Danica is a thuja, a dwarf member of the Cypress family. This ornamental plant was managed by Danish breeders in the middle of the last century. Today it adorns gardens and private estates and is valued primarily for its ability to maintain the beauty of the crown throughout the year and ease of maintenance. On this page "Popular about health" we will tell you in detail about this wonderful culture. We suggest you study the planting of thuja, care in the ground for it, if you dream of decorating your garden unusual plants... We will consider a photo of thuja Danika right now.
In the photo Danika
External characteristics of the plant
In the photo, thuja Danica is western - take a look at how beautiful it looks in the garden. Its crown grows very slowly, adding only 5 centimeters of growth in width and height every year. The bark of this plant is gray-brown in color. There are a lot of shoots, they are densely located, painted in a light green shade. The crown of the thuja is very dense, spherical. The needles are scaly, shiny, soft to the touch. In the cold season, it slightly changes color to brown-green, but in summer it turns into a deep green color.
Adult thuja Danica is a spherical shrub with a diameter of about 60 cm. In the landscape it looks incredibly beautiful, you can see it in the photo. Thuja in the garden is often used to frame alleys, as hedges, and also used as an independent plant for decorating lawns. This charming dwarf variety deserves attention not only because it is beautiful, but also because of its unpretentiousness. How to plant such a shrub in your country house?
Planting Danica in the open field
Tui Danik sapling can be purchased at an agricultural company. Before planting this shrub outdoors, you should decide on the place where you will place it. Western thuja prefers well-lit places or openwork partial shade. In principle, a culture can develop in the shade, but in this case its crown will not look too good - the color of the needles will become lighter, and the plant itself will be less attractive.
Thuja grows well in the ground, provided that the soil meets the following characteristics:
Porosity;
Ease;
Acidity in the range of 4.5-6 pH.
If the soil on the site is too heavy, clayey, it is preferable to mix it with sand to improve the characteristics, and lay a drainage layer 15 cm thick on the bottom of the hole.An ideal substrate for thuja Danica has the following composition:
1.2 parts of leafy soil.
2. Part of the sand.
3. Part of the peat.
In such soil, the shrub will be comfortable, and all its beauty will be fully revealed. You can add about 50 g of nitroammophoska to the finished substrate for better growth... In the ground, planting is carried out only in the spring, when warm weather sets in. A hole is dug, focusing on the size of the root system with a clod of earth. It is highly undesirable to crush the substrate from the roots, in which the plant grew before transplanting into open ground. So, we put the drainage on the bottom, pour the soil mixture on a third of the depth of the pit, place the seedling so that the root collar does not go deep into the ground, but is on the same level with the soil surface. The plant is watered with a bucket of water. And how should Danika's care be in the future?
Outdoor thuja care
Young plants are quite vulnerable to external factors. They need watering weekly, and in drought conditions, even more frequent irrigation. It is highly desirable to spray the crown if it has not rained for a long time, since the thuja loses a lot of moisture. Young plants are sensitive to scorching sun... It would be wise to cover the crown of the bushes with kraft paper or spruce branches while they adapt to a new place. The same actions should be taken in early springwhen the sun starts to warm up. In the future, the crown gets used to sunlight and no longer needs protection from ultraviolet radiation.
At the beginning of the growing season, they always loosen the land near the bushes (shallow, up to 10 cm) and immediately mulch it with peat or tree bark. At the same time, complex mineral fertilizers are introduced for coniferous crops. In autumn the mulch is removed, and instead of it root system cover with spruce branches. This will protect the Dannika growing in the ground from rodents.
How does thuja tolerate winter cold? This plant is frost-resistant, it does not need to be covered for the winter, but the shoots of the bush can be damaged by ice and snow. Therefore, in the fall, they are tied with a ribbon or soft twine. However, some gardeners recommend covering it with non-woven material in the first year after planting. In spring, the bushes are examined for damaged branches, the damaged ones are removed.
