Cochia. Summer Cypress. Care, Cultivation, Reproduction. Decorative Blooming. Flowers. Garden Plants. A Photo

Recently, this plant has become especially popular, it is called broom cochia. For its resemblance to cypress, it is also called "summer cypress", although it has nothing to do with conifers. Belongs to the haze family. And this "cypress" is called summertime probably because the plant is annual and the period of its activity falls on the middle of summer - late autumn.

Kohia came to us from China. It is a deciduous annual elongated-oval semi-bush about 120 cm high. The leaves are small, narrow, alternating, bright green. Flowers are inconspicuous, inconspicuous, the fruit looks like a nut. The bush is dense, highly branched, growing rapidly. Prefers sunny places, although tolerates light shading. Poorly tolerates frost. It is relatively drought-resistant. Loves loose soils with a lot of humus, although in general it is not very whimsical to growing conditions.

In floriculture, broom cochia is used as an ornamental plant, the leaves of which acquire a dark red color by autumn.

Propagated naturally by seeds, which are sown in autumn (October) or spring (March-April) in open soil. The distance between plants is 60-100 cm. Cochia can be grown using seedlings, then the seeds are sown in March. Sowing is superficial, without deepening seeds.

Seedlings are planted in open soil when the threat of frost has passed. In case of sudden cold snaps, plants can be covered with paper or polyethylene caps.

In autumn, female specimens form seed pods, from which seeds spill out. Cochia produces self-seeding, which must be thinned out so that the plants do not crowd out each other. Seeds remain viable for 1-2 years.

Care consists in weeding, watering and loosening the soil. It is also advisable to feed it with mineral fertilizer twice a season.

Kohia is used both in single and group plantings, in mixed flower beds, on alpine hills. Looks especially beautiful against the background of stones. It tolerates a haircut very well, so it is often used to create hedges and curbs, planted along paths. For better branching, the tops of the bushes are pinched. You can plant kohija in containers. If you bring them indoors before freezing, the plants will stand for another 1-2 months. When they lose their decorative effect, dry yellowed bushes are cut and tied into a bunch, which is then used as a broom.