Scylla is often referred to as "the favorite weed" by gardeners. These flowers from the hyacinth family are widely distributed because they adapt perfectly to various conditions. In addition, they grow and breed well in shady places, differing in frost resistance and excellent appearance.
Leaves are linear, peduncles are leafless. The flowers are blue, purple, white or pink; they are collected in inflorescences or located singly. Bright flowers of Scylla give the flower garden a special unique look.
Word Scilla translated from ancient Greek means "sea onion". Numerous species of Scylla grow abundantly in Europe and Asia.
Most often in the gardens there is a Siberian blueberry (Scilla siberica), which has broad-linear basal bright green leaves. This is a plant with bright blue flowers that bloom as early as mid-April.
Less common is the amazingly beautiful form "Alba" with snow-white flowers.
The most abundantly flowering and undersized of the weeds is the two-leaved weed (Scillabifolia)- In addition, it has a strong pleasant aroma. Her flowers can be blue, pink or white, and their number in the inflorescence is from 3 to 15 pieces.
Scylla blooms in April after the snow melts for 15–20 days, and the buds, along with the leaves, appear two weeks earlier. Her small flowers, similar to drooping bells, are collected in 20-30 pieces on a peduncle.
cultivation
Scillas are grown in one place for 5–6 years. During this time, they grow strongly and give a large number of peduncles, which creates a decorative effect. All scillas are very good for spring small bouquets. They are suitable for forcing, especially for the New Year, which is especially valuable for gardeners.
Scylla bulb is broadly ovoid, 2–3 cm in diameter. During the season, the mother bulb forms 3–5 children. A year later, young bulbs form flower arrows, and at the age of two they are suitable for forcing.
Landing. Scylla easily tolerates transplanting even during flowering. However, it is necessary to harvest the bulbs during the period of yellowing of the leaves, and plant them in the ground in late August - early September.
The plant is winter-hardy, hibernates without shelter, but grows in open places, so it is still better to cover for the winter.
Growing conditions. Scillas love shady places, but grow just as well in lighted areas. The soil prefers loose, moist and fertile, but can also grow on heavy soils with the addition of humus in areas with little shading. Perhaps the only thing that the blueberry will not be able to adapt to is the acidic marshy soil. If the land suits her, the blueberry will grow in one place for decades.
reproduction. Scylla reproduce well by seed. Immediately after the cracking of the seed pods (approximately at the end of the first decade of July), the seeds must be collected and immediately sown in the ground, because. they lose their viability extremely quickly. Moreover, the blueberries give abundant self-seeding, therefore, in good conditions, they spread quite quickly through the garden. When growing sprouts in flower beds, it is necessary to remove the testes in a timely manner, preventing the seeds from spreading.
Scylla and ovoid bulbs propagate easily. To do this, they are seated in the second half of summer. Bulbs form up to 4 peduncles up to 15–18 cm long.
It is worth transplanting and dividing the scillas no earlier than 3 years after planting, while they can be transplanted even during flowering, there will be no harm from this plant, the main thing is not to overdry the roots. When planting a scilla, try to keep the recommended distance of 5-6 centimeters.
The most optimal time for planting sprouts is after the leaves die off, so you will avoid even a small risk, the calendar time is usually June or early July.
Care. Scillas are unpretentious, do not require special care. In order for them to bloom better, in early spring they need to be fed with nitrophoska. After watering, the earth should be loosened to a depth of 2–2.5 cm and mulched with leafy humus.
The use of weeds in garden design
High decorativeness allows the wide use of Scylla in various types of flower decoration. Blooming among the first, they will decorate the garden after winter. Scillas grow very quickly and form beautiful blue clumps under trees or on lawns, which are wonderfully combined with clumps of white snowdrops and early yellow crocuses.
Scillas are absolutely indispensable on alpine hills, they are in perfect harmony with stones, therefore, like many early spring small-bulbous ones, they are planted in rocky gardens. You can also plant them in groups on the lawn, in borders, borders, mixborders, and even in the near-trunk circles of fruit trees.