Thuja western Danica rarely gets sick, but with a high location of groundwater, it can suffer from the development of fungal infections. In this case, root watering and spraying with fungicides is recommended. By the way, thuja can also suffer from overfeeding - if the root system gets burned by fertilizers, then the tips of the shoots and needles may begin to turn yellow.
In general, in the ground, care for western Danica is simple - she almost does not get sick, takes root well, does not need frequent feeding. She needs a minimum of attention and time from a gardener. This culture, due to its unpretentious nature and high decorative qualities, is a welcome guest in every garden.
Small compact varieties of thuja are extremely in demand in landscape design... Thuja western Danica - a plant with a dense rounded crown up to 80 cm high and about a meter in diameter belongs to dwarf forms.
Such an evergreen shrub will definitely find a place near an alpine hill, in a decorative border, in group plantings among in and as a solo plant among stones or ground cover species.
Description of Tui Danica
A slow-growing variety that reaches its maximum size not earlier than 15 years of age, was bred in the middle of the last century by Danish botanists. Since then, thuja has become one of the most popular when decorating small areas where it is difficult to find a place for larger crops.
According to the description, thuja Danica is a coniferous evergreen shrub, the crown of which consists of many shoots densely covered with soft needles. Most of branches are directed upwards, which gives the small plant additional "fluffiness". The young needles covering the ends of the shoots are needle-shaped. Later, it takes the form of scales tightly attached to the wood. AT summer time western Danica is painted in rich green tones. By autumn, the needles turn brown and remain so until spring.
Plants are durable. When competent careLike other varieties, thuja Danica is capable of reaching the age of 150 years.
Of course, today there are no such old copies yet. But at the disposal of lovers appeared thuja Danica Aurea, even more original than the traditional plant. This shrub has not green, but bright golden needles. Withstanding frosts down to –29 ° C, it is just as winter-hardy and at the same time more dependent on sunlight. The unusual shade of the needles fades in the shade, and the crown of both the usual and the golden ephedra gradually loses its spherical shape, becoming loose, sloppy.
Like all conifers of this genus, this variety of thuja blooms almost imperceptibly. Occasionally appearing brownish-brown cones have a rounded shape and a diameter of no more than 6 mm. However, seeds are not suitable for reproduction. In culture, this compact form is only propagated by cuttings.
Planting and caring for the spherical thuja Danica
In order for the growing thuja to be lush and bright, it is important for her to choose appropriate place... Conifers feel great in the sun and endure partial shade, but when they fall under the dense crowns of trees or in the shade of a house, plants risk losing their decorative effect.
Therefore, for the bush spherical thuja Danica choose open sunny place with loose, actively aerated soil. It is important that the plant's root system does not suffer from close or stagnant waters. Since young specimens are less resistant to cold and spring burns, the site must be protected from the wind:
- If thuja is to be planted for a curb, holes for bushes are dug at a distance of 30 cm from each other. This will allow the crowns of neighboring plants to intersect and form a single, low wall.
- In single plantings, Danica is planted at a distance of 50 cm from other plants. Such a measure will help the bush to form a beautiful, even spherical crown.
Tui can do without for a long time, but they grow best on moist fertile soil. A shrub planting hole is made a little larger than a root system in a container. At the bottom, drainage is made from broken brick, stone chips or expanded clay. The soil for filling the planting pit is mixed with minerals and well-rotted organic matter. After backfilling, the ground is easily tamped and watered, and the circle under the crown is thickly mulched with peat left over after mowing with grass, wood chips or other composition.
After planting, caring for Danika's thuja, as in the photo, consists in watering, adding mulch and monitoring the state of the crown.
In the hot season, the bushes should receive water. To wet the roots, 10–20 liters are poured under each plant. The soil under the thuja is carefully loosened and covered. With prolonged drought and heat, the crown can be irrigated warm water.
In the spring, conifers are fed with special mixtures that allow the needles to be as bright as possible.
A characteristic feature of the plant is its low growth rate, leaving only 4–5 cm in width and height. Therefore, fertilizers have no serious effect on crown growth.
