Tenacious: planting and care, description of the 23 best varieties, reproduction, pests and their control

Zyvuchka (another name is ayuga) is a herbaceous plant, different types of which are found all over the world. Most of them (about 70 species) grow in temperate climates. In our country, it is called differently, and is used not only to create garden compositions and planting in flower beds, but also for the preparation of medicinal and cosmetic products. Gardeners have bred a huge number of varieties of tenacity, but each of them has a high survival rate. With proper care, such a flower will decorate the site for a long time.

Description

Different types of tenacity are very different from each other, and the plant can be evergreen, semi-evergreen, in some cases even loses leaves for the winter.The stems are straight, grow up to 40 centimeters, less often - up to half a meter. At the bottom of the stem, the leaves are large, decreasing towards the top. Ayuga inflorescences look like spikelets, they usually have 6-8 flowers, which can be blue, blue, purple. There are burgundy, red, darker shades.

Features

All varieties of tenacity grow well in almost any conditions. This plant is cold-resistant, capable of growing wildly even on depleted soil and covering the entire area with a continuous carpet.

In fact, the only thing needed for ayuga is enough moisture. It is possible to grow even in dark places of the site, but the color of the flowers turns pale, they can even turn white.

Types and varieties

At first glance, the tenacious may seem like a simple flower, but gardeners have bred many varieties. They differ in color, height and many other parameters.

Creeping

Creeping tenacious is one of the species that gardeners are especially fond of due to the variety of colors. The great advantage of this species is its long flowering, so it is worth choosing if you want to keep the garden attractive for the whole season. After the onset of autumn, the plants look as if the buds have just blossomed, and stand out favorably on the site. This species gave rise to those varieties that have now gained particular popularity among gardeners.

Arctic Snow

This variety was bred recently, and it differs, first of all, in unusual leaves. They are quite large, spatulate, wrinkled. They are painted dark green, but there is a whitish spot in the middle. Along the edge - also a white edge.

Black Skullop

Low variety, can rise a maximum of 10 centimeters above the ground.The leaves look unusual - embossed, with an uneven, wavy edge, resemble beet leaves, also due to the purple color, which darkens towards the middle. When planted in sunny places, the shade becomes especially bright.

Chocolate Chip

Height - about 6 centimeters, the leaves are also small, elliptical in shape. Can be dyed in various shades of green or purple. The advantage of this variety is that its color is not affected by the presence or absence of sunshine.

Multicolor

This variety is especially sensitive to the amount of light, as it directly affects what color will appear on each part of the leaf:

in the shade, the leaves darken, turn green, but there are patterns of pinkish and lemon-yellow hues;
in the sun - rich purple, with scarlet, orange, red or yellowish stains.

Therefore, Multicolor is most often planted in different parts of the site, to make a bright composition of bushes.

Burgundy Glow

The leaves are bright purple and purple. Along the edges, the shade brightens, becoming creamy, reddish-pink spots of various sizes are scattered in the center. It is best to plant Burgundy Glow in dark places, then the difference between the color of different parts will be better visible.

Sparkler

Another bright and beautiful variety, also called Creeping Sparkler. The flowers are deep blue, the leaves are small and variegated, green in color, with white or light pink “splashes”.

Variegata

Leaves are grayish-green or even silvery in color. There is a stripe along the edges, and its color on each sheet varies from white to cream. Variegata refers to varieties that take a long time to bloom, but it can be planted in the darkest places, and then the tricolor color of the leaves will be more contrasting.

Pink Elf

One of the longest flowering varieties. Flowers are pale pink. Unlike other varieties of ayuga, the color of the leaves is grassy green, uniform, the leaves themselves are small.

Dark Purple

Relates to the least capricious, therefore, has gained great popularity among gardeners. Atropurpurea has red leaves with a bronze sheen and blue flowers, which together make an unusual and beautiful combination.

Rainbow

This variety has particularly variegated leaves. By themselves, they are purple or dark green, but the spots can be of various shades - red, light green, red, white and yellow. In addition, such tenacious grows with a particularly dense carpet, in which there are no gaps.

Polar fox

The variety fully corresponds to its name, since the grassy background of the leaves is often almost invisible under the snow-white stains. It is better to plant in a sunny place, it is also important to maintain humidity.

Rosea

Medium height, grows up to 25 centimeters. The shape of the leaves is oval, serrated along the edges. The flowers are in different shades of pink and although they are small, they form beautiful bright buds together.

Ajuga reptans atropurpurea

Short stems contrast interestingly with large, green-brown leaves. The color of the flowers is bluish or blue, flowering continues all summer, during which time the flowers fade periodically, then new ones bloom. It is suitable for both sunny and shady places, but if planted in a warm area where the plant will be exposed to direct sunlight, it will need abundant watering.

Pyramidal

Pyramidal tenacious is a rather exotic species of this grass that came to us from the Alps. It grows up to 26 centimeters, the leaves are large, serrated, have the shape of an almost regular oval.An interesting feature of this species is the edge of white villi that grow both along the leaves and along the stem. This variety is very fragile and easily damaged, so it must be handled and transplanted carefully.

Lunar Landing

One of the few varieties that can please with lemon, flowers, together forming long narrow clusters. They stand out brightly against a background of green or dark purple leaves.

Crispa

Unlike the "brothers" of other varieties, the leaves of Crispa are painted in a uniform green color. Inflorescences - light blue.

