Gardeners, for the most part, rarely pay attention to ornamental trees and shrubs, limiting themselves to flowers. This is usually motivated by the small size of the site. Meanwhile, it is impossible to build a harmonious garden landscape by filling only its lower tier. Your garden will simply be transformed if high-altitude dominant trees and color spots of decorative deciduous shrubs appear at different points. Of course, the “altitude and color policy” should be measured, taking into account the surrounding landscape and future plant sizes. Based on this, there should not be many large trees on a summer cottage, otherwise a small area can easily be overloaded and shaded. But there can be no less shrubs than flowers.
A necessary component.
The use of decorative deciduous shrubs is especially justified. They, in comparison with perennial flowers and summer flowers, have several additional advantages. Firstly, they give the garden a natural look, since they fill the middle tier of the garden, inaccessible to herbaceous plants. Secondly, they are more durable and require less effort to care for. Thirdly, their decorative effect covers the entire season from the moment the leaves unfold until the leaves fall, and not just a very short flowering period.
The assortment of fairly winter-hardy and unpretentious shrubs suitable for central Russia is not so small, but among them there are several especially popular ones, for example, viburnum-leaved bladderwort with its two decorative deciduous varieties.
American is better.
Genus bladderwort (Physocarpus), belonging to the Rosaceae family, unites more than a dozen deciduous shrubs common in East Asia and North America. Two of them have long been used in landscaping our central zone. Amur bladderwort (P. amurensis) is native to the Russian Far East, and vesicular carp (P. opulifolius) in eastern Canada. The appearance of these shrubs has a lot in common, and their use is similar - mainly as hedges, both clipped and informal. And yet, the American look is more in demand among landscapers. It is considered to be somewhat more attractive, and also has several varieties.
As for the main species, here it grows as a spreading multi-stemmed bush about 2.5 m high. The shoots of a free-growing shrub become bare from below with age, exposing light brown bark that peels off in strips. The leaves are similar in shape and size to those of viburnum or currant. The flowers are white, about 1 cm in size, collected in dense hemispherical inflorescences with a diameter of up to 5-6 cm. It blooms in early June, blooms profusely for about 20 days. The fruits are swollen leaflets, initially red, after drying light brown.
There are two varieties with colored leaves that are especially prized by gardeners. Both of them are somewhat smaller in size than the main species and differ mainly in the color of the leaves.
"Aurea" ("Аurea")- has reddish leaves when blooming, and bright yellow leaves with an orange tint in early summer. Then they fade somewhat, but by the end of summer they again acquire a bright golden color. Young shoots are also yellow before lignification. The color intensity reaches its maximum in sunny places; in the shade the leaves become light green.
"Diabolo"»)
- distinguished by an even, intense purple color of the leaves throughout the season. At certain moments of the growing season and in different parts of the crown, the color of the leaves may contain red, beetroot, brown and purple shades. In the shade, the purple color is largely diluted by green.
Both varieties grow well in partial shade but require a fully open location for more intense coloring.
Unpretentious and frost-resistant.
In the middle zone, all bladderwort cultivars are absolutely frost-resistant. To the north, it winters satisfactorily up to the Kirovsk - Perm line (USDA3). It is drought-resistant, undemanding to soil conditions, and stable in urban environments. At the same time, the shrub achieves its best development and highest decorative value on moisture-intensive, but drained, fertile light loamy soils, and does not tolerate excess moisture in the soil.
Bladderwort grows well in cultivated garden soils. But if you prepare the substrate specifically, then a mixture of turf soil, humus and sand in a 2:2:1 ratio may be a good option. When planting a separate bush, prepare a hole with a depth and diameter of 60-70 cm. For fences, trenches of the same size are dug. Seedlings are planted in one line or in two rows in a checkerboard pattern every 30 cm.
It is most advisable to keep the tree trunks of plants under mulch made of porous organic materials: peat, peat compost, humus, straw, etc. This not only improves the supply of soil with moisture and nutrients, but greatly facilitates maintenance: weeding, loosening, watering.
You can cut your hair.
Trimming can improve the appearance of any shrub, even if it limits itself to minor interference in its natural growth. A separately growing bush “Aurea” or “Diabolo” can be given a smooth outline by systematically pinching protruding shoots and it will acquire a different, well-groomed appearance and luster. In this form, the bush can be placed separately on the lawn, in the background of a shrub mixborder, at the foot of a tree group.
Bladderwort cannot be called an ideal shrub for pruning; for this, its leaves are too large and the structure of the bush is loose. After pruning, it grows back rather unevenly, often producing long shoots, so making geometrically regular hedges out of it is impractical. But the rounded profile suits him. At the same time, so that the hedge does not become exposed from below, its height should not exceed 1 m for the Aurea variety and 1.5 m for Diabolo. Haircuts should be done quite regularly (up to 6 times per season), without allowing individual shoots to “pop out”.
Hedges made from bladderwort can be used to colorfully decorate the entrance area of a cottage or country house. For example, it is good to line the entrance path of a village estate on the sides with two parallel, even hedges from the Diabolo variety. Even if you don’t manage to give the plants the perfect shape, their bright colors will create a feeling of splendor.
The low walls from Diabolo are very good as a background in the background of compositions. Both varieties are interesting for dividing and delimiting the garden into functional zones. They can surround a children's playground, separate a garden from a vegetable garden, a utility yard from a parking lot, etc. Combinations of purple and gold with each other look especially colorful. In recent years, there has been a growing fashion for trimming shrubs to give them a pillow-shaped shape. This way you can trim both a single bush and several densely planted plants (every 30-40 cm), forming a common crown for them. This method is also suitable for bladderwort.
