Aubrieta cascading giant waterfall. Aubrieta is a blooming carpet of the garden: from sowing seeds to planting in open ground. Landing rules. Using aubriet in landscape design

Aubrieta

The aubrieta plant is one of the most attractive in the Brassica family - it is frost-resistant and remains decorative for several years. One of its features is the green leaves that overwinter under the snow. But above all, it is famous for the abundance and duration of flowering.

Wild representatives of the genus Aubrieta are widespread on the Eurasian continent, including eastern Central Asia. The plant received its name in honor of the French florist artist Claude Aubrier, who specialized in botanical images. Currently, there are 20 types of aubrieta. By their nature, they are all close to field rape.

Thanks to the work of breeders, the flower has found its place in gardens and flower beds in Europe and around the world. Most often they contain Aubrieta deltoid (A. deltoidea) and its varieties, as well as hybrids obtained with its participation. Such plants are usually called Aubrieta cultivated (A. x cultorum). However, in the scientific community, all Aubrieta hybrids are classified as a separate species. Hybrid Aubrieta (A. x hybrida) is one of 20 species of Aubrieta.

Using aubrieta in landscaping

All wild-growing aubrietas have low-growing bushes that form clumps, covered with small greenish-silver pubescent leaves, oblong-oval, sometimes jagged. Their flowers are four-petaled, small (up to a centimeter), but bright and numerous. They are collected in small inflorescences and during flowering almost completely cover the leaves.

Among the cultural aubriet there are both simple and terry forms of the following colors:
purple;
raspberry;
pink;
blue;
white.

In garden design, growing aubrieta is advisable, first of all, as a ground cover plant, because each of its bushes, with an average height of 10-15 cm, can grow horizontally up to half a meter. As they grow, the shoots easily take root and give birth to new individuals. It is especially important to decorate alpine hills, rockeries, and rocky gardens with shaving. This plant is used to decorate various architectural forms, vertical slopes and walls - it seems that the aubrieta descends along them in a continuous cascade. Aubrieta is also planted along garden paths. If the path is paved, then you can leave a window in it and plant aubrieta in it, or sow its seeds in the seams between the slabs. The plant looks good in flowerpots and hanging containers. Varieties with tall (up to 20 cm) shoots are suitable for cutting. It is noteworthy that in winter, under the snow, the leaves of the aubriet remain green. They begin to please the eye immediately after the snow melts.
Thanks to the new varieties and hybrids that have been developed, each site owner can choose a plant according to their taste and desire.

Varieties of aubrieta

Selection work on the plant has been going on for about two hundred years. The deltoid aubrieta variety “Taurikola”, obtained at the end of the 19th century, is still preserved. It has low, up to 5-6 cm, bushes and lavender-colored flowers 1.0-1.5 cm in diameter.
Now there are varieties with larger semi-double and double flowers, as well as with variegated foliage ( variegated ).
Wanda – variety with purple double flowers;
Doctor Mules - four-petal flowers up to 2.5 cm in diameter have a violet-blue color, the height of the bushes is 10 cm, the variety received an award from the Krolev Horticultural Society of Great Britain.
Doctor Mules Variegated - differs from the previous one in variegated foliage (silver green leaves have a whitish-cream edge)
Alba - this variety of deltoid aubrieta has snow-white flowers, the height of the curtains is 10 cm;
Red Carpet is a hybrid of Aubrieta deltoid and Aubrieta pinardii, low 10-centimeter bushes cover red-burgundy large 1.5-centimeter simple flowers;
Campbell - forms 10-centimeter curtains, covered with large, up to one and a half centimeters in diameter, light blue flowers;
Whitevel Jam - large-flowered aubrieta, bush height up to 15 cm;
Double Pink - a variety with large pale pink flowers arranged in two rows.

Of interest to gardeners are the hybrid aubrieta varieties from the “Alpine Hill” series, which includes:
Cascade blue is a low-growing variety with a height of 10 - 11 cm, the bushes are dotted with small leaves, the flowering period begins in late spring and continues in the first weeks of summer. When decorating vertical walls, the plant looks like a blue waterfall.
Cascade red - differs from the previous type in dark red flowers, looks great on the front line of landscaping in front of taller plants. When landscaping horizontal areas, red flowers look like a continuous bright carpet.
This series also includes “Cascade Violet” and “Cascade Mix”, which includes plants with blue, pink, and purple flowers.
The Golden Emperor variety looks attractive, which has purple flowers and leaves with a golden edge.
Recently, heterotic hybrids of the F1 aubriet series Audrey (Audrey) have appeared on sale. They are represented by varieties with different petal colors - red, pink, blue, bright blue, dark blue. All plants are distinguished by abundant and friendly flowering, a uniform shape of upright bushes, the height of which can reach 17 cm. Suitable not only for open ground, but also for pot growing.
After choosing a variety, all that remains is to learn how to grow aubrieta from seeds or cuttings, about planting it in the garden and caring for the plant.

Planting and growing aubrieta

To plant aubrieta on a plot, it is most convenient to grow it from seeds by choosing a bag you like in the store with its image and a description of its characteristics and agricultural technology. It is not worth harvesting seed material yourself, since seedlings obtained from seeds do not retain the characteristics of the mother plant. If aubrieta bushes are already growing on the site, you can propagate it by cuttings or daughter rosettes.

You can grow aubrieta from seeds either by direct sowing in a garden bed or by seedlings.

Seedless growing method

One of the ways to grow without seedlings is to sow aubrieta in open ground in late autumn. For it, choose an area with good lighting and soil that has a fairly light structure and an alkaline reaction. If the soil is acidic, then you need to add lime or chalk to it. Sand is added to clay soil. Do not use peat under any circumstances. The site is dug up, the ground is loosened and watered. Planting aubrieta in partial shade, and even more so in the shade, is not permissible. In these cases, flowering may not wait. Places with high soil moisture and spring flooding are also prohibited for growing aubrieta. Aubrieta reacts sharply to excess moisture and gets warm, so the plant is planted in places with good drainage, and elevations are encouraged. A painful reaction to excess soil moisture is the most acute problem when growing aubrieta.

The seeds are scattered over the surface, without burying them in the ground, covered with a layer of sand, its thickness should be about three centimeters. It is advisable to lay spruce branches and spunbond on top (remove the cover in the spring). As soon as warm weather sets in, the seeds will sprout. Since the seedlings are thin in the first days after germination, they need to be watered carefully, and it is better to fence the area itself with wooden borders so as not to lose the crops.

You can sow in the spring, after the soil has thawed and warmed up (seeds germinate at + 16 degrees). Otherwise, growing from seeds is the same. After about 15 - 20 days, shoots should appear from the seeds. It is important to regularly water young plants in the first year and feed them two or three times during the summer with a full range of mineral fertilizers. After overwintering, the young aubriet flowers will bloom for the first time.

Growing aubrieta from seeds in seedlings

In this case, sowing is carried out in late March - early April. The good thing about this method is that it is possible to grow a flowering plant from almost every seed, since in apartment conditions the seeds are not afraid of open ground weeds, as well as winter damping off or freezing.

