Description of the 23 best varieties of tenacious, features of planting and care

Tenacious (another name is ayuga) is a herbaceous plant, different species of which are found throughout the world. Most of them (about 70 species) grow in temperate climates. In our country it is called differently, and is used not only for creating garden compositions and planting in flower beds, but also for preparing medicines and cosmetics. Gardeners have developed a huge number of tenacious varieties, but each of them is distinguished by high survival rate. With proper care, such a flower will decorate the area for a long time.

Description

Different types of tenacious differ greatly from each other, and the plant can be evergreen, semi-evergreen, and in some cases even loses its leaves for the winter. The stems are straight, grow up to 40 centimeters, less often – up to half a meter. The leaves at the bottom of the stem are large and become smaller towards the top. Ayuga inflorescences look like spikelets; they usually have 6-8 flowers, which can be blue, dark blue, or purple. They come in burgundy, red, and darker shades.

Peculiarities

All varieties of tenacious grow well in almost any conditions. This plant is cold-resistant, capable of growing wildly even on depleted soil and covering the entire area with a continuous carpet.

In fact, the only thing necessary for ayuga is a sufficient amount of moisture. It is possible to grow even in dark areas of the site, but at the same time the color of the flowers fades, they may even turn white.

Types and varieties

At first glance, the tenacious flower may seem like a simple flower, but gardeners have developed many varieties. They vary in color, height and many other parameters.

Creeping

Creeping tenacious is one of the species that is especially loved by gardeners due to its variety of colors. The great advantage of this species is its long flowering, so it is worth choosing if you want to keep the garden attractive for the whole season.After the onset of autumn, the plants look as if the buds have just blossomed and stand out favorably on the site. This species gave rise to those varieties that have now gained particular popularity among gardeners.

Arctic Snow

This variety was bred recently, and it is distinguished primarily by its unusual leaves. They are quite large, spatulate, and wrinkled. They are colored dark green, but have a whitish spot in the middle. Along the edge there is also a white edge.

Black Scallop

A low variety, it can rise a maximum of 10 centimeters above the ground. The leaves look unusual - embossed, with an uneven, wavy edge, reminiscent of beet leaves, also due to their purple color, which darkens towards the middle. When planted in sunny places, the shade becomes especially bright.

Chocolate Chip

Height is about 6 centimeters, the leaves are also small, elliptical in shape. Can be colored in various shades of green or purple. The advantage of this variety is that its color is not affected by the presence or absence of sunlight.

Multicolor

This variety is especially sensitive to the amount of light, since it directly determines what color will appear on each part of the leaf:

• in the shade, the leaves darken and become green, but there are patterns of pinkish and lemon-yellow shades;
• in the sun - deep purple, with scarlet, orange, red or yellowish stains.

Therefore, Multicolor is most often planted in different parts of the site to create a bright composition of bushes.

Burgundy Glow

The leaves are colored bright purple and violet. The shade brightens at the edges, becoming creamy; reddish-pink spots of different sizes are scattered in the center.It is best to plant Burgundy Glow in shaded areas, then the difference between the colors of different parts will be more visible.

Sparkler

Another bright and beautiful variety, which is also called Creeping Sparkler. The flowers are deep blue, the leaves are small and variegated, green in color, with white or light pink “splashes”.

Variegata

The leaves are grayish-green or even silver in color. There is a stripe along the edges, and its color on each sheet varies from white to cream. Variegata is a variety that takes a long time to bloom, but it can be planted in the darkest places, and then the tricolor color of the leaves will be more contrasting.

Pink Elf

One of the longest flowering varieties. The flowers are pale pink. Unlike other varieties of ayuga, the color of the leaves is grassy green, uniform, and the leaves themselves are small in size.

Dark purple

It is one of the least capricious, which is why it has gained great popularity among gardeners. The Atropurpurea variety has red leaves with a bronze tint and blue flowers, which together gives an unusual and beautiful combination.

Rainbow

This variety has especially variegated leaves. By themselves they are purple or dark green, but the spots can be of various shades - red, light green, red, white and yellow. In addition, such a tenacious creature grows into a particularly dense carpet, in which there are no clearings.

polar fox

The variety fully corresponds to its name, since the grassy background of the leaves is often almost invisible under the snow-white streaks. It is better to plant in a sunny place, it is also important to maintain humidity.

Rosea

Medium height, grows up to 25 centimeters. The leaves are oval in shape, with jagged edges.The flowers are colored in different shades of pink and, although they are small, together form beautiful bright inflorescences.

Ajuga reptans atropurpurea

The low stems contrast interestingly with the large, green-brown leaves. The color of the flowers is bluish or blue, flowering continues all summer, during which time the flowers periodically wither, then new ones bloom. Suitable for both sunny and shaded areas, but if you plant it in a warm area where the plant will be exposed to direct sunlight, it will require abundant watering.

Pyramidal

Pyramid tenacious is a rather exotic species of this grass that came to us from the Alps. It grows up to 26 centimeters, the leaves are large, jagged, and have the shape of an almost regular oval. An interesting feature of this species is the edge of white fibers that grow on both the leaves and the stem. This variety is very fragile and can be easily damaged, so you need to care for it and replant it carefully.

Lunar Landing

One of the few varieties that can please you with lemon flowers, together forming long narrow clusters. They stand out brightly against a background of green or dark purple leaves.

Crispa

Unlike its “brothers” of other varieties, the leaves of Crispa are colored uniformly green. Inflorescences are light blue.

Metallica Crisp

As can be understood from the name, this variety differs from the previous one in the color of the leaves - they are green-purple, with a metallic tint. The survivor itself grows short, up to 5 centimeters.

