Planting and caring for the gordovina variety viburnum

Many gardeners began to grow the unusually beautiful Gordovina viburnum. The shrub is a close relative of the common viburnum... Kalina Gordovina may also have other names: felt or Mediterranean.

Description of the variety of viburnum Gordovina

This variety comes from Asia (southwest), North. Africa, Europe. The shrub belongs to the honeysuckle family. In the wild, the plant spreads in warm areas: Zap. Europe, Transcaucasia, Leningrad region, Siberia, Crimea, Asian regions. In cold areas, Kalina Gordovina perfectly copes with the role of an ornamental plant for landscaping... Can be successfully grown in many regions. Only the subtropical and the Far North are excluded. The plant is undemanding to the soil and unpretentious in care. Until late autumn, the shrub retains shiny black berries and red-pink foliage.

The shrub is vigorous, growing up to five meters high. It has a dense crown with a diameter of up to three meters. The branches of the plant are very close to each other and the shrub looks compact.

The shrub lives for a long time, sometimes the age reaches 50 years... Over the period of its existence, a huge root system with a large number of small roots grows. Together with the soil and vegetation, the roots form sod.

An ornamental shrub has wrinkled oval-shaped leaves, the length of which reaches 18 cm. The leaves are wide and dense, the color is saturated dark green above, grayish below... Shoots, branches and foliage are covered with dense white hairs similar to asterisks. The buds are also fluffy and without scales. Because of the abundant pubescence, the shrub is called 'flour'.

The plant begins to bloom in May and continues to bloom in June, the flowering period is almost a month. Numerous inflorescences with a shield consist of 1.5 cm bell-shaped flowers creamy white... Each flower produces a drupe berry. During this period, Gordovina's viburnum of extraordinary beauty. First, the berries turn red, then turn black. At this time, the stems consist of black and red fruits at the same time. All berries turn black in September and stay on the bush for more than 20 days. Only in October the viburnum does not look very attractive. The berries shrivel, but the juice is still preserved in them, they can be eaten.

While the berries of the viburnum are red, they taste bitter, tart. Ripe black fruits have a sweetish taste. During collection, the viburnum brushes need to be cut off with a secateurs. If unripe berries come across in the brush, they will ripen in a container. From a 15-year-old bush, the yield is usually one full bucket... Berries are used fresh, they are used to prepare compotes, juices, jellies. It's great if some of the fruits remain on the viburnum, birds will happily eat them.

Peculiarities

Unlike other types of viburnum, gordovina has a number of features:

• The plant is different decorative qualities from early spring to winter - from flowering to autumn bright colors of foliage;
• Powerful overgrown roots allow the use of shrubs to prevent soil movement on slopes and ravines;
• In gardens and parks looks great in quality hedges;
• Perfect adaptation to urban conditions.
• Good combination with broadleaf trees.

Varieties

Kalina Gordovina has varieties:

• Aurea... A dense shrub with a height of 200 cm. It has pubescent ovoid 10-centimeter leaves of a golden yellow color. Flowers are yellowish-white in flat inflorescences. The fruits are small, red at first and black when ripe.
• Variegata... The plant reaches only 150 cm. The crown of the shrub is round with abundant foliage. Wide 20-centimeter ovoid leaves, wrinkled, serrated at the edges. The surface of the leaves is covered with small light specks. The round berries, which are only 7 mm in diameter, are first red, then turn black.

Both varieties are incredibly beautiful and a great decoration.

Advantages and disadvantages

An unusually beautiful ornamental shrub has many advantages:

• frost resistance;
• calmly tolerates drought;
• can grow in shady areas;
• easily gets used to gas pollution, smoke and dust in urban environments;
• has a high decorative effect;
• rarely lends itself to damage by diseases and viburnum leaf beetles;
• annually the crown and height of the shrub increase by about 30 cm;
• a developed root system serves to strengthen erosion-prone soils.