Growing aubrieta seedlings is carried out similarly to growing most flower and vegetable crops from seeds. Seedling boxes, bowls, and any containers filled with soil for cabbage crops are suitable for this. The seeds are laid out on top and sprinkled with sand. Everything is moistened, covered with film, placed in a warm place with a temperature of at least + 15 degrees. When sowing into cells, place 4 seeds in each cell.

After the shoots emerge, the box with the aubrieta is placed in a well-lit, not too hot place - the aubrieta does not like very high temperatures. When three true leaves appear on the plants, you can plant the seedlings in individual cups. At the end of May - beginning of July, holes are made in the prepared bed and seedlings are transferred there. A distance of 15-20 cm is left between plants. More dense planting is carried out in containers. After planting, the seedlings are well watered and the soil around is mulched with coarse sand or small stones.

Reproduction by cuttings

Cuttings are harvested in June; this can be done when pruning after flowering. They are rooted in a greenhouse. This process requires a soil mixture consisting of equal parts of peat and sand. The greenhouse needs to maintain humidity levels. By August, roots appear on the cuttings; they can be transplanted to a permanent place, but it is safer to keep them under cover until the next season. It should be noted that many varietal aubriet plants are quite capricious, so in order to preserve their qualities, plants should be taken from cuttings annually. If you leave the plant without such care, in two to three years it may simply disappear.
Among all the methods of vegetative propagation of aubrieta, daughter rosettes take root best.

Caring for aubrieta in the garden

Aubrieta blooms for up to one and a half months from May to June. To ensure that the plant remains decorative for as long as possible, faded flowers are removed.

In dry summers with no precipitation, the plant, especially young ones, needs additional watering. It is important not to overdo it with water.

Three times a season it is necessary to add mineral mixtures; aubrieta especially needs calcium. It is advisable to do this in the spring before flowering, in the summer after it ends, in the fall before the onset of cold weather.

After flowering ends, you need to prune the shoots. This will prevent the plant from growing and will keep it compact. After this procedure, the aubrieta will bloom a second time in the fall. If you do not remove the faded inflorescences, fruits are formed - pods up to 2 cm long. The ripening of seeds will require the plant's strength, which will worsen its appearance, and will not always contribute to reproduction, because we often choose hybrid aubrieta for planting in the garden.

Weeding, weed removal, loosening and mulching of the soil are also important for obrieta. And although the plant is considered a winter-hardy ground cover and is recommended for frost resistance zones from the fourth to the ninth, for the winter it is still better to sprinkle it with dry leaves, and remove the cover early in the spring. This is especially important for hybrid varieties.

Among the “enemies” of shaving cabbage flea beetles and aphid , which can gnaw out its castings, shoots, flowers. If not maintained correctly, bushes can be affected by a fungal disease - leaf spot. In all cases, standard control and prevention schemes are used.

If the gardener finds a “common language” with the obrieta and organizes proper care for it, then it will decorate the area for many years and delight with its scattering of bright flowers.

Aubrieta, or aubrieta, is a type of herbaceous plant that belongs to the Brassica family, and is an evergreen, creeping perennial shrub. It is found both in European countries, for example, in Italy, France, and in South American countries. Habitats are different everywhere. Aubrieta can be seen on rocks, along river banks, in gardens or rock gardens. The plant received this name thanks to the famous illustrator Claude Aubrier, who wrote his works in the botanical genre. During flowering, the aubrieta resembles a continuous green carpet. A distinctive individual feature of the plant is its ability to produce healthy and rich foliage all year round.

Description of the aubrieta flower

The small, elongated leaves have jagged ends and a rough surface. The calyx of the flower consists of four petals, which reach a diameter of about 1 cm. Their colors come in a wide variety of colors. All flowers are collected in racemose inflorescences. Orbita blooms abundantly throughout the entire season. If you regularly care for the plant, following the advice of gardeners, you can also observe re-blooming in the fall. The external appearance of the fruit resembles a bean pod, in which small brown seeds ripen.

To start growing this amazing flower in your garden, you need to learn how to plant seedlings, and only then transfer them to open ground. Below we will look at how the plant reproduces, its diseases, methods of protection against insects and rules for caring for the flower.

Growing aubrieta from seeds

Propagation by seed for this type of plant produces fairly high seedlings. However, it is best to take advantage of growing seedlings, which can then be replanted, since sowing seeds directly into the soil can cause the variety to split. In this case, you can expect the beginning of flowering of aubrieta only in the spring. Seeds are sold in stores selling gardening products.

It is best to sow before the onset of the spring thaw. This time falls around the end of February. They are sown in small pots, which are filled with a mixture of peat and humus. From these containers, young seedlings will then be planted in open ground. Before planting, the soil is pre-moistened, then seeds are placed on its surface, which are sprinkled with a small amount of sand. It also needs to be watered on top. The planted crops are covered with a protective film. In order for the seeds to begin to germinate, it is necessary to maintain a constant temperature, which should be from 18 to 21 degrees.

Rules for caring for aubrieta seedlings

As a rule, sowing seedlings from seeds requires a lot of time, and they must be cared for with great care. You should not forget to ventilate and water every day. The first shoots begin to appear after a few weeks. As soon as the green leaves become noticeable, you can remove the protective film. Try not to overwater the seedlings, since aubrieta does not tolerate excess moisture. If you feel that the seedlings are not yet quite strong enough for transplantation and are not developing enough, then the plant can be fed. For these purposes, a mixture of mineral fertilizers diluted in low concentration is used.

Aubrieta is difficult to take root when transplanted and most often dies. In this regard, a flower grown at home on a windowsill is not suitable for picking. If there is a desire to completely eliminate intermediate transplantation of seedlings, it is necessary to sow seeds for seedlings in different pots.

Planting aubrieta in open ground

As soon as the spring frosts recede, you can begin to transplant the aubrieta from the seedling container. You should choose an area for growing a flower with all responsibility. Consider the fact that this plant loves bright sun and does not tolerate shade. To achieve intense and long-lasting flowering, it is necessary to prepare an area for planting seedlings that will be located on the sunny side of the garden or garden. Even the poorest soil is suitable for growing aubrieta. It grows well on any rocky terrain and is not picky about the choice of soil. However, the soil must absorb moisture well and contain ash or peat. A slightly alkaline or neutral soil environment is allowed.

You can plant aubrieta in a flowerbed any way you like. The plant is quite pliable and flexible. The size and length of the seedlings' roots affect the planting depth. The width of the hole must be half the width of the seedling pot. When growing a flower in a plastic container, the container must be immersed in water so as not to damage the plant when removed. After air bubbles rise to the surface of the pot, the seedling is carefully removed and placed in the hole. The area of ​​soil around it is pressed down a little and sprinkled with sand, then watered.

Caring for aubrieta in the garden

Aubrieta is a rather unpretentious flower and does not require any special care when caring. Adult specimens may not need watering for a long time, the only exception being dry and hot summers. As a rule, under normal temperature conditions, excessive watering can cause the plant to become overly green, which in turn will suppress flowering. Young shoots need to be watered a little more often until they are fully grown. Sprinkling is considered the most optimal method of watering. The soil in the flowerbed must be constantly loosened and weeds removed.

During the flowering period, the soil around the plant is sprinkled with sand to retain root moisture. In early spring or autumn, aubriet needs to be fed with special mineral fertilizers, which are used by gardeners when growing perennial plant varieties.

