Lavender: planting and care in the open field in the Urals, how to cover for the winter

A plant with a beautiful name and a mysterious aroma is even sung in a famous song. Not by chance. After all, blue flowers are a symbol of love, tenderness, romantic meetings. Lavender will decorate any garden, its aroma will bring back warm memories of youth. In order for spring to always “bloom” in the soul, you need to plant only a few bushes of blue flowers. Even a novice gardener can handle planting lavender in the open field in the Urals and caring for the plant.

Suitable varieties of lavender for the Urals

More than 25 types of natural lavender are known. How the crop is grown 2 main varieties:

broad-leaved French (heat-loving);
narrow-leaved English (grows in cool conditions).

For the harsh climate of the Urals, types of English narrow-leaved lavender are suitable.

A plant with bright green-silvery leaves up to 60 cm high. The growth of individual varieties does not exceed 15 cm.
Small flowers with a purple hue. The beginning of flowering is July, but occasionally August also happens.
Twigs with white pubescence, which makes the whole bush look bluish.

When growing flowers in the climatic conditions of the Urals, no special efforts are required, but the choice of variety should be taken responsibly. The English narrow-leaved variety is the most suitable for the harsh Ural region. The plant winters well, endures low temperatures (-30 ° C), but it is advisable to cover lavender in the Urals for the winter.

Alba

Popular among winter-hardy Alba species. A half-meter bush with magnificent snow-white flowers and persistent fragrance. The fragrant flower pleases the eye for 20 years. Excellent honey plant. Straight shoots with flowers at the top become woody over time.

Cornflowers, cloves, yarrow - plants with which lavender is planted, as well as with herbs: thyme, rosemary, sage. It is good to plant roses with lavender flowers as aphids cannot tolerate their smell.

In addition to Alba, varieties are popular among gardeners in the Urals:

Munstead. A plant up to 45 cm tall with bright blue flowers, tolerates strong winds well.
Rosea. The flowers are pale pink. The variety is striking in its tenderness and beauty.
Beechwood Blue. Blue buds look attractive.
Hidcote. Bright lilac flowers on undersized bushes. But among the plants of this species there are also tall ones, for example, Hidcote Giant.

These varieties are planted in the garden, but this does not mean that other heat-loving types of lavender cannot be grown in the Urals. You can, but as a home culture or as an annual when it's warm.

Features of growing plants in this region

The Ural climate is not mild and warm: severe, with long cold winters, prickly winds, and hard frosts. Although the weather in the southern Urals is a little milder than in the north. Such conditions can withstand viable plants. Therefore, the narrow-leaved variety of English lavender is more commonly planted in this area.

Choosing a landing site

To plant perennial lavender in the Urals, it is necessary to take into account the requirements for the place, since its choice is a guarantee of successful growth and luxurious flowering of the bush:

Should be well lit, sunny.
Where there are no drafts and no wind.
The place is chosen high, dry.

Soil selection

Lavender does best in dry, sandy soils. It is not necessary that the land be fertile, the main condition for preparing the soil is the absence of nearby groundwater and high humidity.

If, nevertheless, the earth is waterlogged, it is necessary to organize good drainage from crushed stone, expanded clay, pebbles. The plant also does not like acidic soil. Acidity is neutralized with ash or lime.

Boarding process

The lavender bush is planted both with seeds and seedlings. Young seedlings are taken out into the street in the last month of spring (in May). When sub-zero temperatures on the soil are no longer scary:

Dig holes no more than 35 cm deep. Pour a layer of drainage, then peat or humus.
They put a seedling in the hole, straighten the roots, dig in. The soil is compacted.
After planting, the plants are watered.

The interval between planting pits is at least 40 cm. Lavender seeds are planted both in autumn and in spring.

Before winter

At the end of September or at the beginning of October, lavender seeds are planted in the Urals in open ground. First, the site is dug up with coarse river sand or fine gravel for better air exchange. Deepen the seeds no more than 4 mm. The soil is lightly tamped on top. In dry weather, the plot with crops is watered, but not much.

In order to prevent the seeds from freezing in winter, more snow is thrown on the planting site. In early June, the first shoots should appear.

Spring

If for some reason it was not possible to plant in the fall, do not despair. Before the spring sowing of seeds in open ground, they are hardened, that is, they are stratified.

