"One dawn is in a hurry to replace another, giving two hours to the night."
A.S. Pushkin. " Eugene Onegin"
The time of "short nights" is the most beautiful time of the Russian summer. The nature of central Russia in this period comes to full bloom. The grasses have grown into a belt and are full of vital juices - I don’t want to mow. The birds have brought out the chicks, but they sing with the same passion from the very dawn. Their vocalizations are even more virtuosic, because they no longer sing for the sake of procreation, but in the name of high art. Forests and fields are richly decorated with flowers for every taste and color. The same variety of colors and diversity reigns in the gardens - it seems that nothing is surprising. But it was precisely at this time that one of the best decorations of Russian nature, Ledebour's bathing suit, was in full bloom.
The recluse Sikhote Alina.
Ledebour's bathing suit was sent to me from Primorsky Krai in late autumn. We already had a pre-winter with night frosts. He planted a plant in frozen ground and lamented - will he survive - will he not survive!?
Survived. And it bloomed the following summer. But, neither the type of plant nor its flowers, to put it mildly, fascinated. The grass itself was about the size of a dandelion, and the few yellow-orange flowers had simple, open corollas.
- A large buttercup and nothing more! No-e-e-t! Still, there is nothing more beautiful than our European bathing suit! I lamented. Nothing foretold that soon my opinion about the flower would change dramatically. But it happens. A perennial flower or shrub does not immediately gain full decorative effect. An adult plant is often radically different from a young or freshly transplanted one.
Not only botany.
Ledebour bath (Trolliusledebourii)- living in the Far East, a bit like a Chinese swimsuit, from which it differs in structural details, flowering time and range. By the way, there are more than 20 types of bathing suits in total, and Russia has sheltered about half of them.
In our garden, Ledebour's bathing suit became the third after European and Asian bathing suits. She stands out among them on several counts. She is the tallest - her height reaches 130cm. She has the largest flowers, their diameter reaches 7-8 cm. It blooms late, after the European swimsuit fades and acquires seeds. Slowly generating flowers, Ledebour's bathing suit blooms for more than a month from the first decade of summer to mid-July.
The flower of this bathing suit is unusual. The corolla of the flower is wide open and consists of the usual wide marginal petals of 10-12 pieces, and dozens of narrow, vertical ones. They are surrounded by a dense palisade of a tangled ball of underdeveloped stamens - staminodes, located in the very center.
All petals and staminodes are orange in color, but their hue is not as piercing as in bright orange roasts, but softer. And from below they are powdered with a muted greenish coating with veins that give a special charm to the flower when viewed close and through.
Growing conditions.
Ledebour's bathing suit is not picky. The nature of her addictions is the same as that of other representatives of the genus. She loves fertile and moist soils, even tolerates some waterlogging. The subsoil is desirable clay, keeping the soil from drying out quickly. On the contrary, lean, quickly losing moisture, sandy loamy substrates with permeable subsoil are unacceptable.
In the process of our acquaintance with the flower, it turned out that a good substrate option is cultivated garden loam, to which peat is added in a ratio of 2:1 or even 1:1. As for the illumination, she puts up with the open sun, but feels better in a light lacy penumbra.
Ledebour's bathing suit is propagated, as well as other bathing suits, by seeds or division at the end of summer. To avoid unwanted splitting in the offspring, it is important that other types of bathing suits do not grow near the testis. Seeds are collected at the beginning of the browning of the seedlings, and immediately sown. Sowing is carried out superficially, lightly dusting with peat, in a lighted or lightly shaded place. Shoots appear next year in May, and by the end of the season, seedlings acquire a rosette of juvenile leaves. At this time, they tolerate the transplant completely painlessly. But it is recommended to do this in early September, when rainy cloudy weather sets in.
Care includes watering, fertilizing. You can water without restriction, but it is better at the root, trying to ensure that the soil never loses moisture saturation. It is advisable to fertilize plants superficially, by adding peat mulch - in small doses, but systematically.
When the lanterns swing at night.
