Gardeners are well aware and many love sweet peas. The name of this annual plant with fragrant flowers is sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus), and its “nickname” is sweet pea.
But few people know yet and rarely decorate gardens with a relative of the sweet pea, Lathyrus latifolius.
It became known to botanists back in 1629. IN natural conditions this plant is found in the south Western Europe, in Crimea, on the Balkan Peninsula and in the Mediterranean regions, where it grows along the edges of forests, among bushes, often in shaded places.
China is very decorative and has many advantages. This is a perennial herbaceous plant with powerful, very branched roots, abundantly supplied, like many leguminous plants, with nodules containing nitrogen-fixing bacteria. A strong climbing stem rises along a support with the help of tendrils to a height of up to two and even up to three meters. The stem is winged and branches well. The leaves are pinnate, light green, silvery, grayish in color. Each leaf ends with a branched tendril, which clings to the support. From the axils of the leaves grow strong flower stalks from 12 to 18 cm long. The flower stalks end in rather dense inflorescences of 4–8, sometimes even 10 flowers. The flowers are large, their height is 2–2.5 cm, the width of the sail is about 2 cm. The color of the flowers is bright pink, of a coolish tint (lilac-pink). There are forms with light pink and, rarely, white flowers. Two-color forms are very good, their main color is light pink, almost white, and the border along the edge of the sail is bright, pink. There are no varieties of latifolia yet.
The plant blooms in July and blooms for two months. Flowering can be extended until the end of September if faded inflorescences are systematically trimmed. If pruning is not carried out, beans form and seeds ripen in August. The beans are very beautiful, narrow, long, up to 10 cm, with smooth leaves and a sharp “spout”. Ripe beans acquire a golden brown color and do not spoil the appearance of the trellis. The seeds are large, like those of sweet peas, spherical, slightly flattened, dark, with olive shade. Each bean produces 12–16 pea seeds.
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Chin latifolia reproduces well by seeds. It is better to sow them before winter. To sow in spring, the seeds must undergo cold treatment, that is, they must be stratified for a month. The shoots are not friendly. In the first year of life, plants do not always bloom. In the second year, up to 3–5 stems are formed, and the plants bloom. In the third year, the plant forms up to 12 powerful branched stems and already blooms profusely. Subsequently, so many stems are formed that you have to cut out the extra ones and distribute those left over the support to get the intended result. decorative effect. The broad-leaved tree is very impressive on trellises and in columns: the curtain is dense, the overall silver-green background created by the leaves and stems is beautifully decorated with bright spots of flowering inflorescences.
The broadleaf chin is very cold-resistant and winters well without shelter here near St. Petersburg. Grows well on sunny places. All that is needed is protection from the prevailing winds in the area. In partial shade it grows just as well and blooms profusely and for a long time. The plant is unpretentious, takes root in any soil, preferring non-acidic soil. It is content with one or two feedings of complex fertilizer. The first is given in the spring, after the stems grow, and the second - 2-3 weeks after the first. Watering is needed only when dry, hot weather. For the winter, the lashes are cut off just above the ground and removed. If necessary, if the rhizome protrudes in the spring, you need to add nutritious soil.
Latifolia can also be propagated vegetatively: by dividing the rhizome in early spring or by cuttings in early summer.
Natalya Petrenko, Ph.D. biol. sciences
Photo by the author
Chin (lat. Láthyrus) is a genus of herbs belonging to the legume family (lat. Fabaceae). The Latin name has Greek roots: “la” means “very”, “thuros” means “attractive”. Plants are common in temperate climates, growing in the Mediterranean, mountainous areas South America, Africa, in the east of the Russian Federation and in China. In the meadows and forest clearings in the open spaces former USSR You can meet representatives of more than 50 types of ranks.
Interesting information: China is a food, industrial and fodder crop. Green mass, seeds and hay are used as animal feed; Casein is obtained from the seeds for the production of plywood, fabrics and plastics. The sowing plant (lat. L. sativus) is grown for grain. Meadow chin (lat. L. pratensis) - for green fodder. Some species are also used in medicine.
Bright and fragrant chyna
Description
Chins are herbaceous plants with a height of 15-20 to 150 cm. There are perennial and annual species. Stems are four- or three-edged, climbing, lodging or climbing, rarely erect. The leaves are compound, pinnate, lanceolate, ending in a point, spine or branched tendril.
Flowers are moth-type, large. The corolla is colored blue, white, purple, pink, yellow, burgundy, orange or red. The inflorescence consists of 1-2 flowers, sometimes 3-7. The fruit is a two-winged bean. The seeds are slightly angular, different in color (light, white, dark) and size (large, medium or small).
