Colquitia is a beautiful shrub dotted with lots of decorative flowers. It will become a bright accent and decoration of a garden or yard. It is the closest relative of honeysuckle, therefore, it has a similar structure of foliage and inflorescences. The birthplace of kolquitia is the central plateaus of China and Manchuria.
Description
Colquitia is a rather tall branched shrub that often grows to 1.2-2 m. Spreading side branches give it the shape of a ball, so each specimen will need about 2-2.5 m area. The plant is perennial, deciduous.
Leaves appear before flowers, in April they reach 3-8 cm in length and are opposite. The shape of the leaf is oval with a pointed end. The lower plate is light, and the upper one is darker and covered with villi.
Young branches are green in color and hairy, older shoots are covered with dark brown bark with reddish peeling plates. The branches grow straight, but gradually begin to lean towards the ground in an arc.
Young plants bloom at the age of 2-3 years. Sustainable flowering is observed after 3-4 years of growth, and representatives of colquitia become blooming clouds 7-8 years after planting.
In mid-July, the bush is densely covered with flowers, because of which it is difficult to see the foliage. Paired buds reach a size of 1.5 cm and exude a strong pleasant aroma. Delicate white-pink petals are collected in a bell and fused to the core. The base of the petals is covered with decorative yellow veins in the shape of a mesh. The buds have separate pedicels and are collected in sparse inflorescences at the ends of branches.
In September, instead of flowers, small boxes with seeds appear; their size does not exceed 6 mm. By October, foliage changes color unevenly and the bush continues to attract with a decorative crown.
Varieties of kolkvitsii
The most common in culture Kolkwitzia amabilis graebn, which translates as "lovely" or "pleasant." This title fully reflects the emotions that one experiences when contemplating a plant, which is typical of many representatives of the Chinese flora.
For lovers of brighter colors suitable Kolquitia Pink Cloud (Kolkwitzia amabilis Pink Cloud). The color of its petals is bright pink and is consistent with the name "pink cloud".
Another variety is Kolkvitsiya Rozeya - strewn with pink rather large flowers.
It should be noted that in a temperate climate the bushes are smaller than in natural conditions. In the garden they reach a size of 1-1.5 m.
Propagation and cultivation
You can propagate colquisition in two ways:
- by seeds;
- cuttings.
In the first case, sowing is carried out at the end of March. Use large boxes or separate pots with a mixture of sand and peat. Seeds are deepened by 5 mm, watered with warm water and left in a heated room or greenhouse. Shoots appear after 3-4 weeks. And strong shoots with a height of about 25 cm are formed 4-4.5 months after sowing, in August. Young shoots are recommended to be left indoors for the winter, and planted in the garden next spring after a dive.
An easier and more efficient way is to cuttings. In June, twigs with two or more legs are cut and soaked for 14-16 hours in a solution of indolylbutyric acid (50 g per 1 liter of water). After this, the cuttings are planted in hotbeds or greenhouses with warm and humid air, where they take root until next spring. The share of rooted shoots will be about 45%.
Plant care
For colquitia, choose sunny or slightly shaded areas of the garden, because the number of flowers directly depends on the amount of sunlight received. Soils are preferred neutral, alkaline or slightly alkaline, fertile, light. Periodically loosen the soil and weed. Bushes are planted singly or in the form of hedges, in the latter case, the distance between the bushes is not less than 1.5 m.
A 60 cm deep hole is dug under a young plant, which is filled with a fertile mixture of turf, humus and sand. The top layer is sprinkled with a mixture of ash, hardwood compost and lime. If the territory has pronounced relief differences, elevated places are chosen for planting. In the lowlands, cold air negatively affects the growth of colquisition.
The plant needs regular watering. It is produced by standing warm water in the late afternoon. Fertilizers are preferred organic from plant or animal humus. They are applied 2-3 times per season during the period of growth and flowering. It is also possible to fertilize colquisition with mineral fertilizers or a portion of superphosphate.
In the northern regions, young shoots do not have time to ripen enough for wintering, so they freeze and die. A frequent occurrence in the spring is dry branch endings. They must be cut before flowering, which will form new shoots.
To accelerate ripening, resort to the following methods:
- When flowering ends, significantly reduce watering and stop feeding bushes.
- To a depth of 5-10 cm, the earth is mulched with peat or compost with the addition of peat, foliage, sawdust.
