Noble liverwort: description and characteristics of the plant, planting and care
Growing a noble liverwort helps to decorate the garden plot. This plant is a perennial herbaceous culture, which reaches a height of 8-15 centimeters. It blooms in early spring and is often used in landscape design. Group plantings look especially attractive. When the liverwort begins to bloom, the entire area is covered with a beautiful thick carpet.
Botanical features of the plant
According to the botanical description, the plant belongs to the Buttercup family. It is a perennial herb.The height of the flower is not more than 15 centimeters. Long petioles are supplemented with leaves of 3 lobes. Young plants have a little fluff. However, over time, it disappears.
Brown scales are visible on the top of the root system. From the axils of last year's leaves, new arrow-shaped stems emerge.
The plant begins to bloom in early spring. Flowers appear directly from under the snow cover. Each bud forms 3-6 flowers. Their diameter is no more than 1.5 centimeters. The color scheme is different - blue or lilac. In rarer cases, pink and white flowers are found.
In the spring, the plant wakes up very quickly. Literally in 2 days, the bush increases 3 times. At the same time, the culture blooms for only 2 weeks. It should be borne in mind that all elements of the plant are poisonous. Therefore, when in contact with the bush, it is recommended to wash your hands well.
An unusual reaction to lighting is considered a feature of culture. When the sun rises, the petals open. They close at sunset.
Growth area
The plant lives in almost all European countries. It is found in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine. The liverwort also grows in Asia - Korea, Japan, China. In its natural environment, the culture prefers deciduous forests. In more rare cases, it is found in the meadows.
Application in landscape design
This graceful plant blooms for a very short time, but this process begins at the moment the snow melts. There are no other flowers during this period. That is why the liverwort is often used in landscape design. Moreover, even faded bushes remain attractive throughout the season.
Often the culture is combined with coniferous plants. It is planted with juniper, thuja, boxwood. The liverwort looks very nice under the lilac and mock orange. The flower looks great against the background of stones. Therefore, it often serves as a decoration for an alpine slide.
When planting in a rock garden for a liverwort, you should choose a shaded side. This will help to avoid the negative effects of the scorching sun. Small hostas, primroses, dwarf barberries look good next to the plant. Sanguinaria or saxifrage is also suitable.
Popular varieties for planting in the garden
Today, many varieties of liverwort are known that are suitable for planting in a summer cottage. Each of them is characterized by certain features.
Sharp-lobed
This crop is found in forests. She loves temperate climates. Leaves include 3 lobes. White-blue flowers have a green center. They are characterized by large stamens. Thanks to this, the inflorescence looks more expressive.
American
This plant was brought to Europe from America. It is characterized by five-lobed leaves of a light purple hue. The plant has small pink flowers. They appear to be half open.
Noble
This is the most common kind of culture. It is a low herbaceous bushes 10-20 centimeters tall. Perennial grows in temperate climatic zones of the Northern Hemisphere. Also, flowers are found in the Moscow region and other nearby areas.
Transylvanian
This plant lives in the north of Romania and in the Carpathians. Garden forms look very attractive. They have large flowers. At the same time, their shade is different - pink, white, blue. The terry liverwort looks beautiful.
Asian
This plant lives in Primorsky Krai. Culture loves shady areas and moist drained soil. The plant is characterized by slow growth. This kind of culture does not bloom every year.
Things to consider before boarding
To get a strong and strong plant, you should read the key tips from experts. To do this, it is recommended to choose a suitable site.
Optimal location
Liverwort loves shaded areas. It is best to plant the plant under deciduous trees or shrubs. If you place the crop in open areas, flowering will be short and scarce.
Soil composition
Culture loves loose soil that is rich in nutrients. It is desirable that the soil is light and permeable. Before planting a crop, peat should be introduced into the soil. Half-rotted needles are also suitable.
Site illumination
To ensure the plant develops normally, it is recommended to choose a place without strong sun exposure. A shady area is suitable - behind the house or near the fence.
It should be borne in mind that in such a place the plant will not live very long. Therefore, a place with medium illumination is considered an ideal option. This means that the sun should appear on it, but not for the whole day.
Favorable and Undesirable Neighbors
To create a beautiful flower bed, it is worth considering its composition in detail. The combination of liverwort with other plants will help to get good results.Crocuses and daffodils are ideal to combine with the culture. No less successful option would be small primroses, adonis, sanguinaria.
At the same time, flower growers categorically do not advise combining the liverwort with plants that are characterized by rapid and aggressive development.