Usually, the thuja Danika, appreciated in landscape design, does not need special formative pruning. However, you cannot do without pruning old, dead or incorrectly overgrown branches. Sanitary pruning is done in early spring. During her:
- remove dry branches;
- cut branches broken by wind or snow,
- cut off needles, dried up by the bright spring sun.
It is better to cover young plants in autumn with spruce branches, which will protect them from frost and ubiquitous rodents, which often take a fancy to the space under the crown for a winter home.
In frosts, thuja bushes are covered with snow. Guarantee bright color the crown of the field of snowless winter will be helped by covering with burlap or nonwoven fabric.
Tuya Danica in landscape design
A low-growing thuja with a crown that has a natural spherical shape could not but find its place in landscaping. 
If larger species require a lot of space, complex maintenance and regular haircuts, dwarf plant thuja western Danica, as in the photo, you can easily imagine:
An unpretentious decorative ephedra, even with such a modest size, invariably becomes an adornment of any garden, and its care does not take much time or effort for the gardener.
Thuja danica is a plant with excellent decorative properties... Growing it up dwarf variety possible on a home site, without the involvement of specialists. It is undemanding to the conditions of planting and care, therefore it grows well in open ground in the climate of the middle zone.
Description: varieties and varieties of western thuja
Danica is one of the thuja species of the western globular cypress family. Dwarf tree varieties have a neat rounded crown, which looks spectacular in the photo under conditions open ground and in the greenhouse. It is also resistant to frost and city dust. The crown grows 4-5 cm per year, up to about 60-80 cm, and is distinguished by its durability. Other characteristics of thuja Danica:
- the width of an adult plant is up to 1 m;
- the crown is thick;
- twigs grow vertically;
- needles are thin, scaly, soft, deep green;
Thuja danica is a spherical shrub
- does not bloom, occasionally releases small rounded bumps;
- shoots are short, light green;
- the bark is gray, with a brown or red tint;
- roots lie near the surface.
Attention! The needles of annual seedlings consist of small and thin juvenile needles. And only with growing up are they replaced by a scaly layer.
Among all the variety of western thuja in Russia, the variety Danika Aurea is still in demand. It is undersized, up to 40 cm. Even in the photo it is noticeable that Aurea has lighter and narrower corners. This variety is able to withstand -29 ° C in snowy winters.
Correct planting
In matters of cultivation and care, thuja is unassuming. Planting outdoors in a sunny area will help form a perfect healthy crown. Also, the place should be sheltered from the wind. The plant loves light, slightly acidic soils.
Plant the plant away from drafts
Landing is carried out as follows:
- Prepare the substrate in advance. Mix 50% leaf or sod soil, 25% each sand and peat.
- Make a hole 60-80 cm.
- Fertilize the soil with nitroammophos. One sapling - about 500 g.
- Dig in the tree. The root collar should be flush with the soil.
Council. If the soil in your area is heavy or close groundwater, for cultivation, organize a drainage layer of rubble with sand at the bottom of the hole, about 15–20 cm.
Thuja Danica care
Young plant care involves watering once a week. Give the seedling a drink (10–20 liters of water) and water the greens. From the second month after planting, the watering level decreases. In drought, the amount of water, on the contrary, can be increased.
Council. Follow each watering with shallow loosening. Also make and update your mulch regularly. It can be collected from dry humus or peat, or from wood chips.
Thuja western normally tolerates frosts; only one-year olds need to be sheltered in open ground. Gardeners use thin burlap. But the plant does not tolerate heat well. In the summer, a shadow for her can be created artificially. Spring care starts with pruning. Remove dry and dead parts, trim the ball shape.
Thuja responds well to feeding
Fertilizer and tree feeding
Ornamental crops can grow without fertilizers. But top dressing will give its crown density and rich color. The technology is simple:
- Organic - during spring and June. Apply fertilizer around the plant under a shallow digging (up to 10 cm).
- Mineral dressing: saltpeter and wood ash... Apply at the same time, alternating with organic.