It is necessary to carry out comprehensive pruning of all green shoots after the spring growing season ends. Thanks to such measures, young green stems and leaves will soon begin to appear. They will be a wonderful addition to the flowers growing nearby in the flower bed. Such a flower carpet will retain its beauty until the next autumn bloom.

Aubriet flowers after flowering

As stated earlier, the seed propagation method does not make it possible to preserve varietal properties of seedlings. However, if the task is to collect seeds, then during pruning it is necessary to leave several shoots with ovaries on the bush. After the pods ripen and darken, they need to be cut off. The husked seeds are dried and thoroughly ventilated. They are then used for sowing in the manner described above.

Preparing the aubrieta for winter

After spring flowering, experienced gardeners usually prune. In case of another flowering, which occurs in the fall, it is recommended to leave all leaves and shoots intact for the winter. Re-pruning is best done next season. A mature perennial plant can easily survive the winter if there is sufficient snow cover. In more severe conditions, it is necessary to cover the bush with dry leaves and spruce branches to protect it from death and freezing.

Methods for propagating aubrieta

The aubriet flower can be propagated by any convenient means, since the plant is unpretentious in this regard. The main method used is propagation by seeds or cuttings. Growing aubrieta from seedlings was described in detail by us a little earlier. Gardeners who have extensive experience in growing various flower crops choose the seed propagation method. Before planting, the flowerbed area is cleared of weeds, small stones and dug up. A mixture of fertilizers is added to the prepared soil, then it is sprinkled with wood ash and chalk and moistened. The seeds are planted at some distance from each other, after which they are sprinkled with sand and watered. If planting was carried out in the spring, then the first shoots can be expected after 10-20 days. In the case of autumn planting of seeds, young shoots will appear only next year.

Propagation by cuttings

A widespread method of propagation is by cuttings. When pruning aubrieta in the summer, as a rule, a large number of green shoots remain without flowers. A greenhouse is used for planting cuttings. Prepared soil consisting of peat and sand is poured into it in advance. Cuttings that have taken root are transplanted into a flowerbed. In areas where low winter temperatures prevail, seedlings are left in a greenhouse until spring arrives so that they can properly strengthen and take root.

Reproduction by dividing the bush

The division of the bush is carried out both in spring and autumn, but the plant is quite difficult to tolerate such an event. Often it is carried out in a certain sequence. Initially, you need to dig up an aubriet bush and divide it into equal parts, which will contain strong shoots and roots. Then they are planted in different holes. It is worth noting that this method of reproduction is not always successful. Divided parts of the plant are difficult to take root, so gardeners prefer growing aubrieta from seeds or cuttings.

Diseases and pests

Aubrieta is a resistant ornamental plant to the effects of any diseases and pests. Cases of powdery mildew infection are occasionally observed. This fungal disease causes a white coating that appears on leaves and flowers, which turns brown over time. Due to illness, the flower loses its attractiveness. The plant gradually begins to wither and turn black. To stop the further spread of the disease, the bushes are treated with a solution of colloidal sulfur.

The greatest danger to aubrieta is the aphid, which takes away the strength of the plant and feeds on its cell sap. Aphids are carriers of various viral diseases. To destroy it, drugs such as Fufanon or Karbofos are used. If the number of pests is too large, then the treatment is repeated several times to completely get rid of the insects.

The aubriet flower, which grows in rocky areas, is practically not susceptible to pests and diseases.

Types and varieties of aubrieta

Today there are about 12 species of this flower, including cultivated varieties. In our area, species such as white aubrieta, graceful aubrieta, and Kolumka aubrieta are rarely found. Here, for example, deltoid aubrieta, which looks like a low-growing perennial green plant, has become more widespread. The leaves have jagged edges and a gray-green color. Small purple flowers are collected in racemes, reminiscent of a lilac bush. The flowering period begins in late spring and lasts about a month. This variety of aubrieta is considered the first cultivated species of flower.

Aubrieta hybrid or cultivated is a plant reaching a height of about 20 cm, which can winter well. The leaves have an elongated shape with jagged ends, and the flowers are purple in color and have a small diameter. Aubrieta cultivated is propagated by seeds. The most popular varieties are:

• Aubrieta is cascading, having flowers of various colors and gray-green leaves. A bush of this variety retains its greenery even for the winter.
• The enchanting Morocco is an elegant flower with large cups in blue, red or pink.
• Cote d'Azur is a variety of aubrieta, which is characterized by abundant and frequent flowering throughout the year.
• Giant Falls is a perennial hybrid of purple, pink or red color, grows up to 15 cm and has small flowers.

There are other equally well-known varieties of aubrieta: Carnival, Gloriosa, Vanda, Blue King, Queen, Royal Cascade, Triumphant and others.

Aubrieta - growing a flower in the garden (video)

Aubrieta is a pretty herbaceous perennial that can amazingly transform your summer cottage. It will cover a rockery or alpine hill with a colorful carpet, create a bright background for other flowers in the flowerbed, and decorate vertical surfaces with a cascade. Aubrieta is also good as a potted houseplant. It can be grown as a balcony crop and gets along without any problems with all its flowering neighbors on the site. It is best to grow the plant from seeds.

Aubrieta growing from seeds: when to plant

The color of the flowers of this highly ornamental plant can be very diverse. There are varieties with flowers:

• light blue;
• soft pink;
• purple;
• blue;
• raspberry;
• violet;
• lilac;
• purple;
• white.

Coloring of aubrieta flowers

The aubrieta comes from Southern European and Central Asian countries. This ground cover is suitable for continuous vertical and horizontal decoration of gardens and is successfully used by landscape designers around the world.

Advice! A plant grown from seeds begins to bloom in May of next year. The flowering period lasts one and a half months. If you trim the shoots of aubrieta immediately after flowering, it may bloom again. This way, it is easy to ensure a flowering carpet throughout the summer.

Varieties of aubrieta

There are about 40 cultivated varieties of this plant. The most popular of them are five.

Earth, light, water

Aubrieta is difficult to classify as an unpretentious flower. It is demanding on three agrotechnical aspects at once:

1. Soil composition
2. Watering mode.
3. Lighting.

In addition, the plant is almost impossible to propagate by dividing the bush - it tolerates replanting very poorly and the survival rate of the divisions is low. Therefore, the seed method of sowing directly into the soil in a flower bed or alpine hill is optimal.

It is worth growing aubrieta seedlings only in peat tablets

In order not to risk the loss of seedlings when picking and planting in the ground, when growing seedlings, aubrieta should be sown only in peat tablets. This way, the plant will not be damaged during transplantation.

When to sow

Aubrieta can be sown in the ground both in spring and autumn. In spring it is May. Autumn – October. If the seeds are sown in the spring, germination can be expected in 10-15 days. When sown in autumn, the plant germinates only the following year in the spring.

The seeds are immediately sown in a permanent place at a suitable interval. You should not thicken the crops too much - the seedlings will not be able to develop normally, and the feeding area for them will be insufficient. But there is also no need to sow ground cover too rarely. The optimal distance between bushes, depending on the variety, is 15-20 cm.