Like many members of the Legume family, chin grows in symbiosis with nodule bacteria that absorb nitrogen from the atmosphere. The result of this “cohabitation” is that the plants do not need feeding, since they “feed” themselves.
Ch. Japanese (L. japonicus): inflorescence and beans
Species
The Chin genus is quite numerous, there are more than a hundred species, many of which are highly valued in ornamental gardening for their bright and fragrant flowers.
Ch. fragrant(lat. L. odoratus) is the most common species, often found in parks, gardens and private areas around the world. We know the plants under the name sweet pea. It is a climbing annual, reaching a height of 1-2 m, with large and bright flowers which have a unique aroma. The root system is taprooted, highly branched. The roots penetrate 1-1.4 m into the soil. 4-9 seeds ripen in each bean, their germination lasts 6-8 years. Flowering is abundant and starts in July. If faded inflorescences are promptly cut off, preventing fruits from forming, flowering can be extended until September-October.
Mix Ch. fragrant (L. odoratus)
There are about 1000 varieties of sweet peas known in the world collection:
- "Matucana" - plants have two-color burgundy-purple flowers. This variety is similar to “Kupani”, highly valued in landscape design.
- “Promise” – beautiful variety with delicate pink and white flowers.
- 'Winston Churchill' has bright red velvety flowers.
Bright mixborder from a mixture of Ch. fragrant
Ch. latifolia(lat. L. latifolius) is a perennial introduced into cultivation in the 16th century. The vines grow 2-3 m long and are attached to supports with tendrils. The flowers are pink or bright red, sometimes white, grouped in loose inflorescences of 3-9 pieces, devoid of aroma. They begin to bloom in June and remain decorative for 3 months. The species is winter-hardy, plants tolerate frosts down to – 30 °C. An interesting variety “White pearl” has large white flowers.
Ch. broadleaf (L. latifolius)
Ch. Gmelina(lat. L. ochraceus) – a species living in coniferous forests. Perennial plants with short rhizomes grow up to 50-150 cm, the stems are erect. The leaves are large, dissected into 3-5 pairs of elliptical leaflets. Fragrant flowers grouped into inflorescences. The petals at the beginning of flowering are colored yellow, at the end – in orange. Flowering occurs in June, fruits dark brown ripen in August (seeds are low-yielding). Plants grow slowly and bloom only in 4-5 years.
Ch. forest(lat. L. sylvestris) – perennial, found throughout the European part of the Russian Federation and the Caucasus. It grows in height up to 1-2 m, has a creeping branched rhizome. The flowers are large, the petals are painted in a bright crimson color, collected in inflorescences. Ch. forest is considered a good honey plant; it begins to bloom in June.
Ch. spring “Rainbow” (L. vernus ‘Rainbow’)
Ch. Tangier(lat. L. tingitanus) is an annual plant from Southern Europe and North Africa with large beautiful flowers pink color. The leaves are small, narrowly lanceolate.
Ch. spring(lat. L. vernus) found throughout middle lane Russia, shade-tolerant, not demanding on soil composition, perennial. It often develops in the form of a shrub 25-35 cm high. Inflorescences are formed from 3-8 flowers of bright two-color color (red, blue, purple, violet). Flowering starts in May.
Photo gallery of species
Growing
Location. The plants are shade-tolerant, but grow and bloom better in well-lit areas protected from the winds. With sudden changes in temperature at night, the buds may drop.
Soils. The ranks are not picky about the composition of the land. It is better to choose fertile soils that are neutral in acidity. There is no need to fertilize plants when planting, especially with nitrogen-containing compounds. Once a season (in the spring during the period of shoot growth) you can feed with a liquid mineral composition.
Arch design
Care. Watering in hot and dry weather should be plentiful; The plant tolerates short-term droughts well. Perennial species are frost-resistant. The shoots of such plants die off during the winter (they are cut off at the root in late autumn); in the spring, young ones from renewal buds quickly develop. If the rhizome is exposed, it is covered with earth. Plants are unpretentious in cultivation.