Planting a plant
In order for the noble liverwort to grow well, it is worth considering all the nuances during its planting.
Soil and site preparation
Before planting the crop in the holes, it is recommended to put some compost. It is also worth applying complex fertilizer.
Timing
It is worth planting a liverwort during dormancy - in July or August. Thanks to this, the plant will have time to take root before frost, which will ensure flowering next spring. Renewal buds should be at ground level when planting.
Performing landing operations
It is recommended to plant crops in open soil in groups. This will help you get the most effective result. Most often, the plant is planted in bushes of 5 pieces. At the same time, the culture can grow in one place for 20 years.
How to care for a flower
When planting a flower, it should provide full and high-quality care. This will help to achieve beautiful flowering.
Irrigation
This plant requires sufficient moisture. It is drought tolerant, but will cause leaf drop. It is recommended to water the culture as the soil dries. It is important to keep the soil constantly moist.
Transfer
The plant easily tolerates transplanting at any time. This procedure can be carried out even in the middle of summer. To do this, it is recommended to dig a bush with a large clod of earth and move it to moist soil.At the same time, spring or early autumn is considered the ideal time for a flower transplant.
Fertilizer
This plant grows well without additional fertilizers. If you want to enrich the soil, immediately after the snow has melted, bone meal should be introduced into it. After flowering is completed, it is recommended to use nitrogen supplements. At the end of summer, it is better to apply fertilizers that include phosphorus and potassium.
Cutting
This procedure is recommended in early spring, when flower stalks appear. Pruning should be done for decorative purposes. It consists in removing last year's leaves. In parallel with flowering, they change color and die off, which leads to a deterioration in the appearance of the bushes. If you cut the foliage in advance, you will be able to get a beautiful plant.
After flowering, new leaves appear. Thanks to this, the culture retains decorative properties. In this form, the liverwort serves as a flower bed decoration until winter.
Garter
This culture is distinguished by its compact size and strong stem. Therefore, she needs the use of supports and a garter.
Diseases and pests: treatment and prevention
Perennial plant often encounters fungal diseases. For preventive purposes, it is recommended to use a solution of Bordeaux mixture. Its concentration should be 1%.
Culture is recommended to be treated with a product after the completion of the flowering process.
Preparing for winter
Under natural conditions, the culture easily survives the winter. This is due to the snow cover in the forest. The role of an additional warming layer is played by fallen leaves. When growing a liverwort in a garden plot, flower growers are advised to mulch the beds. For this purpose, it is worth using compost or humus.
Propagation of the variety
The plant is propagated in various ways. This is done using seeds or dividing the bush. In more rare cases, cuttings are used. A variety of methods helps every grower to choose the right option.
Dividing the bush
Terry forms of the plant do not form seeds. Therefore, such varieties are recommended to be propagated by division. For this, bushes older than 4 years are used. They have a strong root system.
For the procedure, it is recommended to dig up the plant before flowering - in the fall. It is also permissible to do this in the summer, after flowering is completed. The bush should be shaken off the ground, divided and moved to fertile soil. Then the bed is mulched and watered systematically.
Seeds
After collecting the seeds, they should be placed in a cool place. Planting material is recommended to be stored in a bag with wet vermiculite. Sphagnum is also great. If the seeds dry out, they will completely lose their viability.
It is recommended to plant the plant immediately after collecting the seeds. It can also be done before winter. The seed is buried in the soil by about 1 centimeter.
When cold weather sets in, it is recommended to cover the area with spruce branches. Sprouts will appear in spring. At the same time, young bushes grow rapidly. Flowering of seedlings begins only at the age of 3.
If the group is isolated from other forms, the mother color will be obtained. If other varieties are present nearby, shades may mix.
By cuttings
Rooting rosettes are often used to breed exotic varieties. To do this, make a small cut from below. After treatment with a stimulant, it should be transplanted into a suitable container. In this case, there is a risk that the plant will not take root. However, the method usually produces the desired results.
Planting a plant is in the off-season. This is allowed to be done in spring or autumn. It is important to ensure that the renewal buds remain on the surface of the soil. It is recommended to fill the hole with compost and a small amount of fertilizer.
Culture grows in one area for a long time. If you transplant it to a new place, it easily adapts at any stage of development. However, it is not recommended to carry out the procedure very often.
Noble liverwort is a beautiful ornamental plant that is easy to care for. It is often used to decorate flower beds and garden plots. Thanks to the correct composition of the composition, you will be able to get an excellent result.
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