Dangerous But Beautiful Diktamnus, Or Yasenets. Burning Bush. Growing From Seeds, Care. Photo

Known by the popular nickname "burning bush" ash, or diktamnus - herbaceous perennial from the category requiring caution in handling. It leaves burns on the skin, is capable of flashing in a matter of seconds, and is toxic, which imposes significant restrictions on the possibilities of use. But those who replenish their garden ensembles with at least one bush of dictamnus will never give up the luxurious flowering of this dangerous handsome man. After all, a little care is not such a big price for the amazing tenderness and ease of growing.

The restive nature of a non-standard perennial

The ash tree is capable of creating spectacular thickets. These are upright, but bushy perennials, which increase in power every year. How are these plants called! And wild star anise, and ash trees, and the burning bush. And culture has earned each nickname for its unique talents. In hot heat, if you bring fire to the plant, it will burst into a bright flame. And on the skin it leaves almost the same burns as a flame. Many people associate the biblical legend of the burning bush with dictamnus. And given the ease of ignition of dictamnus, assumptions about the possibility of its spontaneous combustion under the rays of the desert sun are quite logical. But you shouldn't be afraid of a fire: it's all about volatile essential oils, which are highly flammable and go out just as quickly, without harming either the plant itself or its neighbors.

Ash (Dictamnus) is a small genus of decorative Eurasian perennials. Rhizome and large, upright, up to 1 m in height, they look most attractive during flowering, but their greenery is also very good.

In the genus dictamnus, 6 plants were previously isolated. But they are all so similar to each other that modern scientists have found an ideal compromise and combined individual forms into one species - white dictamnus (dictamnus albus). Plants, formerly known as fraxinella Caucasian (dictamnus caucasicus), as well as less popular mohnatoplodny (dictamnus dasycarpum), golostolbikovy (dictamnus gymnostyli s), angustifolia (dictamnus angustifolius) diktamnusy today is not classified even as a form of plants (all the old names - synonyms diktamnusa white).

White ash (dictamnus albus) is the most famous representative of the genus, and according to scientists, it is also the only one. It is a spectacular, tall perennial that grows up to 1 m (during flowering). It has a branched, powerful rhizome and straight shoots covered with a dense edge. They harmonize beautifully with whole basal and pinnate stem leaves sessile on long petioles. The greenery resembles ash in shape, forms lush curtains, dense, with a cold-gray color. On flower beds, especially in the middle of summer, ash trees look fresh, as if they had just been watered. The jagged edge, glandular edge and dense texture of the leaves seem to have been specially created by nature in order to advantageously reveal the graceful flowering.

Flowers up to 2.5 cm in diameter with 6 pointed petals are white or pinkish, stamens are yellow-green, sometimes colored, graceful. Inflorescences-brushes up to 20 cm long seem lacy, sparse, but very graceful and large. Flowers in them are clearly visible, perceived as massive, veins are visible on the petals, more typical of leaves. The color is complex, as a rule, the veins are contrasting, and the large stamens only add grace to the asymmetrical flower. Aroma also belongs to the unconditional advantages of dicmantus: this plant is very fragrant, and during flowering it is easy to recognize it even from a distance. True, the aroma of ash, which is somewhat reminiscent of dry orange peel, is not to everyone's liking. After flowering, capsules form, hiding black shiny seeds.

White ash has separate garden forms - pink and dark red. The color gamut of dictamnuses is generally limited, but not at all uninteresting. Ash produces either white or pink flowers, and pink colors are always surprisingly complex. Against the background of light petals, dark pink veins stand out brightly, which makes the whole plant seem graphic and watercolor at the same time. Under the guise of a separate plant, we often continue to sell Caucasian ash - a smaller pink-colored and graceful dictamnus. The best of the white-flowered varieties "Albiflorus" seems to be a herbaceous relative of magnolias, very elegant and gentle.

Dictamnus blooms in June and July, flowering is long and equally spectacular for almost one and a half months.

The ash requires a special approach

The main characteristic of dictamnus is its aggressiveness. This is an ultra-toxic handsome man, contact with which leaves severe burns and wounds on the skin. Moreover, the effect of toxins is not felt immediately. Working with dictamnus, planting and pruning it requires extreme caution and full protection of the exposed skin of the hands. Leaning close to the plant, inhaling the scent of flowers is also not worth it (a chemical burn of mucous membranes is no less dangerous than an epidermal burn). But the myths that the plant cannot be approached are unjustified: firstly, the plant leaves serious burns only in sunny weather, and, secondly, even though the healing of irritations takes time, they are not at all irreversible. Like any toxic or poisonous plant, the ash tree simply requires a careful approach and frankness.

But dictamnuses will pleasantly surprise you not only with their beauty, but also with their durability, they do not require a transplant for a decade. And if you give them enough space so that there is no need to restrain the plant and limit its distribution, the ash tree can even be "planted and almost forgotten."

