Today, the principle of “maximum expressiveness using a minimum of means” has become perhaps the main thing in garden design. Lush ensembles of dozens different types plants today are losing their leadership positions to restrained, but maximally decorative compositions from just a few crops, which convey the image, stylistic direction as accurately as possible, and reveal the individual preferences of the garden owners. Increasingly, today, plants are chosen for landscaping that make it easier to care for the garden, reducing “mandatory procedures” to a minimum, allowing you to fully enjoy the beauty of communication with nature. But this does not mean that gardens become boring and expressionless. Sometimes, in order to create an unforgettable image, one bright and unusual plant is enough, which acts as an accent and central decorative element will contribute finishing touch into the design of the garden and will act as the very “highlight” of its design. Most often, rare exotics, which are not so often found in the gardens of our area, are used as such an accent. But almost all flowering beauties with original lines come from the North American plains, African savannahs or Asian expanses - sun-loving cultures, and you really want to find something unusual for those corners where the sun rarely shines. If you are looking for a true shade-loving star with the status of a unique plant, pay attention to the variety of dragon lilies - an amazing family of arums that seem like whimsical guests from other worlds or the embodiment of the stories of a science fiction writer. Strange, combining purple and bright green color the plants display very exotic flowers, reminiscent of the head of a dragon or a fancy lizard. Despite their outlandish appearance, arums are bulbous plants, which are not much more difficult to grow than all the bulbous crops that are “usual” for our flower beds. Let's get to know them better.
Arum, or arum, is an exotic corm native to the tropical latitudes of Africa, but also found in the shade of dense forests of southern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia. In its homeland, arum is a perennial, but in our country it is grown either as a garden annual or as a potted plant with a predominant stay in indoors, that is, in fact, as a houseplant, although this approach is not entirely correct, because many types of dragon lily can overwinter with very simple shelter. The name of the dragon lily is translated as “lizard”. One of the most unusual characteristics of this bulbous plant is the primacy of flowering: the leaves begin to bloom only when the arum has finished flowering. This unusual bulb blooms at the beginning of summer, in warm weather - in May, when on a powerful peduncle around a dense inflorescence-cob, a large, about half a meter long and only 10 cm wide bract cover with a sharp tip and often a filigree edge is fancifully twisted. It is this bract that reminds of the head of a lizard and seems to be a quote from the flora of some fantasy planet. Its color is olive green on the outside, with spots and patterns in different species, and a uniquely bright purple on the inside. But the advantages of arum are not limited to one of the largest and most unusual flowers: their leaves are more similar to the leaves of some palm trees, complex, palmate or dissected, bright green, often with various spots. They are attached to a long half-meter petiole. On the spot exotic flower by mid-summer, a bright cob with scarlet or orange round, tightly seated fruits and berries is formed.
Most often we sell Italian arum, or white-winged arum, but it is precisely this type of dragon lilies that is least suitable for wintering in middle lane Russia. Relatively short, only about 60 cm in height, this arum flaunts pale creamy-greenish bracts only about 15 cm in length, bright scarlet fruits and large wavy leaves with a silvery edge, which begin to grow only in autumn. Spotted arum - a lower plant, but frost-resistant, the shape of the spathe is unusual, and the color varies from brown to brown and greenish with purple spots on the edge; This type of dragon lily reproduces by self-sowing. Palestine arum flaunts an arrow-shaped blade of 30-cm leaves and shorter peduncles with a subtle dark purple color. outside 20 cm bedspreads with green inside And pleasant aroma. One of the most beautiful views dragon lily - Elongated arum, in which spear-shaped leaves with lateral lobes bent back are combined with a long peduncle, on which a blanket of more than 25 cm with an elongated tip of a whitish or brownish-purple color is wrapped around a purple cob. Under the shelter of leaves, it can winter even in regions with harsh winters. Also worthy of attention are the greenish white bracts of Arum Korolkov, rolled into a thin tube, and the low Arum eastern with small petiolate arrow-shaped leaves and the same peduncle up to 10 cm in length with a white-green spathe, roundly twisted around a dark cob (the spathe is decorated with a lighter purple limb ), and the bottle-shaped inflorescences of Arum of Crete, similar to calla flowers, flaunting glossy dense heart-shaped leaves, and Arum vulgaris, which flaunts almost ink-red inside and green outside, a wavy blanket about 45 cm long along the edge and tall leaves with a “snake skin” pattern "