Blooming scillas are especially good in combination with other perennials, such as peonies, when the leaves of those have not yet had time to turn around. Scilla is often used as a cut flower for spring bouquets.
Forcing of the woods
Scylla are also suitable for forcing. To do this, it is necessary to plant them in a pot in the fall, arranging two or three pairs of plants in each, and put them in a dark and cool place where there is no negative temperature even in winter (in the basement). In February, the pots should be transferred to the windowsill or to another bright place with a temperature of about 12 ° C.
"Ural Gardener", No. 16, 2019
Photo: Rita Brilliantova, Maxim Minin
They don’t go to the forest for the first primrose for a long time - they have been grown in gardens and parks since the 17th century. This article is for those who want to tame the Siberian blueberry, a forest beauty with piercing blue flowers. Read about planting and care outdoors. For connoisseurs of its touching beauty - types and varieties. For those who are not afraid of the vagaries of the forest guest - cultivation and reproduction. For connoisseurs of the bulb garden - a combination in landscape design with other plants, recommendations, photos.
Scilla is a herbaceous perennial of the genus Asparagus. Its most common species is the Siberian blueberry (Scilla siberica). In nature, the Siberian Scylla lives on forest lawns and meadows in Eastern and Western Europe, in the oak forests of the North Caucasus and in the Crimea - but it has not reached Siberia.
Morphological features:
- plant height 10-12 cm;
- basal leaves are broadly linear, linear, bright green, their length is about 13-15 cm, the number is 2-4 pcs. On thin tips, they carry a point in the form of a light tip, formed by coarse cells of mechanical tissues. This "sword" is needed by the plant to break through the frozen ground and the crust of snow;
- seed germination is above ground, from the beginning of March;
- flowers are bright blue, drooping, cup-shaped, 1.5 cm in diameter, with six petals, in inflorescences on average 4-5 pcs.;
- type of fruit - box. The seed-bearing pods fall off and ripen in the ground;
- the ovoid, elongated bulb is small - the diameter reaches only 2-3 cm. The covering scales are brown-violet.
Attention! The blooming of the Siberian blueberry in the open ground begins from the beginning to the middle of April, 7-10 days after the snow has left, after the first thawed patches appear. The duration of flowering is from 15 to 20-23 days. Honey plant, loved by wasps and bees.
The leaves appear almost at the same time as the peduncles, die back to maturity in the seed pods. Vegetation begins in spring and ends until autumn, in summer - a dormant period. In autumn, new bulb roots appear, the rudiments of leaves and flowers develop. In the dormant phase, in winter, their slow development continues.
Species, subspecies, varieties of blueberry
- Siberian Scilla - lives in the same place as the main species. The main forms have white, blue, blue flowers, occasionally pale pink.
- Proleska Armenian is a native of the slopes of Southern Transcaucasia, a resident of the subalpine zone of the North-East of Turkey. The subspecies grows in large groups, prefers partial shade. The flowers are bright blue, saturated, the pedicels are curved, long arrows carry neat inflorescences of 3-4 pcs.
- Proleska Caucasian came from the forest-steppe of Transcaucasia. Tall peduncles proudly bear her blue-violet flowers on straight pedicels.
Proleska Caucasian The main variety for European countries is Spring Beauty. Spring Beauty blooms beautifully - dark purple flowers, large (up to 3 cm). A feature of the variety is the lack of the possibility of sowing seeds.
Another variety that differs only in snow-white flowers with snow-white stamens is Alba, which blooms later than the main form and is 7-10 days longer. Gives a good combination with purple Spring Beauty.
Planting Scilla and Basic Requirements
Planting, like transplanting, is carried out after the leaves die off, in the second or third decade of July or at the beginning of July, unlike other species that are planted in the fall. of this type are not subject to long-term storage. It is possible to replant the blueberries during flowering, but it is better to do this during the dormant period, namely in the summer.
Attention! The depth of planting the bulb is usually equal to its height (2-6 cm): large specimens are planted deeper, smaller specimens are planted at a shallower depth.