Bladderwort is a type of deciduous plant that belongs to the Rosaceae family, and is successfully grown when planted and cared for in the open ground of our climate zone. The bright personality of this plant is the color of its leaves. The leaf color of most species is burgundy, orange and the standard green.
The plant has fragile stems, the diameter of which is about 2 cm. The root system is located in the top layer of soil and prefers frequent moisture. The plant tolerates hot weather well and is not afraid of open sunny areas. This plant is native to North America, Korea and East Asia. The plant blooms for about 30 days. The flowers of the bladderwort are small and white.
Varieties and types
Bladderwort "Diablo" or purple attracts attention with dark burgundy foliage and is an excellent solution in garden design.
Bladderwort "Red Baron" The leaves of this species are slightly narrow, unlike Diablo. The leaf plate on the surface is decorated with striking veins of a scarlet hue. The plant can reach a height of two meters. Flowering is not long, but with pronounced pinkish flowers.
Bladderwort "Kalinolistny" has several varieties. The bush can reach a height of up to 3.5 meters with decomposed, fragile stems and short-lived bark that falls off the trunks. The leaf shape of the vesicular carp is similar to an ellipse and has jagged edges. This species has flowers that are white or tinged with pink.
Bladderwort "Red-leaved" popular in cultivation. This species survives winters well and does not require care. The foliage is medium-sized along the edges with jagged edges. The shade of the leaves is scarlet in spring, and with the onset of cold weather it takes on a burgundy hue. The flowers have a delicate pink tint. In garden design it looks bright in the form of a living fence.
Bladderwort "Nugget" has fragile shoots that stretch to the top. This is a hybrid variety that changes the color of the leaves depending on the season. At first the foliage has a sunny tint, but by autumn it turns green.
Bladderwort "Darts Gold" In this variety, at first the leaves have a yellow tint, and over time, with the onset of cold weather, it turns into a fiery one. The inflorescences have a light shade.
Bladderwort "Luteus"
In appearance it resembles a grape bush. The height of the plant reaches up to 2.5 meters. The shade of the leaves of this variety is yellow, but over time it turns into light green. The leaves are elliptical and have a edging along the edge. This variety does not tolerate excess soil moisture.
Or yellow . The leaves of the plant have a rich sunny shade at the beginning of the season, and with the onset of cold weather they become golden. The height of the bush is about 1.5 meters, and the diameter of the bush is about a meter.
Bladderwort "Lady in red" The height of the plant is about one and a half meters, and in diameter is about 1.2 m. The stems grow upward, the surface of the shoots has a chocolate tint. The leaves are glossy at first with a scarlet hue, and in the fall they become fiery chestnut.
Bladderwort "Amber Jubilee" this variety was named after Queen Elizabeth on the occasion of her anniversary. The height of the plant is about 2 meters, in diameter about 1.5 meters.
The stems of this variety grow upward, eventually forming a spherical shape. The shade of the leaves transitions at first with a sunny tint, and eventually light lemon with a greenish tint. Inflorescences are white.
Bladderwort "Tini Vine" this variety is a dwarf species, and its length can only reach up to 1.2 m. The leaves are bright and charming with a burgundy tint. In spring, the plant delights the eye with its flowering. The flowers have a delicate pink tint.
With the onset of cold weather, the leaves of the plant become a fiery scarlet hue. This species is quite unpretentious in care and survives winter and summer heat well.
Bladderwort planting and care in open ground
The plant is quite easy to care for and does not require special attention. But if you provide the bladderwort with appropriate conditions, the plant can add up to 40 cm in growth during the period of active development, that is, over the summer. But to form the desired shape, your shrub should trim its shoots. This procedure also stimulates the appearance of new stems.
When watering, the composition of the soil should be taken into account. If the soil is loose, it dries out quickly, so it requires frequent and abundant watering. The amount of water depends on the size of your shrub.
If the soil is clayey, then it is necessary to ensure that there is no stagnation in the soil, since this threatens infection with powdery mildew, because of which the plant gradually dies.
Feeding for bladderwort is done in spring and late autumn. In early spring, this procedure is carried out with fertilizers containing nitrogen, and with the onset of cold weather, the plant needs mineral fertilizers.
In the spring, you can fertilize with cow dung in the ratio of 500 grams of dung per 10 liter bucket and a spoonful of ammonium nitrate.
Pruning bladderwort
The plant needs pruning for medicinal purposes and for the beautiful formation of the bush. Pruning for medicinal purposes should be done in early spring before the plant has buds. It is necessary to remove broken, dry and frozen branch tips after winter.
Pruning of the vesicular carp in summer is forced if dry branches appear on the plant and it is necessary to remove faded dry inflorescences.
How to prune bladderwort in the fall
If you want a strong and large bush, you need to prune it at a height of about 50 cm. This type of pruning will help to form many new shoots. But if you want to give your bush a certain fountain-like shape. Then it is necessary to cut off all the thin branches from the bush and leave only the densest and most stable shoots.
The plant should be rejuvenated approximately in the sixth year after planting. To do this, cut out all the shoots to the base.
Transplantation of bladderwort
The plant is replanted in the spring or the bladderwort is replanted in the fall, after the leaves have fallen off.
Before transplanting, the stems of the plant should be cut to 40 centimeters, depending on the height of your plant. This is necessary so that the plant has an easier adaptation period in a new place.
The bush needs to be dug up along with a large lump of earth and transplanted to a new place. Moisten the roots with a solution containing a root growth stimulator.
Reproduction of bladderwort
Propagation of bladderwort by seeds is very rare. Since seedlings from seeds do not inherit the almost saturated color of the foliage, it is a waste of time. But still, before sowing, the seeds should be stratified.
