Among the countless varieties and hybrids of sweet peppers, there are such as, for example, Ramiro peppers, whose popularity is literally global. And if most of the vegetables on the shelves of supermarkets are nameless, and it is almost impossible to find out about their varietal affiliation, then the name of this Ramiro pepper will certainly be on the package. And, as my experience has shown, this pepper is worth knowing about it and other gardeners. That is why this article was written.
Autumn is the busiest time. It is no longer hot, in the morning there is heavy dew. Since the earth is still warm, and foliage has already attacked from above, creating a very special microclimate in the surface layer, the mushrooms are very comfortable. Mushroom pickers are also comfortable at this time, especially in the mornings when it is cooler. It's time for both to meet. And, if not introduced to each other - get to know each other. In this article I will introduce you to exotic, little-known and not always edible mushrooms that look like corals.
If you are a busy person, but at the same time not without romance, if you have your own site and you are endowed with aesthetic taste, then explore the opportunity to purchase this wonderful ornamental shrub- Caryopteris, or Nutwing. He is also a "wing hazel", "blue fog" and "blue beard". In it, indeed, unpretentiousness and beauty are fully combined. Cariopteris reaches its decorative peak at the end of summer and autumn. It is at this time that it blooms.
Ajvar from pepper - vegetable caviar or thick vegetable sauce from bell pepper with eggplant. Peppers for this recipe are baked, and for quite a long time, then they are also stewed. Add to ajvar onion, tomatoes, eggplant. For harvesting for the winter, caviar is sterilized. This Balkan recipe is not for those who like to make preparations quickly, undercooked and underbaked - not about ajvar. In general, we approach the matter in detail. For the sauce, we choose the most ripe and meaty vegetables on the market.
Despite the simple names ("sticky" or "indoor maple") and the status of a modern substitute indoor hibiscus, abutilons - plants are far from the simplest. They grow well, bloom profusely and delight looking healthy green only in optimal conditions. On thin leaves, any deviations from comfortable lighting or temperatures and violations in care quickly appear. To reveal the beauty of abutilons in rooms, it is worth finding for them perfect place.
Pancakes from zucchini with parmesan and mushrooms - a delicious recipe with a photo of the available products. Ordinary squash pancakes can easily be turned into a boring dish by adding a few savory ingredients. In squash season, treat the family to vegetable fritters with forest mushrooms, it is not only very tasty, but also satisfying. Zucchini is a versatile vegetable, it is suitable for stuffing, for preparations, for main courses, and even for sweets. delicious recipes- compotes and jams are made from zucchini.
The idea of growing vegetables on the grass, under the grass and in the grass is at first scary, until you feel the naturalness of the process: in nature, everything happens that way. With the obligatory participation of all soil living creatures: from bacteria and fungi to moles and toads. Each of them contributes. Traditional tillage with digging, loosening, fertilizing, fighting all those we consider pests destroys the biocenoses that have been created for centuries. Moreover, it requires high costs labor and resources.
What to do instead of a lawn? So that all this beauty does not turn yellow, does not hurt and at the same time looks like a lawn ... I hope that the smart and quick-witted reader is already smiling. After all, the answer suggests itself - if nothing is done, nothing will happen. Of course, there are several solutions that can be used, and with their help, reduce the area of the lawn, and therefore reduce the laboriousness of caring for it. I propose to consider alternatives and discuss their pros and cons.
Tomato sauce with onion and sweet pepper - thick, fragrant, with pieces of vegetables. The sauce cooks quickly and turns out thick because this recipe is with pectin. Make such preparations at the end of summer or autumn, when the vegetables have ripened under the sun in the beds. From bright, red tomatoes you get the same bright homemade ketchup. This sauce is a ready-made spaghetti dressing, and you can also just spread it on bread - very tasty. For better preservation, you can add a little vinegar.
This year I often saw a picture: among the luxurious green crown of trees and shrubs, here and there, like candles, the tops of the shoots are “burning”. This is chlorosis. Most of us know about chlorosis from school biology lessons. I remember that this is a lack of iron ... But chlorosis is an ambiguous concept. And not always lightening the foliage means a lack of iron. What is chlorosis, what our plants lack in chlorosis and how to help them, we will tell in the article.