When landing or transplanting, the sequence of actions is as follows:
- bulbs are dug up;
- clean the clods of earth, separate the children;
- to prepare the substrate, forest soil, peat, rotted litter with particles of bark are added to the garden soil; if necessary, mineral fertilizer is applied on poor soils;
- planted, observing a distance of 4-6 cm, after compacting the soil mixture, watering is carried out.
Flowering grown from bulbs Scylla begins at 2-3 years.
Advice. Self-seeding should be prevented: the seed pods crumble and crack. In order not to disturb the decorative compositions, unauthorized sowing is prevented by collecting boxes or removing testes before shedding.
Sowing of seeds is carried out immediately after their collection. When the seed pods turn yellow or begin to crack, the seeds can be considered suitable for sowing.
Cultivation of blueberries is practiced in any flower beds - from the near-stem circle of a tree to rockeries. What to consider when boarding:
- soil requirements: slightly acidic, drained, fertile, light, moist, but not swampy. On clay, it will take root when enriched with leaf humus, peat;
- site requirements: likes partial shade and sunny places. It is useful to mulch areas with intense sun in the first or second year of planting with peat, litter, removing the mulch after the snow has left;
- feeding requirements: will appreciate soils enriched with peat and leaf humus;
- care requirements: timely watering followed by shallow loosening, light mulch, mineral nitrogen fertilizer.
Care: what a Siberian loves
Caring for the Siberian blueberry or spring theses:
- needs abundant irrigation in drought. A light vegetable mulch will give a good effect;
- before watering, it is worth loosening the soil to a depth of 2-3 cm, after irrigation - mulch with organic matter;
- responsive to the introduction of organic matter, mineral fertilizers in early spring;
after flowering in spring, the flower stalks are cut off, the leaves are removed only after they have completely died off; - for the winter in the open field needs light shelter. In protected areas, near bushes, trees, winters in the presence of snow without shelter.
Attention! Low temperatures in summer retard plant development and all stages of organogenesis; the formation of the main organs - leaves, flowers. For full-fledged formation, temperatures above +20 C are required for 3 months.
Fertilizer and top dressing
There is an opinion that primroses do not need fertilizer. This is not true. In the open ground of the garden, fertilizers of the nitrogen-mineral complex are usually applied, potash in the snow or after it has melted, as well as at the time of flowering or at the bud stage.
In the course are used as nitrophoska, azofoska, nitroammophoska, complex microfertilizers. Bulbous need little in the latter.
Reproduction: multiply and multiply
Scylla propagates by seeds, budding daughter two- and three-year-old bulbs. An adult bulb gives small offspring - more often 1-2 pcs. per season, only the white subspecies of the Siberian blueberry gives up to 5 children.
Attention! The shell of the bulbs of the blueberry is thin, keeping them open threatens to dry out the scales and death.
Sometimes for reproduction, the method of cutting the bottom and planting it in a separate container is used. After the appearance of the children on the bottom, they are separated, then transplanted. With the usual propagation of scilla in the open field, the mother bulb can produce 2-5 daughter bulbs, and when using this agricultural method, 20-28 pieces.
Diseases and pests: who is afraid of the blueberry
In open ground, like all bulbs, it is affected by gray rot, bulb rot, Achelenchoides and other ailments.
- Gray rot usually affects all parts of the bulb. Dense spots of necrosis form on her body, the green parts and scales of the shell are covered with dirty gray mold fluff.
- Achelenhoides affects the green parts, the bulb itself. The scales turn brown, necrosis formations appear, ring rot is visible on the cut.
- Bulb rot is caused by fungal infections. Most often it is sclerotinia, septoria, fusarium. Their main signs are yellowing, withering leaves, necrotic formations on the bulbs.
Severely damaged specimens are disposed of, only those affected by the disease can be saved by pickling with a fungicide before planting.
It is prone to the blueberry and the attack of rodents, seeking to feast on a tender bulb in the fall, and its sprouts in the spring.