Seeds are immediately sown in a permanent place at a suitable interval

The soil

It is very important to choose the site that is most suitable for the plant. Aubrieta looks spectacular anywhere, but it will not grow well everywhere. She needs to be provided with light nutritious soil with an alkaline reaction. Acidic soils are absolutely not suitable for the plant. Heavy clay soils are also contraindicated for the plant, but the plant likes sandy loam.

Advice! Aubrieta is a very light-loving plant. It makes no sense to sow it in the shade, since the leaves will stretch out, flowering will be sparse and the expected decorative effect will not be achieved.

Before sifting, the soil needs to be prepared.

1. Clear of stones and weeds.
2. Dig to a depth of half a shovel handle (10-15 cm).
3. Add humus and wood ash if sowing occurs in the fall.
4. Add a mineral complex and wood ash during spring sowing.
5. Add chalk or lime (the plant needs calcium for successful development).
6. Loosen the fertilized soil so that there are no lumps and the structure is uniform.
7. Moisten the area.
8. Prepare a soil mixture of peat and sand for filling the seeds.

Fertilizing the land with wood ash

Sowing

Aubrieta seeds are not very large, flat, and brown in color. Before sowing, especially in open ground, they must be prepared and disinfected. Preparation can be done by soaking the seeds in a growth stimulant (epin, heteroauxin) dissolved in warm water, proportions and time according to the instructions. Disinfection can be carried out using a dry method, dusting it with a fungicide, or traditionally keeping the seeds for one hour in a solution of potassium permanganate.

Aubrieta seeds

When sowing, the seeds are laid out on a prepared, moistened area at a given interval. The crops are sprinkled with a mixture of peat from the sands in equal proportions, and watered with “rain” from a watering can.

Advice! The aubrieta looks very beautiful in a rock garden. You can sprinkle the seeds between large stones (just place fertile soil there first). The aubriet shoots falling from the stones look fascinating.

Aubrieta in the rock garden

Growing aubrieta for seedlings

Many people do not want to wait a year to get flowering plants, preferring to grow aubrieta seedlings. This can be done without loss if you do not pick the plants and plant them in the ground without removing them from the cup. Peat tablets and pots will help you grow seedlings at home. In this case, you can sow the seeds starting in February. Plants are planted in the ground in April.

Aubrieta grown from seedlings will bloom in June. A week after germination, the seedlings should be fed with a mineral complex for flower seedlings, and subsequently fertilized every 10 days.

Video - How to grow aubrieta from seeds

Plant care

The flowerbed where the aubrieta flaunts must be loosened monthly, all weeds must be weeded, and the plants must be watered by sprinkling or drip irrigation.

This ground cover is very fond of fertilizers, so it needs fertilizing at all stages of growth: from the very first - two weeks after germination, to the last - before the second autumn flowering. If you do not feed, the plants will not bloom as profusely as we would like. When feeding aubrieta, a standard complex of minerals is used (nitrogen + phosphorus + potassium).

Shab requires feeding at all stages of growth

At the stage of the beginning of growth, you need to use fertilizing with a high nitrogen content, then switch to a diet with a high content of phosphorus; at the stage of the beginning of flowering, the plant needs potassium most of all.

On fertile soils, the plant should be fed at least three times every two months. If the soils are not very nutritious, fertilizing will be needed every two weeks. Also, once every two weeks you need to fertilize plants in rock gardens and alpine slides and cascade varieties intended for vertical decoration.

Advice! In addition to mineral complexes, young plants can be additionally fertilized with sodium humate twice a month (at different times, between main feedings).

Three times during the growing season, the soil under the obrieta must be mulched with fine sand. After trimming the faded shoots, it is good to mulch the ground with a mixture of sand and peat.

The soil under the obrieta must be mulched with fine sand

Frequent watering is not required. Overmoistening of the soil will lead to the forcing of leaves to the detriment of flowering. However, in hot weather it is necessary to water the flower, at least twice a week.

Pruning can be done at the end of each mass flowering. You need to cut the stems sparingly to the very base. The plant will immediately send out shoots that will bloom again.
In order for this ground cover plant to be flowering and healthy, it must be treated with colloidal sulfur against powdery mildew, which often occurs in aubrieta. It can also be treated with insecticides against pests.

An undeniable advantage

Aubrieta is not afraid of extreme cold

In addition to long, abundant, beautiful flowering, this plant has another important advantage - it is not afraid of even extreme cold. Aubrieta does not shed its leaves in winter, and freezes only at very low temperatures, below 30 degrees below zero. Therefore, the decorative effect is preserved all year round for many years.

Aubrieta is a luxurious plant, the care of which causes some trouble, but the result and decorative effect that this flower produces on the site is worth the effort.

This beautiful plant can decorate any garden plot, be it a flowerbed or an alpine hill. In addition, aubrieta is suitable for vertical gardening. Such flowers will also feel good in boxes on balconies. Summer residents love aubrieta for its unpretentious nature and its ability to coexist with other plants, both indoor and garden.

Description of the plant

Aubrieta has a wide variety of colors. It can be soft blue, white, pink, or lilac. Despite the fact that Central Asia (according to other sources, South America) is considered to be the birthplace of this plant, it tolerates even the most severe frosts in Siberia.

Aubrieta can change its color

It is noteworthy that during the cold season, the aubrieta not only does not change color, but also does not fall off its leaves. And with the onset of spring, at a time when other plants are just waking up from winter hibernation, these flowers are already turning lushly green.

Popular varieties

Experienced gardeners prefer different seeds. The most popular of them are presented below.

Red King

Summer residents fell in love with this variety for its large flowers, the diameter of which reaches up to 5 cm. The height of an adult plant is approximately 10 cm. The shoots are spreading.

Crimson Sea

Bright and lush flowers grow from the seeds. Since the variety grows beautifully in frame height, it can be an excellent option for decorating retaining walls and fences. Flowering lasts for two months.

Lizzie

The length of the shoots of this variety of aubrieta reaches approximately 15 cm in length. The buds are bright red in color with a diameter of 1 cm.

Deborah

Like the previous variety, this one has red inflorescences. The height of the bush reaches 20 cm.

Enchanting Morocco

As you can see in the photo, the plant blooms very beautifully.

It is one of the most luxuriantly flowering ornamental varieties. After the first flowering of this type of aubrieta ends, the shoots can be cut off. After this, they are usually rooted in greenhouses, where the plant safely begins to bloom after some time.

Cote d'Azur

These blue flowers of incredible beauty can grow both in flower beds and on balconies. Vigorous flowering continues for two months in the summer. After pruning, this variety of aubrieta grows from September until the onset of cold weather. The variety is resistant to frost.

Fruit platter

This variety is a mixture of different types of aubriet. Gardeners loved it for its spectacular appearance of colorful flowers in red and pink tones.

Cascade

The variety is represented by lush bushes, pink, white, red and turquoise flowers. The plant was specially bred to decorate alpine slides, flower beds and balconies.

Growing in open ground

Anyone who has never dealt with growing aubrieta may think that this crop is unpretentious and can grow in absolutely any conditions. This is wrong. The plant does not like diving very much and with any attempts to divide the bushes, gardeners can expect great disappointment. Therefore, growing aubrieta in open ground with seeds is considered the most optimal.