It should be sown in light peat soil containing sand in spring or autumn after collecting the seeds. After this, cover the container with glass or film. Periodically moisturize and ventilate. After the emergence of seedlings and the first pairs of leaves, the seedlings should be pricked.
How to propagate bladderwort by cuttings
Bladderwort can be propagated by cuttings in spring, summer and autumn. The cuttings must be cut from an adult and strong plant. The length of the cutting is about 10 cm and with several obvious buds.
It is necessary to remove the lower leaves from the cutting, treat it with a growth stimulator and deepen it into soil containing peat and sand. Seedlings should be covered with film. Care must be taken by moistening and ventilating the accumulated condensate. After rooting, they must be transplanted to a permanent place.
Reproduction of bladderwort by layering
The easiest way to reproduce. With the onset of spring warmth, it is necessary to select the strongest stem from an adult mother plant and dig it to a depth of about 15 cm, having previously secured it with a staple.
During the summer, you should irrigate, water and remove weeds around the cuttings. And after rooting, you need to separate the cuttings from the mother and cover them for the winter.
Bladderwort propagation by dividing the bush
To do this, you need to dig up the plant and divide it into shares with full shoots and root system.
This procedure must be performed during the warm summer season. You just need to not allow the root system to dry out.
Diseases and pests
- Why do bladderwort leaves dry out? - the cause may be a recent transplant and poor adaptation, so it is necessary to treat the roots with a growth stimulator.
- The edges of the leaves dry out on the bladderwort - Excessive sun may be the reason for this. Therefore, the edges of the leaves begin to dry out, that is, burn.
- Bladderwort leaf edges darken - your plant is affected by powdery mildew, the cause of stagnation of moisture in the soil.
- Bladderwort leaves turn yellow - the cause is a lack of nutrients in the soil. It is necessary to feed the plant with nitrogen containing fertilizers.
- Why does bladderwort not bloom? - the cause may be improper pruning of the plant. Because inflorescences form on newly formed shoots.
- The plant is quite resistant to pests and is rarely affected by insects. .
Plant vesicular carp (lat. Physocarpus) belongs to the genus of deciduous shrubs of the Rosaceae family. The Latin name for bladderwort comes from two ancient Greek roots: “physo”, meaning bubble, and “carpos”, meaning fruit. The genus includes 14 species native to East Asia and North America. In cultivation, the bladderwort shrub is an unpretentious plant that does not lose its decorative effect throughout the growing season. It also stands out for its resistance to air pollution and its rapid growth rate. The bladderwort is used in landscape design and as a solo plant, but the hedge made from the bladdercarp looks most impressive.
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- Landing: in spring or autumn.
- Bloom: for two to three weeks in the first half of summer.
- Lighting: bright sunlight or partial shade.
- The soil: the optimal one is loose, fertile, well-drained and lime-free loam, but other soil will do.
- Watering: strictly at the root, early in the morning or after sunset. In hot weather - twice a week with a water consumption of up to 40 liters per adult bush.
- Feeding: in spring and autumn.
- Trimming: in the spring, before the buds swell - sanitary and formative, in the autumn, during leaf fall - sanitary. Anti-aging pruning will be needed in the sixth or seventh year.
- Reproduction: seeds, layering, cuttings and dividing the bush.
- Pests: practically not affected.
- Diseases: chlorosis.
Read more about growing bladderwort below.
Bladderwort shrub - description
The vesicular carp bush is distinguished by spreading drooping branches that form a dense crown in the shape of a ball. In mature bushes, the bark peels off in wide strips. The height of the vesicular carp is up to 3 m, the leaves are three-five-lobed, resembling the outlines of viburnum leaves. The flowers are white, simple, with numerous stamens, collected in hemispherical inflorescences with a diameter of 5 to 7 cm and abundantly covering the bush in early summer. The fruits of the bladderwort also look attractive - swollen leaflets that turn red when ripe.
In culture, bladderworts are represented by only two species, which have several very attractive varieties for gardeners with leaves of different colors.
Planting a bladderwort
When to plant bladderwort
For planting, purchase bladderwort seedlings with a closed root system from a garden center or nursery - such planting material can be planted at any time except winter. Bare-rooted seedlings are planted in spring or autumn, although planting bladderwort in autumn is still preferable. Choose an open, sunny area for the bladderwort, away from large trees. If you plant a variety with green leaves, it will grow well in partial shade.
The bladderwort has only two soil requirements: there should be no lime in it, and it should be well-drained - the plant doesn’t care about anything else. True, it is worth saying that on loose, fertile loamy soil the plant will have a more lush, elegant and vibrant appearance.
How to plant bladderwort
The hole for the bladderwort will need to be of such a size that a layer of fertile soil (or a mixture of soil, peat, sand and turf) can be placed in it and so that the root collar of the seedling is at surface level. Therefore, it is better to dig a hole and place the fertile layer in it a week or two before planting, so that the soil has time to settle.
The vesicular carp seedling is placed in a hole without removing the soil from the roots, so as not to injure the plant, and it is better not to add fertilizers to the soil when planting, since the young plant in a new place will not be able to absorb them. Fill the hole with fertile soil or a soil mixture of the composition described above and water the plant generously. If the soil settles, add more soil. At first, make sure that the soil around the seedling is slightly moist at all times. Mulch the area with the bladderwort with peat or humus.