Arum cannot be grown anywhere in the garden. It will bloom only on drained, air- and water-permeable soils with increased nutritional value. In this case, the growing place must be warm, the soil must warm up well, and also be moist, but not stagnantly damp. Long arum categorically does not like waterlogging; other species only dislike waterlogging of soils and heavy soils. It is much easier to grow arum as a potted crop, because it is easier to maintain high humidity there, and the dragon lily can grow in the smallest containers: the quality of the soil for this crop is more important than its quantity. Arum is not just a shade-tolerant culture, but a shade-loving one. Dragon lilies feel great even in dense shade under tall trees and on the north side of buildings. If arums overwinter, they are covered with a thick layer of foliage from deciduous crops. Usually in additional shelter non-woven material they don't need it. When planting, root tubers are planted to a depth of about 8 cm, while the distance to neighboring plants should not be less than 35 - 40 cm.
Arum is propagated by seeds (both by sowing before winter and by self-sowing), as well as by dividing rhizomes.
Most often (and completely undeservedly) arum is used to decorate patios, terraces and balconies. But as an annual bulbous plant, this plant is almost ideal for adding original accents to shady areas of the garden. Arum seems to be created for modern gardens, where his daring lines are fully revealed in a suitable setting. This bulbous plant looks great in seating areas and corners. Arum can be used to highlight chrome and steel in garden and home decoration. These unusual exotics look very good in shady rockeries.
Among the countless varieties and hybrids of sweet peppers, there are those, such as the Ramiro pepper, whose popularity is literally worldwide. And if most vegetables on supermarket shelves are nameless, and it is almost impossible to find out about their variety, then the name of this pepper “Ramiro” will certainly be on the packaging. And, as my experience has shown, this pepper is worth letting other gardeners know about it. In connection with which this article was written.
Autumn is the most mushroom time. It is no longer hot, and heavy dew falls in the mornings. Since the earth is still warm, and foliage has already attacked from above, creating a completely special microclimate in the ground layer, the mushrooms are very comfortable. Mushroom pickers are also comfortable at this time, especially in the mornings when it is cooler. It's time for both to meet. And, if you haven’t introduced yourself to each other, get to know each other. In this article I will introduce you to exotic, little-known and not always edible mushrooms, similar to corals.
If you are a busy person, but at the same time not devoid of romance, if you have your own plot and are endowed with aesthetic taste, then explore the opportunity to purchase this wonderful ornamental shrub– karyopteris, or Nutwing. He is also “wing-hazel”, “blue fog” and “blue beard”. It truly fully combines unpretentiousness and beauty. Karyopteris reaches its peak of decorativeness in late summer and autumn. It is at this time that it blooms.
Pepper ajvar - vegetable caviar or thick vegetable sauce from bell pepper with eggplants. The peppers for this recipe are baked for quite a long time, then they are also stewed. Add to ajvar onion, tomatoes, eggplants. To store eggs for the winter, they are sterilized. This Balkan recipe is not for those who like to make preparations quickly, undercooked and underbaked - not about ajvar. In general, we approach the matter in detail. For the sauce, we choose the ripest and meatiest vegetables on the market.
Despite the simple names (“sticky” or “indoor maple”) and the status of a modern substitute indoor hibiscus, abutilons are far from the simplest plants. They grow well, bloom profusely and delight with a healthy look of greenery only in optimal conditions. On thin leaves any deviations from comfortable lighting or temperatures and disturbances in care. To reveal the beauty of abutilons in rooms, it is worth finding the ideal place for them.
