Iberis perennial is a popular ornamental plant that belongs to the Cruciferous family. There are many varieties of these cultures, each of which is distinguished by excellent decorative properties, abundant flowering, delicate aroma.
Description of Iberis: varieties and varieties
The plant includes many subspecies, the height of which reaches 10-45 cm. The culture is characterized by a squat tree-like base and has green shoots that are directed upward. In some Iberis flowers, the branches spread horizontally.
Iberis has excellent decorative properties.
The plant has narrow oblong leaves of saturated emerald color. Flowering begins in May and lasts two months. Bushes are decorated with many buds. Iberis flowers are small, placed in bunches on the plant. They can have different colors - white, purple, red, lilac or pink.
After pollination, small pods filled with seeds appear on the bushes. Within 2-4 years, they can be used for planting.
In terms of life, Iberis are annual and perennial. The first group includes Iberis umbrella and bitter.
Bitter Iberis has pubescent stems that reach 30 cm in height. The leaves of the plant are small, spiky. Bushes are decorated with small white flowers.
Umbrella Iberis has a branched structure. Its stems are not covered with fluff. The plant reaches a height of 40 cm. It is decorated with white inflorescences that are present on the bushes for up to 3 weeks. Iberis umbrella varieties Pomegranate Ice has spectacular white-red buds.
The plant has many varieties
These perennials include plant species:
- Iberis is evergreen. This is one of the most common varieties, which can be a decoration of any garden. The culture is characterized by many white inflorescences. Caring for white Iberis is very easy. It needs to be watered in dry weather and wilted flowers should be removed. Famous varieties of evergreen Iberis: Whiteout, Snowflake, Findall.
- Gibraltar This plant is unpretentious, so many flower growers prefer to grow it. The culture has a neat appearance and soft purple inflorescences. Bushes grow no more than 10-15 cm. A popular variety of such Iberis is Canditaft.
- Crimean. The culture is a low perennial plant. It grows by a maximum of 9-12 cm. Before blooming, the buds are mauve, then they turn white.
- Rocky. This plant spreads on the ground. The height of its shoots does not exceed 15 cm. Rocky Iberis is characterized by abundant flowering, during which foliage is almost invisible.
- Chameleon. Petals of this species shimmer beautifully from white-pink to violet. The culture is characterized by a pleasant sweet aroma.
Landing location, soil
The culture grows well, blooms profusely and looks attractive in well-lit areas. Although Iberis can be planted in a shaded place. Culture is often used in the design of alpine slides and rockeries, choosing not the sunniest areas.
Important! For a flower to fully grow and bloom profusely, it needs loamy soil. Iberis should not be planted in too dense or dry soil.
Iberis: growing from seeds when to plant
The culture is grown seed or vegetatively. Most often, it is planted with seeds. Many varieties of plants are grown in open ground.
Seeds are recommended to be planted in April. If you need to extend the flowering until the end of September, they are planted twice. At the same time, it is necessary to sow planting material with an interval of 2-3 weeks.
The first shoots appear in 1-2 weeks. At this point, the bushes need to be thinned out. Iberis emerges quite amicably, so the distance between the flowers needs to be made 12-15 cm.
Also, the culture is planted in the open ground in the winter. Thanks to this, the sprouts will appear in the spring.
Planting seedlings
If you plan to grow Iberis from seeds, when to plant them for seedlings? This is best done in mid-March. Seed is placed in the soil at 1 mm. Top it should be sprinkled with river sand and covered with glass. Thanks to this, it will be possible to maintain the desired soil and air humidity.
Landings should be in a warm and bright place. Water the plants very carefully. It is best to use a spray bottle for this purpose. Iberis has a rather fragile root system, so diving bushes is not recommended.
The culture can be grown in seedlings
Watering and loosening the soil
Planting and caring for Iberis perennial in the open ground have certain features. It is necessary to water the crop exclusively in very hot and arid weather. The soil must be completely saturated with water, but there should be no stagnation of liquid near the roots. Rare irrigation does not harm the culture.
After each moistening of the soil or precipitation, it is necessary to carry out loosening of the earth. This helps to saturate the roots with oxygen and nutrients.
Breeding methods
Iberis can be propagated in various ways:
- seed survival;
- dividing the bush;
- cuttings.
Seeds
To obtain seedlings, seeds are planted in containers with peat in March. At a temperature of 18 ° C, sprouts appear after 10 days. They need to be slightly moistened. In open soil, the culture is moved in mid-May. You can plant seeds directly into the ground. This is done in April. Bushes grown by seed method will bloom only in the second year.