Council. Complex mineral mixtures are also used as fertilizers: 50-60 g per 1 sq. m.
Plant propagation at home
If you want to get more specimens of western thuja for decorating plots, work on self-propagation of the plant. Only effective method - grafting. Material is obtained from lignified or semi-lignified shoots. The optimal time for planting and rooting is autumn.
The breeding process goes like this:
- Build a greenhouse. Cuttings are rooted in conditions high humidity air. In this case, the walls of the greenhouse should be transparent to give the plant abundant lighting.
- Cut off a suitable shoot about 50 cm long. For reproduction, it must have a heel shoot. Remove the needles from the bottom of the cutting and soak it in a root stimulator.
- Prepare the soil with equal shares of turf, sand and peat.
- When planting, deepen the cutting by 3 cm.
- Open the greenhouse for 15–20 minutes. in a day. Spray the cuttings.
Attention! If propagation is done correctly, expect rootlets to appear in about a month. In the spring, the seedlings will be ready for open ground.
Diseases and pests of thuja western Danica
The plant is resistant to pests and diseases, but the risk of damage still exists:
Healthy plant resistant to pests
- Aphids and spider mite cause yellowing of the needles.
- Because of the needles gnawing insects, the needles become brown, and the tops of the shoots dry out.
- Root pests cause a general deterioration in the condition of the plant and the loss of its decorative qualities.
Attention! Chemicals to protect against harmful insects are many. It is important to determine the nature of the disease in order to choose the right treatment.
Thuja western Danica diseases:
- brown mold;
- trunk rot;
- rotting roots.
The remedy for any rot is radical - burning the affected plant so that the disease does not spread to other inhabitants of the garden. Prevention - spring spraying fungicide. Brown mold, which manifests itself during spring thaws, is less aggressive. Destroy the dead parts of the tree. The care of healthy elements consists in antimicrobial spraying.
Thuja Danica and its combination with other plants
Growing thuja Danica is possible as an independent decorative element and in combination with other cultures. She looks great in company with flowering shrubs in the front garden or as. Dwarf thuja decorate the lawns near the administration buildings. Best Neighbor for Danica - the same plant. Although the right combination with other cultures, for example, can be attractive. Sometimes, instead of a ball, the owners form bizarre figures from the bush.
Thuja spherical Danica is a plant of the cypress family, belonging to the dwarf thujas. This variety of western thuja was bred in 1948 in Denmark, hence the name - "Danica". Thuja is a spherical shrub and is very popular with landscape designers. On the territory of Russia, this type of dwarf thuja appeared relatively recently. But today she is perceived as one of the best representatives decorative look tui. Today the most popular variety is thuja danica - "Aurea" (pictured). This variety has gained its popularity for its luxurious appearance and the ability to withstand enough very coldy... Although in the first two years of life, the plant needs protection from low temperatures.
Thuja spherical Danica description
Among the advantages of dwarf thuja is a wonderful aroma, frost and moisture resistance, a comfortable stable state with a long stay in the shade. Consider the main characteristics of the spherical thuja Danica:
✿ The height of this thuja reaches a level of 0.5 m.
✿ The globular crown is approximately one meter in diameter.
✿ Thuja globular Danica develops incredibly slowly. For a whole year, the plant grows in height by only 4 cm, however, the growth in width is the same.
✿ The crown of thuja danica is dense and spherical.
✿ The needles of this thuja are thin, soft, green, scaly.
✿ The twigs grow upright.
✿ Bumps on this thuja are rarely formed and reach a maximum of 6 mm.
✿ This is a dwarf plant, with proper care, can delight saturated in green throughout the whole year.
✿ Thuja endures frost. It is worth sheltering only immature one and two year old plants.
✿ Thuja of this variety can develop and grow for a hundred years
Thuja spherical - planting in the garden
It is recommended to purchase thuja in a nursery store and transplant the plant in the spring. The first and main stage in planting a thuja is the choice the right place for planting it. Perfect place for the location of the thuja where the sun will not fall on it throughout the day. If several trees are planted at once, a distance of at least half a meter is maintained between them.