Planting china near a fence used as a support
Reproduction
Chin seeds are relatively large, covered with a hard shell. If the cover is not disturbed, they retain their germination capacity for up to 10 years. To germinate seeds, scarification is necessary. The seeds are soaked in very warm water overnight, after destroying the shell with a sharp object. Swollen and hatched seeds can be sown immediately in a flower bed (in early April), or grown in peat pots. Why are they planted in a soil mixture consisting of soil (2 parts), peat (1 part) and sand (0.5 part). 2-3 pieces are sown in each pot. Germination is good, the first shoots appear after 5-8 days. Seedlings are pinched at the stage of 2-3 true leaves so that lateral shoots are formed (for abundant flowering). China sprouts are unpretentious and grow quickly. They are planted in a flowerbed in early May; the distance between specimens is maintained at 25-30 cm.
Advice: the place for planting annual species of china needs to be changed; they should not be grown in the same flower bed for two years in a row.
Sweet pea shoots in peat pots
Vegetative propagation dividing the rhizome (for perennial species) is also possible, but since root system lies deep and is extremely sensitive to transplantation; the method is difficult to implement and ineffective.
Decorative use
China - magnificent plant for vertical gardening. If supports are provided (for tall species), it can be planted in group flower beds or arranged as flowering hedges. The rank also looks beautiful in the design of the arches and mesh fences. Often used to disguise unsightly walls of outbuildings.
Sweet pea - chic design fence
By creating vertical screens from sweet peas, you can join him in the company tall plants having flowers in one color scheme with it, for example, mallow is perfect for this. Plants with multi-flowered inflorescences look good in bouquets.
We should probably return a little to the same collected seeds. The fact is that the seeds leguminous plants, especially small ones, are difficult to germinate.
In other words, they have very strong shells, which prevents germination. But they retain their germination capacity for 10 years. But for such seeds there is one technique that can significantly improve the germination process - scarification, which involves damaging 
durable seed coat. I'll open it little secret How to make this procedure simple for a decent amount of seeds.
Take a plastic cylindrical container with a tight lid. Inside it you insert a pre-sized piece of coarse sandpaper, insert it into the container, pour the seeds into it, close the lid tightly and shake for 10 minutes, or better yet, more.
At the same time, the integrity of the hard covers of the seeds is slightly compromised, which will ultimately lead to faster and more friendly germination. It is often recommended to sow china in the ground at the beginning of April, which, in light of the peculiarities of this spring, seems to be very dubious advice.
I sowed before winter, and germination was excellent.
You can sow scarified chin seeds in small peat pots and then plant them in the garden in May-June. If the seeds are properly prepared, seedlings will emerge within a week.
And now everyone goes to the garden.
Due to the fact that transplanting adult chin plants is difficult due to the deep and branched root system, you should “measure a hundred times and once...” and plant the chin on it forever permanent place. However, annual seedlings are transplanted without any problems.
Application of rank in garden design stems from its botanical properties: being a plant of forest edges, it is able to grow in moving light partial shade (however, in full sun the flowering will be more abundant), its unpretentiousness is a true gift for “lazy” gardeners or super-busy gardeners. And the flowering period of 3 months, starting in June (depending on the weather), is very long. The chin is ideal for decorating arched entrances (and exits), decorating fragments of fences or pergolas, decorative grilles dividing the garden into separate “rooms”. Our heroine will also look great on pyramidal supports. Flowering hedge-walls, including mesh ones, with broadleaf rank should also look great. The main condition is that support is required!
A little about the landscape companions of latifolia. It seems that plants that are not too tall, forming dense cushion-shaped clumps, such as astilbes, peonies, heucheras, may be perfect...
Moreover, you can choose the shade of the companion flowers or the color of the foliage to match or in some contrast to the inflorescences of the rank. Either pink to pink (white to white), or burgundy, scarlet for companions. You can combine our rank with other vertical dominants, for example with delphiniums, mullein, hollyhocks, with the appropriate selection of the overall color scheme. China broadleaf is also suitable for cutting, for example, for mini-bouquets or boutonnieres.
Such an attractive and problem-free plant, of course, could not help but encourage breeders to create decorative varieties. Even if there are not as many of them as varieties of sweet peas, the closest relative of our heroine. Of the varieties, all sorts of “pearls”, that is, pearls, are known: White Pearl, Pink Pearl, Red Pearl and Pearl Blend. There are varieties with dark red flowers.
So, the story about another problem-free and therefore favorite plant in my garden comes to an end. It remains to add that after a pleasant acquaintance with the “wild” latifolia, I really want to sow a white and even darker colored variety...
And there is also rank Gmelin with yellow-orange flowers, which is a relict of the pre-glacial period, the tuberous china, which has a wonderful aroma, but at the same time perennial and edible, and of course, the Japanese china, since I am working on creating a corner of Japan on my site - Japanese garden.
China - planting and care
China is absolutely undemanding in terms of soil composition, but it is recommended to grow it on neutral, fertile soils.