Find a suitable place to plant aubrieta, and it will decorate any area

Before you start sowing, you should decide on the location for future plantings. Aubrieta is a rather capricious culture. In the southern regions it prefers to grow in partial shade, and in the northern regions, on the contrary, places with a lot of sun. Aubrieta usually grows in rocky crevices, on stony soil, as well as in cracks in walls with dry masonry.

The soil for planting is prepared as follows: the soil is cleared of weeds and other impurities that will interfere with the growth of the plant. Planting the plant in heavy, rocky soil will not yield good results. It is better to give preference to light and fertile ones. Before starting sowing, the soil is dug up well and fed with a small amount of lime or chalk.

It is recommended to plant aubrieta seeds at a considerable distance from each other; only in this case will the young seedlings allow each other to develop normally. To begin with, you should water the soil well, and then carefully sprinkle the flat seeds of the plant and lightly sprinkle them with sand.

The sand layer should be about two centimeters.

After this, you need to shed the planting material again. Mulching with sand should be repeated two or three times per season. Seeds are sown in September or May. You can see how the aubrieta blooms next year.

In order for the plant to grow strong and hardy, it is fed with various fertilizers, for example sodium humate, which is an excellent growth stimulant. The soil in which aubrieta grows should be constantly cleared of weeds. After the first leaves appear, you can begin to fertilize the bushes using complex fertilizers.

Growing seedlings

Aubrieta can be grown not only by seeds, but also by seedlings. To do this, the seeds are sown immediately in peat pots or tablets. After the seedlings appear, the aubrieta can be transplanted directly into the ground.

Sow aubriet seeds in advance

It is recommended to sow the seeds approximately one and a half to two months before the last cold weather subsides. The plant takes quite a long time to sprout at home. Typically, from the start of sowing to the appearance of the first sprouts, it takes two to three weeks.

For better germination, experienced gardeners cover peat pots with ordinary polyethylene film. It is imperative to monitor the temperature in the room; it should not rise above 21 degrees. Seedlings are planted in open ground immediately after the night frosts have ended.

Most summer residents very rarely use this propagation of aubrieta. The fact is that young seedlings do not tolerate transplantation into soil very well. During a dive, the plant suffers greatly, and for this reason, the future life of the aubrieta on a personal plot may be in jeopardy.

If there is no confidence that this crop will be able to grow normally after the seedling method, then it would be preferable to choose a method in which the seeds are sown directly into open ground. Moreover, this method is less energy-consuming.

Summer residents who have just begun their acquaintance with aubrieta should pay attention to a few tips:

It is best to purchase seeds of such a plant in the spring. If you purchase ready-made seedlings, you need to check whether there are sprouted roots in the holes in the bottoms of the pots.

Aubrieta does not like fertilizers in the form of mineral nitrogen fertilizers and manure, as they reduce the plant’s resistance to cold.

Some varieties of aubrieta can bloom for a long time

The varieties that bloom the longest are those whose buds are purple or blue in color. As for the red species of aubrieta, they delight the owners of the site with their flowering for not so long.

Compositions with aubrieta, in which flowers of dwarf irises, phlox and bells are added, look very beautiful.

Growing aubrieta is not particularly difficult. With proper care, you can enjoy a beautiful carpet of bright flowers all season long.

Care

Before planting aubrieta in open ground, you need to pay attention to such an important stage as preparing the soil. To do this, garden soil is mixed with medium-sized sand. To prevent the plant bushes from getting lost among the weeds, they must be placed in equal rows.

These flowers love open areas that are well lit by the sun from all sides. In addition, shaving requires a fairly spacious area. Flowerbeds should be placed on open slopes, on the south side of buildings.

Although flowers are not too demanding on the composition of the soil in which they will grow, it is still advisable to enrich the soil with not too much lime, ash or chalk. Some gardeners mulch the ground around the plants with a small layer of sand.

Too frequent and abundant watering is not needed. Excessive moisture is bad for bushes. They have a lot of greenery and few flowers. As for drying out, it is also not recommended to allow it. If there are hot days outside and there has been no rain for a long time, the plant should definitely be watered.

Sodium humate should be used as a feed for young bushes. It perfectly stimulates the growth of shoots and roots of the plant, and in addition, it helps the plant become more resilient and strong. This fertilizer must be dissolved in water and watered over the flowers in the morning and evening. Aubrieta needs to be fed for the first time as soon as at least two true leaves appear on the seedlings.

For abundant flowering it will be useful to use fertilizer

Older crops can be periodically fertilized with complex compounds designed for flowering perennial plants. Such fertilizing is applied to the ground immediately before the aubrieta begins to bloom, and after it is cut, that is, twice a season.

It is also necessary to prune such a crop, which is mandatory maintenance. Aubrieta shoots must be removed almost to the very base of the plant. In these cases, the crop begins to produce new shoots in place of the cut stems. They also become covered with buds after a while.

Pruning is carried out so that the aubrieta looks decorative during the entire flowering period.

Among the diseases affecting this plant, powdery mildew predominates. This disease looks like a whitish coating on the leaves of bushes. To avoid it, you need to treat the plant with a solution of colloidal sulfur. If powdery mildew remains on the shaving, you will have to get rid of the diseased bushes. To do this, the plant is uprooted and burned. This method will prevent healthy areas in the flower beds from becoming infected.

While watching you will see how to sow the seeds of aubrieta.

Aubrieta is a fairly cold-resistant plant. She can easily tolerate air temperatures down to -5 degrees. Before the onset of severe cold, it is best to additionally insulate flowers using covering material in the form of spruce branches or dry leaves. With proper care, aubrieta can delight the owners of the site with its flowering for a long time.

Flowers and Flower Beds

Many of those who had the opportunity to contemplate the magnificent carpets of bright aubrieta flowers began to dream of growing such splendor on their own. This perennial herbaceous plant can be an excellent decoration for any garden plot. The plant tolerates frost well and can spread not only along the ground, but also along vertical planes, creating cascades of indescribable beauty.

Propagation of aubrieta can be carried out by cuttings or planting seeds. The second method is the most popular, especially since it makes it possible to independently choose the desired shade of colors. In autumn, seeds can be planted directly in open ground. And the best spring propagation method means for flowers aubrieta growing from seeds at home. In other words, in April or May, it is best to plant not seeds, but seedlings at a summer cottage. Thus, there is a chance to wait for flowering this summer.

Rules for planting seeds and growing aubrieta seedlings at home

To carry out the spring planting of aubrieta, its cultivation begins at home in February. The following tips should be taken into account:

• The air temperature at home should be maintained at 18-20 ᵒC.
• Growing seeds is possible only in conditions of good access to sunlight.
• For home planting, flower soil is suitable, which should be loosened well and sprinkled with a thin layer of sand. In order not to lose some of the seedlings during transplantation, you can use peat tablets or pots for planting seeds, which, together with the sprouts, are subsequently transferred to open ground.

Aubrieta seedlings grown in peat tablets or pots are easier to transplant

• The seeds are not sown very thickly and are not covered with soil.
• They must be moderately sprayed with water and covered with plastic wrap until shoots emerge.
• Watering young sprouts grown at home should be moderate; they cannot tolerate excess water.
• Every 10 days it is recommended to feed the sprouts with complex mineral fertilizer.
• After a month, the conditions for growing the seedlings need to be changed by transplanting them into separate pots.

