Description and characteristics of the noble liverwort, rules for planting and caring for the plant

Growing the noble liverwort helps to decorate the garden plot. This plant is a perennial herbaceous crop that reaches a height of 8-15 centimeters. It blooms in early spring and is often used in landscape design. Group plantings look especially attractive. When the liverwort begins to bloom, the entire area is covered with a beautiful dense carpet.

Botanical features of the plant

According to the botanical description, the plant belongs to the Buttercup family. It is a perennial herbaceous plant. The height of the flower is no more than 15 centimeters. Long petioles are complemented by leaves of 3 lobes. Young plants have a small fluff. However, over time it disappears.

Brown scales are visible on the upper part of the root system. New arrow-shaped stems emerge from the axils of last year's leaves.

The plant begins to bloom in early spring. Flowers appear directly from under the snow cover. Each bud forms 3-6 flowers. Their diameter is no more than 1.5 centimeters. The color scheme varies - blue or lilac. In more rare cases, pink and white flowers are found.

In spring, the plant awakens very quickly. In just 2 days the bush increases 3 times. At the same time, the culture blooms for only 2 weeks. It is worth considering that all elements of the plant have toxic properties. Therefore, when coming into contact with a bush, it is recommended to wash your hands well.

Habitat

The plant lives in almost all European countries. It is found in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine. The liverwort also grows in Asia - Korea, Japan, China. In its natural environment, the crop prefers deciduous forests.In more rare cases, it is found in meadows.

Application in landscape design

This graceful plant blooms for only a short time, but this process begins when the snow melts. During this period, there are no other flowers. This is why liverwort is often used in landscape design. Moreover, even faded bushes remain attractive throughout the season.

Often the culture is combined with coniferous plants. It is planted with juniper, thuja, and boxwood. The liverwort looks very beautiful under lilac and mock orange. The flower looks great against the background of stones. That’s why it often serves as a decoration for an alpine hill.

When planting in a rock garden for the liverwort, you should choose the shaded side. This will help avoid the negative effects of the scorching sun. Small hostas, primroses, and dwarf barberries look good next to the plant. Sanguinaria or saxifrage are also suitable.

Popular varieties for planting in the garden

Today there are many varieties of liverworts that are suitable for planting in a summer cottage. Each of them is characterized by certain features.

Acute-lobed

This crop is found in forests. She loves temperate climates. Leaves include 3 lobes. The blue-white flowers have a green center. They are characterized by large stamens. Thanks to this, the inflorescence looks more expressive.

American

This plant was brought to Europe from America. It is characterized by five-lobed leaves of a light purple hue. The plant is distinguished by small pink flowers. They appear to be half open.

Noble

This is the most common type of culture. It is a low herbaceous bush 10-20 centimeters tall.The perennial grows in temperate climate zones of the Northern Hemisphere. Flowers are also found in the Moscow region and other nearby regions.

Transylvanian

This plant lives in northern Romania and the Carpathians. Garden forms look very attractive. They have large flowers. Moreover, their shade can be different - pink, white, blue. The terry liverwort looks beautiful.

Asian

This plant lives in the Primorsky Territory. The culture loves shady areas and moist, drained soil. The plant is characterized by slow growth. This variety of crop does not bloom every year.

Things to consider before boarding

To get a strong and strong plant, you should familiarize yourself with the key tips from experts. To do this, it is recommended to select a suitable site.

Optimal place

The liverwort loves shaded areas. It is best to plant the plant under deciduous trees or shrubs. If you place the crop in open areas, flowering will be short and sparse.

Soil composition

The culture loves loose soil, which is enriched with nutrients. It is desirable that the soil is light and permeable. Before planting the crop, peat should be added to the soil. Half-rotted pine needles are also suitable.

Illumination of the area

To ensure normal development of the plant, it is recommended to choose a place without strong sun. A shady area is suitable - behind the house or near the fence.

It should be borne in mind that in such a place the plant will not live for very long. Therefore, a place with average illumination is considered the ideal option.This means that the sun should appear on it, but not for the whole day.

Favorable and Undesirable Neighbors

To create a beautiful flower bed, it is worth considering its composition in detail. Combining liverwort with other plants will help get good results. Crocuses and daffodils are ideal for combining with crops. No less successful options would be small primroses, adonis, and sanguinaria.

At the same time, flower growers categorically do not advise combining liverwort with plants that are characterized by rapid and aggressive development.