Ash is used in ornamental gardening

• as a visual peak, the highest emphasis on flower beds and flower beds;
• as a background culture on flower beds and to fill the middle plan of double-sided beds;
• single bushes as decoration for "flat" flower beds and in small groups as high flowering decoration of textural flower beds;
• as one of the catchiest country-style plants;
• in romantic ensembles with a focus on original flowering and pink palette;
• in landscape groups and massifs;
• in the design of rockeries and rock gardens;
• in mixborders with flowering relay.

On flower beds and in decorative compositions, dictamnuses should be placed away from the paths, so that they are not in the "contact zone". You need to be careful when placing ash in mixborders or near recreation areas: despite the aroma and beauty, the plant is too toxic for careless placement.

The best partners for dictamnus: geyhera, monarda, kermek, daylilies, liatris, gypsophila

Growing an ash tree

One of the main advantages of the ash tree is that a place for this plant can be found in every garden. After all, dictamnuses grow beautifully in the bright sun, even on the southern sides of rock gardens and rockeries, and in secluded penumbra. True, it is better to avoid strong shading (it negatively affects flowering), but the ash tree practically does not notice a slight partial shade.

In order for the ash tree to reveal all its decorative talents, it needs to be provided with alkaline or at least slightly calcareous soils. Even on neutral ground, senets bloom weaker. But the rest of the soil characteristics should be given attention: dictamnus loves gravel and sand, light, rocky soils, loose and loose. This plant thrives in rocky gardens and is not too demanding on the nutritional value of the soil (but grows better on medium-fertile soil than on poor soil). The ash tree does not tolerate wet and waterlogged soils.

Planting an ash tree

This plant can only be planted on cloudy, cool days, only in early spring or September. Dictamnus seedlings respond better to transplantation, but it is also better to transfer it to a permanent place in a favorable period. Delenk, transferred in the heat, perish: in the summer, any transplant is unacceptable.

Since the ash tree itself is actively growing, it should not be planted too close to neighboring plants. The optimal distance is about 50 cm. Dictamnuses are planted in the simplest planting holes, maintaining the same level of deepening. After planting, the plant needs to provide abundant watering and make the procedures systemic until signs of growth appear (but excessive dampness should not be allowed).

Dictamnus care

Ash is more than easy to care for. Due to its drought tolerance and hardiness, it is content with really minimal maintenance. Watering for the plant is carried out only in a too prolonged drought during the flowering period, when extreme dryness of the soil can stop flowering earlier.

Fertilizing dictamnuses as such are not needed, but it is better to maintain at least a slight nutritional value of the soil and its alkaline characteristics. To this end, it is sufficient to apply a standard dose of alkalizing universal fertilizers once a year, in early spring (it is worth starting from the 3rd year on good soil and from the second on depleted).

For the rest, caring for ash trees is reduced to ordinary procedures - weeding weeds on flower beds and periodic loosening of the soil after heavy rainfall. If dictamnuses grow in landscape groups, in a large array, in rockeries or rock gardens, then they will not need such care. But on flower beds and flower beds, you can save yourself from unnecessary worries by simply mulching the soil.

Dictamnuses need pruning, but when to do it is up to you. If you want dry shoots and open ash achenes to decorate your garden under the snow, leave pruning for early spring. And those who do not want to add hassle to themselves during the most active season of gardening can cut dictamnuses at the end of the year, in late autumn.

Ash tree wintering

Diktamnuses are completely winter-hardy plants that are not afraid of even the most unexpected changes in winter temperature and do not need any special preparation for the coldest season.

Pest and disease control

In garden culture, as in nature, the ash tree practically does not get sick. The only thing that threatens the plant is improper planting.

Dictamnus breeding methods

Diktamnus is a very easy culture to breed. It is so actively spreading self-seeding and growing that you can get new copies annually.

Propagation of ash by seeds

Seeds, preferably freshly harvested. In order to prevent the seeds from scattering, you need to constantly monitor the plant in August, because they crack literally in a matter of days. Sowing immediately after harvesting directly into open soil is more suitable for this crop. There are also alternative methods - sowing before winter or in the middle of spring, but some of the seeds can germinate only after a year. Diktamnus is sown on seed beds, and not on a permanent place. Seedlings, which appear in spring, are sifted, leaving 15 cm between the plants and grow them with at least occasional watering for 2-3 years (dictamnus will bloom only 3-4 years after sowing, so there is no need to rush to transfer it to a permanent place).

Ash tree propagation by dividing the bush

For this method, it is critical to comply with the timing: if you divide the ash bushes in summer or in hot weather, then you will not be able to save parts of the plant. Therefore, the procedure for dividing curtains should be carried out not only by reliably protecting hands with gloves, but also strictly adhering to the favorable period: early spring until the third decade of May or in autumn, exclusively in September. In order for the delenki to take root, they must be large, and in the new place the plants will have to be provided with abundant watering.

Propagation of ash by cuttings

In ash trees, non-lignified, young shoots can easily root, provided that after cutting they were treated with growth accelerators. Cuttings can be rooted both under hoods in boxes or pots, and in the soil in greenhouses.