Bladderwort care
How to care for bladderwort
The most important point in caring for the plant is timely watering, since the bladderwort does not tolerate drought. When moistening the soil, water should not get on the leaves or inflorescences of the vesicular carp, as this may cause burns on them. Therefore, it is better to water the plant early in the morning or late in the evening. The approximate frequency of watering in the hot season is twice a week, the amount of water for an adult bush is 40 liters. Monitor the condition of the leaves of the plant, because both a lack of moisture and its excess are harmful to the bladderwort.
After watering, if you have not mulched the area, you need to loosen the soil and remove weeds. The bladderwort is fertilized twice a year - in spring and autumn. In the spring, for feeding, use a solution of a half-liter jar of mullein, a tablespoon of ammonium nitrate and the same amount of urea in 10 liters of water at the rate of 15 liters of solution per adult plant. In autumn, the tree trunk circle is watered with a solution of nitroammophoska at the rate of 2 tablespoons of fertilizer per 10 liters of water at a consumption of 15 liters of solution per adult bush.
Pruning bladderwort
The bladderwort in the garden needs both formative and sanitary pruning. In the spring, mandatory sanitary pruning is carried out, removing broken, diseased, frozen branches and shoots, as well as those growing inside the bush. Pruning bladderwort in the fall is necessary to prepare the shrub for winter. Formative pruning can also be done in the fall, although it is wiser to do it in the spring.
If you want to have a wide bush, cut the vesicle at a height of half a meter, and if you are attracted by the shape of the fountain, cut out all the thin shoots at the base, and only slightly shorten the remaining 5-6 strongest ones. Rejuvenating pruning of the bush to a stump is done in the sixth year of the vesicular carp's life. Cuts on thick shoots are treated with garden varnish.
Transplantation of bladderwort
Sometimes it becomes necessary to transplant a vesicle - either the place is not suitable for it, or your plans for it have changed. Transplantation of an adult bladderwort is carried out in the spring before the buds awaken or in the fall, after leaf fall. They replant the vesicle with a large lump of earth, having first trimmed the bush - removing all unnecessary, diseased and thickening shoots, and shortening the rest to 20-30 cm. This is done in order to reduce the load on the root system, which will find it difficult to simultaneously adapt to a new place and feed the adult bush.
Transplantation is carried out according to the same principle as primary planting, with the adjustment that you are not replanting a seedling, but an adult bush. After transplanting, water the vesicle with a solution of Kornevin or Heteroauxin, and treat the leaves with Ecogel-anti-stress or Epin.
Pests and diseases of bladderwort
As you can see, even an inexperienced gardener can plant and care for vesicles; moreover, this shrub is very resistant to diseases and pests and is almost not affected by them. Sometimes, due to poor nutrition, it may develop chlorosis, expressed in yellowing of young leaves and drying of apical shoots. In this case, you will have to add iron to the bladderwort diet by spraying the leaves or watering the roots with a solution of Antichlorosis, Ferrylene, Ferovit, and best of all, Iron Chelate. Usually after this the plant’s health is restored.
Reproduction of bladderwort
How to propagate bladderwort
At home, the bladderwort propagates vegetatively - by layering, cuttings and dividing the bush. You can, of course, sow bladderwort seeds in the fall or spring, having previously subjected them to monthly stratification, but the fact is that grown seedlings rarely inherit the bright color of the foliage of the parent plant, and there is a lot of fuss with them, while vegetative methods of propagating bladdercarp are more convenient , and more reliable, and give quick results.
Propagation of bladderwort by cuttings
To make cuttings, you need to cut off the green shoots of the current year, 10-20 cm long with two or three internodes, before the start of flowering of the vesicle, remove all the leaves from the lower part of the shoots, and shorten the leaves in the upper part of the cutting by half. Then the cuttings are soaked in a solution of root or any other root formation stimulator, planted in a training bed in a mixture of sand and peat, watered and covered with plastic film. Caring for the cuttings consists of regular watering and ventilation. For the winter, the rooted cuttings are covered, and in the spring they are transplanted to a permanent place.
Reproduction of bladderwort by layering
This is the easiest way to get a new plant. In the spring, select a strong, healthy shoot directed outward, remove all leaves from it except those growing at the top, place it in a 12 cm deep groove made in the soil, pin it with wooden staples or regular hairpins and fill the groove with soil. During the growing season, do not forget to water the layering, loosen the soil around it and remove weeds. In the fall, separate the rooted cuttings from the mother bush and cover them for the winter.
Reproduction of bladderwort by dividing the bush
The easiest way to reproduce is by dividing the bush. This should be done in the spring or autumn, but if you have the skill to dig up and transplant plants, then you can divide the bladderwort bush in the summer - in this process, the most important thing is speed of execution, so that the roots of the bush removed from the ground do not have time to dry out.
Bladderwort in winter
Bladderwort in autumn
In the fall, the bladderwort is amazingly beautiful, when the monochromatic foliage begins to dapple with autumn colors. Bladderwort is a fairly frost-resistant plant, and usually in winter only young immature branches freeze on adult bushes, but the cuttings of bladderwort that have taken root in the fall, as well as young bushes, are covered for the winter.
Overwintering of the bladderwort
How to cover a bladderwrack if you are expecting a frosty winter? Carefully tie the bush with twine and cover it with a cone of roofing felt. You can loosely wrap the bush with lutrasil. But first, the soil around the bush needs to be mulched with a layer of peat 5-8 cm thick. After pruning and mulching the tree trunk, it is better to cover young bushes with spruce branches.
Types and varieties of bladderwort
Currently, only two types of bladderworts, as well as their varieties and varieties, are grown in garden floriculture.