Vegetables in Korean for the winter - delicious Korean salad with tomatoes and cucumbers. The salad is sweet and sour, spicy and slightly spicy, because it is prepared with seasoning for Korean carrots. Be sure to prepare several jars for the winter, in the cold winter this healthy and fragrant snack will come in handy. For the recipe, you can use overripe cucumbers; it is better to harvest vegetables in late summer or early autumn, when they are ripe in open field under the sun.
Autumn for me is dahlias. Mine begin to bloom already in June, and all summer the neighbors look over the fence to me, reminding me that I promised them a few tubers or seeds by autumn. In September, a tart note appears in the aroma of these flowers, hinting at the approaching cold. So, it's time to start preparing plants for a long cold winter. In this article I will share my secrets autumn care for perennial dahlias and preparing them for winter storage.
To date, the efforts of breeders have bred, according to various sources, from seven to ten thousand (!) varieties of cultivated apple trees. But with their huge variety in private gardens, as a rule, only a couple of popular and beloved varieties grow. Apple trees are large trees with a spreading crown, and you cannot grow many of them in one area. But what if you try to grow columnar varieties of this crop? In this article I will talk about such varieties of apple trees.
Pinjur - Balkan eggplant caviar with sweet peppers, onions and tomatoes. Distinctive feature dishes - eggplants and peppers are first baked, then peeled and simmered for a long time in a brazier or in a saucepan with a thick bottom, adding the rest of the vegetables indicated in the recipe. The caviar is very thick, with a bright, rich taste. In my opinion, this cooking method is the best of all known. Although it is more troublesome, the result compensates for the labor costs.
Hello dear readers!
Today I want to tell you about the extraordinary indoor flowers. The name of these original plants is as unusual as their appearance- living stones, lithops, or pleiospila. I propose to read the basic and simple rules for caring for this desert dweller.
My first and unsuccessful acquaintance took place with them last winter. I bought these stones as a curiosity that I did not have yet. Brought home and began to care for them, as for ordinary flowers. This is what ruined them. There was no computer in the house, and she could not find the rules for caring for them in magazines.
Opening
This plant was first discovered in 1811 by the English botanist Burchell while traveling through the desert region of Great Carro. One day he decided to rest and sat down next to a pile of pebbles. And looking closely, he discovered plants among these stones, which, in pattern and shape, almost completely merged with the pebbles. So they discovered ortops turbiniformis.
The word "lithops" comes from two Greek words "lithos" - stone and "opsis" - look or "stone" and "appearance", that is, outwardly similar to a stone. Now 37 species have been studied in nature. This plant grows in the rocky and sandy deserts of South Africa, Botswana and South Africa, Namibia.
Appearance
The ground part is two fused thick sheets, which are separated by a shallow gap, new leaves and a peduncle appear from it. The plant grows up to 5 cm in height and width.
The flowers are yellow, white (rarely orange), 2.5 - 3 cm in diameter, can sometimes be fragrant. Lithops blooms in August, rarely in November.
Care and transplant rules
Home specimens of living stones are grown in Holland and sold along with pots, where the plants sit in compressed soil. They cannot live in this soil for a long time, therefore, after purchase, they must be immediately transplanted.
Before transplant, like any succulents, they do not need to be watered. During this period, they need a dry regimen, so the wounds on the roots heal faster. The pot should have drainage holes and obligatory drainage (a layer of expanded clay or broken brick). The bottom of the pot should be wide surface and not very small. It is better if the pot is made of ceramic, which allows excess moisture to evaporate through the pores.
The best substrate: clay-soddy earth, sheet, coarse-grained sand and broken brick (1:1:2:1).
- It is necessary to release the lithops from the ground with extreme care so as not to damage the root collar and the long root stem.
- It is impossible to wet the roots during transplantation, so it is necessary to carefully release them from the soil - carefully pierce the earthen lump with a toothpick so that it becomes loose, then the peat itself crumbles from the roots.
- The root neck of living stones is not buried in the ground, but covered with small pebbles, in order to avoid its suppuration.
- All species of this plant are friendly and do not like loneliness, so they should be planted in one bowl, putting stones between them. different sizes.
