Perennial Arabis: description of species and varieties, planting and care in the open field with a photo

Knowing the basic rules for planting and caring for perennial arabis, you can transform any garden plot. There are many subspecies of this flower, differing in shades, structure and habitats. Arabis is a very beautiful and unique plant, most often found on mountain slopes, but it can also be successfully used in garden plots.

Description and features

Arabis is a perennial plant from the Cruciferous family. It is characterized by whole leaves of emerald or variegated color and light fluff.There are oval, heart-shaped and arrow-shaped options. The color of the flowers is white, purple, purple and pink. Dense and dense inflorescences of arabis have a racemose shape. Belongs to the type of ground cover plants, which in the garden give the impression of a luxurious grassy carpet. It grows quite quickly, and its fresh shoots take root easily. The average plant height is 30 centimeters.

The flowering period of arabis falls at the end of April or the beginning of May and lasts 16-30 days. The second stage of flowering in September is also possible, however, for this it is necessary to shorten the stems of the plant by 3-4 centimeters in June.

This plant is common in Europe, Asia and North America. In the wild, it is often found on rocks and mountain slopes. Arabis is unpretentious, and even in harsh conditions is able to remain attractive.

Growing seedlings

One of the easiest and most reliable methods of growing perennial arabis is to prepare seedlings from quality seeds that are always available at garden centers or speci alty stores.

Timing

Seeds for seedlings should be sown in April, using special containers or boxes filled with a balanced substrate.

Soil preparation

The growth and development of arabis seedlings depends on properly prepared soil. The optimal composition is a mixture of three parts garden soil and one part river sand (it can be replaced with small pebbles).

How to plant

Seeds should be placed in the prepared substrate to a depth of 0.5 cm. The air temperature in the room where the containers with seedlings will be located should not exceed +20 ° C. To speed up germination, cover containers with agrospan or other type of non-woven fabric.

Irrigation

Seedlings should be watered only when the soil needs moisture. Frequent irrigation is not required, but the condition of the soil should be monitored regularly.

Loosening

The top layer of soil with seedlings should have a loose and light structure, so it needs to be loosened daily with a small rake or a regular fork.

Picking

When the first leaf blades appear, the seedlings need to pick. To do this, you need to distribute them in separate cups or transplant them at a distance of at least 30 centimeters from each other.

This procedure is only necessary if you plan to grow a flower separately. In the case of growing arabis as a ground cover, picking is not carried out.

Hardening

Plant hardening should begin 10-12 days before planting in open areas. In order for Arabis to adapt well to new conditions, it must be taken out daily, gradually increasing the duration of its stay in the fresh air.At the same time, it is necessary to provide seedlings with reliable protection from drafts.

Landing in open ground

Read the rules and guidelines before disembarking.

When to plant

It is recommended to plant arabis in open ground in late May or early June. An important condition is the presence of at least three formed leaf blades in seedlings.

Choosing a seat

Perennial arabis are planted in well-ventilated areas with sufficient sunlight. It is also possible to plant a plant in a shaded area, however, in this case, one should not expect abundant growth and flowering.

Soil Requirements

This flower prefers nutritious soil with good drainage properties and does not tolerate drought well. The optimum soil temperature is +20 °C.Loose sandy, moderately moist soil, previously cleared of weeds, is ideal for Arabis. The addition of a small amount of turf, sand and small stones helps to improve the moisture and air permeability of the soil.

Poor acidic and calcined soil is not very favorable for Arabis. In it, the plant does not fade, but grows too weakly.

Plant pattern

The optimal arrangement of seeders is 40 x 40 centimeters. Thus, the arabis bushes will grow well without conflicting with each other. To get the effect of a thick carpet of flowers, you need to place 3-4 seedlings in one hole. Depending on the subspecies and weather conditions, flowering may begin as early as late summer or next year.

Care

Due to its unpretentiousness, caring for perennial arabis is uncomplicated and does not require unique gardening skills.

Irrigation

This flower is highly drought tolerant, so it does better with a lack of moisture than with an excess of it. Perennial arabis should be watered moderately and only during prolonged dry periods, using a garden watering can. Over-irrigation should not be allowed, as it will provoke rotting of the root system. To protect against heavy rains, drainage should be done with stones, gravel and pebbles.

Loosening and weeding

Loosen the land required after each irrigation. While the plant is young, it needs frequent weeding and removal of weeds. After a while, the arabis will gain enough strength to suppress weeds on its own.

Feeding

Arabis should be fed with organic fertilizers in the spring, before the formation of buds. Mineral complex fertilizers must be applied under the root before the plant blooms.