Amur bladderwort (Physocarpus amurensis)
This is a shrub from the mixed forests of Northern China, North Korea and the Far East with a spherical crown. It reaches a height of 3 m. Young shoots of plants of this species are smooth, reddish-brown, and the bark of old trunks peels off in longitudinal stripes. The leaf of the Amur vesiculus is three- to five-lobed, with a heart-shaped base, up to 10 cm long, dark green on the upper side and grayish-whitish with tomentose star-shaped hairs on the lower side. White flowers up to 1.5 cm in diameter in quantities of 10 to 15 pieces form a corymbose inflorescence and bloom for three weeks. The fruit is a swollen leaflet that turns red as it ripens.
The Amur bladderwort is winter-hardy. It is used in single and group plantings and hedges. It has been in culture since 1854. The following forms of Amur bladderwort are known:
- vesicular carp luteus with bright yellow leaves in summer and bronze leaves in autumn;
- Aureomarginata– vesicular carp with a dark golden border on the leaves;
- Nana– dwarf variety, leaves are single-colored, dark green.
Physocarpus opulifolius
Originates from eastern North America, where it grows along river banks and in undergrowth. This shrub reaches a height of 3 m, its crown is dense, hemispherical, the leaves are three-five-lobed, elliptical, with a large elongated middle lobe, jagged along the edge, green above, lighter below, sometimes with pubescence. Flowers up to 12 mm in diameter are white or pink with red stamens. The fruits are swollen aggregate leaflets, initially light green, but turning red as they ripen.
In landscape design, viburnum-leaved bladderwort is used alone and in a group, including for creating a hedge. In culture since 1864. The most famous varieties:
- Bladderwort Darts Gold- a wide and dense shrub up to 1.5 m high with yellow leaves that turn green in summer. Flowers in racemes are pink or white;
- red-leaved bladdercarp, or Diablo vesiculus is a shrub up to 3 m high with dark red or purple leaves. Planting and caring for the Diablo vesiculus absolutely complies with our recommendations, with the adjustment that when grown in bright sun its leaves are red, and in the shade they are green with a purple tint. It is characteristic that with the onset of autumn the color of the leaves does not change. This is the most popular variety of viburnum;
- Red Baron bladderwort, up to 2 m high with three-five-lobed oval, bare, serrated along the edge leaves up to 7 cm long of a luxurious dark red color, which are slightly narrower than Diablo, looks very impressive, and white flowers with a pink tint in umbels with a diameter of up to 5 cm make it even more elegant. The bush is also decorated with red fruits, consisting of 3-5 pointed sacs. This is one of the most valuable varieties of bladderwort;
- Lady in Red up to 1.5 m high - a variety of English selection with bright red leaves that darken over time, and delicate pink-white flowers.
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Among the shrubs, there are few that would combine decorativeness, ease of cultivation and low maintenance requirements as advantageously as the vesicular carp. Look at the photo, how can you pass by such a handsome man, because he does not lose his charm even in winter. Planting will not take much time, but you will admire the decoration of the bush for many years.
Varieties and varieties of bladderwort
Sometimes the bladderwort is mistakenly called spirea, but this is a misconception. These two plants belong to the same family, but belong to different genera. In an adult plant, the bark is separated from the shoot in wide strips. The fruits of the vesicular carp look like a bubble, which gives the plant its name. Varieties of viburnum-leaved bladderwort are used in decorative landscaping. These varieties are grouped according to foliage color.
Varieties with red color leaf blade:
- Diablo;
- Summer Wine;
- Red Baron;
- Schuch.
Varieties having yellow leaf blade:
- Luteus;
- Darts Gold;
- Nugget.
Varieties double painted:
- Center Glow;
- Coppertina.
Landing
Of course, planting a bladderwort, like any plant, begins with choosing a suitable location. Bladderwort grows well both in the sun and in the shade. It grows poorly on soils with high groundwater levels and high lime content. Such soil can provoke chlorosis or rotting of the roots, which will lead to the death of the bush. The plant does not impose any special conditions on soil fertility.
You can safely plant the plant as a hedge along the road, since the bladderwort tolerates urban air pollution very well.
It is better to purchase a plant for planting with a closed root system in nurseries. This way you will have a guarantee of purchasing a varietal seedling. Container seedlings can be planted at any time, excluding the winter months. Planting material with an open root system is planted in spring or autumn. Autumn planting is preferable, since the conditions for rooting are more favorable than in spring.
There are no tricks when planting: a hole is dug so that the root collar is level with the ground surface. Filled with fertile soil composition and well watered. The top is mulched with humus, peat or just dry soil.
To obtain a hedge from bladderwort, young seedlings are planted in a two-row manner in a checkerboard pattern. A distance of 35 cm is left between the rows, and 45 cm in the row. Such a hedge can be formed by pruning, giving it the appearance of a meter-high rectangle. A free-growing hedge, limited only by pruning on the sides, will grow 1.8 - 2.5 m, depending on the variety planted.
Advice. Shrub varieties with golden or purple foliage, such as Diabolo or Darts Gold, are best planted in sunny areas, since the decorativeness of the foliage is reduced in the shade.
Hassle-free care
Despite the fact that the bladderwort is an unpretentious plant, this does not mean that you should plant it and forget about it. The life expectancy of the bush is 30 years. Under favorable conditions, the shrub is capable of adding up to 45 cm in width and height during the growing season; in the second year, only flowering shoots form on the regrown shoots, so stimulating pruning and crown formation are vital for the bush. The plant tolerates this procedure very well and recovers quickly. For the winter it does not require any additional shelter, the vesicle is very winter-hardy, only in severe frosts can the tips of its shoots freeze.
Watering
Young, newly planted plants require special attention to soil moisture, because their survival rate depends on this. In general, the frequency and abundance of watering depends on the age, soil composition and climatic zone of growth.