Watering is carried out only during the period of growth and flowering. Water through the pan, draining the remaining water in it after a couple of hours. For irrigation, it is best to use filtered tap or rain water.
During the dormant period, watering categorically !!! contraindicated. Even one drop greatly harms the plant. Do not be alarmed: dried and wrinkled leaves are the norm, not a pathology.
Lithops love hard water, but will not tolerate getting it on the leaves.
During the winter dormancy, these pebbles need a cool air temperature, in the range of 15–17 ° C, and some even lower - 5–7 ° C. Live stones should not be placed near glass, as in summer the roots are afraid of overheating .
These are simple, more like Spartan living conditions, rules for caring for living stones. As a gift for my readers, I found a video with an amazing miracle. I'm not going to jump ahead and see for yourself. I think it deserves attention.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=s6EslBw0QGI
These plants do not grow in meadows. They are not in the forest thickets either. And only among the heaps of stones and rocks, where there is almost no soil, and no other herbs grow, does a whole army of plants from the family saxifrage. They do not tolerate the neighborhood of other plants, and at the same time they love dampness and moisture.
On steep mountain slopes, where after forest fires, snow avalanches or mudflows wash away the remnants of the soil with rain, it would seem that greenery will never appear, but ten to fifteen years pass, and thick oval shiny leaves of the largest saxifrage representative in Siberia appear among the bare stones - bergenia thick-leaved.
Year after year, its thick stem breaks through the stones. The top of the bergenia first grows upward, but the roots that form on the stem constantly press it against the stones. Long creeping lashes of stems five to six meters long are constantly updated. The old sections of the stem die off, turning into dust, new ones grow, and the bergenia “creeps” between the stones like a snake. die off and last year's leaves, which first turn red, and then blacken and crumble, thereby creating the future soil.
There are many various kinds saxifrage living in rocky tundra or high in the mountains on gravelly screes near snowfields. Most species are found in the Northern Hemisphere, but some are also found in the South American Andes.
Variety of saxifrage
No one has yet been able to prove that saxifrages actually break rocks, or even contribute to their destruction. But plants of a different kind - capers, living mainly in hot and dry climates, are really capable of destroying stones and buildings.
Dark green "mats" of capers with their thick glossy leaves grow in the driest places without experiencing any inconvenience. Even the sweltering summer heat of the deserts is not a hindrance to them. Often they grow where their presence is completely unnecessary: on the roofs and domes of ancient palaces, on the minarets of mosques and the adobe walls of ancient fortresses.
Capers are able to live not only on the eaves of buildings, but also on the vertical surface of the walls. Their amazing ability to climb vertical wall is explained simply. The lashes of this plant have modified stipules resembling hooked cat's claws. To get moisture, capers stretch their roots for many meters. On the roof of the main mosque of the Ulugbek Madrasah in Samarkand, capers grow, the roots of which, 17 meters long, descend into the hall of the mosque and go underground for 20 meters. There, the roots of the destroyer of monuments get their own water.
Capers grow both on dry alabaster plaster and on adobe bricks, even though they heat up to 80 degrees in summer. The roots are gradually destroying the monuments, and no tricks can help get rid of the "aggressor". You can destroy the aerial part of the caper, but the roots are preserved, and the bush is gradually restored.
If smoothly cut lawns and picturesque flower beds are bored, and you want a change, you can build on suburban area alpine slide. Composition of stones and living plants, like a corner wildlife - suitable option for the hacienda. You just have to work a little to create a garden masterpiece.
The first is the choice of location. The slide will look great against the background of the lawn, garden pond, near the tracks. sunny place most beneficial. And if you have taken a slightly shaded place for the slide, then pay attention to the selection of plants, shade-tolerant species will be required.