Reproduction

For the reproduction of gordovina, cuttings, layers or seeds are taken.

Seeds

Seeds should be sown in late October or early spring. Before sending them to the ground, you need to hold the seeds in the refrigerator for 7 months (stratification). Seeding is carried out to a depth of 3 cm. Germination begins from the root, the bud opens only the next year. A young sprout emerges from the ground. Experienced gardeners advise to speed up germination:

• keep seeds for three months at t 18 degrees;
• keep the seeds for the next three months at t -3 - +5 degrees.

Green cuttings

The material is cut in late June or early July. The third part of the leaves is removed. The slices are placed in water with the addition of a special simulator to accelerate the emergence of roots (Kornevin, IMK). After the formation of roots, plant the cuttings in a greenhouse. Can be planted in the garden. Then you need to make a shelter from a plastic bottle, for example. The cap is regularly removed for airing and watering the sprout.

Layers

The method consists in bending overgrowth shoots to the ground. Pre-laid in the spring 10 cm grooves... Shoots are laid in grooves and covered with earth. Shoots will take root in the fall, after which they can be transplanted. You can do a transplant in the spring.

By dividing the bush

The bush divides both in the spring and in the fall. The plant is divided into several parts, taking into account that each of them has at least 3 kidneys renewal.

Planting and leaving

Kalina Gordovina prefers neutral or weak soil acidity and good lighting. The plant does not like sand, peat and podzolic soils... It grows on infertile soils, but flowering and fruiting worsens.

A month before planting, phosphorus, potassium in the form of fertilizers are introduced into the soil, peat is added. In the spring or autumn is dug up landing recess 40 cm wide, 50 cm in length and 40-50 cm in depth... The distance between the bushes is at least 3 m.

The potting mix is ​​being prepared:

• organic soil (peat, humus);
• urea (3 tbsp. l.);
• wood ash (1 glass).

Saplings, the roots of which are closed, are placed in the middle of the depression and covered with soil. The root collar should be in the soil no more than 5 cm... The exposed roots are spread on a pile of potting soil and covered.After planting, a hole is made near the plant and water is poured into it. Then the soil is mulched with peat or wood sawdust.

Watering

Young plants need to be shed on 40 cm in evening time... Adult bushes require watering during the growing season and during fruit formation.

Top dressing

Like all trees and shrubs, Gordovina's viburnum needs feeding:

• In the spring, before the leaves appear, urea is introduced (2 tbsp. l.);
• Before flowering you need to add potassium sulfide (2 tbsp. l.);
• In July a complex of mineral fertilizers is applied (60 g);

• After two years, in the fall, before digging the soil, rotted manure, phosphorus, potassium are introduced. In dry weather, fertilizers are diluted with water.

Pruning

Pruning of the gordovina is done in the spring. This removes diseased and old branches. The rejuvenating procedure is performed after six years, that is, old branches are cut to the very root. You need to leave 7 pieces of branches for a fruit bush.

If viburnum needs to be formed in the form of a tree, then the central vertical trunk remains, the remaining shoots are cut off. New shoots and shoots should be cut off every year. For branchiness and beauty of the crown the growth point must be pinched.

Diseases and pests

The shrub is very resistant to diseases and pests, but some still damage plants:

• aphid;
• scutellum comma-shaped;
• cap moth.

Insecticides, preferably with an adhesive, help fight pests. The shield can be destroyed with karbofos. To destroy aphids, a trichogram is added to the plant.

Bushes are affected by powdery mildew and spotting... Treatment with fungicides will help fight diseases. To prevent diseases, treatment with infusions of tobacco or garlic is carried out.

Conclusion

Kalina Gordovina is a plant that remains decorative despite the environment and lack of maintenance. The main decorative advantage is foliage.... The shrub is ideal for cities, for planting it on streets, courtyards, squares.

Moreover, it is known that the berries of the plant have healing propertiesespecially when combined with honey. Compotes, jelly are prepared from berries, they are dried.