Growing Perennials For Flower Beds Of The XXI Century

2024 Author: Sebastian Paterson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:47

Variety test site "Rostok"

Astra, grade Alice Eslam

Our nursery "Rostok", which is located in the Lomonosov district of the Leningrad region, this year celebrates its 10th anniversary.

It all started with the fact that we were passionate about gladioli, and in the very first year we raised about 250 varieties of domestic and foreign selection.

At that time, our flower market was not as saturated as it is now, and the emergence of new varieties of this amazing plant of the bulbous family was just a shock for lovers. This was especially true of varieties of foreign selection.

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Peony, variety Madame de Verneville

However, we soon realized that the bulbs of foreign selection would create many problems for gardeners. And therefore, gradually unpretentious perennial plants appeared on the site, surprising with their bizarre shape and extraordinary beauty. These were daylilies, peonies, irises, astilbe and many other perennials grown both in Russia and those that came to us from Holland, Germany, Poland and other countries.

But soon the delight was again replaced by disappointment. Often not what beautiful pictures promised to bloom. Five years ago, the correspondence to the variety coincided by 70 percent, but in the last three years the re-grading has become overwhelming.

It even happened that out of 10 purchased plants of the same variety, almost all were different. Life itself prompted the creation of a variety testing site. I really wanted to see not only on my site all the blooming beauty that the manufacturers promised.

Daylily, grade France Halls

As a result, 39 of the 116 purchased daylily varieties turned out to meet our requirements. And we required very little - a beautiful and healthy appearance, compliance with the variety sold, the ability to grow and winter in the Northwest (our region is usually called the zone of risky agriculture).

From the heat-loving "Californians" there were medalists who could grow in our conditions. These are such varieties as: Stella d Oro, El Desperado, Castard Candy, Strawberry Candy.

All were honored with the American Daylily Association's highest honor, the Stout Silver Medal. Very often, the acquired plants had to be nursed, as they were often exhausted by long transportations and inappropriate storage at bases and in stores.

In addition to daylilies, other perennials settled on the site - peonies, astilbe, phlox, geranium, irises and many others. At the moment we have about 500 plant names in our collection.

We have a good collection of Siberian irises. They all winter well and bloom every year. And the collection of peonies has about 40 varieties.

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Siberian iris, variety Rikugi Sakura

There are about the same varieties in the collection of perennial asters. Not all varieties of these plants brought to Russia are capable of blooming. And even in the hottest summer, many of them are only able to set buds.

We are proud that in our nursery a collection of 15 varieties of perennial asters that can bloom annually has been selected from 40 varieties of perennial asters. These are mainly large-flowered semi-double or double varieties.

Unfortunately, our nursery is still little known in the city, but those who managed to get acquainted with our collection, having acquired planting material, were satisfied. I would also like to note that when packing flowers, we try to meet the highest standards: each plant is placed in a separate package, has a nameplate and a photo of the variety. We start selling plants in our nursery in April and end it at the end of September.

The start time of the sale in spring is usually determined by the readiness of the soil. It must thaw out so that the plant can be dug up. And also the ability of the plant to tolerate a transplant - it must have several shoots or awakened buds.

When planting in the fall, the plant should have time to take root, so the sale of planting material goes only until the end of September. Regardless of the crisis, we consider it unreasonable to inflate the price for plants, since it should be determined by the coefficient of reproduction and the area they occupy.

The nursery plans to create its own online store. Read "Flora Price" and you will be the first to know about everything. In the meantime, we are waiting for you at the AgroRus exhibition in LenEXPO in the tent of S. M. Korolkova, where you can buy our perennials, Svetlana Mikhailovna's new book “It Couldn't Be Easier” - about the agricultural technology of natural farming, AVA fertilizer.

Planting and caring for perennials

Daylily, grade El Desperado

Peonies are best purchased and planted in the fall. If the rhizome has 2-3 buds or more, then with proper planting this plant will bloom in the summer of next year.

What does correct fit mean? The hole needs to be dug at least 60 cm deep. The remains of broken bricks, rusty cans from a fire, in general, everything that can create good drainage are placed at the bottom.

Then we fill the hole 2/3 with good fertile soil or compost. The rhizome should be located so that all the buds on it are covered with soil to a depth of 5 centimeters.

A matchbox can serve as a reference point here. If you deepen the rhizome too much, or, conversely, plant it so that the buds are on the surface, the plant may not bloom for a long time.

The planting site is very important for the peony. It should be in partial shade. The plant should grow no closer than two meters from buildings. And one more prerequisite: peonies do not like low places. If it rains a lot and the water stagnates, the rhizome can rot and die.

Peony, grade Albert Cruz

Peonies are fed in early spring and after they have faded, with a complex mineral fertilizer. The AVA fertilizer is ideal here. Peonies are dug up and divided very rarely. Only when the bush becomes old and stops blooming.

Daylilies, asters, astilbe, phlox, geranium, irises can be planted in spring, autumn and even summer. However, in August and September, the plants take root better. They get sick less, overwinter well and, as a rule, bloom next summer (subject to the purchase of reliable planting material).

Siberian irises prefer late summer or autumn transplant.