- When the bladderwort grows on loam and high temperatures in the summer, regular watering will be required twice a week, four buckets of water per adult bush.
- On heavy clay soils, it is important not to over-moisten the soil, so as not to provoke the death of the root system.
Trimming
Pruning can be divided into sanitary and formative. Sanitary pruning is carried out in the spring; its task is to remove broken or frozen branches of the plant. Formative pruning is best done in the spring, but can also be done in the fall.
Free-growing bladderwrack bushes have a fountain-shaped crown. The plant's top buds are always the first to wake up and begin to grow. If you want to get a wide bush with many shoots, cut the branches at a height of half a meter. The fountain-like shape is achieved by cutting out all thin shoots to ground level. There should be about five of the strongest shoots left in the bush; they are additionally shortened to a height of one and a half meters from the ground. Radical pruning is carried out every 4–5 years, leaving stumps 15–20 cm from the ground.
Pruning begins when the plant reaches three years of age. To give the bush a more compact shape, you can shorten the young shoots 2–3 times during the growing season.
Advice. If for any reason an adult bush needs to be transplanted to a new location, do it in the fall, after the leaves have flown. Remove excess branches and shorten the rest by 30 cm. An adult bush is planted in the same way as a young plant.
Fertilizer and feeding of shrubs
Feed the bladderwort twice a season. In spring, fertilizers containing an increased dose of nitrogen will be required for the growth of vegetative mass. This should be done at the moment the buds open. Use an infusion of mullein or bird droppings at the rate of half a liter per bucket of water. In the fall, apply a solution of nitroammophoska about the size of a matchbox of fertilizer per bucket of water. For adult bladderwrack bushes that have reached 10 years or more, the dose of fertilizing is increased by half.
The bladderwort responds well to mulching the tree trunk circle with organic materials. Mulch creates favorable conditions for the roots of the plant: the soil does not overheat, it is structured and breathes, and moisture fluctuations are minimized. Mulch will save you from constant loosening and weeding.
Methods of propagation of bladderwort
Bladderwort is easy to propagate on your own - by layering or cuttings, like currants, or by dividing a bush. The seed method is also possible, but the fact is that seedlings rarely inherit the characteristics of the mother plant from which the seeds were taken. Besides, this is a troublesome task. The vegetative method of plant propagation is more reliable and gives consistently quick results.
Reproduction by layering. This is the least labor-intensive option. Select a healthy and strong shoot in the spring, tear off the foliage, leaving only the top intact. Now we place this shoot in a pre-dug trench, 10–15 cm deep, and press it to the ground with a wire or wood pin. We bend the top with the leaves vertically upward and tie it to a wooden peg. The buried part of the shoot will give roots. Now the main task is to moisten the soil in a timely manner so that the young roots are well strengthened by autumn. Next year, in early spring, you can plant a young bush in a permanent place.
Propagation by cuttings. For this purpose, young shoots of the current year about 20 cm long are cut. At the top of the head, the foliage is shortened by half, the rest is completely removed. The lower part can be slightly scratched to quickly form callus, which will subsequently give roots. For a day, put the cuttings in a bucket of water, to which we add a drug that stimulates the formation of roots or a spoonful of honey. Now you can plant the cuttings in the school.
The soil must breathe, so we prepare the cuttings in advance and add soil from a mixture of peat and sand. We cover the school with film and do not forget to moisten, ventilate and spray. In winter, the cuttings need shelter, and in the spring they can be planted in a permanent place.
To propagate bladderwort by seeds, they must be stratified for a month before planting. Plant the seeds to a depth of 2–3 cm.
Diseases and pests
Another advantage of the bladderwort is that it is practically not affected by diseases and pests. It is rare to observe leaf chlorosis - when the tips of the shoots dry out and the foliage turns yellow, the veins remain green. This is due to a lack of microelements in the soil: elements of iron, magnesium or nitrogen, or waterlogging of the root ball. Chlorosis can be caused by viruses and microorganisms that are carried by pests. Applying complex fertilizers with watering or spraying the foliage with chelated compounds will help the bladderwort restore health.
Bladderwort is good as a solo plant and excellent as a living fence in mixed group plantings. Even the bark of this shrub is decorative. Leaves and flowers that change shades throughout the season will add contrasting color variety to the green decoration of the garden area.
Bladderwort in the garden: video
Growing bladderwort: photo
First, about beauty in general, and how it saves human souls from defilement. Firstly, beauty is a comprehensive concept, applicable to any area of human life. Beautiful body, beautiful soul, beautiful voice, beautiful deed, beautiful house, beautiful landscape, beautiful car.
When it comes to the purely material world, people usually have no difficulty in understanding what is beautiful and what is not. Another thing is the area of human relations. There has never been a consensus here and perhaps there never will be. Although from the point of view of an intelligent person, everything is clear as day. Everything that is arranged intelligently is beautiful. Everything that is harmonious and does not harm anyone. Peacefulness is beautiful because peace does not bring unhappiness to anyone. Hostility is ugly because it is destructive. There is no need to explain to anyone, for example, what is good and what is bad (or beautiful and ugly) in such paired concepts as: Laziness and hard work. Knowledge and ignorance. Cleanliness and trash. Poverty and prosperity. Thrift and extravagance. Malice and goodwill.
Now let’s smoothly turn our boat towards the garden, because it is directly related to beauty. Peoples who love to cultivate the land and grow gardens are the most cultured and peace-loving. And this is no coincidence. The garden pacifies the human soul. Anyone who loves to plant flowers is a peaceful, kind, patient person. And vice versa, the one who likes to make trouble, fight, go to war, blow up - does not like to tinker with the earth, does not like the garden. These are completely different, opposite ideas. A garden is creation, creativity, love. And scandal, fight and war are destruction.