To do this, in mid-March, the seed is mixed with sand and sent to the refrigerator:

When it gets warm outside, the night frosts pass, the seeds are sown in the ground.
It is necessary to ensure that the earth does not dry out, this will lead to the death of young sprouts.
First, the area with crops is protected with covering material (spunbond, agrotex), and the moisture-proof side should be turned up.
Sprouts come out after 21 days. When they get a little stronger, the covering material is removed.

Nuances of plant care in the Urals

There are no peculiarities in caring for Ural lavender. Properly selected planting site, prepared land is a guarantee of he althy beautiful flowers with lush flowering. Standard care.

Water and fertilize

Lavender drought is less dangerous than waterlogging. Water dry soil (no more than 5 liters per bush) 1 time in 15 days. When the plant fades, watering is completely stopped.

The bushes are fed with mineral fertilizers. Organic (peat, manure, humus) are applied during planting. For the first time, seedlings are fed with urea (1 tablespoon per bucket of water). The second dressing is carried out when the lavender blooms, for example, Agricola.

A wide range of lavender nutrition products in specialized stores. How to use them is indicated on the package.

Pruning and winterizing

In the conditions of the Ural climate, spring pruning of lavender is carried out:

First, dried branches are removed, then sick, damaged ones.
No more than 6 regrown shoots are left on each bush.

In autumn, the plant is not disturbed by pruning so that it has time to prepare for wintering. Due to spring pruning, the bushes rejuvenate, look neat, and bloom magnificently. In order to avoid freezing in winter, caring gardeners do not do without sheltering plants. Plantings are covered with agrofibre, burlap, any non-woven material, even spruce branches.

Never cover lavender with compost or fallen leaves. They overmoisten the soil, the plant will rot and rotOne of the measures to prevent freezing in the Urals is growing in pots and flowerpots, which are brought indoors with the onset of cold weather, leave the plant alone, and occasionally water it.

Diseases and pests

The most dangerous disease for lavender is gray rot. It starts from waterlogging. That is why it is so important to regulate the watering of plants. Sick flowers will have to be destroyed, and the remaining ones will have to be treated with fungicides.

Insects that can harm lavender bushes: rainbow beetle, aphids, pennitsa. The beetle eats foliage and is often harvested by hand. Due to pennitsa, the plant is covered with white foam. In this case, the bush is washed with warm water. From insect pests, the plant is sprayed with a remedy such as Actellik. The strong aroma of the lavender bush repels harmful insects, which many of the parasites cannot stand.

Shrub propagation

Lavender is bred using cuttings, layering, seeds, dividing the bushes.

Seeds

In the Urals, propagation by seeds is the best option. Seed material is protected in a place where it is dark and cool. Seeds remain viable for a long time. The main condition is the tightness of the packaging.

Before sowing, the seeds are hardened, that is, they prepare the future plant for conditions of cold weather, strong winds.Already at this stage of cultivation, lavender is prepared for a harsh climate. As the gardeners of the Urals note, flowers grown from seeds are more viable than those planted from seedlings.

Shanks

In this way, a bush is propagated at any time:

In an adult plant, a stiffened shoot is cut off - a stalk. He is planted in a pot of earth.
The bowl is covered with polyethylene, which is removed every day and the plant is ventilated.
The soil is sprayed with water as it dries.

In 50-60 days, the cutting will take root and begin to grow leaves.

Layers

The adult shoot is bent to the ground, fastened with a metal bracket, in this place sprinkled with earth. Where the shoot was attached, next spring it will take root. It is cut and planted in the right place.

Dividing the bush

The breeding method is possible where lavender bushes are already growing. In the summer, it is overgrown with young shoots. First, fresh shoots are cut off by at least 10 cm. They are covered with earth so that there is no free space between the stems. In mid-autumn, the bushes are dug up and separated with a shovel. Drop off where required.

Landscape use

The riot of colors of blooming lavender will decorate even the most unattractive dacha. Alpine hills, rocky gardens - places where lavender is more often planted. Lawns planted with blue flowers look well-maintained and luxurious.

Flower beds, flowerpots with lavender, paths in the garden, along which various shades of purple flowers look chic. Borders decorated with lavender bushes are also great.

Lavender flowers look no less elegant in combination with other plants, such as roses, hydrangeas. In addition to beauty, with its fragrance, lavender protects neighbors from insidious insects.

The contrast of lilac colors with white, red, yellow flowers gives the site an elegant, festive look. Planting and growing lavender in the Urals is no more difficult than in another region.