Planting and caring for Pushkinia in open ground, the best types and varieties

Representatives of the Hyacinth family look spectacular in gardens and personal plots. Those who love delicate and attractive primroses will be interested in learning how to properly plant Pushkinia and what care this flower, often called dwarf hyacinth, requires. This flower was first discovered by the famous Russian chemist, botanist and mineralogist Apollos Apollosovich Musin-Pushkin.

Description and features

Pushkinia is a very beautiful small flower belonging to the subfamily Hyacinthaceae and the Asparagus family of plants. According to some sources, it is also included in the Liliaceae family.

In the wild, Pushkinia primarily grows in the Caucasus, Asia Minor and Western Asia. The most favorable conditions for it are rocky, moist slopes, as well as mountain meadows with an abundance of shrubs.

The average height of this primrose is 15-20 centimeters. This culture belongs to the category of ephemeroids - herbaceous perennial plants with a short growing season. The bulbs are ovoid in shape and covered with thin brown scales on top. At the base of the stem there are 2 or 3 dark green, belt-shaped leaves. Bell-shaped flowers of white or pale blue color form racemose inflorescences. They appear a few days after the leaves form. At the end of the flowering period, fruits are formed in the form of boxes filled with round light brown seeds.

Pushkinia is miniature in size, but this early spring flower has pronounced decorative properties. The flowering period begins in April or May, depending on the region, and lasts up to three weeks.

Growing in open ground

To successfully grow Pushkinia, you need to choose the right place and prepare nutritious soil.

Landing dates

Seeds should be sown in open ground from mid-September to the twentieth of October.Thus, having undergone the procedure of natural stratification, they will germinate by next spring.

Selection and preparation of seed material

Plant seeds or bulbs are used as seed material..

Pushkinia seeds should be collected for subsequent sowing in June, immediately after the end of the flowering period. Since the soil is too dry at this time, the sowing process itself must be postponed until autumn. Until this moment, it is necessary to protect the seeds from drying out by placing them in the refrigerator for storage.

The bulbs need to be dug up in the fall, when the leaves of the plant turn yellow and begin to dry. Carefully separate the daughter bulbs from the mother bulbs and dry them in a shaded and ventilated place. Until planting, they should be stored in a box made of cardboard or wood. At its bottom you must first lay a nutrient layer of slightly moistened sawdust or peat.

Soil preparation

The soil for sowing the plant must be well drained, that is, free from excess water. If the soil has a too dense structure, it must be loosened by mixing with leaf humus, peat or river sand. The area for planting the plant should be sufficiently illuminated by the sun, but light shade is allowed. Stagnation of moisture must be avoided.

Planting scheme

Seeds should be sown at a depth of at least 5 centimeters, and bulbs should be planted at a depth of 7 centimeters. A distance of up to 10 centimeters must be maintained between them - this will allow the flowers to develop comfortably without crowding each other.

Care

Proper watering and feeding of Pushkinia, as well as pest and disease control will ensure the plant’s healthy development and attractive appearance.

Watering

If dry weather prevails in spring, Pushkinia requires intensive watering. This plant especially needs life-giving moisture during the growth of leaves and peduncles.

Loosening and weeding

It is necessary to loosen and weed the soil after Pushkinia has faded. It is necessary to promptly remove all weeds that choke the growth of a miniature flower.

Mulching

By mulching the soil where Pushkinia grows, you can reduce the amount of watering and weeding.

It is recommended to use peat as mulch. This procedure is carried out immediately after planting the flower.

Top dressing

At the beginning of spring, Pushkinia especially urgently needs nutrients, so you need to feed it with dry mineral fertilizer. For one square meter of area you will need 50-60 grams of the product - scatter its granules evenly around each flower and leave until completely dissolved. Then, so that valuable substances reach the roots, loosen the soil between the rows.

Diseases and pests

Pushkinia is relatively resistant to pests and diseases, but in some cases it is affected by rodents, gray mold and Achelenchoides. Every problem has its own solution and preventative methods.

Gray rot

Gray mold, also known as botrytis, is a dangerous and rapidly spreading fungal disease. Its first symptom is the appearance of gray spots on any above-ground part of the plant. As an emergency, you need to treat the infected plant with a solution with fungicidal properties.

Recommended for these purposes:

• Bordeaux mixture;
• "Topaz";
• "Previkur";
• "Kuproksat";
• "Skor."

For prevention, you need to ensure that when watering, water does not fall on the leaves of the plant, and also avoid excess nitrogen-based fertilizers.

Achelenchoides

Achellenchoides is a disease that manifests itself in ring rot and the appearance of a brown tint on the scales of the bulbs. The affected plant's natural growth slows down and its external attractiveness is lost. The solution to the problem will be the complete destruction of diseased bulbs.