Zucchini fritters with Parmesan and mushrooms - a delicious recipe with photos of available products. Ordinary zucchini pancakes can be easily turned into a non-boring dish by adding a few savory ingredients to the dough. During the squash season, pamper your family with vegetable pancakes with wild mushrooms; it is not only very tasty, but also filling. Zucchini is a universal vegetable, it is suitable for stuffing, for preparations, for main courses, and even for sweets. delicious recipes- compotes and jam are made from zucchini.
The idea of growing vegetables on the grass, under the grass and in the grass is scary at first, until you become imbued with the naturalness of the process: in nature, this is exactly how everything happens. With the obligatory participation of all soil living creatures: from bacteria and fungi to moles and toads. Each of them contributes. Traditional tillage with digging, loosening, fertilizing, and fighting all those we consider pests destroys the biocenoses that have been created over centuries. In addition, it requires a lot of labor and resources.
What to do instead of a lawn? So that all this beauty does not turn yellow, does not get sick and at the same time looks like a lawn... I hope that the smart and quick-witted reader is already smiling. After all, the answer suggests itself - if you do nothing, nothing will happen. Of course, there are several solutions that can be used, and with their help, you can reduce the area of the lawn, and therefore reduce the labor intensity of caring for it. I suggest you consider alternative options and discuss their pros and cons.
Tomato sauce with onions and sweet peppers - thick, aromatic, with pieces of vegetables. The sauce cooks quickly and is thick because this recipe contains pectin. Make such preparations at the end of summer or autumn, when the vegetables have ripened in the sun in the garden beds. Bright, red tomatoes will produce just as bright homemade ketchup. This sauce is a ready-made dressing for spaghetti, and you can also simply spread it on bread - very tasty. For better preservation, you can add a little vinegar.
This year I often observed a picture: among the luxurious green crown of trees and shrubs, here and there, like candles, the bleached tops of shoots “burn.” This is chlorosis. Most of us know about chlorosis from school biology lessons. I remember that this is a lack of iron... But chlorosis is an ambiguous concept. And lightening of foliage does not always mean a lack of iron. What is chlorosis, what our plants lack during chlorosis and how to help them, we will tell you in the article.
Korean vegetables for the winter - delicious Korean salad with tomatoes and cucumbers. The salad is sweet and sour, spicy and slightly spicy because it is prepared with Korean carrot seasoning. Be sure to prepare several jars for the winter, cold winter This healthy and flavorful snack will come in handy. You can use overripe cucumbers for the recipe; it is better to prepare vegetables in late summer or early autumn, when they are ripe in open ground under the sun.
Autumn for me means dahlias. Mine begin to bloom as early as June, and all summer the neighbors peek at me over the fence, reminding them that I promised them a few tubers or seeds by the fall. In September, a tart note appears in the aroma of these flowers, hinting at the approaching cold. This means it’s time to start preparing the plants for the long, cold winter. In this article I will share my secrets autumn care for perennial dahlias and preparing them for winter storage.
To date, through the efforts of breeders, according to various sources, from seven to ten thousand (!) varieties of cultivated apple trees have been bred. But despite their enormous diversity, in private gardens, as a rule, only a couple of popular and beloved varieties grow. Apple trees are large trees with a spreading crown, and you cannot grow many of them in one area. What if you try to grow columnar varieties of this crop? In this article I will tell you exactly about these varieties of apple trees.
Pinjur - Balkan-style eggplant caviar with sweet peppers, onions and tomatoes. Distinctive feature dishes - eggplants and peppers are first baked, then peeled and simmered for a long time in a roasting pan or in a thick-bottomed pan, adding the rest of the vegetables specified in the recipe. The caviar turns out to be very thick, with a bright, rich taste. In my opinion, this cooking method is the best known. Although it is more troublesome, the result compensates for the labor costs.
Among all the bulbous and tuberous plants, only the Voodoo lily can rightfully be considered the real queen of the underworld, because it is a summer-flowering plant with truly intriguing properties! Will you be one of the brave souls who will plant a voodoo lily this spring? If you decide to become such a daredevil, then here is our helpful advice: Buy some clothespins too! For what? Now we'll tell you!