Cuttings
For this procedure, you need to wait until the flowering culture ends. From shoots, it is necessary to cut small cuttings 5-8 cm in size. They should be soaked in a growth stimulator, and then moved to wet soil.
Important! The landing site is recommended to cover with a glass container, which is removed after the frost. In winter, plants are additionally insulated with sawdust and soil.
Dividing the bush
An adult plant older than 5 years must be dug in the spring before the start of the growing season. After cutting the top of the bush, you need to divide it into equal fragments and plant them in prepared places. The soil around the shoots needs to be compacted and watered.
To decorate the garden, you can use ready-made seedlings, which are sold in flower shops. To choose a quality planting material, you need to pay attention to its appearance. It is important that the bushes do not have symptoms of disease or damaged areas.
Iberis can be propagated in many ways.
Feeding and transplanting
The amount of fertilizer depends on the type and characteristics of the soil on the site. If the soil is poor in composition, standard complex fertilizers should be applied 2 times a year. In spring and summer, Nitrophosco can be used.
Important! A great option is the use of organic fertilizers. They can be embedded in the ground or used as a mulching layer.
Excess fertilizing causes rapid growth of the bush. In such a situation, you will have to constantly adjust its size. When growing a flower in fertile soil, fertilizing is permissible once every 2-3 years.
Often Iberis is not recommended for transplantation. If the core root is damaged, it will quickly die. This will lead to the death of culture. Bushes can be transplanted in 5 years. Older crops bloom more sparingly, so plants need rejuvenation.
Iberis Pruning
Iberis bushes must be cut periodically. This procedure contributes to more abundant and longer flowering. Flowering shoots must be systematically removed.
The main pruning is carried out immediately after the end of the flowering period. At this time, the aerial part of the crop is cut by about a third.
Pests and diseases
Iberis is often hit by earthworms and earthen fleas. They eat the stems and leaves of a flower. To cope with parasites, you must use special drugs. The high effectiveness of the drug Aktara. It is important to systematically irrigate the soil around the bush.
In addition, the plant may be affected by aphid attacks. Its appearance can be suspected by whitish spots of leaves and drying of flower shoots.
Important! To get rid of aphids, it is worth using a liquid solution of potassium soap. You can also use a tobacco decoction.
The culture has a fairly weak root system. She often encounters fungal infections and rots. The alarming signs in this case include growths on the roots, a slowdown in the development of culture, yellowing of foliage.
To prevent infection with a fungus, it is necessary to treat the site with fungicidal preparations. It is recommended to do this before planting the crop in the soil. The affected plant must be destroyed, and the earth again treated with the drug.
How to prepare for wintering
Iberis is a fairly frost-resistant plant, however, in a snowless and harsh winter, the culture may freeze. A perennial plant can hardly tolerate temperature fluctuations and the change of frost with a thaw.
In order for the culture to tolerate winter normally, even in the middle lane it needs to be covered. This procedure is carried out in the last decade of autumn. Fallen leaves, spruce branches will be an excellent protection against frost. Ordinary dry branches are also suitable. They need to make layers of hay and straw.
Flowering period and care after
Iberis have a special bud development schedule. Culture blooms in May and August. At the same time, lush flowers adorn the bushes not too long - an average of 2 months. After flowering, oval or bivalve pods appear on the plants. Inside they are filled with seeds.
Important! After flowering, the stems need to be cut by a third. Thanks to this, it will be possible to make the bushes more accurate.
With proper care, Iberis blooms profusely.
Use in landscape design
Plants are often used in landscape design. With the proper creation of flower beds, they are able to form bizarre patterns.
Iberis look great in the structure of rabatok and mixborders. They can decorate the edges of borders. Group planting of flowers is used to decorate garden paths.
The flower goes well with evergreens, such as juniper or cypress. Low-growing varieties can be used to decorate rock gardens and rocky slides.
Dwarf crops are in good harmony with drought-resistant soil protectors. These include creeping phlox, creeping tenacity, sedum. Delicate Iberis flowers can be combined with large bells.
Often, Iberis is combined with gazania, yarrow and small marigolds. A spectacular composition is obtained with the participation of phlox and tulips. In this case, flowers should not be combined with ground cover perennials.
The culture fits perfectly into garden compositions
When growing Iberis plants, planting and care should be carried out in accordance with all the rules. This culture is considered unpretentious enough, but in order to achieve abundant flowering, certain recommendations must be observed.