For me, it tolerates the usual sour loams that are so characteristic of the Moscow region.
In spring, during active growth shoots, plants can be fed without overdoing it with the nitrogen component. Like many legumes, china roots contain nitrogen-fixing bacteria. China feeds itself with nitrogen (with their help). Due to the vertical nature of the plants, care should be taken to protect them from strong winds. Although from my experience this is not mandatory. My “treillage” has weathered both hurricanes and hail with dignity...
After frost and drying of the shoots, the lashes should be cut off, but it is not too late to do this and early spring. If the tree is planted near a fence (fence), then dry shoots should be trimmed in the fall, for reasons fire safety(until smoking on the roads of our garden associations and cottage villages was banned, like restaurants and cafes).
: Godetia: the pearl of the garden - growing Blooming...
CYNA PERENNAL OR LATIRUS PERENNIAL
PHOTO: www.flower-onego
PHOTO: Presnyakova L.V.
"China Broadleaf or Large-flowered"
PHOTO: www.flower-onego
PHOTO: Polotnova M.
CYNA perennial OR LATIRUS- a perennial vine rarely found in our gardens with beautiful feathery leaves and butterfly flowers of different colors.
One of the most difficult tasks of a florist is creating beautiful flower beds for different areas of the garden. To get acquainted with the author's ready-made ideas for creating them and photographs of the colors used, we suggest watching this video course!
The most popular types of China:
1. LARGE-LEAFED OR LARGE-FLOWERED CYNA:
Unlike the One-Year China Fragrant, i.e. Sweet Pea, varieties with different colors of which today there are up to 1000, Perennial China can only be pink shades and white.
Modern varieties Long-term rank- These are powerful perennial herbaceous vines, reaching 2 - 3 m in height. The liana is attached to the supports with tendrils, the leaves are oval, and very large flowers grow from their axils. large flowers, collected in inflorescences-tassels.
"China Broadleaf or Large-flowered"
PHOTO: www.flowers.cveti-sadi.ru
Reproduction is most often done by seed, but the bean, which is the China fruit, before sowing must either be briefly soaked in hot water of about 60 degrees (as the hand can tolerate) until slightly swollen, or scarified, i.e. make a notch. The flowering is so beautiful that it can decorate any gazebos, pergolas, or verandas in the front area.
"China Broadleaf or Large-flowered"
PHOTO: www.outsidepride.com
A distinctive feature of the varieties of Perennial large-flowered Chyna is the complete absence of odor. Therefore, to obtain aroma, it can be combined with annual fragrant varieties, which are also very diverse in color. Winter-hardy.
2. CHINA MEADOW:
Perennial species of Lathyrus pratensis. Plant height up to 1 m, creeping rhizome. The leaves are lanceolate with tendrils from the axil. Flowers of the moth type are large, bright yellow. Long flowering in mid-summer. They produce fruits - flattened beans with red-brown seeds. It grows everywhere in forests, meadows, forest edges and along river banks. Widely used in folk medicine. Widely sown in meadows in Europe as a sustainable honey crop.
3. CHINA FOREST OR PINK:
Perennial plant (Lathyrus sylvestris) up to 1 m with lodging stems with paired pinnate leaves and clinging tendrils. The flowers are raspberry-pink, large, collected in a raceme. It is a forage plant and is protected everywhere as a valuable plant.
4. CHINA STUBER OR TUBER:
A tall perennial plant up to 2 m tall with paired lanceolate leaves and one tendril at the end. Long-lasting flowering from mid-summer. Raspberry flowers. In the past, tubers of this species were eaten boiled. Looks good as vertical gardening.
5. CHIN OF GMELINA:
A perennial plant that grows wild in Altai, Siberia, and Asia. Plant height up to 1 m, stems erect, leaves pinnately dissected. Flowers are collected in brushes. The colors of the flower change as they bloom from light yellow to orange. The clusters bloom gradually, so one plant can have all the shades. Flowering in early summer, very decorative. Despite the rather high winter hardiness and unpretentiousness due to the low number of formed seeds, it belongs to rare plants. Prefers fertile and acidic soils. Has varieties. The most popular varieties of China Gmelin: "William", "Galaxy", "Roughled" etc. - vary in color from soft cream to sky blue, very fragrant.
6. SEEDED OR BLUE CHINA:
Refers to Annual species Lathyrus sativus. Distinguished by large moth flowers of blue or raspberry color. It is grown for grain in the southern regions of Transcaucasia and Ukraine. IN Western Siberia for green fodder and hay for livestock. Widely sown on Southern Urals How forage plant. The most popular variety is "Riviera" with bright blue flowers.