Cutting

Due to the rapid growth of the stems, arabis planted in carpet beds and mosaic garden arrangements require systematic pruning and shaping to maintain aesthetic appeal. Cut cuttings can later be used to propagate the plant.

Transfer

Arabis roots are very thin and fragile, so you need to transplant it very carefully to prevent damage:

1. Make several planting holes 25cm deep.
2. Moderately moisten the soil under the bush.
3. Gently loosen the soil around the plant and remove it along with the earth clod.
4. Transfer the bush to the prepared hole, cover with earth, lightly compact and water.

Arabis in a new place easily takes root and begins to grow.

Diseases and pests

Arabis is resistant to pests and various diseases, but in rare cases it can be affected by a viral mosaic. The main symptom of this disease is the appearance of small brown spots on the surface of the leaves, which subsequently increase in size until they completely merge with each other. Unfortunately, the affected plant is not treatable. It must be dug out of the soil and destroyed. After that, treat the area with a concentrated solution of potassium permanganate. For at least a year, no horticultural crops can be grown on it.

Among insect pests that pose a threat to arabis:

• cruciferous flea;
• snails and slugs;
• Cabbage scoop caterpillars.

Wood ash for dusting is ineffective in this case. Plantings need to be treated with special preparations - for example, Biotlin, Aktara or Karbofos.

Reproduction

There are several methods for propagating perennial arabis. For these purposes, you can use seeds, cuttings and some other options.

Seeds

Perennial arabis seeds are prepared in April. Planting boxes should be filled with a substrate prepared from garden soil and sand in proportions of 3: 1. Seeds should be sown to a depth of 0.5 cm. The optimum air temperature in the room is +20 °С. After sowing the seeds, the box must be covered with glass. The soil must be moistened and ventilated for at least half an hour every day.

After the development of 2-3 leaves, the seedlings should be transplanted into separate pots and grown before planting in open soil.

You can also sow seeds directly in the garden. For this, the soil must be well warmed. The bed should be covered with spunbond until the first shoots appear.

Layers

To get layering, you need to bend the Arabis shoot to the ground. In the area of the leaf node, fix it in the soil, and pinch the top.

As soon as the leaf node takes young roots, you can separate the layers and transplant to the right place.

Cutting

Rabis can be propagated by cuttings from late April to mid-August. For harvesting shoots, absolutely he althy mother plants of at least three years of age are used.

You need to do the following:

1. Cut off the top of the stem 6-8 cm long.
2. Leave 1-2 leaves on top and remove all lower leaves.
3. Slices of cuttings should be treated with a substance that stimulates root growth.
4. Plant in fertilized soil, maintaining a distance between seedlings of 40 cm, and between rows of 20 cm.
5. Create greenhouse conditions by covering seedlings with plastic containers or film. At the same time, it is necessary to ventilate the plantings every day and remove condensate from the covering material.

To make the cuttings root faster, they need to be sprayed daily with water. In the summer heat, it is necessary to shade the beds, protecting them from intense sunlight. The root system of plants will develop in about three weeks, after which they can be transplanted to a permanent place.

Dividing the bush

Plants over four years old can be propagated by dividing the bush into several parts.

For this you need:

1. Waiting for the end of flowering, water the bush abundantly and loosen the ground around it with a sharply sharpened wooden peg.
2. Remove the plant, shake off the remaining soil and carefully divide into several parts - manually or with a garden knife.
3. Treat the cuts with crushed charcoal.
4. Dip each part into a separate hole, sprinkle a little soil on top and water.

After flowering

At the end of the perennial arabis flowering period, you need to properly collect the seeds, and then prepare the plant for wintering.

Collection and storage of seeds

Even during the flowering of arabis, you should look for the most beautiful, strong and he althy inflorescences. They are suitable for the subsequent collection of seeds. This should be done after the onset of the first frost on a dry and sunny day. It is not recommended to collect in rainy weather, as this will negatively affect the germination of seeds.

Inflorescences should be cut off along with part of the shoot.

In a well-ventilated area, hang them to dry naturally. After that, you need to remove the seeds, place in a small cardboard box and store in a dark place, protected from moisture.

Preparing for winter

Being a cold-resistant plant, arabis can withstand temperatures of -5-7 °С without special shelter. However, with a more significant drop in temperature, he will need reliable protection.

When severe frosts occur, cut the stems so that approximately 20-40 mm pieces remain on the surface. After that, a shelter should be made for this area - it can be made of spruce branches, special covering material or a layer of dry leaves.

Views

Among the many types of cultivation, the following are used.

Alpine

Alpine arabis is one of the most popular species growing in the highlands of Western Europe and North America, the Polar Urals, the Far East, and the northern part of Scandinavia.