When creating a design for the territory of a summer cottage or your own home, a plant such as aubrieta is very popular among gardeners, thanks to its picturesque bright flower arrangements. This garden flower looks great on alpine hills, in ordinary flower beds and even on a shady alley.

Description

Aubrieta or otherwise called aubretia is perennial groundcover, which covers the ground with a picturesque carpet. In order for it to please the amateur gardener with its beauty, it needs to be provided with competent, timely care. The flowers of this garden plant are small, but their number is impressive. The color of the flowers is quite varied: white, purple, blue, etc. Aubrieta bushes are low, reaching only 10 to 13 cm. With proper care, flowering occurs 2 times per season. As a rule, this is in late spring - early summer, lasting up to 45 days and in early autumn - about 35 days. The fruits of the garden plant are in the form of a pod containing elongated brown seeds.

In nature there are various varieties and types of aubrencia, which differ from each other in color, shape and structure of the bush. Types of aubrieta:

• Cascade is a fairly well-known type of garden aubration. The flowers are mostly blue or red with a yellowish center. The foliage is gray-green.
• Hybrid or cultivated - this type of garden aubriet is distinguished by its early flowering. The colors of the flowers are pink, red and purple.
• Deltoid, otherwise it is also called a lilac bush. The flowers of this type of garden aubrieta are medium-sized violet and purple in color. Since the inflorescences are collected in brushes, the herbaceous plant becomes similar to lilac, which is why it received its second name.

Planting and care

For amateur gardeners, it will not be difficult to care for the shaving plant. First you need to choose a suitable area for the flower, adhering to the rules. Rules when choosing a place to plant an aubriet:

• The garden flower is quite heat-loving, so the place should be sunny. If the climate is southern, then it is possible to choose a place to plant a garden plant that is slightly shaded. In a temperate climate, it is necessary to find a sunny place for the perennial; partial shade will not allow the plant to bloom.
• The plant does not like acidic, heavy, clay soils. Before planting, the soil in which the garden aubrieta will be planted must be loosened.
• Clear the area of ​​weeds.
• Add fertilizer to the soil. It is necessary to dig up the soil to a depth of 15 cm and mix it with ash or lime.
• Provide drainage.
• If possible, it is better to give preference to a site located on a hill.

After planting a garden plant, it needs constant timely care. Even if the soil is loose and light, it will be very useful to mulch several times a season, that is, mix the top layer of soil with sand in a layer of 3 to 5 cm. It is also necessary to ensure the required watering of the plant, timely fertilizing and pruning of aubretia.

Watering and fertilizing aubrieta

It is necessary to water the garden flower as the soil dries out; monitor watering especially in hot weather. Aubrieta does not like moisture, so if the plant is overwatered, the roots may rot or the flower will not bloom.

In order for a garden flower to actively bloom, it must be fertilized. Garden plant follows feed with mineral fertilizers 2 times per season:

• in spring: fertilizing is carried out before the buds begin to appear.
• in summer: fertilize after pruning the plant to bloom again.

Pruning and cuttings of aubrieta

The flowering period of aubretia is from 4 to 7 weeks. In order for the plant to bloom a second time, it must be pruned. To do this, after the first flowering, the stems are removed at the root. The earth is fed. After these procedures, the plant will actively begin to grow and will bloom again by autumn. The plant should not be pruned in the fall to avoid the death of the plant during wintering.

The main rule in caring for a garden plant is cuttings, which should be carried out once a year. This is done so that the herbaceous flower does not degenerate over time and does not become more capricious to care for. For cuttings it is necessary to use young shoots without peduncles. They need to be cut in May and planted in a greenhouse with a sand-peat soil mixture. When planting, there should be a distance of 10 to 15 cm between the seedlings. At the end of summer or autumn, the cuttings are transplanted into a flowerbed, but if they are weak, then you can leave them in a greenhouse for the winter.

Preparing for wintering aubrieta

Aubrecia is frost-resistant, so it tolerates winters quite well. But to be on the safe side and provide additional protection to the roots, you can cover them with dry leaves before the first frost.

Growing aubretia from seeds

In order for a beautiful flower to delight the gardener in spring, summer and even autumn with its chic flowering carpets, you need to learn how to properly grow aubrieta yourself from seeds. Ways to grow a garden plant from seeds:

1. in spring by seedlings in a special container;
2. in the fall, when planting is carried out immediately in open ground.

Rules to follow, planting garden aubretia seeds in the first way:

In the second method, to plant seeds in the ground, you need choose the right landing site and prepare the ground. To do this, you need to loosen it, water it, and then you can sow the seeds. Lightly mix the top layer of soil with sand.

Diseases and pests

A garden plant can also die due to diseases that appear on perennial aubration. To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to inspect the garden flower and provide it with timely treatment.

Diseases and pests that affect aubrieta:

When growing a garden beauty in a garden plot, you need to know all the intricacies of its cultivation, planting and care, only then will it repay its intensive long flowering. It should be remembered that the low-growing aubrieta prefers loose soil, regular watering, while not allowing it to become waterlogged; it is necessary to feed the garden flower in a timely manner and prune it. And only if the necessary conditions for long-term aubration are met, you can enjoy lush flower carpets that can decorate any place in the garden.

Garden flower aubrieta

Aubrieta is a perennial evergreen ground cover plant from the Cruciferous family.

Its homeland is Asia Minor and Southern Europe. Because of its high decorative qualities, aubrieta has become popular not only in its native lands, but also in other countries and continents.

Claude Aubriette, a botanist and artist from France, first described 20 species of this beautiful flower. This plant was named after him. Later, the number of aubrieta species decreased to 12. The most popular are 2 types: deltoid and cultural aubrieta.

Aubrieta deltoid has bluish-green deltoid foliage. The flowers are violet or lilac in color. They form loose racemose inflorescences. Aubrieta of this species is the ancestor of all cultivated varieties.

Aubrieta cultivated includes quite a few varieties and hybrids, varying in color, size, shape, fullness of flowers, length of stems and color of foliage. Cuttings of this species root poorly. Most often, varieties are propagated by seeds.

The aubriet grows up to 20, less often 35 centimeters in height, and reaches 1 meter in width. Stems creeping. It has small lanceolate or spatulate drooping leaves. They are located alternately. Their color depends on the time of year and can be bluish-green (summer) or bright green (winter).

This herbaceous plant is densely covered with bright pink, maroon, lilac, crimson, lilac, violet and white four-petaled flowers. There are large-flowered, double and semi-double varieties with variegated leaves. Some flowers are suitable for cutting and creating bouquet arrangements. They are 1-2 centimeters in diameter (some varieties can reach 5 centimeters). They are collected in small loose brushes.

The plant blooms in April - May or autumn and this period lasts one and a half months.
The fruits produced from the flowers are pods with flat, brown seeds.

Varieties

Breeders have developed quite a few varieties and hybrids of aubrieta. They differ in color and size of flowers, length of stems and color of leaves.

Variety Lizzie

The flowers are bright red. Their diameter is 1 centimeter. Plant height is 15 centimeters.