The height of flowering Ledebour's bathing suit falls exactly on the summer solstice. Our other two garden bathing suits - ordinary and Asian, have already faded, and it is the only one that adorns these shortest nights of the year, capturing the night of Ivan Kupala (from July 6 to 7). And how it decorates! Nights at this time are not just short, but literally fleeting, and more like twilight. Instead of the pitch darkness of October, midnight is only a gray twilight, in which, if one wishes, one can examine every leaf.
At this time, Ledebour's bathing suit is especially good. Her highly ascended flowers, looming from a distance with ghostly lights. Swaying lightly in the warm evening breeze, they beckon with a soft inner light. Measured swaying and orange flicker fascinate like hypnosis. Knowing this, I sit down to drink tea at the kitchen window, drink a drink flavored with mint, and look at the magical fireflies swinging in the distance. Pleasant thoughts lead to a peaceful, pre-drowsy state, and a dream, in which, as an illustration, bright orange flashes of a bathing suit are interwoven, is strong like a preschool child after an evening fairy tale.
Bathing suits (Trollius) are herbaceous perennial plants belonging to the ranunculaceae family. Grow in meadows, forest clearings and mountain slopes. These are herbaceous wild perennial plants. Their habitat is extensive, you can meet representatives of this genus almost everywhere in the northern hemisphere, they grow in the tundra and in the desert. Different species are found in different natural conditions, some of them are characteristic of alpine meadows, while others prefer moist river valleys.
This plant is called differently in different areas - trollius, kupava, kupavka, frying, light. The names vary from country to country, but almost always reflect the bright colors of the flowers and preference for wet habitats.
Leaves of swimsuits are palmately divided or lobed. In the first year, only a basal rosette of petiole leaves usually develops. The following year, a low-leaved shoot with a flower appears. The leaves on it are smaller, sessile.
The bathing suit flower is spherical, semi-closed. Coloration ranges from lemon yellow to orange-red depending on the species. The most beautiful flowers at. Often they are called frying. Bright bathing suit flowers are a real find for the garden. In a permanent place without a transplant, these flowers can grow for a very long time.
Using a bathing suit in the garden
Like other unpretentious temperate plants, swimsuits are planted where they will decorate the garden without requiring anyone to care. Usually they are placed in landscape compositions in the form of free picturesque groups among the grass. Suitable landing sites are well-lit edges, the banks of artificial reservoirs. At the pond, the trolls go well with the blue or purple columbine.
Bathing suits are used in rocky gardens. Most species prefer moist soil, so they are planted closer to the foot of the alpine hill. They are especially good among natural placers of boulders. When creating such compositions in the style of corners of untouched wildlife, you can plant spring-flowering phloxes, bergenia, bluebells, nivyanik and other garden plants.
When planting, keep in mind that in the middle of summer, bathing suits lose their decorative effect. Therefore, they are recommended to be planted next to ground cover plants - geyhera, stonecrop, sedum, so that later, after cutting off the flower stalks, leave bathing suits under a tent of leaves and shoots of ground covers.
Watering. Most types of bathing suits need moisture in the spring. In the hot season of May-June, watering is required. Altai bathing suit, Jungar bathing suit are drought-resistant plants, they do not need watering.
Wintering. Frost-resistant plant, winters without problems, does not require shelter.
The soil. Bathing suits can grow on almost any soil; loose, neutral in acidity, sufficiently moist soils are best suited. On sandy soils, it is useful to add leaf humus, sphagnum moss, peat, these materials are able to retain water in the soil longer. But wet, wetlands are not suitable for trolls. In such places it is better to grow their relative marigold. It is not recommended to loosen the soil often; the swimsuit has many superficial roots.
Diseases and pests. Bathing suits are practically not damaged by diseases and pests.
reproduction. Propagated by seeds, division of rhizomes. As a rule, the reproduction of wild flowers is the concern of the flowers themselves. Bathing suits are no exception, in suitable conditions they grow, taking up more and more space.