An ornamental garden does not provide any material benefit. It refers to spiritual rather than material values. The need for a front garden arises first of all among people with a subtle soul, because they are more sensitive than others to a violation of harmony. They cannot put up with garbage, they experience discomfort from the chaos in the surrounding landscape, from the noise of cars, and the stench of burning “chemicals”. They need a garden as a savior from all this; it is associated with earthly paradise. A garden is an ideal human habitat.
Russian Garden - what should and can it be?
And now for a new twist - let's talk about the Russian garden.
But first, a little agitprop. There is an English garden, and a French one. There are also Japanese and Chinese. They are recognizable, they have personality. The Russian garden, if it exists at all, is still in its childhood stage. And, as in any child, someone else’s traits are visible in him. Simply put, we have not yet developed our own individual garden style and recklessly imitate and copy other people’s gardens.
Is this good or bad? Of course - good! After all, any artist begins by becoming familiar with traditions. He studies the work of old masters, comprehends different styles, manners and techniques. And only then, if, of course, he has enough abilities, he develops his own handwriting.
Gardening is also an art, although in Russia few people understand it yet. Decorative gardening is painting, the canvas for which is the soil, and the paints are living plants. Participants in a decorative garden can also be “non-living” characters - stone and water.
What should a Russian garden be like? I am sure that it simply must be a continuation and reflection of our northern nature. In practice, this means that the characters in it should be plants with a Russian, Nordic character. Only with frost-resistant plants can compositions be built with maximum shelf life. Believe me, I am not against roses and boxwood. The presence of flowers that are not winter-hardy, but very spectacular, is, of course, acceptable and justified. But they should not rule the show in our front gardens. The basis of the northern garden should be completely winter-hardy plants from all tiers - trees, shrubs and herbaceous perennials.
Who exactly? - you ask. Name these heroes! A lot of them. Each tier has its own characters, its own favorites. But what is certain is that they all must have sufficient unpretentiousness and efficiency. The Russian garden should not begin in May and end in September. It should not go into hibernation when the first frost occurs. The garden can live throughout the snowless period. That is, from the end of April to the beginning of December. Moreover, the backbone of the garden must be preserved even in winter.
Even 20 years ago, the above might have seemed like nonsense, a stupid fantasy. But now, when Russians have discovered the world of conifers, this is not only possible, but real. Yes exactly. Numerous examples of “all-season” compositions and gardens are already available not only in Holland and Germany, but also here in Russia. And this despite the fact that conifers are not your summer trees - it takes at least ten years to achieve “full readiness” of a decorative coniferous composition. And this is if the gardener has made no agronomic or design mistakes - which is simply unrealistic.
So, everything is clear with conifers. A Russian garden is already unthinkable without conifers. With a wide range of varieties, they allow you to create beautiful all-season gardens. All that remains is to study and master them comprehensively. But here's another catch. The Russian soul yearns for flowers. For the most part, we love bright, colorful, and festive gardens. It must be said that conifers are by no means monochrome. Their needles can be blue, golden, or white-variegated... But no matter how hard you try, neither thuja, nor spruce, nor juniper will bloom, and they will not show you the colors that rhododendron, rose and iris are capable of.
And here decorative deciduous plants with brightly colored leaves will come to their aid - mainly from the lower and middle tiers of the garden - that is, herbs and shrubs. In order not to be unfounded, I will name several decorative foliage plants, using which you can create colorful and at the same time resistant to weather surprises compositions: hostas, heucheras, tenacious, sedums, Thunberg barberries, spirea, willows...
The vesicular carp phenomenon
And now let’s move on from general words to bare specifics. Let's talk about an ornamental shrub, which, if you look at it carefully and impartially, undoubtedly has a great future. Moreover, it is here in Russia, like nowhere else, that he is destined to become a popular favorite. So, - viburnum leaf carp (Physocarpus opulifolius) and its varieties.
The history of bladderwort as an ornamental shrub is in itself like a detective story. Not so long ago this shrub aroused no one’s interest. Open the most detailed reference book of the late 20th century, and there you will read exactly as much about the shrub as, for example, about the bird. Meanwhile, the vesicular carp was already in demand in landscaping, and even had several decorative forms.
And suddenly! It was suddenly, that is, literally out of the blue - out of the blue, that “Diabolo” appeared to the world - the first purple-leaved variety. Whether the appearance of “Diabolo” was an accident, or whether it was a sensation, remains to be seen. But from the point of view of an ordinary gardener, everything looked exactly like this. The future, however, showed that “competent” comrades had been working secretly with the bladderwort for a long time. How else can we explain the fact that after some 15 years there were already about 30 new varieties “crowded” around “Diabolo”!
Growing bladderwort
All varieties of bladderwort are winter-hardy, shade-tolerant, and relatively drought-resistant. At the same time, the shrub exhibits its best decorative qualities only in fairly comfortable conditions.
Landing place. The bladderwort copes with slight shade without noticeable consequences, but in order for the leaves of the shrub to be colored as brightly as possible, the planting site must be completely open.
Soil, planting. Ideally, the soil should be both fertile and permeable, moist and drained. Medium loams with a high humus content correspond to this to the maximum extent. If you are specially preparing the substrate, then a good option would be a mixture of leaf soil, humus and sand 1:1:2, or turf soil, peat and sand 1:2:2. A planting hole with a depth and diameter of 40-50 cm is prepared for a separate bush. Trenches with the same characteristics are dug under hedges and borders.
