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Spirea Billard - flowering deciduous shrub family Rosaceae, which does not lose its attractiveness throughout the warm season. Along with high decorativeness, the culture is distinguished by good frost resistance and unpretentiousness; it is recommended for cultivation even in the Northern regions.
Description of Billard's spirea
Billard's Spirea (Spiraea billardii) is a powerful bush that grows up to 2 m in height, individual specimens reach 2.5 m. Stems are straight, grow vertically upward, forming a lush crown in the shape of a sphere. The lower part of the shoots has no foliage, it is lignified, ribbed, grayish-brown in color. Young branches are reddish, covered with dense foliage, resilient and flexible.
The leaf plates have an oblong lanceolate shape with a clearly visible central vein, the average length is 10 cm. The back of the leaf has a bluish tint.
The flowering period lasts from the end of July until the first frost in October. Inflorescences are large (up to 20 cm), pyramidal, reminiscent of fluffy fragrant candles. On a long peduncle, there are many small flowers with 5 rounded petals and long stamens. The color of the inflorescences is deep pink. The most popular is Billard's Triumfans spiraea, blooming with raspberry panicles with an exquisite honey aroma.
Billard's spirea (Spiraea x billardii) is a winter-hardy hybrid obtained by crossing the spiraea salicifolia and Douglas spirea (Spiraea douglasii). This variety was bred in 1854 and has since become widespread. On the territory of the Russian Federation, Billard's spirea is planted from the Crimea to the Arkhangelsk region.
Spirea Billard in landscape design
Billard's spirea goes well with many plants, it's not for nothing that it is so popular with landscape designers. Its neighbors can be both other flowering shrubs and conifers. Compositions with such plants look great:
- weigela;
- derain;
- viburnum;
- lilac;
- action;
- scump;
- willow;
- pine;
- spruce;
- juniper.
Billard's spirea is used in the design of rockeries, mixborders, flower beds, and also as a hedge. The bushes cover well the bare trunks of large trees and tall shrubs.
Billard's spirea can often be found within the city. The plant tolerates the gas pollution of the metropolis well and purifies the air, releasing phytoncides. The bushes are planted along fences, fences, walls - they bring comfort and do not lose their decorative effect even after the end of flowering. Billard's spirea is good both in single plantings and in group plantings, where it often plays the role of the main plant.
Planting and caring for Billard's spirea
The key to success in growing Billard's spirea is a properly selected place, adherence to planting dates and other agricultural rules. The shrub does not require special care, but it always looks elegant and involuntarily attracts the attention of even those who are far from gardening.
Preparation of planting material and site
In flower centers, seedlings are sold in special containers. 1-2 hours before planting, they are watered abundantly, and removed from the container immediately before starting work, trying to preserve the integrity of the earthen coma.Seedlings with an open root system are carefully examined for rot and similar diseases. Damaged, dry and too long roots are removed with a clean blade, the cuts are sprinkled with crushed coal to reduce the risk of infection.
The area where Billard's spirea will grow should be well lit by the sun. A culture can grow in the shade, however, in order to reach its full potential, it needs a lot of light. Spirea Billard loves rich fertile soils with a slightly acidic or neutral pH reaction. The soil should be loose and breathable. It is undesirable to plant spirea in areas where melt water accumulates in spring, this is detrimental to the shrub. Billard's spirea loves moisture, but stagnant water will inevitably affect the state of the root system and the plant as a whole.
Billard's spirea planting rules
Billard's spirea is planted in the spring (before bud break) and in the fall (after the bush has completely discarded the foliage). It is better to choose a cloudy, but not rainy day, or to do the work in the evening.
The whole planting process boils down to the following manipulations:
- Dig a hole 40 * 40 cm, at least 30 cm deep. The deepening should be ⅓ more than the earthen lump of the seedling.
- A nutritious soil is prepared by mixing sod and leafy soil, peat and sand in a ratio of 2: 1: 1: 1.
- Drainage is laid at the bottom in layers: broken brick or crushed stone, then expanded clay, sand on top.
- A layer of nutritious soil is poured onto the drainage, a seedling is placed, the rhizome is straightened, if necessary.
- Carefully fill up the remaining soil, holding the bush vertically so that the root collar is not below ground level.
- The earth is lightly tamped.
- The final stage of planting is abundant watering with warm, settled water.
Watering and feeding
The culture can do without watering in case of regular rainfall. The bushes should be watered sparingly, not poured. To preserve moisture, the near-stem circle is mulched, having previously loosened the ground. It is important to take into account that the root system of the bush is superficial, so loosening must be done very carefully.
In the first 2 months after planting, the plant is not fed - there are enough mineral and organic substances in the prepared nutrient soil. In the first year of spirea, it is necessary to increase the green mass, and an infusion of mullein, bird droppings or other fertilizer rich in nitrogen can help it in this. This top dressing is applied monthly. In subsequent years, the shrub is fertilized with a complex mineral fertilizer:
- AgroMaster;
- "Kemira";
- "Azofoska";
- Plantafol.
