Antennaria, Or Cat's Paw, Is An Unpretentious Ground Cover. Growing, Planting, Care. Photo

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Antennaria, Or Cat's Paw, Is An Unpretentious Ground Cover. Growing, Planting, Care. Photo
Antennaria, Or Cat's Paw, Is An Unpretentious Ground Cover. Growing, Planting, Care. Photo

Video: Antennaria, Or Cat's Paw, Is An Unpretentious Ground Cover. Growing, Planting, Care. Photo

Video: Antennaria, Or Cat's Paw, Is An Unpretentious Ground Cover. Growing, Planting, Care. Photo
Video: Will My Cats Let Me Touch Their Paw Pads? | Kittisaurus 2024, March
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Among the ground cover plants there are many beautifully flowering and openwork-leaved stars flaunting with their unusual metallic effects. But if other inhabitants of the alpine slides can boast, first of all, of the external showiness, then the antennae conquers with something completely different - with its endurance and undemandingness. Known as cat's foot, this very easy-to-grow ground cover is not the most eye-catching but unusual and attractive plant all year round. And one of the most reliable.

Cat's paw dioecious, or Antennaria dioica (Antennaria dioica)
Cat's paw dioecious, or Antennaria dioica (Antennaria dioica)

Content:

  • Fancy silver and "legs" of tall inflorescences
  • Cultivation of antennae
  • Caring for the antenna
  • Antenaria wintering
  • Pest and disease control
  • Antenaria breeding methods

Fancy silver and "legs" of tall inflorescences

Antennaria is a fairly widespread and often found in mountainous areas ground cover, which can be found not only in Europe and Asia, but also on both American continents and in Australia. Moreover, it is very easy to recognize this ground cover externally: due to the special structure of both greenery and inflorescences, antennae cannot be called a faceless culture. Most often she settles in the company of conifers, including in woodlands. The popular nickname - a cat's paw - received an antenna for the shape of its inflorescences. But the greenery of the plant perfectly decorates the composition. This plant is of the Asteraceae family.

Cat's paws, or Antennaria (Antennaria) are perennial shrubs or herbaceous plants that form carpets and cushions from creeping, rooting shoots. The leaves of the plant are collected in a basal rosette, spatulate or lanceolate, they, like the shoots, surprise with a white-toment edge, fleshy, silvery color effect. The flower stalks of antennae are numerous, quite powerful, in color they completely repeat the tone of the leaves, which makes it seem as if the plant itself stretches high, rises during flowering. Shoots are crowned with numerous flower baskets with filiform female and tubular male flowers, rounded in shape, the baskets themselves are collected in complex inflorescences - heads and shields.

Soft and unusual, they really most of all resemble soft pads on cat's legs. The flowering period of antennae falls in the summer, lasts at least 30-40 days (in some species and varieties - more than 2 months). After flowering, beautiful small achenes are tied with an original tuft, which form thickened bristles. Fruits and seeds ripen even in regions with harsh winters.

Cat's foot (Antennaria) is a large genus of herbaceous perennials, numbering over a hundred species. But as an ornamental culture, mainly three types of antennae are grown:

Alpine cat's paw, or Antennariya Alpine (Antennaria alpina) - a small, but very showy perennial, which thanks to its sizomu color and fine leaf always looks fresh and contrasts beautifully with any neighbor in rock gardens. The leaves are very small, covered with a silvery-gray edge, the rug itself will not exceed 5 cm in height, it stands out with a very dense, pillow-like structure. Even the peduncles of this antennae rise only up to 15 cm, although against the background of the rug they seem very high. Inflorescences-baskets of white color are collected at the top of the peduncles in loose brushes of 3-5 pcs. The white color of the inflorescences is in perfect harmony with the bluish greens. The plant is able to bloom all summer from June to August.

Alpine cat's foot, or Antennaria alpina (Antennaria alpina)
Alpine cat's foot, or Antennaria alpina (Antennaria alpina)

Antennaria dioica, or Antennariya nettle (Antennaria dioica) - a perennial original. It does not die off for the winter, retains its greenish-gray shoots and leaves even under the snow, looking brightly against the background of an empty alpine hill and as if challenging the frost. Creeping shoots, like most antennae, root in the ground upon contact. The plant is slightly larger than alpine antennae. Cushion bushes are looser, hummocky, up to 15 cm high and up to 25 cm in diameter. Even from a distance, it seems sprawling, slightly sloppy, “wild”, but very beautiful.

Solid oval-shaped felt leaves are collected in a rosette, from which numerous creeping shoots creep out like snakes. In heat and drought, foliage curls, which does not diminish the attractiveness of the antenna itself. Peduncles are thick, straight, with clearly visible linear leaves hugging them. Small baskets of pink or reddish inflorescences with male and female flowers are collected in the heads and shields of the inflorescences. This antennae blooms earlier, at the end of May, is able to bloom for about 2 months. The seeds ripen in August.

Cat's foot dioecious, or Antennaria dioica 'Rubra' (Antennaria dioica 'Rubra')
Cat's foot dioecious, or Antennaria dioica 'Rubra' (Antennaria dioica 'Rubra')

In addition to the base plant, decorative forms and varieties of dioecious antenna are very popular:

  • minima is a tiny variety about 5 cm high with touching pale pink inflorescences;
  • rosea (rosea) - a form with bright pink flowers and a more intense green color;
  • rubra (rubra) - reddish-blooming large antennae with bushes about 15 cm high;
  • tomentosa (tomentosa) - a form with almost white, dense tomentose leaves;
  • variety 'Aprica' with snow-white inflorescences;
  • variety 'Roy Davidson' with lilac-pink inflorescences and bright greens.