The second is layering. Gorka is a kind of layer cake. Therefore, gradually form the relief. First, you need to remove a 15 cm layer of turf to avoid overgrowing the future slide with weeds, and treat the prepared place with Roundup, Tornado, Hurricane Forte weed remover or cover it with a non-woven dark cloth. Then you need to make drainage from crushed stone, gravel, small pebbles, even from construction debris so that water does not stagnate. Just remove the stumps, because, rotting, dips form in their place, which will disrupt the composition. It is better to compact the drainage, then the subsidence of the hill in the future will be minimal. Evenly pour a 5-10 cm layer of sand over the entire area, and then additional mounds where there will be hills. The higher you plan to make the alpine slide, the thicker the drainage and sand layers should be. 3rd layer 10-15 cm thick, pour earthen mixture for vegetable plantings. The soil should consist of turf, peat and sand (2:1:1). To settle and compact the sand and the drainage layer, the slide must be watered from a hose with a sprayer in order to avoid the destruction of the created relief. The slide will settle to a quarter of the initial height, so do not rush to land immediately.
The third is the layout of stones. You can use tuff, sandstone, local breeds. It is better not to use granite, it looks great, but it strongly acidifies the soil. Lay the stones from the foot to the top, in groups or singly, as your fantasy plays. Only no geometrically correct proportions, randomness will make wild corner nature more natural. Place small and medium stones so that they are half in the ground. The soil is noticeably trampled down during the laying of stones. Water it and add soil if needed.
It is important that your work does not look like a foreign element on the site. Not far from the slide, place stones of different sizes in one or more places.
Only in the spring, when the soil warms up after snowmelt, sprinkle the earth and eliminate the shortcomings that have appeared. After that, you can plant plants.
When flowers grow on the stones, you will be able to delight your eyes and appreciate the fruits of your labors.
A naturally sloping site is an ideal place to create rocky garden. If nature has not given you such an ideal landscape, all you need is a few cars with sand, soil, stones of different sizes and a lot of patience. If you decide to create a slide on your own, start with a small area, as the work to create it can significantly exceed the volumes you anticipate.
History of occurrence
The first rocky gardens appeared in England at the beginning of the 19th century. Captivated by the beauty and grace of the mountain vegetation of Switzerland and other mountainous European countries, which could not be found in their homeland, the British decided to bring plant samples to England.
Since there was very little knowledge on the cultivation of alpine and other mountain plants, they were grown based on the requirements of local vegetation, which often led to illness and even death of alpine "guests". Some of the most unpretentious mountain plants were still able to adapt and remained to live in English gardens, although mostly enthusiasts still had to find and transfer plants from the highlands to their gardens again and again. Only in 1870 did Williams Robinson in his book " Alpine plants for English Gardens" attempted to create a kind of guide to growing "alpines". And only by the beginning of the 20th century, significant knowledge was accumulated in the field of care and cultivation of mountain plants. However, for a long time, rock gardens continued to be a difficult task for their creators, who often failed in their desire to create a real rock garden (unfortunately, the same is true of modern times).
Where to begin
First of all, carefully examine the place on your site where you are going to create a rocky garden; see what plants grow there. The tall, sprawling oaks growing nearby, for example, in addition to certainly adding charm and perhaps majesty to the surroundings, can create quite dense shade during the day, which is poorly tolerated by most mountain plants. Overgrown bushes may look untidy and too bulky next to miniature plants rocky garden. In this case, they can be cut or transplanted to another place, if possible, so as not to violate the proportions in the created landscape.
Once you've made a decision about what plants to keep in your rock garden, remove any unwanted plants and weeds. And do not forget that you need to delete not only upper part plants, but also the rhizome. Weeds can be removed manually or by chemical means. After that, prune the trees and shrubs that need it. Remove any diseased branches and, if necessary, thin out the plants. Sometimes it is useful to remove the lower branches of trees and shrubs that provide the most shade.
It is necessary to place the stones so skillfully that even a person who knows perfectly well what rocky areas look like in the mountains could not easily distinguish what was created by human hands from what was created by Nature itself. Stones placed in your garden should look like they have always been there. it the main task when placing stones, and at the same time, the main difficulty that you will face at this stage.
stones
The most natural in a rocky garden will look like stones from your area. In addition, such stones are cheaper and easier to buy and deliver to the place. Large irregularly shaped stones look interesting in a rocky garden, but keep in mind that you also cannot do without small stones. good choice to create such a garden, limestone will become - a soft and porous stone that allows moisture to pass through, so that the plants can sit right on the stones. There are often cracks and breaks in limestone that can be filled with earth and plants can be placed in them.
