further care

Water and loosening

Irrigation rates are determined by ambient temperature. If the summer turned out to be hot, then you need to water the Knyazhik at least twice a week, especially young plants. In moderate temperatures, one watering per week is enough

Loosening the soil favorably affects the he alth of the root system of the plant, so it should be done every time before the next watering.

Fertilization

It is recommended to apply organic and mineral fertilizers every two weeks, stopping top dressing only for the period of active flowering.

Urea, mullein, chicken manure or complex mineral fertilizers are excellent as top dressing.

Correct trimming

You should know that already in the first year after planting, the Knyazhiki give perennial shoots that cannot be cut. Therefore, it is important when planting to take into account the location of the support directly near the plant. Pruning is done only to remove damaged, untidy stems.

In order for a young plant to grow stronger and quickly form a root system, it is necessary to pinch the ends of shoots that have reached 20 cm in length in a timely manner.

Shelter for the winter

Since some plant species came to us from the northern regions, the Knyazhik is considered a frost-resistant plant and does not need shelter for the winter. Long shoots for the winter period are not pruned.

Main diseases and pests

It should be noted that Knyazhik is quite susceptible to various diseases and pests. Among the most common diseases are:

• rust - manifested by the deformation of the shoots, the appearance of orange growths on the leaves or shoots. Spraying with Bordeaux mixture will help to cope with it;
• brown spot - characterized by brown spots on the leaves, after which holes appear. In order to prevent a large-scale damage to the plant, it is necessary at the first sign to remove the damaged parts of the plant and treat it with copper oxychloride or copper sulphate;
• waterlogging the soil often leads to fungal infections of the root system. Only transplanting to another soil with the removal of damaged parts of the root system will help save a diseased plant.

Among the pests that infect this vine, snails and slugs are most common. In this case, special traps located around the bush can help. In winter, the root system and stems of Knyazhik can damage mice, so care must also be taken to limit their access to the plant.

Methods of reproduction

There are several ways to breed the Prince:

• cuttings;
• layering;
• dividing rhizomes.

An effective way is to plant a new plant by layering. To do this, young stems bend down and fall asleep with earth in the spring. And exactly one year later they can be separated from the mother bush and transplanted to a permanent place.

Use of the Prince in landscape design

This amazing plant can decorate any area. Wrapping around a support, they are able to create magnificent compositions. This vine is often planted near arbors, arches, in order to give them decorative effect. In addition, you can place the Knyazhik next to large trees, the trunks of which will serve as a natural support.

Some designers plant Knyazhik as groundcover.

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