7. CHINA SWEET PEAS:
Growing Perennial Chin - planting and care:
Location:
Sunny.
Soil:
Before planting it must be deeply cultivated - the roots of Perennial Chin go very deep and wide. The soil should be fertile, loose, and moisture-absorbing.
Care:
For the winter, all shoots are cut off and the bush is mulched. Desirable in spring mineral supplements. Withered flowers They are pruned all the time if there is no need for seeds.
Reproduction:
It does not tolerate any transplants, so it is best to sow directly in place. Germination rate is low. But the seeds are stored for many years.
Winter hardiness:
Tall, winter-hardy, but freezes out in long, very cold winters without much snow cover.
Usage:
Vertical gardening. Some species are good honey plants. Used in medicine as a medicinal plant.
If you love climbing plants or are crazy about vines, then we advise you to pay attention to the chin plant. Reproduction, planting and care are possible as per personal plot, and on the balcony or even in the apartment.
China belongs to the legume family. Her Latin name translates as “very attractive.” And indeed this plant is very pretty. It grows in places where the climate is temperate; it lives in the Mediterranean countries, in the mountains of South America, in China, and in the eastern part of Russia. There are more than fifty in total various types this plant. Some of them can be found in our country.
This herbaceous plant grows in height from twenty centimeters to almost one and a half meters. There are perennial ranks, and there are also annuals. The stems of rank have three or four sides. All varieties are climbing plants; very rarely are they upright. The leaves of the tree are lanceolate and end in a point.
The flowers of the tree are quite large and have a moth-like shape. Flower colors vary: white, pink, orange, purple, red. There are up to seven flowers in an inflorescence. The fruit of the tree is a bean. The seeds have an angular shape, different size and coloring.
How typical representative The legume family, china thrives in symbiosis with bacteria that obtain nitrogen from the air. As a result, the plant does not require additional feeding from the outside; it feeds itself perfectly.
Self-cultivation of china
This plant grows well in the shade. But for good development and rapid growth, and also for wild flowering It is better to place the tree in well-lit areas of the garden. This plant is afraid of wind, so plant it in a place protected from the wind. Sudden changes temperatures that sometimes occur on summer nights can cause the china to drop its buds.
For rank, the composition of the soil is not so important. It will do well in neutral soil with good fertility. When planting, chin does not need to be fertilized. And it’s better to avoid nitrogen-containing fertilizers altogether. Once during the entire season it is allowed to apply fertilizer in the form of liquid mineral composition. It is best to do this in the spring, when the shoots are growing.
How to care for your chin?
In the summer, when it is very hot and dry outside, the tree needs to be watered well and abundantly. It should be borne in mind that the tree tolerates short periods of drought quite well. Species that are classified as perennial tolerate quite well winter frosts. In late autumn, all shoots of these species die off. They need to be cut close to the ground. With the onset of spring, fresh young shoots quickly grow from renewal buds.
If for some reason the rhizome of the plant becomes bare and appears on the surface, it simply needs to be covered with earth again. Growing rank does not require a special approach or attention.
How to propagate rank?
China has fairly large seeds that are covered with a hard shell. If you do not open the shells of the seeds, they will not lose their germination even after ten years. Scarification is required for seed germination.
Break the seed shells with a sharp object and soak them in very warm water overnight. This should be done in early April, so that the seeds can be planted in the flowerbed immediately after swelling and germination. You can pre-plant the seeds in peat pots and germinate them in a greenhouse or apartment.
To plant seeds, you will need soil consisting of two parts earth, one part peat and half part sand. In every such peat pot Plant three seeds each. In about a week, the first sprouts of the tree will hatch. When three true leaves are formed, the seedlings must be pinched. This must be done so that the plant blooms more luxuriantly and side shoots form. You will see for yourself that the rank grows very quickly and does not require much effort to take care of itself. You can plant china in flower beds in early May. At the same time, try to maintain a distance between the bushes of about thirty centimeters.
How can you use chin
China is perfect for arranging vertical flower beds. Provide special supports for it and form hedge or a group flower garden. This plant looks great for decorating various arches or mesh fences. It can be used for beautification appearance unsightly outbuildings. If you plant china in the vicinity of other plants, then select those that will be in the same color scheme with it. For example, mallow looks great next to china. China, which has many flowers, will look great in a bouquet.
Some types of chin are used in folk medicine. It is also grown as green animal feed.
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