Of the pests, the meadow tick is dangerous, penetrating through the bottom and feeding on the juice of the scales. They use insecticides against the pest, acaricides - Actellik, Agrovertin, Calypso and others. Another pest is the onion hoverfly. The larva of the fly penetrates the core of the bulbs, gnawing it. Bulbs that are attacked die. To combat the hoverfly, available insecticides are used, as in the case of attacks by other enemies of culture - Khrushchev, Medvedka.
Scilla and its neighbors: combination with other plants
To create compositions, plants that bloom at the same time are selected, combined with the culture - or contrasting. It is important to bear in mind that annuals, when flowering, create empty spaces around a blueberry that is not protected from the sun. By planting perennials nearby, they create shade and protect the bulbs from overheating in the heat.
In mixborders and borders, under shrubs and in combination with them, in monochrome plantings around trees, under the canopy of a garden - the Siberian blueberry is appropriate everywhere. Large group plantings are spectacular, those same blue islands that fascinate the eye in the photo. Compositions are good in combination with stones - in the design of an alpine slide and rockeries. Blue eyes are also appropriate on open lawns, lawns, especially expressive among awakening shrubs and bare trees.
In general, touching primrose is unpretentious in cultivation. It survives on most soils, stoically refers to poor soils, poor watering. It propagates easily, especially by self-sowing. It will not only tolerate complete indifference to its beauty, but will respond to the warmth of the master's hands with a sea of shy blue-blue flowers.
How to plant Scylla: video
Scilla (lat. Scilla) belongs to the genus of bulbous perennials of the Asparagus family, although it used to be part of the Hyacinth or Liliaceae family. Another name for Scylla. Sometimes the blueberry is confused with the blueberry or snowdrop. The genus includes about 90 species of plants living in the mountain meadows and plains of Asia, Africa and Europe. The Scylla plant got its name from the Greek name for the squill - skilla, which used to belong to this genus. Scilla flowers are distinguished by high decorativeness and frost resistance, disease resistance and the ability to adapt to any conditions.
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Planting and caring for Scylla
- Landing: spring species are planted from the second half of June, autumn-flowering - in September.
- Bloom: April or October depending on the species.
- Lighting: bright light, but partial shade is better.
- The soil: loose, moist, rich in leaf humus, pH 6.5-7.0.
- Watering: infrequent, morning, under the root.
- Top dressing: spring-flowering - in early spring, autumn-flowering - in autumn. It is desirable to add microelements (magnesium, copper, calcium and iron) to the solution of complex mineral fertilizer.
- Reproduction: seeds and bulbs.
- Pests: mouse-like rodents and root meadow mites.
- Diseases: bulb rot, gray mold and achelenchoides.
Read more about growing Scylla below.
Scilla flower (scilla) - description
Spillage is a perennial bulbous plant. Scylla bulbs are round or ovoid, with dark gray, purple or brown outer scales. The leaves are linear, basal, appearing before or simultaneously with the apical racemose inflorescences on leafless peduncles. A characteristic feature of scilla leaves is that on cloudy and cold days they are pressed to the ground, and in warm and sunny weather they take a position close to vertical. Scilla inflorescences consist of single flowers. Blue scillas are common, but there are species and cultivars with purple, white, purple, and pink flowers. The fruit of the scilla is a box with black seeds of an irregular ovoid shape.
Along with flowers such as crocus (or saffron), brandushka, adonis (or adonis), white flowers, springweed (or eranthus), backache (or sleep-grass), hyacinth, goose onion, muscari, narcissus, snowdrop, pushkinia, primrose , chionodoxa, pygmy iris, hazel grouse and buttercup, scylla flower is a primrose. Scillas usually bloom in early spring, although there are species that bloom in autumn.
The topic of our article is planting and caring for a scilla in the open field.
Planting scilla in open ground
When to plant a scilla in the ground
Planting and caring for a scilla in the open field is not at all difficult. A blueberry plant is planted most often on alpine slides, borders, in mixborders or rockeries. The near-trunk circles of fruit trees, decorated with blooming scillas in early spring, also look very elegant.