Flowers are white or pale pink, appear in April. They are collected in small racemose inflorescences. The leaves have a different shape - oval at the roots and heart-shaped-sagittate on the stems.

Bri-shaped

Bruovidny arabis is common in the alpine and subalpine belt of the mountainous regions of Bulgaria, Greece and Albania. The cushion-shaped bush reaches ten centimeters in height. Loose inflorescences contain only 3-6 white flowers. The small ciliated leaves of the plant are oval in shape and have a slight felt pubescence on the surface.

Caucasian

This subspecies is widespread in the Caucasus, the Crimea, the Mediterranean, as well as Asia Minor and Central Asia. The flowering period begins in June and lasts for four weeks, but individual flowers may appear on the bush until autumn.White large flowers are collected in racemose inflorescences. Small leaves are green in color with dense white pubescence. They have an oblong shape with large teeth along the edge.

Runout

Running arabis in natural conditions lives in the Balkans. Often, this plant up to 12 centimeters high serves to fix sliding slopes. Flowers are white or purple. Despite the unpretentiousness and resistance to frost, this species requires reliable shelter for the wintering period.

Short

The height of a bush belonging to this variety is no more than 15 centimeters. It is most widely distributed in the Alps and the Apennines. White flowers appear in late May or early June.

Breaker

Prolomnikovy arabis is found in Turkey, mainly on stone slopes at an altitude of about 2300 meters above sea level.The plant reaches 5-10 centimeters in height. Its pointed oval leaves of small size form neat rosettes. White flowers are collected in loose corymbose inflorescences.

Ciliary

This type of perennial plant lives in the Californian mountains at 500 meters above sea level. Characteristic features are ciliated dark green leaves in combination with lilac or pink flowers. The width of the bush reaches 25 centimeters, and the height, as a rule, is no more than 8 cm. This is a capricious species that cannot tolerate frost, but loves hot weather.

Ferdinand of Coburg Variegate

This plant, common in Bulgaria, attracts attention with an unusual color of leaves - with a light green middle and a spectacular edging of white, light pink or yellow.

Luxurious flowers have a classic white color. The diameter of the bush is about 30 cm, and its height is no more than 5 cm. Such an arabis is able to withstand sub-zero temperatures, but only if it has good drainage.

Variegated

Variegated arabis is another name for the previous species.

Popular varieties

Among the variety of varieties, each gardener will be able to choose the option that suits him.

Schneeschaube

Schneeskhaube is a popular variety of Alpine arabis, characterized by large (up to 20 millimeters in diameter) size of snow-white flowers. They are collected in racemose inflorescences up to 15 centimeters long. The average height of one bush is 25 centimeters.

Terry cloth

Terry rezuha outwardly resembles a levkoy. She has large inflorescences in relation to the overall size of the plant.

Pink

Pink rezuha has creeping stems and reaches a height of 20-30 centimeters. Large flowers of a delicate pink shade are formed in inflorescences up to 12 centimeters in length. This variety is an adornment of alpine towns and borders.

Flore Foam

This mountain variety is characterized by lush double flowers of white color on long strong peduncles.

Variegata

Variegata - a kind of Caucasian arabis. Its distinctive feature is the bluish-green dense foliage with a white rim, which looks very impressive throughout the whole season. In May, white flowers appear in the form of a lush hat.

This is a hardy plant that can grow in poor and stony soils.

Rosabella

This species has a rich pink color of lush inflorescences.

Root Sensation

Characterized by an elongated shape of leaf plates, as well as a rich pink tint of flowers.

Frühlingshaber

Representatives of this variety have rich pink flowers and small neat leaves.

Zunderman

Zunderman's Arabis belongs to dwarf varieties with a height of no more than 5 centimeters. It has small dense leathery leaves with an attractive sheen, as well as white flowers. Grows in sunny areas with fertile soil.

Grandiflora

Grandiflora forms low curtains up to 20 centimeters. The flowers of this variety are pink in color and small in size, they form into classic racemose inflorescences.

Rezuha

Rezukha is the Russian name for arabis. It is believed that it happened due to the property of the leaves of the plant to scratch the skin of the hands with small hard hairs.

Partners

It is recommended to use as partners for Arabis in the garden plot:

• tulips (mostly scarlet);
• alissum;
• colt;
• irises;
• daffodils.

Landscape use

In landscape design, arabis are used in alpine slides, flat rockeries, borders and mixborders. The most spectacular in this regard are varieties with white flowers and variegated expressive leaves. This plant can be used to fill cavities between stones in retaining walls, and can also be planted along garden paths.

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