To prevent infection with Achellenchoides, you need to keep the bulbs in warm water at a temperature of +43 degrees for 15 minutes before planting.

Rodents

Mice and other types of rodents love to eat the succulent bulbs of Pushkinia. Therefore, you need to take care of reliable traps in advance.

Another enemy of this flower is the meadow mite. It gnaws through the bottom and moves through the middle of the bulb, as a result of which it begins to rot or dry out. Treating the plant with an insecticidal preparation will help get rid of the problem. For preventive purposes, such treatment should be carried out before planting.

Transfer

Periodically, Pushkinia requires a transplant. It is advisable to carry it out every 4-5 years. During this period, each bulb appears 5-7 daughter shoots. The plants become cramped in the area, as a result of which their aesthetic appearance deteriorates.

After flowering

Bulbs for transplantation should be dug up in mid-summer, when the above-ground part of the plant has dried out significantly. Planting material must be carefully sorted, getting rid of rotten or damaged specimens. Place healthy bulbs in a cardboard box and place in a cool, ventilated place. Planting in the ground is carried out as usual, in mid-September or October.

Collection and storage of seeds

The best time to collect Pushkinia seeds is June. They need to be dried and poured into a cardboard box. It is recommended to store in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator, where optimal temperature conditions are provided.

Preparing for winter

It is recommended to cover the soil where Pushkinia was transplanted with a layer of straw or peat before wintering.

Forcing at home

Forcing accelerates the growing season of Pushkinia by changing light, humidity, temperature and other factors that positively affect its growth and flowering.

For forcing at home you need:

1. Select several healthy Pushkinia bulbs.
2. Prepare a pot up to 7 cm high and 12-15 cm in diameter.
3. Fill the pot with nutritious soil consisting of leaf humus, river sand and turf soil in a ratio of 1:1:2.
4. Plant the bulbs.
5. Hide the container in a dark, cool place with a temperature no higher than +10 degrees and a humidity of 85-90%.
6. After 8-10 weeks, move the container to a lighted room with an air temperature not exceeding +15 degrees.
7. Water as needed.
8. After 2 weeks the flowering period will begin.

Kinds

There are several varieties of Pushkinia.

Hyacinth-shaped

Hyacinth-shaped Pushkinia in wildlife is mainly found in the mountains of Eastern Transcaucasia and Northern Iran. This is a miniature plant with rather fleshy, plump leaves. The oval inflorescences have a dense structure and a pale blue color, as close as possible to white.

Proleskovidnaya

This variety of Pushkinia is common in the Caucasus, Turkey and Iran. Prefers to grow on forest edges and meadows among shrubs. The bell-shaped flowers have a pleasant blue tint.

Lebanese

One of the subspecies of the forest-like variety of the plant is called Lebanese Pushkinia. The main difference is that it has larger flowers with two-toothed crowns.

Bilgineri

Pushkinia Bilgineri was discovered in 2014 by Turkish botanist Hasan Yaldırım. It is characterized by an almost white color and a refined shape of the petals.

Pishmena

Pushkinia Pishmena is distinguished from other species by the yellow-green color of the perianth. This plant is widespread in Iran and Turkey.

Popular varieties

Among the large number of varieties, the following are popular.

Alba

One of the rare varieties of Lebanese Pushkinia is called Alba. Its distinctive features are its snow-white color and the presence of an expressive blue line on the vein of the petal. The inflorescences are oval, and the leaves are thin, linear.

Libanotica

Another subspecies of Lebanese Pushkinia is Libanotica. This plant attracts attention with large flowers of a beautiful blue hue.

Reproduction

For propagation, seeds or daughter bulbs of the plant are used.

Seeds

Seeds for propagation of Pushkinia are collected at the end of the flowering period. They must be dried in the fresh air and stored until autumn in a cool, dark place. Planting in the ground is done to a depth of at least 5 cm, at a similar distance from each other, so that the plants can grow and develop freely.

Bulbs

The bulbs are collected from Pushkinia, which has reached 4-5 years of age. This is done after flowering, usually in mid-summer. Beautiful, healthy specimens without damage or signs of disease are selected for planting. All material must be dried and stored in a cool and dark place.

Pushkinia bulbs are planted to a depth of up to 7 cm. The distance between holes is 10 cm.

Partners

The following plants are recognized as the best partners of Pushkinia in the garden:

• tulips;
• low growing daffodils;
• primrose;
• Chionodoxa;
• scillas;
• muscari;
• tenacious;
• sedum

Use in landscape design

Pushkinia is an irreplaceable element that looks harmonious in alpine slides, flower beds, mixborders and borders. In spring, pale blue flowers attract attention, giving a feeling of lightness and freshness. In summer, the emphasis is on the juicy dark green leaves of Pushkinia.