Variety Fruit assortment

Flowers on the same bush can be red or pink, and vary in shade. Their diameter is 1-2.5 centimeters. The height of the stems is 20 centimeters.

Variety Red King

Plants are 10 centimeters tall. Flowers with a diameter of 5 centimeters. Their color is pink.

Variety Alix Wrett

The flowers are crimson in color, semi-double and double. Stems are 20 centimeters high. The plant easily tolerates partial shade.

Variety Doctor Mules

This is a variegated variety. The flowers are dark, blue-violet. The height of the stems is 15 centimeters.

Campbell variety

The color of the flowers is bright blue. The height of the stems reaches 10 centimeters.

Variety Charming Morocco

The flowers of this decorative variety are very lush. They are blue, red and pink with longitudinal stripes on the petals. Their diameter is 1.5-2 centimeters. The plant grows up to 25 centimeters in height.

Variety Deborah

Flower color is red. The stems reach 20 centimeters in height.

Variety Astrolat

The flowers are purple. The leaves are variegated. The height of the stems does not exceed 12 centimeters.

Côte d'Azur variety

The flowers are sky blue. The variety is characterized by frost resistance and the ability to quickly recover after pruning.

Variety Royal Cascade

The color of the flowers is light pink with a yellow center. The diameter of the flower is 1-2 centimeters. The stems are drooping and grow up to 25 centimeters. The leaves are bluish-green all year round.

Variety Red Cascade

Variety Red Cascade

The flowers are densely arranged, dark red in color. The diameter of the flower is 1 centimeter. The core is small and yellow. The plant grows up to 30 centimeters in height. The leaves are bluish-green.

Variety Blue Cascade

The height of the stems is 15 centimeters. Blue flowers. The diameter is 1 centimeter. This variety has hanging stems and is planted on retaining walls and rockeries. The leaves are bluish-green.

Growing aubrieta - planting seedlings

Aubrieta propagates by seeds and cuttings. For these purposes, you can collect the seeds yourself (if it grows on the site) or buy them in the store. It is not advisable to propagate a flower by dividing bushes. He does not tolerate this procedure well.

Seeds are sown in open ground in May or September - October. They are planted in a sand-peat mixture and covered with film. Indoors, seeds should be sown at the end of February.

The soil should be light, with a neutral or slightly alkaline reaction and a low content of organic matter. Clayey, acidic or fatty peat soils are not suitable for shaving.

Seeds can be sown using seedless or seedling methods. But sowing seeds directly in a flower garden can lead to splitting of varieties and loss of decorative qualities.

Sowing seeds indoors is done in peat tablets or peat-humus pots. 2-3 seeds are distributed on the surface of the moistened soil and sprinkled with a 3-5 centimeter layer of sowed sand. The sown seeds are moistened with warm water from a spray bottle. The top of the crops is covered with transparent film or glass.

The optimal temperature for seed pecking is 19-21 degrees.

Crops need to be ventilated every day. The soil is moistened if necessary (after the top layer of soil has dried). The seedlings hatch in 21-30 days. After the seeds have sprouted, the cover from the seedlings can be removed. Watering should be moderate.

The plants have weak roots and do not tolerate transplantation well. Seedlings are not picked. 2 weeks before transplanting grown seedlings into open ground, the plants are fed with a weak solution of any complex mineral fertilizer.

Aubrieta is a light-loving plant and a bright area is selected for planting seedlings. To do this, you can choose elevated areas of land and rocky slopes. The site must be protected from flooding or provided with good drainage. Plants are planted in prepared beds in mid-May or September - October. The soil for planting should be loose. If the soil is highly acidic, ash or slaked lime is added to it.

The plant is transplanted together with a lump of earth. The gap between plantings should be 15 centimeters.

If you want to sow aubrieta directly into open ground, you first need to prepare the place. Sow the seeds in moistened soil, cleared of weeds and debris, fed with complex fertilizers and ash, dug to a depth of 15 centimeters. Sowing is carried out at a distance of 5 centimeters from each other. The seeds are sprinkled with a sand layer 3-5 centimeters thick. The sown seeds are carefully watered from a watering can. Seedlings sown in spring germinate in 10-21 days, and those sown in autumn will appear next spring.

Cuttings are cut from the branches after the plant has finished flowering. By the end of summer, the rooted cuttings are planted in a permanent place according to a 15 by 15 centimeter pattern. Before winter, the flower takes root and easily tolerates the cold. Rare varieties remain in the greenhouse for the winter.

Planting aubrieta seedlings in open ground: video

The soil under the obriet is covered with a 3-5 centimeter layer of seeded sand. This mulching is carried out 2-3 times in spring and summer.

The plant should be watered moderately and only in dry, hot weather, since excess moisture leads to poor flowering and rotting of the root system. At the same time, lack of water also adversely affects the flowering of the plant and its growth. Regular (2 times a week) moderate watering is needed for young, developing plants. Then the flowers are watered no more than once a week.

After each watering, a mandatory procedure is to remove weeds.

After the spring flowering of the aubrieta, the above-ground part is cut off almost to the root. This procedure promotes the formation of new shoots, which will subsequently bloom in the fall. To preserve decorative qualities, faded flowers are cut from the plant. Flowering in autumn is not as abundant as in spring, but at the same time it pleases with a more saturated color of the leaves.

In spring and autumn, plants are fertilized with mineral fertilizers. At the beginning of the growth of aubrieta, you need to apply nitrogen fertilizing, then you need to switch to phosphorus fertilizers; at the stage of the beginning of flowering, plants need potassium.

The first feeding is carried out in the spring, before the formation of flowers. Flowers on fertile soils need to be fed every 20 days. If the soil is infertile, fertilizing is carried out every 2 weeks. Once every 2 weeks, flowers growing on alpine hills, rockeries and cascade varieties are fertilized.

Between the main feedings for young plants, additional feeding is carried out with sodium humate.

The flower overwinters open or under cover. In frosty winters with little snow, the aubrieta is covered with straw or dry leaves and pine needles. In the spring, after the snow melts, the shelter is removed from the plants.

Most often, aubrieta is affected by aphids and powdery mildew.

Aphids are not difficult to recognize on plants. This pest feeds on plant sap and contributes to the spread of viral diseases. Insects can be destroyed using drugs such as: Karbofos, Biotlin, Fufanon and Arrivo. In case of extensive damage, spraying is repeated up to 4 times. For prevention, plants can be treated with insecticides.

Powdery mildew covers the plant with a whitish coating, which turns brown over time. As a result of the disease, the aubrieta loses its decorative effect. Plant growth slows down, and the damaged areas begin to turn black and subsequently die, and winter hardiness decreases. You can get rid of the fungus by treating the bushes with a solution of colloidal sulfur. If the disease has damaged a large part of the plantings, then the most damaged areas are removed.

Aubrieta looks beautiful on alpine hills, rockeries, and borders. Some varieties are planted on balconies or in hanging pots. It grows well in wide crevices of walls with dry masonry, in rocky gorges. Sometimes the flower is used in mixborders. The plant is combined with white Iberis, red soapwort, yellow alyssum, Caucasian rhizome, awl-shaped phlox, and dwarf irises. Some varieties of aubrieta are cut and used to create bouquets.