Planting a plant

In order for the noble liverwort to grow well, it is worth taking into account all the nuances when planting it.

Soil and site preparation

Before planting the crop in the holes, it is recommended to put a little compost. It is also worth applying complex fertilizer.

Deadlines

It is worth planting liverwort during dormancy - in July or August. Thanks to this, the plant will have time to take root before frost, which will ensure flowering next spring. During planting, renewal buds should be at ground level.

Carrying out planting work

It is recommended to plant the crop in open soil in groups. This will help you get the most effective result. Most often, the plant is planted in bushes of 5 pieces. Moreover, the culture can grow in one place for 20 years.

How to care for a flower

When planting a flower, it should be provided with complete and high-quality care. This will help achieve beautiful flowering.

Watering

This plant requires sufficient moisture. It can tolerate drought, but this will cause the leaves to fall off. It is recommended to water the crop as the soil dries out. It is important to ensure that the soil remains moist at all times.

Transfer

The plant easily tolerates transplantation at any time.This procedure can be carried out even in the middle of summer. To do this, it is recommended to dig up a bush with a large lump of earth and move it to moist soil. In this case, the ideal time to transplant a flower is spring or early autumn.

Fertilizer

This plant grows well without additional fertilizers. If you want to enrich the soil, immediately after the snow melts, you should add bone meal to it. After flowering is complete, it is recommended to use nitrogen supplements. At the end of summer it is better to apply fertilizers that include phosphorus and potassium.

Trimming

This procedure is recommended to be carried out in early spring, when flower stalks appear. Pruning should be done for decorative purposes. It involves removing last year's leaves. In parallel with flowering, they change color and die, which leads to a deterioration in the appearance of the bushes. If you cut off the foliage in advance, you will be able to get a beautiful plant.

After flowering, new leaves appear. Thanks to this, the culture retains its decorative properties. In this form, the liverwort serves as a flowerbed decoration until winter.

Garter

This crop is distinguished by its compact size and strong stem. Therefore, she needs the use of supports and a garter.

Diseases and pests: treatment and prevention

The perennial plant often faces fungal diseases. For preventive purposes, it is recommended to use a solution of Bordeaux mixture. Its concentration should be 1%.

It is recommended to treat the crop with the product after the flowering process is completed.

Preparing for winter

Under natural conditions, the crop easily survives the winter. This is due to snow cover in the forest. The role of an additional insulating layer is played by fallen leaves.When growing liverworts in a garden plot, gardeners advise mulching the beds. For this purpose, you should use compost or humus.

Reproduction of the variety

The plant is propagated in various ways. This is done using seeds or dividing the bush. In more rare cases, the cutting procedure is used. A variety of methods helps every gardener choose the appropriate option.

Dividing the bush

Terry forms of the plant do not produce seeds. Therefore, it is recommended to propagate such varieties by division. For this, bushes older than 4 years are used. They have a strong root system.

To carry out the procedure, it is recommended to dig up the plant before flowering begins - in the fall. This can also be done in the summer, after flowering has completed. The bush should be shaken off the ground, divided and moved to fertile soil. Then the bed is mulched and systematically watered.

Seeds

After collecting the seeds, they should be placed in a cool place. It is recommended to store planting material in a bag with wet vermiculite. Sphagnum moss is also perfect. If the seeds dry out, they will completely lose their viability.

It is recommended to plant the plant immediately after collecting the seeds. This can also be done before winter. The seed is buried approximately 1 centimeter into the soil.

When cold weather sets in, it is recommended to cover the area with spruce branches. Sprouts will appear in spring. At the same time, young bushes grow quickly. Flowering of seedlings begins only in the 3rd year.

If the group is isolated from other forms, maternal coloration will be obtained. If there are other varieties nearby, the shades may mix.

By cuttings

Rosette rooting is often used for breeding exotic varieties. To do this, make a small cut from below.After treatment with a stimulant, it should be transplanted into a suitable container. In this case, there is a risk that the plant will not take root. However, the method usually gives the required results.

The plant should be planted in the off-season. This can be done in spring or autumn. It is important to ensure that the renewal buds remain on the surface of the soil. It is recommended to pour compost and a small amount of fertilizer into the hole.

In one area, a crop grows for a long time. If you transplant it to a new place, it easily adapts at any stage of development. However, it is not recommended to carry out the procedure very often.

Liverwort is a beautiful ornamental plant that is easy to care for. It is often used to decorate flower beds and garden plots. Thanks to the correct creation of the composition, you can get an excellent result.