Seeds are sown immediately after harvest or before winter in the ground. If sowing is planned in the spring, the seeds are stored in the cold for 3-4 months at a temperature of 3-4 degrees Celsius. Seedlings appear in spring, in mid-May. At this time, it is important that there is enough moisture in the soil for the development of young plants. Seedlings dive at a distance of 8-10 cm from each other. You can plant plants in a permanent place in early autumn, but it is better in the spring of next year. The first flowering usually occurs in the second year.
Much easier to propagate vegetatively. The overgrown curtain is divided into parts with roots and rosette shoots. This is best done in August or early September, when next year's shoots are budding and there is time before winter for rooting. The leaves are cut, the growth of new leaves begins two weeks after planting.
Bathing suits grow in forest-steppe and tundra zones, in Asia Minor, the Alpine mountain belt and the Mediterranean, in Russia - in the North and Central European parts, in the Urals and the Far East. In Western Europe, it is most often found in Scandinavia. More than 20 species unite this genus of plants. The bathing suits are dominated by flowers of various yellow and orange shades, nobly combined with dark greenery.
In gardens, you can most often find a European swimsuit (Trollius europaeus), Asian (Trollius asiaticus), Chinese (Trollius chinensis), Ledebour (Trollius ledebourii), their forms and varieties.
In Rus', the plant got its name from the place of growth, it loves moist soil along streams and rivers, and the blooming of the swimsuit coincides with the beginning of the bathing season. In Siberia, the bathing suit is called “Zharki”, the bright flowers of the local Asian bathing suit seem to “burn with heat”. And it earned its Latin name "trollius" due to the shape of the flowers, similar to a "spherical vessel".
There is another, more romantic version of the origin of the name of the plant. It is said that on the full moon in June, trolls gather at the forest edges to prepare a healing drink for themselves. They bring with them special golden bowls raised on long poles, because not a single speck should fall into the magic potion. One part of the trolls is watching, and the other is cooking. Before dawn, the elixir is poured into bottles, and empty golden bowls remain, and people find them, calling them bathing suits.
The plant propagates both by seeds and by dividing the bushes. Young basal shoots with a part of the underground stem that appear in spring also take root well.
At the swimsuit, the seeds are small, and their germination is quickly lost, so they should be sown in the ground in the fall immediately after harvest. For spring sowing for seedlings, stratification is necessary for three months at + 2 + 3 ° С. The plant reproduces well by self-sowing, young plants appear in the spring and grow slowly at first. By the end of August-beginning of September, they can be planted in a permanent place, they will bloom next year. Abundant flowering begins only from the third year after planting.
It is better to divide the bushes in the middle of spring or early autumn. When planting the separated part, the root neck must be deepened by a couple of centimeters and do not forget about mulching.
The best place for growing bathing suits is the shore of a garden pond, especially low hills. Bathing suits are light-loving plants, they tolerate winter well, they do not need shelter. They are not demanding on the soil, but a nutritious loam mixed with sand and compost is desirable. Additionally, it is desirable to add peat to the planting hole. All species, despite their moisture-loving nature, cannot stand stagnant groundwater, especially mountain species Altai bathing suit (Trollius altaicus) and Jungar bathing suit (Trollius dschungaricus), therefore, it is necessary to take care of drainage in advance.
In the spring, the bushes are mulched, and regularly watered throughout the dry period - this ensures abundant flowering.
Best of all, bathing suits look in mixborders or in separate groups on lawns, they are good for knocking out trees and shrubs. Low-growing forms are often used in rocky gardens, and high ones are good for cutting - bouquets of bright sunny flowers perfectly decorate the interior.
Photo: Maxim Minin, Rita Brilliantova
Bathing suits - perennial herbs, in nature they are found in meadows, forest clearings, along the edges, often in the mountains, where they are part of the meadow vegetation. The leaves are quite large, beautifully dissected. Flowers yellow, orange, sometimes greenish tones, large, rounded, in some species with a pleasant delicate aroma. Most bathing suits bloom in late spring - early summer (second half of May - June).
flower ball
There are two versions of the origin of the scientific name of the genus. According to one of them, it owes its appearance to the German Trollblume(Troll flower). Germanic and Scandinavian beliefs attribute to trolls a special love for this plant. Another point of view connects the name "trollius" with the Latin Trulleus(round vessel, cup) and Old German troll (ball). Curiously, the English name for the plant is Globeflower- also means "flower-ball".