Start laying stones from the lowest point, i.e. the foot of your rocky garden, gradually moving towards the highest point. Leave enough earth around each stone so that it is firmly placed in its place. Each stone should be dug into the ground by half or even more so that the composition has the most natural look. After all the stones are placed, the ground around them should settle. This will take at least a few days. After that, look from the side to see if the location of the stones suits you. If something does not suit you, you need to redo it now, before planting the plants.
The soil
The next step is soil preparation. Unless you decide to grow plants with any special soil requirements, you won't have to change the type and structure of the soil drastically. For example, if the soil in your area is acidic or, conversely, has an alkaline reaction, you can not change anything, but just choose an assortment of plants that suit this species soil. To make the soil structure looser, add small pebbles or coarse sand to it, and for plants that prefer an alkaline soil reaction, crushed limestone or shells. For woodland and ericaceous plants, add a substantial amount of rotted leaves, compost, or similar organic matter.
Make sure that the soil layer is thick enough for the development of the plant's root system. This is especially important when planting plants in the crevices of stones. It is usually recommended not to use the land from the site, but to fill the gaps with a mixture specially prepared for this and compact it well so that there are no voids.
Planting is best done in early fall or early spring, but container plants can be planted throughout the season. If possible, it is advisable to leave the prepared area for the winter, and plant the plants only in the spring. Over the winter, the soil will settle and the next season your rocky garden will be ready for planting. In addition, during this time you will be able to completely get rid of weeds, the seeds of which were brought into your garden along with the soil.
Plants
There are a huge number of plants suitable for planting in a rocky garden. Great fit undersized perennials, but many of those that look good in a rocky garden bloom only in spring, after which they leave room for blooming in summer or autumn plants - heathers, herbs or annuals that add color throughout the season.
Some gardeners believe that rock gardens should consist only of those plants that naturally grow on poor rocky soils. However, most rocky gardens are created in a habitat other than the natural halo of mountain plants. When choosing plants for your garden, make sure the plants are comfortable in your climate and location.
Plant placement
When choosing plants for your rock garden, try to use plants that grow in your area. climate zone or similar requirements. In small areas of your garden, you can try planting a few more difficult-to-care species.
For more credibility and naturalness, place the plants as they grow in natural conditions. Look for inspiration by observing plants in nature. irregular shape carpets from ground cover plants may cover large areas or be placed on ledges of rocks or miniature plateaus.
Separate small groups or even specimens of such plants can be planted at some distance from the main mass or even at a lower level of a rocky garden. Such a technique will create the impression that the seeds of plants that fell and later washed away by rain lingered at a distance and sprouted separately from the whole group. Notice how plants colonize narrow crevices and hollows, or colonize the bases of miniature cliffs.
Don't try to blindly copy nature. Let your rocky garden become that small corner of nature, such as you saw it, and in which you collected those plants that you want to see in your garden.
How to care for a rock garden
When you are thinking about how to care for your rock garden, try to imagine your plants growing in containers and act accordingly. Use a small garden rake to loosen the soil around the plants, preventing it from compacting. Most mountain plants thrive in poor soils, but a little added compost won't hurt them.
Daily care consists in pruning wilted flowers, dried and damaged leaves and branches, dividing plants as needed. Check your plants regularly for diseases and pests. Slugs that like to hide among stones can be especially annoying. Be sure to weed the weeds Special attention allocate crevices and other secluded places where they can settle and start to crowd out their "noble" neighbors.
Plants living among stones are more vulnerable to winter period than other plants in your garden, so they require additional protection during the cold season. Before the cold sets in, mulch your plants to protect them from freezing.
Your rocky garden will give you real pleasure!
The pleasure of a rock garden lies not only in creating and contemplating a beautiful landscape, but also in getting to know and caring for the chosen plants. For those who have created a rock garden on their site, it often becomes a long-term hobby that does not require too much from you, but is exciting enough to attract the attention it deserves. Since the plants in a rock garden are mostly small in size, many of them require very little space to grow. This attracts gardeners-collectors and just people who are passionate about gardening, the opportunity to plant on small area a wide variety of varieties and species of plants.
Another attractive side of a rock garden is that, unlike the serious work of creating it, maintaining it is simple and pleasant. Much of the care can be done in passing, along with the maintenance of other plants in your garden.