Geneva

This species grows best in sunny locations. Height - up to 40 centimeters, leaves - elliptical, with pointed teeth along the edge.The flowers of the Geneva tenacious are painted in different shades - blue, blue, pink, white.

Blue ocean

Height - up to 20 centimeters, leaves are dark green, flowers, as the name suggests, are dark blue. Often used for landscaping large spaces.

Helena

It differs in that when it grows it does not spread along the ground and does not grow wide, so this variety looks more aesthetically pleasing than others. The inflorescences are painted in various shades of lilac.

Chios

Chios tenacious plant has gained recognition not only as an ornamental plant, but also as a medicinal plant due to its antibacterial properties. This variety grows up to 20 centimeters. The leaves are oval, without serrations or with serrations at the top of the leaf. The flowers are small, yellow, and may have purple “splashes.”

Laxmana

One of the most unusual varieties, including due to its height - up to half a meter. The leaves are entire, without serrations, large, green in color, pubescent with long hairs, just like the stem. Inflorescences can be pink, yellow or mixed shades.

Herringbone

In addition to the fact that this variety of ayuga has jagged, divided leaves of a silvery-green color, similar to spruce needles, they also emit a distinct pine aroma. The inflorescences are yellow and bloom from May to late autumn.

Turkestan

The homeland of the variety is the western Tien Shan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Small shrub, elliptical, light green leaves. Lilac and purple flowers are located at the tops. First of all, this ayuga is used in sports medicine and cosmetology; it has not found much use as an ornamental plant.

Growing from seeds

You can plant ayuga in almost any area.For this purpose, seeds are often used, which are planted immediately in open ground.

Landing dates

The tenacious plant is an unpretentious plant, so it can be planted at different times of the year:

1. In spring, when the earth has already warmed up, the best time is the second half of May. To plant, wait for a warm day without precipitation.
2. Late autumn.

Frosts even down to -10 degrees will not damage the plant.

Choosing a location and neighbors

The choice of location largely depends on the variety, but most grow well in shade or partial shade. Therefore, you can plant tenacious under trees and bushes. It won't take away the nutrients they need. But the tenacious plant can kill more fragile plants and primroses with its shoots. The best soil is vegetable garden soil or moist loam.

How to plant correctly

Before sowing, the soil must be dug up. The seeds themselves are buried to a shallow depth - up to 2 centimeters. There should be 10-15 centimeters between rows, and 8-10 between plants. In the spring, it is better to mulch the planted survivors with humus or peat, and in the winter - with rotten leaves.

Feeding and fertilizer

You need to feed the survivor 1-2 times a month. Although the plant grows well in depleted soil, such care will have a positive effect on its decorative appearance. It is best to use organic fertilizers:

• manure;
• compost;
• peat;
• ash.

Along with watering, also apply phosphorus-potassium fertilizers.

After flowering

Seeds formed after flowering usually do not retain the qualities that the variety has, and the plants from them are not as beautiful. However, the tenacious can reproduce by self-sowing; as a result, its growth spreads beyond the designated area and occupies places that you wanted to give to others.Therefore, it is better to cut off the testes in advance.

Wintering

In most cases, adult plants overwinter well without additional shelter. But if there is not enough snow, it is better to throw dry leaves or spruce branches on top. Be sure to cover newly planted bushes; they freeze much faster.

Garden care and what role it plays

The main thing that is required for good growth of the tenacious plant and the preservation of its decorative qualities is control over growth. It doesn’t require a lot of work - you just need to pick off the excess inflorescences and make a fence around the plants, for example, from stones.

Before the young leaves appear, it is important to water them generously and protect them from direct sunlight.

After this period, watering is required only during dry periods. In the garden, the plant easily covers large areas with a carpet, creating beautiful lawns.

Reproduction

Tenacious can be propagated in different ways.

Seeds

Breeding in this way is not the best option; it is only suitable for those who are just starting to live and do not have adult bushes to obtain rosettes. If there are such plants, and you still decide to take ripe seeds from them, be prepared for an unexpected result. The ayugas obtained from them are unlikely to correspond to the description of the variety.

Vegetatively

Breeding in this way should be left until March or the first quarter of September. The rosettes that have managed to appear on the mother plant are cut off and planted in the place where they will grow permanently. You can get a lot of new bushes, because it doesn’t matter whether the cuttings have thick roots, you can also take those with one root.

Diseases and pests

Ayuga itself is resistant to pests and diseases, but some measures need to be taken.

Fungal rot

With high humidity, fungal rot occurs. As a result, roots and shoots rot, and flowers do not form. To prevent the disease from spreading, carefully remove the affected parts and treat the remaining shoots with fungicides.

Garden snails and slugs

The appearance is also related to humidity. It is easy to notice these pests, especially the larger specimens, and if you look closely, you will find eaten leaves and holes in them. It’s easy to protect the plant - place a dense layer of gravel or crushed stone around the place where the ayuga grows; another option is spraying with an ash solution.

Use in landscape design

There are many ways to decorate your garden with ayuga:

• suitable for planting in flower beds, rose gardens, greenhouses and even winter gardens;
• will serve as a hedge;
• due to her short stature, she will look good in the foreground of the composition.

In compositions it is combined with conifers, ferns, and irises.

Reviews

Gardeners who decide to plant this plant note that its tenacity lives up to its name. Unpretentious flowers grow quickly, and they are planted even where people will walk. The main disadvantage is that ayuga easily spreads to neighboring areas, so it is important to control the spread.