We Grow Decorative Onions. Planting And Leaving. Types, Varieties. Photo

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We Grow Decorative Onions. Planting And Leaving. Types, Varieties. Photo
We Grow Decorative Onions. Planting And Leaving. Types, Varieties. Photo

Video: We Grow Decorative Onions. Planting And Leaving. Types, Varieties. Photo

Video: We Grow Decorative Onions. Planting And Leaving. Types, Varieties. Photo
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Decorative bows - Alliums, are very diverse and are able to decorate any garden with bright balls of their inflorescences. Unpretentious bulbous plants begin to bloom in late spring and “freeze” for a long time at the peak of beauty. And even after the end of flowering, during the ripening of the seeds, the drying heads of decorative onions look very attractive.

Dutch onion 'Purple Sensation'
Dutch onion 'Purple Sensation'

Content:

  • Description of decorative bow
  • Features of growing decorative onions
  • Ornamental bow care
  • Reproduction of decorative bow
  • The use of decorative bows in design
  • Types and varieties of decorative onions

Description of decorative bow

Ornamental onions are close relatives of the common edible onion and garlic and are part of the Alliaceae subfamily of the Amaryllidaceae family. If you rub a leaf, stem or bulb of any plant from this family, you will get an easily recognizable "onion" or "garlic" smell. In nature, there are several hundred species of onions that grow in the northern hemisphere.

Linear or belt-like leaves of basal onions. Each onion flower is very small in size, but the flowers are combined into an inflorescence, which gives the plant the main decorative effect.

Some ornamental bows can be as large as 30 cm in diameter, such as Christof's Onion (Allium cristophii). Most ornamental onions flower in May-June, but there are also autumn-flowering varieties. The flowering of some species can last for a long time and even after its end the plant will not lose its attractive appearance. So, dried balls of inflorescences of Christof's decorative bow look no less charming in an autumn garden than bright purple ones in a spring.

Giant bow 'Globemaster'
Giant bow 'Globemaster'

Features of growing decorative onions

Location: most of the onions are photophilous, so sunny areas and southern slopes with well-drained, loose fertile soils are chosen for them. The best illumination determines the color intensity of flowers and leaves.

Soil: A close to neutral soil solution is preferred. At a pH below 5, the soil must be limed.

Fertilizers: When preparing a plot for planting onions, the soil is filled with rotted compost and a complete mineral fertilizer with trace elements is applied, based on the indicators of its fertility. Like all bulbous plants, ornamental onions are very sensitive to potassium deficiencies in the soil. An excellent potash fertilizer for them is wood ash.

Watering: Bows tolerate both short-term drought and short-term waterlogging well. Sufficient moisture supply is a necessary condition for the normal development of plants in the first half of the growing season, when the formation of leaf apparatus and flowering shoots occurs. With a lack of moisture, the growth of leaves stops and resumes again when watering.

Stalked Onion 'Mount Everest'
Stalked Onion 'Mount Everest'

Ornamental bow care

When growing ornamental species of the genus Allium in a temperate zone, it is best to dig up the bulbs annually after the seeds have ripened and the leaves have dried up and replant them in the fall.

The fact is that ephemeroid onions and many xerophytic bulbous species originate from the middle belt of the mountains of Central Asia - an area with hot dry summers and winters with frequent thaws. At home, after the end of the growing season at the end of June, the bulbs of these species remain in warm, dry ground until autumn. There is practically no rain during this period.

In central Russia, if the second half of summer is damp and cool, the bulbs left in the ground can be affected by diseases and rot. Therefore, it is better to dig them up, dry them well and store them at room temperature in a dry, ventilated room until autumn. In areas with favorable environmental conditions, the bulbs can not be dug out every year, but when the plants thicken, they become smaller and bloom worse.

In autumn, the bulbs are planted after a steady drop in soil and air temperature, usually in the third decade of September. The optimum soil temperature for the rooting of the bulbs is at the level of 10 ° C in the root formation zone. The planting depth of the bulbs is determined so that above its upper point there is a layer of earth equal to three heights of the bulb itself. Accordingly, large bulbs are planted much deeper than small ones.

It is better to plant in a moistened groove, on top of the planting they are mulched with humus or peat, which should prevent the formation of a soil crust. In autumn, root growth continues until the temperature of the soil in the zone of their occurrence drops to +2.. + 3 ° С. Some types of bulbs - moth, Ostrovsky, pink, blue, blue-blue - can be planted in autumn and spring after storage in a cool dry place. It is better to store small onions in peat or sawdust to prevent them from drying out.