Care. Fertilizer. Watering. The bladderwort does not like compaction of the root zone. Therefore, the soil around the bushes should be regularly loosened and weeded. It is most rational to keep the tree trunk circle of the bush under mulch. Aerated peat, peat composts, and various humus can be used as mulching material. Composted leaves of forest species such as linden, maple, oak, and aspen are especially good for this. The thickness of the mulching material is about 3-5 cm, it is replenished from time to time and gradually embedded into the deep soil horizons. In addition to mulching, it is useful to do mineral fertilizing: ash - 150-200 g per m 2 and/or mineral (NPK) mixture - 15-20 g per m 2.
Drought in the area where the roots are located is harmful to the shrub, so if there is a lack of atmospheric moisture, watering is indicated. In extreme heat, it should be practiced at least 2 times a week. It is advisable to water at the root, in small doses, but it is better more often than vice versa.
The holiday comes to us!
The bladderwort is not a rival to either lilac or mock orange. Nor does it encroach on the niches occupied by roses and rhododendrons. They have different roles in the ornamental garden. The bladderwort does not amaze with the brightness of its flowering. He is not a hero-lover, he has a different role. But he's not a supporting actor either. Rather, he is both a decoration and an extra. And this is something without which harmony cannot be achieved in the garden.
If you want to really make friends with bladderwrack, buy some bush trimmers and learn how to trim it. And then you will discover the limitless possibilities that this bush keeps under wraps. After all, it’s no secret that any ornamental plant has two means of influencing the viewer - color and shape. And since the bladderwort has more than enough colors, by shaping and trimming its crown in different ways, you can achieve the most unexpected and spectacular solutions.
Geometric hedge and border made of bladderwort. A trimmed hedge is one of the most sophisticated elements of garden design. Moreover, hedges are equally desirable in a private garden and in public landscaping. Hedges are especially organic in the landscaping of modern city courtyards. After all, a geometrically correct fence, like nothing else, harmonizes with the architecture of a human home. In addition, the reality is that in city yards there is practically no space left for such large trees as birch, maple, oak, etc. For me, these arboreal Gargantuas already initially ended up in our yards due to a misunderstanding - solely because the landscaping was not done by landscape specialists, but by anyone else. Now, when yards are occupied by cars, there is a need for fundamental changes in their tree and shrub design.
Bladderwort, like no other, meets the modern requirements for urban shrubs. Varieties of bladderwort allow you to create hedges from very high (150-180 cm) (variety “Diabolo”, etc.) to very low (30-50 cm) borders (“Little Devil”, “Little Angel”, “Little Red Joker” ).
A hedge, if it exceeds the height of human eyes (that is, above 170 cm), transforms the perspective and creates a feeling of isolation. Such a fence can have independent significance if, for example, it is used to enclose the territory of a yard or garden plot. In the yard itself, with the help of fences, you can create “green offices” and U-shaped niches for secluded relaxation. Fences can be used to encircle a children's playground or a sports ground for teenagers.
But the use of borders can be especially varied. A border, like a baguette framing a picture, gives any decorative composition completeness and splendor. He brings order with him, and thereby accustoms residents of city high-rise buildings to neatness. With borders 40-60 cm high, you can “line” the entire courtyard area: mark parking spots, emphasize the lines of paths, ring individual decorative compositions... And, finally, you can create ornamental arabesque border flower beds from bladderwort - and this is possible! And this, only at first glance, requires some special design talent from the gardener. In fact, all you need to do is: draw a sketch on graph paper; transfer to scale to the ground; plant bladderwrack seedlings every 20-50 cm (depending on the variety); raise them to another year.
Topiary compositions and gardens. Mixed compositions based on combinations of color and shape. Topiary means curly haircut. It cannot be said that the bladderwort was born for a curly haircut. In this matter, it certainly loses to the generally recognized stars of the topiary garden - boxwood and yew. But the vesicular carp has something that neither boxwood nor yew have - that is, again, brightness. And most importantly - winter hardiness.
You can cut the bladderwort in different ways. Here's what a newbie should understand:
- If you plan to cut it in the form of a squat “product” (hemisphere, pillow, parallelepiped), then the cutting should begin with “planting on a stump”, that is, with cutting off all the stems of the bush at a height of 15-20 cm. Then, as the young shoots grow , the bush is given its final shape.
- If you intend to form a vertical crown for the bladderwort, then first let it grow to 2/3 of its height, and only then cut it.
- To ensure that the crowns of the bushes are sufficiently dense and the foliage is dense, topiary compositions should be placed in the open sun; and between individual objects of haircut for good insolation you need to leave gaps.
By combining different cutting options, you can green the entire yard with just one vesicle. And such “mono-greening” will not be monotonous at all. And if you add blue columns of rock juniper (“Sky Rocket”, “Blue Arrow”) and emerald cones of “Konica” spruce to the bladderwrack, then your yard will become, no matter what, a branch of Versailles. And who would refuse royal life!
And most importantly, all this luxury, contrary to expectations and to everyone’s surprise, turns out to be not only easy to maintain, but also inexpensive. After all, if you buy seedlings young (in P9 containers), then they cost no more than summer seedlings. This is despite the fact that the depreciation period of the bush exceeds three decades. As for cutting, with the current gardening equipment (petrol shears), a single gardener can handle a linear kilometer of border (and that’s oh-oh-oh-so-many!!) without straining at all. Moreover, among the residents of the yard there are many volunteers who agree to do this work manually and for free. By the way, trimming bushes is an excellent exercise for the hands, and effective psychotherapy is relaxing and pacifying.