With regular fertilization of the soil, spiraea can grow in one place without transplanting for 15-20 years.
How to prune Billard's spirea in the fall
Caring for Billard's spirea will be incomplete without regular pruning of the crown. This procedure is not only aesthetic in nature, it is a good prevention against fungal diseases.
Spireas are divided into 2 types:
- spring blooming (flower buds are formed on last year's shoots);
- summer flowering (inflorescences bloom on the shoots of the current year).
It is to the latter type that Billard's spirea belongs, which is pruned in the fall. In the spring, the bush will more actively release new shoots, and, therefore, bloom more luxuriantly.
Pruning of Billard's spirea in the fall is carried out 2 weeks before the onset of frost, so that the plant has time to get stronger after the procedure. To do this, use a clean, well-sharpened secateurs. All old and damaged shoots are subject to removal, the tips of healthy ones are shortened, giving the bush the shape of a hemisphere.
The first pruning is necessary 2 years after planting, rejuvenating begins to be done in 4-5 years. To rejuvenate Billard's spirea, all branches are shortened to a length of 30 cm, this stimulates the bush to release many new strong shoots for the next season.If the bush is badly damaged or very old, carry out a radical pruning at the root, leaving no stumps.
Preparing for winter
Billard's spirea is considered a frost-resistant plant and can withstand temperatures as low as -35 ° C. This is possible only if immediately after the thermometer dropped below zero, heavy snow fell, which would not melt until spring. In fact, it is different, so the bush needs careful preparation for the cold season, especially for young seedlings with an insufficiently developed root system.
In the fall, watering is reduced, the peri-stem circle is freed from weeds and fallen leaves, loosen and cover with a layer of mulch at least 10 cm thick. The branches of young plants are collected in a bunch, tilted to the ground and fixed with a metal cord. A nylon mesh fence is placed around the bush to trap the snow, the shoots are covered with straw.
Diseases and pests
Unfortunately, Billard's spirea is loved not only by gardeners and landscape designers, but also by insects. The most common crop pests are spider mites and aphids.
The first can be calculated by the characteristic cobweb enveloping the leaves and stems, yellowed foliage that quickly falls off, microscopic bites and the general dejected state of the bush. The fight against the pest is reduced to spraying the ground part of the plant with an insecticide solution, for example, "Karbofos" or "Phosphamide".
Aphids primarily affect young shoots and inflorescences, sucking out plant juices. To get rid of aphids, you can use folk remedies - soap solution, infusions of tobacco, hot pepper, ash. In case of generalized damage to the bush, insecticides are used, in particular "Pirimor".
You can scare away aphids from the site if you attract beneficial insects - ladybirds. For this, plants are planted in the garden such as:
- knapweed;
- yarrow;
- calendula;
- cosmeya;
- tansy;
- fennel;
- geranium.
Billard's spirea is sometimes affected by fungal infections - all kinds of rot, which, in advanced cases, can lead to the death of the entire plant. For treatment, the infected bush is treated with a fungicide solution:
- "Fitosporin"
- Fundazol
- "Ditan-M 45".
If no manipulations help, the plant is dug up and burned so that the disease does not spread to neighboring plantings.
Reproduction
Billard's spirea can only be diluted in vegetative ways:
- dividing the bush;
- layering;
- cuttings.
The seedlings of this hybrid do not inherit the qualities of the mother plant, therefore, the seed method of reproduction of Billard's spirea is not used, the following are more often used.
Dividing the bush
- Overgrown spireas are dug up in the fall before the end of leaf fall.
- The bush is dug in along the diameter of the crown, removed from the ground, shaken off the soil, rinsed with running water and allowed to dry.
- With a sharp, disinfected pruner, the bush is divided into 2-3 parts so that each has a good root system and several strong shoots.
- Too long roots are shortened, and the cuts are treated with crushed coal.
- After the listed manipulations, the divisions are determined to a permanent place.
Layers
- In spring, strong lignified spirea shoots are bent to the ground and fixed with wire in the form of a hairpin in small grooves.
- The middle part of the shoot is sprinkled with nutritious soil and watered.
- The next year, the rooted layers of Billard's spirea are cut off with a shovel from the mother bush and transplanted to a permanent place.
Cuttings
- In July, strong last year's shoots without inflorescences are cut off from the bush and cut into segments of 7-10 cm, each with at least 5 leaves.
- Cuttings are treated with "Kornevin", planted in containers with nutrient soil at an angle of 30 ° and covered with foil.
- For the winter, containers with young plants are added to the garden bed and covered well.
- Next spring, Billard's spirea seedlings will release new shoots - it's time to transplant them into the garden.
Reviews of Billard's spirea
Conclusion
Spirea Billard is a successful combination of beauty and unpretentiousness. This ornamental shrub will fit into almost any garden and will become one of its main accents.
