Liatris: preparation for winter, when and how to prune, shelter methods and possible mistakes

Liatris is a beautiful perennial flower from the Asteraceae or Compositae family. In nature, the plant grows in North America and Mexico. It has a surprisingly beautiful flowering and a delicate pleasant aroma. Liatris is an unpretentious plant, but still needs some care and, of course, preparation for winter.

When and how to prune for the winter

Liatris blooms until mid-autumn, starting to bloom not from below, like other flowers, but from above. Gradually, its inflorescences finish their flowering. Just after the flower has completed this process, and the foliage on it turns yellow and falls off, its stems should be cut.Do this with a pruner or a well-sharpened knife, cutting off the shoots to the very root.

Pruning is done so that through the stems in the cold season there is no infection with spores of the corm fungus. This can lead to various diseases, including rotting of the plant's root system.

Hilling the plant

During the summer, the corm gradually “exposes”, showing itself from the ground, since the root system of the lyatris is quite close to the surface of the earth. Therefore, before wintering, the bushes need hilling. The earth is raked in the form of a cone. You can add additional substrate.

Hilling will not only help the bushes to overwinter, but also improve air exchange in the upper soil layer, which is a kind of prevention of certain plant diseases and a growth stimulator of the root system.

Shelter of liatris for the winter

In moderate climatic conditions, for example, in the Moscow region, liatris can overwinter without shelter, but on condition that the winter is snowy. In snowless winters or in severe frosts, the shelter of the plant is necessary, otherwise the rhizomes may freeze.

It is best to use peat, spruce branches or dry humus as a shelter. You can also use a wooden box or a sheet of plywood. In extreme cases, dry leaves from the garden will do. The thickness of the mulch should be about 15 cm. This will be enough for the plants to overwinter safely.

It is not recommended to use straw and hay for winter mulching. These materials attract rodents, which will make a nest in a secluded, warm place and can damage the corms of the plant.

Shelter will not only protect the bush from freezing, but also help maintain the necessary soil moisture.

Good to know! Without shelter, lyatris can tolerate frosts down to -15 ° C, subject to a snowy winter.

Do I need to dig

Dig up liatris only in case of severe winters, such as in Siberia or the Urals. In regions with more favorable weather, digging is not necessary.

The bushes dug up for the winter are placed in a box or box with wet peat and left in a cool place, in a refrigerator or cellar. In this form, tubers are left until spring. Liatris can be planted back in open ground immediately after the end of frost.

Before transplanting into the ground, the tubers are carefully inspected. They should not have any damage, stains or signs of decay.

For planting, dig the required number of holes 10 cm deep at a distance of 30-35 cm from each other.A third of the humus is poured into each hole and a lyatris tuber is sent into it. You need to find a recess on it and place the tuber so that it "looks" up. It is from it that the first green sprouts will begin to appear. Next, the tubers are covered with fertile soil and carefully tamped it. The planting procedure ends with watering. A month later, the first shoots will appear.

Possible mistakes when leaving

Sometimes gardeners make mistakes in growing liatris, which can lead to problems, illnesses and even death of a flower:

1. Often, gardeners try to grow liatris from seeds collected on their plot. But from such raw materials it is almost impossible to grow a plant similar to the mother bush. Even the color of the inflorescences may be different. This can be found out only 3 years after sowing the seeds, since the plant will begin to bloom only after this period.If you want to grow flowers from seeds, it is better to purchase them in a specialized store.
2. Unknowingly, some gardeners plant a flower in a shady area of the garden or on too wet soil. But in such conditions, the bush will not develop. Liatris love sunny and light areas.
3. These bushes need regular watering, but don't overdo it, as too much moisture can kill the plant.
4. The plant is unpretentious and adapts well to almost any conditions, but it is wrong to assume that it does not need to be fed. The flower will bloom, but its development will be slow, and the bush will not be as thick and lush. A minimum of 3 top dressings per season is required.
5. Gardeners often loosen the ground under the flower, but it is better not to do this, because the root system of the bush is too close to the surface of the earth and it is easy to damage it. Instead of loosening the bush, you need to more often hill and remove weeds manually.If the gardener still decides to loosen the soil under the bush, this should be done very carefully.
6. It is wrong to leave faded and dried inflorescences on the bushes. They must be removed immediately, then the flowering of the shrub can be significantly extended. In addition, pruning will help to avoid the spread of seeds throughout the site. After the inflorescences dry, the wind will spread the seeds, and in the spring they can sprout in the most unexpected places.
7. Don't leave the bush to grow in one place. Every 4 years it is recommended to transplant it to a new place. Otherwise, the bush will become smaller every year and not bloom so actively, in the end it may die completely.

Liatris is a spectacular plant that will become an adornment of any garden, subject to simple rules of care and proper preparation for winter. It looks great both on its own and in combination with other types of flowers.

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