The botanical name of this unusual plant is veined sauromatum (syn. drip sauromatum, s. spotted, s. speckled), in Latin - Sauromatum venosum.
The Voodoo lily begins to grow in May and produces a flower consisting of a dark brown spadix and a vertical spathe. The combination of greenish-white and reddish-brown spots gives the bedspread a very unusual appearance. Once the cob reaches its maximum height, the spathe begins to curl. It is at this time that the plant uses its “secret weapon”. To protect yourself from its "aromatic effects", use your own weapon - a clothespin!
The temperature in the lower part of the flower increases - sometimes it becomes even higher than the temperature environment. At the same time, a strong and very unpleasant odor appears, which attracts insects to pollinate the flowers. Unfortunately, only flies like the scent of the Voodoo lily. After flowering, the terrible smell disappears and the plant forms green leaf. Like the spathe, the petioles have spots, and the leaf itself is bright green.
The tuber of this plant can grow and bloom even without planting in the soil, as if some African sorcerer really cast a spell on it. magic spell to bring it to life. It is not surprising that this flower is called the Voodoo lily. This plant is native to the tropics of Africa (from Sudan to Malawi and Zambia), but it also grows in the Arabian Peninsula and India. In 1815, the Voodoo lily was brought to Europe as an exotic plant, thanks to which we too can contemplate it now, albeit first armed with a clothespin.
Often the owners of this exotic plant The tuber is planted in the garden after flowering. Unpleasant smell no longer threatens, but in the garden this lily develops a very exotic palmate leaf on a straight, tall petiole, which also looks very impressive.
In autumn the leaf dies, the tuber is dug out of the ground and stored in a dry room at a temperature of +8+12°C. In January it is planted and placed in room conditions so that it can bloom.
Be careful: all parts of the plant are poisonous!
Based on materials iBulb
Arum, “Tibetan lizard”, “leopard or snake palm” - all sorts of names I didn’t get arum for its unusual appearance. A bright representative of the aroid family. It resembles a calla lily in shape.
Arum (Arum italicum) is a tuberous perennial herb that lives in the temperate climate zone: in Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia. Found in wildlife in damp mixed forests and bushes. The most famous species are spotted arum And arum italicum(on the picture). They are not very large, up to 50 cm tall.
"Arum" in Greek means "ascent" or " poisonous plant", and "italicum » - “from Italy” (since he comes from Southern Europe). It is not clear, however, whether the plant originates from this country or whether it is so called because the pattern on its leaves resembles Italian marble.
Many flower growers are interested in where to buy arum italicum root. Note that this plant does not grow from roots, but from tubers or bulbous rhizomes. It usually consists of 1-3 patches of leaves that resemble hearts or arrow-shaped, located on long “legs”. The leaves are variegated: dark green with expressive light veins and a characteristic shine. Plants bloom in mid to late spring or early summer. They form an inflorescence-cob, typical of aroids. Tiny flowers are collected in cobs, which, in turn, are covered with a tubular greenish blanket (20-25 cm tall). The flowers are creamy white, unisexual. The zone of male flowers is located at the top of the spadix, and the zone of female flowers is located at the bottom. Men's and female flowers alternate with a ring of hairs, which is a trap for small insects. After flowering, cone-shaped fruits and berries appear, colored in tones from red to orange color. They begin to form in May-June and fully ripen in the fall. Berries represent the same decorative value like leaves and flowers.
In 1778, Lamarck noticed that the inflorescences of this plant were capable of producing heat. By the time the female flowers ripen, parts of the cob warm up to +40 °C. An amazing phenomenon!
Be careful! The bright red fruits look very appetizing in appearance, but you should not try them to taste. They and other parts of the plant are very poisonous!
We also do not recommend smelling flowers! Instead of expected wonderful aroma, it will be a fetid smell of rotten meat, which is especially intensified in evening time. This scent is designed to deceive insects. The plant seems to force insects to pollinate its flowers. Arum is characterized by sapromyophily - a special method of pollination carried out by carrion and dung flies. By imitating a fetid odor, the inflorescence “invites” them into the trap. Insects remain “closed” until they pollinate flowers, collect pollen from the flowers and transfer it to other plants.
