In May - June, a very ornamental plant with beautiful foliage, which is called the beaver, blooms. This shrub is not as widespread in our gardens and parks as lilac, viburnum or spireabut it certainly deserves much more attention. We will talk about planting a beaver and caring for this incredibly ornamental plant in our article.
Content:
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Description
Bobovnik is a genus of deciduous shrubs or small low-branched trees that belongs to the legume family. The second name of this plant is laburnum. The genus Bobovnik contains 4 species found in their natural habitat in Asia Minor, as well as southern and central Europe.
In culture, the boundaries of the shrub distribution have expanded much: it is grown in many regions with a warm climate. Moreover, they have been doing this for a long time, since 1560.
Bobovnik, aka "Golden Rain"
A perennial plant with trifoliate leaves and a cascade of spectacular brushes, consisting of golden yellow flowers, can be found in the Caucasus, in the Crimea, in the countries of Central Asia and in Ukraine. ornamental shrub has been successfully acclimatized in the Southern Hemisphere, namely in Australia and New Zealand, where it grows well and blooms in landscape gardens.
This plant came to Russia at the beginning of the 19th century. Initially, a perennial shrub was grown in the Caucasus, and from there it spread further, gradually moving to more northern regions.
Today, a flowering plant can be found in parks and botanical gardens over a vast territory: from Sakhalin in the east to Kaliningrad in the west, and in the north of the country to St. Petersburg.
plant leaves
bean flowers
Bobovnik in the wild grows in the form of a tree up to 10 meters high or a bush with straight main trunks and flexible hanging shoots. In the middle lane, the height of the bush is much lower: the bean grows up to 3 meters.
trunk bark Plants are greyish-green or light brown in color. The young shoots of the shrub are pubescent. The leaves are small, up to 5-7 cm long. They are smooth on the upper side, and pubescent below and have a silver-green color.
Small yellow flowers with a diameter of 2 cm are collected in gracefully hanging brushes.
The flowering period coincides with the appearance of leaves and lasts 15-20 days. After flowering, fruits ripen on the branches of the shrub, which look like pubescent beans up to 8 cm long with two valves and a pointed top.
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For this reason, the shrub is dangerous to humans. Poisoning by a plant entails a disorder of the central nervous system, impaired breathing, heart function, nausea, convulsions and other serious consequences for the body, up to a threat to life.
Behind the external beauty of the beaver lies a danger - the plant is poisonous
Only two eaten seeds can lead to this result. Therefore, if this shrub grows on your site, it is necessary to limit access to the plant to children and pets. Any work with the bean, including cuttings and transplanting young seedlings, should be done exclusively with garden gloves.
Despite the fact that the bean is poisonous, it is successfully pollinated by insects. Moreover, this shrub is a good honey plant. The life expectancy of the plant is about 20 years. Bobovnik is quite resistant to air pollution and can grow in adverse conditions and with little smoke.
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Types and forms of the beaver
The most widespread in the culture was the anagir-shaped (or anagiro-leaved) bean. At least ten varieties of this ornamental shrub are known. This type of legume prefers regions with a temperate climate, although it can also grow in the subtropical zone.
Bobovnik anagyrolifolia
Alpine bean is also grown in the culture. It is less common than anagiroid, although it is superior to this species in terms of winter hardiness. A hybrid of the alpine beaver with an anagirofolia is also cultivated.
All these types of shrubs differ from each other in the length of the inflorescences and the density of the flowers collected in the brush. However, the golden yellow color and shape of the flowers remains the same for all varieties.
- weeping. This form is characterized by flexible drooping branches.
- Golden. The young leaves of these shrubs are golden in color, but eventually become green.
- autumn. Plants belonging to this form will delight with secondary autumn flowering.
- Oakleaf. This form of bean has cut lobed leaves resembling oak trees.
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Bobovnik refers to fast-growing plants. With the right choice of a site for planting and the creation of favorable conditions, the shrub grows quickly and enters the fruiting season early enough.
The beaver begins to bloom and bear fruit at the age of three. The plant is quite thermophilic, but can withstand temperatures down to -20-25°C.
In harsh winters, the plant can freeze
The growing season of the bean plant begins in April and ends in mid-October. Often, shoots, especially after the wet summer months, are not completely woody, and for this reason they may freeze slightly.
But this practically does not affect the decorative effect of the shrub, since its crown recovers quite quickly due to the high growth rate, which is up to 25 cm per year.
During severe winters with prolonged low temperatures, the legume can freeze up to the root collar. This often happens not only in the Leningrad region, but also in Moscow and in the regions located to the south.
However, in the following years after freezing, the shrub is able to fully recover. The most frost-resistant forms are plants grown from seeds of their reproduction: as a rule, they do not suffer from frost.
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reproduction
bean seeds
- seeds
- layering
- vaccinations
- dividing the bush
When propagated by seeds young plants are more hardy than seedlings obtained by other methods. The bean fruit ripens from September to October. Sowing of the obtained seeds is carried out in the spring. Their viability is 85%, and soil germination is very low - only 8%, since the seeds have a dense shell.
To increase germination and speed up the germination process, bean seeds must first be stratified.
- scalding with boiling water
- stratification in a cellar or refrigerator in wet sand for 1.5-2 months or sowing seeds before winter in open ground
- treatment for 30-60 minutes with concentrated sulfuric acid (this method gives the best results)
- scarification - mechanical damage to the integrity of the seed coat (in this case, the beans must be rubbed with sandpaper)
Bean seeds can also be sown in containers with a loose substrate that does not contain organic matter. Planting is carried out at a depth of 0.5-1 cm. As a rule, shoots appear within a month, and young plants develop quite quickly.