This beautiful plant can decorate not only a flower garden, balcony or flowerpot, but also vases. Freshly cut flowers look very beautiful in combination with other plants. Aubrieta planted in a flower garden grows over time and covers the area with a dense carpet of flowers. All that is required to grow it is proper care.

A creeping evergreen plant is a wonderful decoration for the garden. Many gardeners are interested in the aubriet flower; growing from seeds and when to plant the crop are of interest to many.

This crop is planted in the garden, decorating alleys or flower beds, and it is also an essential element of rock gardens. Aubrieta is distinguished by the fact that it covers the surface of the soil with a colorful flower carpet, delighting its owners with lush flowering.

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Description of culture

Aubrieta grows in the countries of the Mediterranean basin and in the territory of modern Turkey. The plant received its name in honor of the French artist Claude Aubrier.

The height of the crop is only 10-35 cm, but it grows greatly in breadth. If hybrid aubrieta is not restrained by cutting off young shoots, then the plant can cover the entire garden area with its creeping branches and flowers. It feels good on river banks and looks spectacular on rocks, creating bright cascades of all shades of blue. Aubrieta comes in white, pink and even dark burgundy colors.

The elongated leaves tolerate winter cold well and do not freeze in severe frosts. The leaves, green with a gray tint, come with smooth and jagged edges.

It blooms 2 times a year - in April-May and in September. Fruits in the form of pods with seeds are formed on the peduncles. One pod can contain 2000 or more. The seeds are elongated, brown.

Aubrieta is grown from seeds in 2 ways:

• sowing in open ground;
• growing seedlings.

The 3rd method of propagating a crop is cuttings.

Types of shaving

In nature, there are 12 species of aubrieta, differing in color, fruit shape and pistil structure. Agricultural technology and rules for growing all types of crops are the same.



Species zoned in central Russia:

1. 1 Aubrieta deltoid is the progenitor of all cultivated species. It has been used as a garden crop since the beginning of the 18th century. The height of the bushes reaches 15 cm. In its most popular variety, the Bougainville aubriet, the height of the bush does not exceed 20 cm. The deltoid plant has gray-green pubescent leaves with several teeth along the edges and flowers of bright blue and lilac color, collected in racemose inflorescences .
2. 2 Graceful aubrieta is used to form a living carpet on stone borders and hilly garden plots. The variety is distinguished by relatively large flowers up to 2 cm in diameter. The height of the stems is not higher than 10 cm. The flowering is abundant; small oblong leaves of pale green color are not visible behind the lilac flowers with a yellow center.
3. 3 Aubrieta Kolumka has thick curving stems and long carved leaves, densely covered with soft hair. On a stem forked at the top there are 2 large flowers 4.5 cm in diameter. Their color is lavender and pink.
4. 4 Among the cultivated hybrids, the Giant Waterfall variety is very popular. This cascading aubrieta has small flowers up to 1 cm in diameter and spotted light green leaves with a well-defined white edge. The height of the stems does not exceed 15 cm. The flowers can be painted in all shades of pink, purple and red.
5. 5 You can hide everything that can spoil the appearance and well-groomed garden by shaving a perennial cascade Côte d'Azur. It blooms profusely 2 times a season: in the spring for about 2 months and in the fall from the beginning of September until the first frost. The flowers resemble forest violets in both color and shape. Large leaves of pale green color have a white border along the edge.

Rules for planting aubrieta

Growing aubrieta does not require special skills; the most important condition for success is choosing the right planting site.



When choosing a planting site, consider the following:

• all types of aubrieta do not like acidified heavy soils with a predominance of clay, the acidity of the soil should be neutral and in the range of 6.0-7.5 pH;
• the plant loves the sun and is not afraid of direct sunlight; in the shade the stems stretch out and do not bloom;
• aubrieta grows poorly on waterlogged soils;
• Before sowing seeds or planting seedlings, the area is carefully weeded from weeds and dug to a depth of 10-15 cm;
• the soil is treated with complex fertilizer, wood ash and chalk are mixed into it, lime can be added;
• It is better to use a pitchfork for digging - this makes the soil better saturated with oxygen;
• sawdust or washed river sand is used for mulching;
• The soil is mulched before sowing the seeds and 3 more times before the first frost. The height of the mulch layer is 6 cm;
• plantings are characterized by rapid growth, so large areas are selected for shaving.

Propagation by seeds and cuttings

Aubrieta seeds are sown in open ground in mid-May or September-October. More often, aubrieta is planted as seedlings. Seeds are sown in February, seedlings appear after 2-3 weeks, seedlings are kept indoors for at least a month.



Rules for growing seedlings:

1. 1 Temperature in the room +18…+21°С.
2. 2 Sow seeds in soil for flower crops. They are not deepened, but covered on top with a thin layer of river sand. You can sow seeds in vermiculite.
3. 3 The soil is sprayed with a spray bottle.
4. 4 Before the first shoots appear, the crops are covered with plastic wrap.
5. 5 After a month, the sprouts are transplanted into separate pots. The plants are first hardened off by removing the film for a while.
6. 6 Seedlings are planted in open ground at a stable above-zero temperature, when the threat of frost on the soil has passed.

With proper care, plants grown from seeds and seedlings will bloom the next year.

Planting aubrieta in open ground

Before sowing seeds in open ground, you need to prepare the place.



The soil is dug up, loosened with a rake, moistened with a watering can, and seeds are sown in rows or randomly, in a continuous bed. The crops are mulched with sand, which is moistened.

Planting seedlings has its own specifics:

1. 1 Containers with seedlings are soaked in water until air bubbles appear on its surface. This trick makes it easier to transfer the seedlings from the container to the holes and prevents damage.
2. 2 Holes are dug along the length of the roots of the seedlings. The sprouts should be at a distance of 5 cm from each other. A hole is dug twice as wide as an earthen clod of seedlings if the plant is planted in an open area. In rock gardens, aubrieta easily grows in narrow crevices of stones.
3. 3 The soil under the bushes is mulched with sand and watered with a watering can.

Summer cuttings of aubrieta

Another way to propagate aubrieta is by cuttings. In mid-summer the plants are pruned. The resulting cuttings are used as planting material. Peduncles and pods are first cut off from them. The prepared material is planted in a greenhouse.

The soil mixture consists of equal parts of peat and sand. Grown seedlings are planted in a permanent place in open ground at the end of August. Before the first frost, young plants acquire strong roots and can bloom in the spring.



In the northern regions, the cuttings are kept in a greenhouse until spring so that the sprouts do not freeze.

Theoretically, aubrieta can be planted by dividing the bush. But in fact, this method is not used, since the plant reacts very painfully to any transplant. When dividing a bush, it gets sick for a long time, and then most often dies.

Conclusion

Mature plants only need watering on very hot days. The rest of the time, all types of obrieta are not watered. Plants do not like wet soils; they stop flowering there and grow leaves.

Feeding of aubrieta is carried out 2 times a season: in the spring before the formation of buds, and in the summer after pruning. Fertilizing can be introduced when the seedlings have 2 pairs of leaves.

To obtain autumn flowering, the crop is pruned in the summer. Faded stems are cut off close to the ground. The soil is fertilized and mulched.

In winter, the obrieta rests. In places with severe frosts, plantings are covered with dry leaves.