Expect that the transplanting process can take several days, since digging a hole the right size, it is worth letting the soil get saturated with oxygen. The size of the pit, more precisely, its depth, directly depends on the height of the pot. So, having placed the plant in a hole, make sure that the root collar is at the level of the soil. There is no point in planting the plant deeper. The width of the hole should be larger than the pot, since the roots of the tree will grow in the future. Thuja prefers fertile soil filled with useful minerals, acids, etc. Therefore, as a fertilizer, it is worth adding peat to the pit.
We are starting the transplant. First, we water the potted plant so that it is easier to remove it. Taking the plant out of the pot, we set it in the finished hole. We begin to cover the root system with earth. When finished, lightly press down the soil around the mini-tree. For irrigation that follows the transplant, a hole should be provided. This will prevent the water from spreading and the plant will receive a sufficient amount of it. After on garden plot thuja appeared, it will need constant proper care.
Thuja spherical - care
After planting, the tree has not yet fully matured and has taken root. Therefore, it needs to be watered only once a week in the amount of one bucket of water. In hot summer period thuja should receive more moisture. Therefore, we double the amount of watering and the amount of water. So that the water does not evaporate quickly in dry temperatures, the soil is mulched with peat. The layer should be about seven centimeters. In addition to the problem of evaporation, such a layer protects the soil near the plant from the appearance of unwanted weeds, enriches the soil with useful components.
Thuja care in cold frosty weather depends on the age of the plant. So, it is better to wrap young trees for the winter with sacking of medium thickness. They will be protected from the piercing wind. Perennial trees do not need to do this. In the spring, when the burlap is removed, dead shoots should also be removed. So that thuja plants do not suffer from the fungus, a solution of foundationol is sprayed on them. This should be done several times a year. Any thuja can be trimmed and shaped to fit the general style of the garden. So that the crown does not thin out, you need to ensure that there is enough nutrients... Moisturizing is also the key to a lush living crown. Weeding from weeds and loosening the soil contributes to its saturation with oxygen for better transport of beneficial trace elements to the roots of the evergreen.
Thuja protection for the winter
Mid-November - the best option to create winter protection for young thuja trees. A simple gauze and a stapler to fix it are suitable for sheltering the plant. We cut the gauze strips the same length as the plant itself. Gauze strips are attached at the top of the crown and at the root. The strips are connected together with a stapler. Be careful not to punch the needles. There is one nuance when cutting gauze - its shrinkage in case of wetting, which is inevitable.
More time consuming but reliable way save the plant - erecting a frame from wooden beams around the tree itself. The frame is fitted protective material... It is important not to squeeze the branches. If snow accumulates on the top of the frame, the plant can be damaged under its weight. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure that this does not happen and remove the accumulation.
Photo of thuja globular
in landscape design
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Planting conifers in the garden or on the plot in front of the house has long been very popular. These wonderful plants with an evergreen crown not only delight the eye in winter and summer, but also fill the air with magical phytoncides that have a beneficial effect on health. Thuja Danica in the numerous coniferous family is perhaps the most popular plant among gardeners. Attention is attracted by its beautiful neat appearance, as if a topiary master worked on the tree, as well as miniature sizes, which give the widest possibilities for using thuja in landscape design.
Tuya Danica: description of the plant
Coniferous about which in question, belongs to the Cypress family and belongs to the western thuja species. The plant got the name Danica due to the fact that this variety was bred by a Danish breeder. The variety differs in its miniature size and beauty of the crown. Thuja Danica lives up to 200 years, grows incredibly slowly, giving an annual increase in height of about 5 cm, and in volume - up to 3-4. Standard 20 cm seedlings, which are most often sold in nurseries, will reach their maximum height of 80 cm in 12 years. Their crown diameter will also be approximately the same. That is, the plant will look like a living green ball. Thuja Danica branches look up and grow quite compactly. The needles on them are thin, scaly, soft to the touch. In young seedlings, they look like small needles. Flowers and, as a result, fruits rarely appear in thuja. These are small, slightly more than 0.5 cm in diameter, brown cones.