Bloom arum italicum lasts several days. Then the top of the cob and the spathe die off. And in place of the female flowers, berries develop. The leaves remain decorative for up to 6–8 months. Then they wither and fall off. The plant begins a dormant period that lasts up to 2–4 months.
Also in nature there are 3 more species from the same family as arum. These are representatives of the genera amorphophallus, Arizema And sauromatum.
Arum italicum: cultivation and care
This unusual plant grown for decorative foliage, flowers and colorful berries. It is suitable for planting in open ground and in containers. Arum demands shady place with moist soil rich in humus. Be sure to provide good drainage. It is this soil that will promote vigorous growth and the formation of many berries. It can be placed in borders and rock gardens. Some gardeners use this plant together with hostas. For the winter, the tubers are dug up.
Arum (Arum)- this is a representative perennial plants, reaches a height of sixty centimeters, is attached to the ground with the help of oval roots, which scatter around themselves numerous adventitious roots, which have varying thicknesses.
A rosette of leaves that grow near the arrow-shaped root. There is a long petiole near the base. The rosette is surrounded by scaly brown leaves. The most striking feature of Arum is its long inflorescence, which is contained in a leaf-like wrapper. Arum has a unisexual flower, which is held tightly on a thickened cone-shaped peduncle. Thus, the flower forms an inflorescence-cob.
The inflorescence is shaped in such a way that it can trap insects for pollination. In the evening, the cob emits an aroma that attracts insects. When an insect falls into a trap, it will pollinate the flower involuntarily. After pollination, the hairs droop, thereby opening the path to freedom for the insect.
Arum blooms in mid-spring and stops at the beginning of summer. After fertilization has occurred, a little time will pass and the top of the cob and the wrapping leaf die off, and a red berry grows in their place.
Arum - care:
Lighting:
In order for Arum to develop well, the plant is placed in a partially shaded place. Aronica is also placed in open areas, with good solar lighting, however, at midday the plant is shaded.
Temperature:
The sensitive Arum plant requires an air temperature of at least 7°C. Hardy species of arum can tolerate low temperature up to -10°C. The optimal temperature for normal development of Aronica is considered to be +14-22°C.
Watering:
Arum is not demanding of high moisture. For good growth, the plant is provided with low soil moisture, and during the dormant period, which is particularly in summer, Arum is generally preferable to dried soil.
Humidity:
Although Arum is considered a drought-resistant plant, it prefers moderate air humidity, which should be in the range of 50-60%.
Feeding:
Theoretically, Arum does not need feeding. However, if you periodically fertilize, the plant will not get any worse. Fertilized with organic compost and leaf humus; synthetic mineral fertilizer is also used.
Transfer:
Arum is transplanted into new pot at the beginning of spring, at the same time the plant divides.
Reproduction:
As for the propagation of Arum, here, as for most plants, everything is standard. Arum is propagated by dividing the roots into parts, or using seeds. The division of the rhizome is carried out in the summer, and the seeds are sown in the winter.
Some features:
The soil for Aronica is selected to be fertile, rich in many minerals. When planting, select a pot with good drainage and it is necessary that the pot has a hole to allow excess liquid to drain.
Arum - diseases and pests:
Late blight causes rotting of the roots and rhizomes. The leaves dry out and the plant blooms less intensely. Another type of philostikta mushroom provokes the formation of brown spots on the leaves. These diseases can be eliminated by treating the plant with fungicides. The arum also affects the pathogen blackleg, which leads to sliming of the rhizome, which becomes wet and a bad smell spreads and the leaves turn yellow. A diseased plant with bacteriosis is thrown away.
There is also a tiny worm called a nematode in the soil, which causes a growth to appear on the root. Aphids, mites and thrips sometimes settle on the stem and leaves of the plant; all these pests are eliminated by treating Arum with insecticides.