The Russian name of the bathing suit is probably associated with the flowering time of this plant - the beginning of summer. Two holidays fell on the second half of June: Agrafena-bathing (June 23, old style) and the more famous Ivanov's Day (Ivan Kupala Day), since pagan times timed to coincide with the summer solstice (June 20-22).
Bathing suits took a prominent place in garden culture only in the 19th century, although they were grown in limited quantities in gardens much earlier. The most popular at present are the following types.
European bathing suit
European bathing suit (T.europaeus) has a vast range that covers Europe (except the south), the European part of Russia and Western Siberia. In nature, it grows along forest edges, glades, in wet meadows and in thickets of shrubs. It has been known in culture since the 16th century. Today it is a protected plant.
Perennial herbaceous plant 20-60 (80) cm tall. The leaves are dark green, palmately dissected, cut along the edge. Flowering occurs at the end of May - June and lasts up to a month, its duration depends on weather conditions: in hot, dry weather, bathing suits fade in a matter of days.
Flowers unusual, spherical, closed, up to 5 cm in diameter, solitary. What looks like sunny yellow petals is actually sepals. The petals of the swimsuit are less noticeable and serve as nectaries. In the center of the flower there are numerous stamens and pistils, but you can see them only by spreading the sepals. The flowers of the European bathing suit have a delicate, refined aroma.
The European swimsuit reproduces well by seeds. In culture, young plants bloom on the 2nd-3rd year, in natural conditions - on the 9th-10th. In natural populations, there is a variety of petal color tones: pale yellow, lemon, bright yellow.
Asian bathing suit
Asian bathing suit, or hot (T.Asiaticus), occurs naturally in Siberia, the Polar Urals, Central Asia, Mongolia. It grows in the mountains (up to 2500 above sea level), in light forests, in subalpine and alpine meadows. In culture since the middle of the XVIII century.
Herbaceous perennial 10-80 cm tall. The leaves are dark green, palmately dissected, cut along the edge. Flowering occurs in late May - June and lasts about 3 weeks.
Flowers spherical, semi-open, up to 5 cm in diameter, solitary. The sepals are colored orange or yellow-orange. The nectary petals are approximately equal in length to the sepals, but are noticeably already colored in orange tones. In the center of the flower are numerous stamens and pistils.
Bathing suit Chinese
Chinese swimsuit (T.chinensis) grows in the Far East, in Northern China, Japan. In culture since the beginning of the XIX century.
Herbaceous perennial 20-80 (100) cm tall. The leaves are dark green, palmately dissected, cut along the edge. Blooms in July-August for a month.
Flowers semi-open or open, up to 5 cm in diameter, solitary. The sepals are colored orange or yellow-orange. Petals - nectaries narrow, sticking up, longer than the sepals, painted in orange tones. In the center of the flower are numerous stamens and pistils.
Swimsuit of Ledebour
Ledebour's bathing suit (T.ledebourii)
found in Eastern Siberia, the Far East, Mongolia, China, Japan. Grows in wet meadows, forest glades, in thickets of shrubs. In culture since the end of the 19th century.
This view is very similar to a Chinese swimsuit. It has a slightly earlier flowering time, more winter-hardy. In large plants, flowers can reach 8 cm in diameter. In good conditions, it grows over the years, the bush can produce up to 40-50 flowers per season.
Bathing suit Altai
Bathing suit Altai (T.altaicus) occurs naturally in Altai, Western Siberia, Central Asia, Northern China and Mongolia. Grows in subalpine and alpine meadows, enters the upper part of the forest belt. In culture since the end of the 19th century.
Herbaceous perennial 20-80 (90) cm tall. The leaves are dark green, palmately dissected, cut along the edge. Flowering occurs in late May - June and lasts about a month.