In the spring they are transplanted into the ground to a permanent place. In the Caucasus and Crimea, the bean can reproduce well even by self-sowing. Such plants grown from seeds bloom for 5-6 years.
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In order for the beaver to develop quickly and please with lush flowering, you need to choose a suitable place for planting it. The plot in the garden where the shrub is planted is more than 50% the key to lush flowering, for which this ornamental plant is valued.
For planting a shrub, a sunny place in an open area, protected from wind and drafts, is best suited.
Bobovnik loves sunny places without strong winds and drafts
Semi-shaded areas on the south side of the buildings are also suitable for the beaver. It is the lack of lighting that negatively affects the flowering of the plant. In the shade, the bean will develop slowly, give poor growth and bloom poorly. In shady places with low light, the plant may even shed its foliage.
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For example, seedlings brought from Belgium, the Netherlands or Italy are suitable for planting in the southern regions, and in the middle lane they will not be stable. Plants grown in Hungary, Germany or the Czech Republic, on the contrary, winter quite well in the European part of Russia.
Landing is done in the spring
In this case, it is better to transfer the planting to autumn, when in October the seedling sheds its leaves and “freezes” for several months. A young plant planted at this time will be able to adapt to a new place and take root before the onset of cold weather. Bobovnik needs to provide shelter for the winter, then he will successfully endure the wintering, start growing in the spring and develop well.
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As we have already noted, the bean is photophilous and develops well only in areas with sufficient sunlight. The plant tolerates urban conditions well: the shrub is resistant to smoke and air pollution. However, it will bloom colorfully only when favorable conditions are created.
Bobovnik is well adapted to the urban environment.
Bobovnik develops best in rich, well-drained, loose soils with a lime content. This shrub is calciphilous. In other words, it refers to plants that grow best in soils rich in calcium compounds (limestone, chalk, and other sedimentary rocks).
Bobovnik very poorly tolerates soil compaction. The soil for planting the plant must be of high quality, permeable, not prone to moisture accumulation and not acidic. Only on well-calcified soils are favorable conditions created for the growth, development and flowering of the plant. For this reason, you need to constantly monitor that the soil mixture on which the bean grows does not have high acidity.
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When loosening the soil of the trunk circle, you need to be especially careful
In addition to choosing the right place for planting a beaver and providing the plant with the right soil for it, there are a few more conditions that must be observed in order for the shrub to please you with the “golden rain” of its flowers:
It performs several functions at once:
- retains moisture in the soil
- saturates the soil with nutrients
- contributes to the good growth of the root system.
When loosening the trunk circle, weeding and removing weeds, it must be remembered that the root system of the beaver is close to the soil surface. All work should be carried out carefully so as not to hurt or damage the roots of the plant.
Pruning and crown shaping
If it's about forming pruning, the shrub practically does not need this operation. The plant has a beautiful crown, which is formed in a natural way. Radical pruning can harm the beaver. However, if the shoots are damaged or frozen, it becomes necessary to carry out sanitary pruning.
Bobovnik practically does not need shaping pruning
During this operation, all diseased and damaged shoots are carefully cut out, as well as old, weak ones that thicken the crown and interfere with branches.
- pruning should be done in the spring, before the start of sap flow
- no need to remove the dead shoot to live wood, so as not to injure the plant
- small pruning of young bushes enhances their branching and stimulates flowering
- adult plants tolerate pruning very hard, so it is done in exceptional cases
- the formation of the crown of young plants should be completed before the age of three seedlings and they reach a height of 1.5 meters
The removal of large branches on mature plants should not be carried out, as this can lead to the formation of hollows. Rejuvenation of old specimens also does not lead to positive results. In this case, it is recommended to replace old plants with young seedlings.
Winter Care
Young plants need shelter for the winter at least in the first 2-3 years of life. To do this, use a covering material folded in several layers. As an additional protection, sprinkle the root system with compost.
Mature bean bushes do not need shelter, but during the winter months snow must be shaken off their branches so that they do not break under its weight.
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Powdery mildew on leaves
The fact that the bean is poisonous is beneficial to this plant, since it is practically not damaged. pests. The only trouble that can happen to this shrub is powdery mildew.
It can happen if the weather is warm and humid for a long time. For treatment, it is necessary to treat with a systemic fungicide not only the leaves of the plant, but also the soil, at the dosage indicated by the manufacturer.
Use in landscape design and economic purposes
“Live” alley of bean
A plant with golden brushes of flowers looks great in single plantings and in sparse groups.. With too dense plantings, the stems of the beaver can stretch excessively, exposing from below. In such conditions, the shrub blooms much worse. If the stems of the plant become bare over time, perennial or annual flowers can be planted next to it.
During the flowering of the bean tree, the garden plot is simply transformed! A plant with a "golden rain" of inflorescences twining from its branches on long peduncles, looks spectacular against the background of dark green coniferous plantations and bright greenery decorative deciduous shrubs.
It is usually planted next to magnificent wisteria, fragrant jasmine, healing hawthorn and beautifully blooming rhododendron.
The solid wood of the bean tree lends itself well to polishing. It is used to make tools, small crafts and furniture items. This shrub is also used as a rootstock for other leguminous plants.
Ornamental shrubs that bloom all summer
Bobovnik - "golden rain" in your garden: planting in the open field, care, possible diseases, use in landscape design (55 Photos & Videos) + Reviews