Bulbous-rhizome species are grown in a perennial culture and reproduce by dividing the bushes. Plants are transplanted after 3-5 years, sometimes even after 7 years, but in this case the planting must be thinned out and self-seeding must be prevented.

The optimal planting time is early spring and late summer, with the expectation that the divisions take root well before frost.

Each spring, the site should be deeply loosened, cleaned of plant debris and snow mold. Plant care during the growing season is usual - weeding, loosening and mulching the soil.

Plants are watered only when there is a clear lack of moisture, they must be fed in the spring after the regrowth of the leaves, as well as in the budding and bulb formation phase and at the end of summer with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers to improve the overwintering of plants. For spring top dressing, complex mineral fertilizers (NPKMg) with microelements are used, selecting forms with a high nitrogen content in the nitrate form.

In the summer, liquid fertilizing is carried out with a solution of mineral fertilizers. When feeding in August, granulated phosphorus-potassium fertilizers are applied dry. For the winter, plantings can be mulched with peat or humus.

Christof's bow
Christof's bow

Reproduction of decorative bow

The onion is propagated by seeds and vegetatively.

Seeds are sown in spring or fall. Seedlings dive into well-lit ridges. There are two important points to keep in mind when propagating by seed. Firstly, the seeds of many species, for example, xerophytic ephemeroids - giant onions, aflatunsky, stalked onions, etc. - germinate only with podzimny sowing, after exposure to the seeds of a complex of conditions of the autumn-winter-spring season. It is not even always possible to replace it with the same shelf life of seeds in the refrigerator.

And secondly, when grown from seeds, many types of onions - anzura, wild garlic, etc. - bloom in the 3rd to 8th year, only after the bulbs have reached a mass sufficient for reproductive development. The longest juvenile stage is characteristic of ephemeroid onion species with a short annual growing season.

The vegetative propagation of bulbous species occurs during the branching (division) of the bulbs and the formation of baby bulbs developing on the bottom and stolons of the mother bulb. The degree of branching of the bulb and the ability to form babies are species characteristics. Rhizome species, characterized by active branching of shoots, reproduce mainly by dividing the bush.

When growing plants from seeds, bushes can be divided from the third year of life. Delenki represent areas of rhizomes with two or three intact shoots and well-developed roots. In all species, small onions - bulbs can form on inflorescences. Their formation can be stimulated by artificial cutting of buds and treatment with growth regulators. Bubbles can be used for planting. This is a valuable, stage-by-stage planting material free from phytopathogens.

Round-headed onion
Round-headed onion

The use of decorative bows in design

Decorative onions are used in group plantings, mixborders, undersized species - on rocky hills. Cut ornamental bows decorate the interior for a long time, almost for 2 weeks, and dried plants can be used for dry bouquets. From onions, you can create a garden of continuous flowering.

Types and varieties of decorative onions

The 'Globemaster' ornamental bow is a very good garden form. It begins to bloom in June, and often ends with the onset of autumn. Spherical inflorescences, up to 25 cm in diameter, consist of many star-shaped flowers. The flower stalks that appear between the shiny green leaves reach a height of 80 cm.

Ornamental onion 'Purple Sensation' is a well-known garden form of hybrid ornamental onion with dark purple flowers. Representatives of this variety reproduce by seeds. Normally, it is up to 70 cm high, with slightly ribbed stems, protruding leaves up to 4 cm wide and cupped dark purple flowers.

Decorative bow 'Mount Everest' - decorative bow with large white flowers and long arrows growing up to 120 cm. Beautifully shaped leaves keep green for a long time. Spherical umbrellas with a diameter of 15 cm consist of several dozen white star-shaped flowers. Cut inflorescences are used to make bouquets.

Round head 'Hair'
Round head 'Hair'

Decorative bow 'Hair' - decorative bow with unique flowers and gray leaves. It is widely used in landscape flower gardens and for cutting. A plant with a pleasant aroma, easy to propagate, does not present difficulties in culture. Ideal for containers, bulk planting, curbs, and cutting. Blooms from late spring for 3 weeks.

The round-headed ornamental onion (Allium sphaerocephalon) is a very beautiful plant that can be planted in flower beds with other perennial grasses. It is also placed on lawns and lawns, as well as between or under fruit trees, as is often done in England. When planted in large groups, the ball-headed bow looks as impressive as possible.

Schubert's bow
Schubert's bow

The ornamental Schubert onion (Allium schubertii) is so unusual that when you first see this plant, you will not immediately understand that it is an onion. Blooms in June. This plant is usually planted in the foreground of the rock garden, where it attracts attention with its originality. The bulbs are not frost-resistant, therefore they need shelter for the winter.

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