Metallic Crispa

As you can understand from the name, this variety differs from the previous one in the color of the leaves - they are green-purple, with a metallic sheen. The survivor herself grows low, up to 5 centimeters.

Geneva

This species grows best in full sun. Height - up to 40 centimeters, leaves - elliptical, pointed teeth go along the edge. The flowers of the Geneva tenacious are painted in different shades - blue, blue, pink, white.

Blue Sea

Height - up to 20 centimeters, dark green leaves, flowers, as the name suggests, dark blue. Often used for landscaping large spaces.

Helena

It differs in that it does not spread along the ground and does not grow in width, so this variety looks more aesthetic than others. The inflorescences are painted in various shades of lilac.

Chiosian

Chios tenacious has been recognized not only as an ornamental plant, but also as a medicinal plant due to its antibacterial properties. This variety grows up to 20 centimeters. Leaves are oval, without serrations or with serrations at the top of the leaf. The flowers are small, yellow, and may have purple "splashes".

Laxman

One of the most unusual varieties, including due to the height - up to half a meter. The leaves are entire, without notches, large, green in color, pubescent with long hairs, as well as the stem. Blooms can be pink, yellow or mixed.

Herringbone

Besides the fact that this variety of ayuga has serrated separate silver-green leaves, similar to spruce needles, they also emit a distinct coniferous aroma. Inflorescences are yellow, bloom from May to late autumn.

Turkestan

The birthplace of the variety is the western Tien Shan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Small shrub, elliptical leaves, light green. Lilac and purple flowers are located on the tops. First of all, this ayuga is used in sports medicine and cosmetology, as an ornamental plant it has not found much use.

Growing from seeds

You can plant ayuga in almost any area. For this purpose, seeds are often used, which are planted immediately in open ground.

Date of planting

Zyvuchka is an unpretentious plant, so you can plant it at different times of the year:

In the spring, when the earth has already warmed up, the best time is the second half of May. Wait for a warm day with no rain to plant.
Late autumn.

The plant will not be damaged by frost even down to -10 degrees.

Choice of location and neighbors

The choice of location largely depends on the variety, but most of them grow well in the shade or partial shade. Therefore, you can plant tenacious under trees and bushes. It won't take away the nutrients they need. But more fragile plants and primroses can be clogged with their shoots. The best soil is garden soil or moist loam.

How to plant correctly

Before sowing, the land must be dug up. The seeds themselves are buried to a shallow depth - up to 2 centimeters. There should be 10-15 centimeters between rows, and 8-10 between plants.In the spring, it is better to mulch planted survivors with humus or peat, in winter - with rotten leaves.

Feeding and fertilizer

You need to feed the tenacious 1-2 times a month. Although the plant grows well on depleted soil, such care will have a positive effect on the decorative appearance. It is best to use organic fertilizers:

manure;
compost;
peat;
ash.

Also apply phosphorus-potassium fertilizer along with irrigation.

After flowering

Seeds formed after flowering usually do not retain the qualities that the variety has, and the plants from them are not as beautiful. However, the tenacious can reproduce by self-sowing, as a result, its growth spreads beyond the allotted area and occupies the places that you wanted to give to others.Therefore, it is better to cut off the testicles in advance.

Wintering

In most cases, adult plants winter well without additional shelter. But if there is little snow, it is better to sketch a dry leaf or spruce branches on top. Be sure to cover the newly planted bushes, they freeze out much faster.

Care in the garden, and what role does it play

The main thing that is required for the good growth of the tenacious and the preservation of its decorative qualities is the control of growth. A lot of work is not required - you just need to cut off the extra inflorescences, and make a fence around the plants, for example, from stones.

Before the young leaves appear, it is important to water them abundantly and protect them from direct sunlight.

After this period, watering is required only during dry periods. In the garden, the plant easily carpets large areas, creating beautiful lawns.

Reproduction

There are many ways to propagate the tenacious.

Seeds

Breeding in this way is not the best option, it is only suitable for those who are just starting to grow tenacious and do not have adult bushes to get rosettes. If there are such plants, and you still decide to take ripened seeds from them, be prepared for an unexpected result. The ayugas obtained from them are unlikely to match the description of the variety.

Vegetative

Breeding in this way should be left for March or the first quarter of September. Rosettes that have managed to appear on the mother plant are cut off and planted in the place where they will already grow constantly. You can get a lot of new bushes, because it doesn’t matter if the cuttings have thick roots, you can take those that have one root.

Diseases and pests

Ayuga itself is resistant to pests and diseases, but some measures need to be taken.

Fungal rot

At high humidity, fungal rot occurs. As a result, roots, shoots rot, flowers do not form. To prevent the disease from spreading, carefully remove the affected parts, treat the remaining shoots with fungicides.

Garden snails and slugs

Appearance is also associated with humidity. It is easy to notice these pests, especially the larger specimens, and if you look closely, you will find eaten leaves and holes in them. Protecting the plant is simple - sprinkle around the place where ayuga grows, a dense layer of gravel or crushed stone, another option is spraying with an ash solution.

Landscape use

There are many ways to decorate your garden with ayuga:

suitable for planting in flower beds, rose gardens, greenhouses and even winter gardens;
will serve as a hedge;
due to its short stature, it will look good in the foreground of the composition.

In compositions combined with conifers, ferns, irises.

Reviews

Gardeners who decided to plant this plant in their home note that the tenacious justifies the name. Unpretentious flowers grow quickly, and they are planted even where people will walk. The main disadvantage is that ayuga easily moves to neighboring areas, so it is important to control the spread.