Flowers spherical, semi-open, up to 5 cm in diameter, solitary. The sepals are orange or golden yellow. Petals-nectaries half as long as sepals, orange. In the center of the flower are numerous stamens and pistils, painted in dark purple tones. Thanks to this feature, the flowers have a very spectacular appearance, a bit reminiscent of poppies.
Bathing suit cultural
For several decades, work has been underway to hybridize bathing suits. As a result, there appeared hybrid species - cultural bathing suit (T. xcultorum), created in the process of crossing between European, Chinese and Altai bathing suits. The cultural swimsuit is used to create new garden forms and varieties. Among them there are already plants with pale lemon, almost white flowers.
Bathing suits benefit from moderate top dressing: nitrogen fertilizers in spring, complex fertilizers in the middle of summer
New horizons in the selection of bathing suits opened the introduction to the culture lilac bathing suits (T.lilacinus) from the mountains of Central Asia, Siberia, China. This species, rare in its beauty, lives in very peculiar conditions: on snowy meadows in the highlands. In culture, it is complex and capricious, but can be used for crossing and breeding new varieties with unusually colored flowers.
Care
Bathing suits are unpretentious, their culture does not require any specific techniques. Landings are weeded, watered. Especially important watering during flowering, if the weather is hot and dry. Loosening bathing suits is not very useful, as they form a lot of superficial roots. Instead, plants are mulched with peat or humus.
Always fit
As they bloom, the formed ovaries are removed, so that they do not spoil the appearance of the curtain and do not produce unnecessary seeds. The leaves of swimsuits are decorative throughout the growing season, so they are cut only in the fall, when they begin to wither, at a height of 2-3 cm from the ground. After this planting, it is recommended to sprinkle with nutritious compost, which, among other things, serves as a fertilizer. Bathing suits are winter-hardy and do not need shelter.
In one place they grow up to 10 years or more, it is recommended to transplant with the accompanying division of the bush as flowering weakens, about once every 6-7 years. The best time for this procedure is the second half of summer.
Landing concerns
Usually bathing suits do not suffer from pests and diseases. Occasionally they can be hit smut, septoria, penetrating short-bodied nematode. As a preventive measure, experienced gardeners recommend early spring sprinkle planting with ash, and at the beginning of flowering spray with epin. Leaves cut in autumn must be burned so as not to provoke the development of fungal diseases.
reproduction
Bathing suits breed seeds and division of rhizomes. Seeds are sown immediately after collection in the ground or in boxes. It is also possible to sow last year's seeds in spring, which have undergone a 3-4-month stratification at a temperature of + 2 ... 4 degrees.
Germination in many species is rather low, germination is unfriendly. Shoots are watered, not allowing the soil to dry out, and shaded from direct sunlight. After the appearance of the second true leaf, the seedlings dive at a distance of 8-10 cm from each other.
Young plants are planted in a permanent place in the spring of the second year of life. A number of species bloom already at the age of 2 years, however, the first flowering is usually limited to only one peduncle with a medium-sized flower. Over the years, the specimen grows, the stems become more branched and carry several flowers, the size of which increases.
The division of the curtain
The division of the curtain for reproduction is carried out at the age of 4-5 years; in older plants, the divisions take root worse. The best time for this is August - early September. The plant is dug up, the roots are shaken off the ground and the rhizome is cut into several pieces of arbitrary size. The main thing is that each of them has buds and roots.
It is useful to treat slices with a solution of potassium permanganate or sprinkle with crushed coal. The prepared planting material is planted in a permanent place as soon as possible in order to avoid drying out.
The root neck is deepened by 2 cm, the distance between specimens is 30-40 cm. It is recommended to cut the leaves. As soon as the plant takes root, it will have new ones.
Place in the garden
Swimsuits look great in solitary plantings on lawns, along the edge of tree and shrub plantations, along the banks of reservoirs. They are good in rock gardens, against the background of large stones or small rubble placers, and in stampers, near mossy stumps and snags. Bathing suits successfully complement the middle plan of the mixborder.
In rock gardens, they perfectly coexist with bergenia, saxifrage, stonecrop, lungwort, in a mixborder - with hosta, cornflower, cereals.