The plantain - leaved cat's foot, or Antennaria plantaginifolia, is a more rare species, the bushes of which really closely resemble plantain greens. The largest antennae, in which shoots, densely covered with lanceolate leaves, can grow up to 40 cm in length, and oval, large leaves in rosettes resemble the cultivated version of the plantain. Inflorescences are also larger than those of other antennae. They bloom in May-June and consist of rather large white or dirty pink baskets. It is considered, like a plantain, a plant that can grow even where no other species will settle, including in untreated or neglected soil (but its decorative effect is fully revealed only in at least minimally worked soil).

Plantain-leaved cat's foot, or Antennaria plantaginifolia (Antennaria plantaginifolia)
Plantain-leaved cat's foot, or Antennaria plantaginifolia (Antennaria plantaginifolia)

Much less common is the Carpathian Cat's Paw, or Carpathian Antennaria (Antennaria carpatica) - a plant with a typical gray-silver carpet of rosettes of narrow leaves and tall, but bare peduncles, crowned with pinkish inflorescences.

In the design of the garden, antennae are used:

  • for the design of alpine slides and rockeries;
  • for the design of retaining walls, rocky slopes, areas of terraced gardens with light and dry soil;
  • for problem areas with sandy soil;
  • for filling gaps between stones and slabs, in stepping paths;
  • in ceremonial flower beds with stone filling;
  • in landscape flower beds or natural-style compositions that mimic the wild;
  • in carpet mixborders;
  • as an alternative to a lawn resistant to trampling of a ground cover;
  • for a low curb along the path;
  • as a contrasting soil filler between conifers, especially dwarf ones;
  • as a winter-green plant that retains its attractiveness throughout the year;
  • as a silvery accent in rocky gardens;
  • for long summer flowering and contrast with the main flowering crops in the rock garden;
  • as a cut culture (for winter bouquets).

The best partners for antennae: compact spruces, pines and junipers, heathers, barberries, euonymus, cereals, bulbs (can be planted in the antennae carpet), any flowering plants for an alpine slide and annuals.

Carpathian cat's paw, or Antennaria carpatica (Antennaria carpatica)
Carpathian cat's paw, or Antennaria carpatica (Antennaria carpatica)

Cultivation of antennae

Like most ground covers, the cat's foot prefers sunny places and will not develop normally even in partial shade (shoots stretch out, the carpet becomes loose and unattractive). But the antennae also has one feature: the plants feel great not on the southern, but on the eastern and western slopes of rock gardens and rockeries, but it is better not to plant them on the hottest areas.

The soil for this ground cover must be permeable, light and poor. Antennaria should not be planted in nutritious and even standard soils, it does not tolerate an excess of nitrogen and organic matter (the effect is the same as in shading). There is no need to improve the soil before planting. The antenna can be planted on sandy soils, on any poor and even neglected soil. She is able to survive perfectly and delight with beauty even where the most hardy of cereal plants do not settle. The reaction of the soil is preferably slightly acidic.

Plants are planted according to the standard technique, in personal pits according to the size of the rhizome, not deeply deepening. The optimum distance for planting is from 25 cm. When planting in rocky gardens or other decorative compositions, it is advisable to mulch immediately. Antennaria, unlike many inhabitants of alpine hills, does not like mulching with bark, substrate or other common materials: mulch for it is created from gravel or stone chips. It is possible not to mulch the antennae, but in this case, in the first months before the formation of dense turf, you will have to remember about weeding.

Cat's foot is dioecious, or Antennaria dioecious
Cat's foot is dioecious, or Antennaria dioecious

Caring for the antenna

It is not by chance that this ground cover won the title of one of the most unpretentious ornamental plants. Antennaria is so hardy and undemanding that it does not need to be provided with any care. This plant can literally be planted and forgotten. By and large, antennaariums do not need irrigation or loosening the soil, weeds do not grow inside the rugs. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule. If you want the antennae to quickly create a dense carpet, set the task of quick landscaping, then you can introduce irrigation in drought or even systemic procedures (but avoid waterlogging). When grown for cut to obtain more spectacular inflorescences, watering is also desirable. In the first months after planting, especially when growing from seeds, weeding is necessary, but you can get rid of them by mulching the soil with stone chips.

The only thing you have to take care of is fairly frequent rejuvenation. Antennaria are prone to degeneration, spreading, rugs without regular division become loose-sparse, bald spots appear in them. The antennae are divided every 2-3 years, in early spring. Rugs can be divided into 2-3 large, and into smaller parts. The main thing is to remove the dead areas of the pillows.

Antenaria wintering

This ground cover is completely winter-hardy, does not suffer even in the event of an unsuccessful winter. Shelter does not require.

Pest and disease control

Antennaria is one of the unique ground covers that does not suffer from diseases and pests with the correct selection of the growing place. The only thing that can threaten a cat's paw is landing in a damp place and quick death from decay.

Antennaria small-leaved (Antennaria microphylla)
Antennaria small-leaved (Antennaria microphylla)

Antenaria breeding methods

It is easy to get new plants by dividing bushes and carpets, separating lateral leaf rosettes (provided that the divisions are not too small). Divide the antennae in spring or at least early summer. Usually, by the end of the gardening season, they already have time to form a nice and dense pillow.

You can also use another vegetative method - to dig out the layers (creeping shoots take root in the soil on their own, constantly forming new bushes, which are enough to separate from the mother plant). The optimal time for separation of layers is in the middle of spring.

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