Seed propagation
Thuja Danica propagates by cuttings and, in the rarest cases, by seeds. The second method is used only if there is no other way to get this plant. Thuja cones are harvested in the fall or early winter, until the seeds spill out of them. They are dried in a cool place to easily open and get the contents. The seeds must be stratified under the snow. At the beginning of spring, they are sown in the ground to a depth of 0.5 cm and at a distance of 10 cm (or more) from each other, sprinkled with finely chopped needles mixed with light soil, watered. Seed germination is quite high, but plant growth is unusually slow. At the age of three, the seedlings will be ready for transplantation in the right place. The disadvantage of this method: the plants grown from seeds almost do not retain the external characteristics of the variety.
Cuttings
Thuja western Danica cuttings reproduce much more often. Harvested planting material in cloudy weather, cutting off only young one-year-old shoots. Before planting, they are kept in water for a day (you can add potassium permanganate). Then they are placed at a slight slope into the ground to a depth of about 6 cm, watered. You can plant cuttings in a small greenhouse. If this operation is carried out in the spring, rooting will occur in the same year, and if in summer or autumn, then callus will form for a whole year, and only the next year will the roots develop from it. There are cases when thuja grown from lateral shoots did not have an even, beautiful crown, so they try to take cuttings from central branches.
In view of the listed difficulties, it is preferable to buy a danika ready for planting in nurseries.
Where to plant
It is considered very unpretentious plant thuja Danica. Planting can be done in sunny areas or in partial shade. Any soil is suitable for her, but provided that the pH does not exceed 7 and not lower than 5. In general, all western thujas are calciphiles, and thuja Danica is no exception. This plant loves watering, but can withstand dry soil for a while. If there is groundwater on the site close to the surface, drainage must be laid on the bottom of the planting pit. Some gardeners do not fertilize thuja, but these plants still need rare feeding to maintain the beauty of the crown and a healthy existence. mineral fertilizers with nitrogen and calcium. On very acidic soils, lime must also be added to the soil. A pit for a seedling is dug out slightly larger than that of the pot in which it is grown. The plant is placed in it together with an earthen lump, while straightening the crushed roots, carefully covered with earth and watered. Mulch from above.
Care
Any gardener or owner of a private house will only be delighted with thuja Danica. Plant care is simple and not burdensome. After correct fit it remains only to water the tree until it gets stronger. Then the amount of watering can be reduced. Thuja can withstand drought, but the tree should not be subjected to such a test. Thuja Danica tolerates frosts no less well. In regions where there is a lot of snow, young seedlings do not need to be insulated, and where the winters are frosty and with little snow, it is advisable to cover the thuja with burlap or spruce branches in the first years after planting. Taking care of the tree also includes pest control, if they are found. Thuja can be attacked by cypress and thuja aphids, scale insects, false scales, spider mites, thuja moths, and some mushrooms. It is necessary to fight them with appropriate insecticides and fungicides, and to prevent fungal diseases, treat the tree with Fundozol, according to the instructions attached to the drug.
Use in landscape design
Thuja western Danica is just a treasure for designers. There are countless options for its use. This wonderful plant can be used to decorate curbs, front entrance to the building, flower beds. Danica is planted on alpine slides, rockeries and green lawns. It looks great in group compositions and in single plantings, on a small area and in spacious gardens. They also use it as a hedge. The miniature size allows you to grow such a thuja in tubs indoors, decorate loggias and balconies with it. Thick beautiful crown and the tree's tolerance for shearing opens up possibilities for a flight of fantasy in topiary. By planting thuja Danica on the lawn or at the entrance to the house, you can make a flower, animal, geometric shapes out of it.
There is thuja Danica with a golden crown. This variety is called Aurea. Besides interesting color needles, the variety is characterized by even slower growth, but in the end the tree can stretch up to a meter in height and up to 1.5 m in width.