Scylla can be planted even during flowering, however, spring scillas are best planted after the leaves die off, from the second half of June, and autumn-flowering scillas - a month before the development of peduncles. Like all flowers, the blueberry loves good lighting, although it can also grow in partial shade, and spring-flowering species are more light-loving than those that bloom in autumn.
How to plant a scilla in the ground
Planting and caring for a scilla begins with site preparation. The best soil for Scilla is an organic-rich soil containing leaf humus and mineral components. In order for blueberries to grow well in your garden, you need to add some forest soil with semi-decomposed foliage and tree bark to the garden soil. The soil for scilla should be moderately moist, but she does not like swampy soils, as well as acidic ones. The optimal pH of the soil for blueprints is 6.5-7.0 pH.
Scilla bulbs are placed in holes located at a distance of 5-10 cm from each other, to a depth of 6 to 8 cm, depending on the caliber of planting material.
Scylla care in the garden
How to grow a blueberry
Perhaps Scylla is one of the most unpretentious spring plants. Spillage care consists in watering with the obligatory subsequent loosening of the soil to a depth of 2-2.5 cm and the removal of weeds. It is better to water the scillas in the morning, trying to pour water so that it does not fall on the flowers - this makes the scillas lose their decorative effect. To make your work easier, mulch the planting with leafy humus, after which you will have to water and loosen the soil less often.
For top dressing in early spring with a complex fertilizer, for example, Nitrofoska, the blueberry will respond with abundant flowering, but Scylla species that bloom in autumn are better to feed in the fall. It is desirable to add trace elements calcium, iron, copper and magnesium to the solution of complex mineral fertilizer.
You need to know that many types of scylla reproduce by self-sowing, and if you do not want the blueberries to suddenly bloom in places reserved for other plants, remove their testes in a timely manner.
Transplanting scilla (scylla) in the garden
Scylla care involves replanting the plant once every three years. In order for the blueberries not to lose their decorative effect, they need to be dug up and, having separated the babies from the bulbs, they should be planted as quickly as possible in order to avoid rotting of the bulbs. The best time for this procedure is the end of September or the beginning of October.
Scylla breeding
Scylla propagates by bulbs and seeds. We have just described the method of propagation by bulbs. As for seed propagation, the first task is to obtain seed: as soon as the seed boxes turn yellow and begin to crack, and this happens around the end of June, you need to cut the boxes, get seeds from them and sow them.
The germination of the seeds of the blueberry is low, and you will wait for the flowering of scilla from the seeds only after 3-4 years. You will have to plant the sprouts grown from seeds for the first time no earlier than in five years - you need to give the plant time to multiply the flower stalks and grow more children.
Pests and diseases of scilla (scilla)
Like other small-bulb crops, scylla is affected by diseases such as bulb rot, gray rot and achelenchoides. Of the pests for the woods, the most dangerous are mouse-like rodents and the root meadow tick.
Gray rot affects the leaves of the plant and the upper part of the bulbs, as a result of which they are covered with gray mold fluff and rot. Following this, dense spots form on the bulbs. As a result of the development of the disease, the blueberries turn yellow and die. Sick plants should be destroyed immediately. On bulbs affected by gray rot during storage, diseased areas are cut out, and the wounds are treated with wood ash.
Achelenhoides it affects both the ground part of the plants and the bulbs, causing their scales to turn brown, which causes the bulbs to rot - ring rot can be seen on their cross section. The surface of the diseased bulb is covered with necrotic spots. Plants infected with Achelenchoides lose their decorative effect and begin to lag behind in development. Bulbs of damaged plants must be dug up and destroyed, while healthy bulbs are kept for half an hour in a thermos with hot water (43 ºC) for prevention purposes.
bulb rot can be caused by fungal infections such as sclerotinia, fusarium and septoria. The first sign of the disease is yellowed leaves of the plant, then the infection penetrates the bulbs, from which dirty red spots form on them. During storage, diseased bulbs become hard and die. These diseases progress in conditions of high humidity.
mouse rodents, namely voles, brownies and field mice, they feed on scylla bulbs, and in spring they eat its sprouts. In order to prevent mice from destroying the planting of the forest, a protective groove is made around it, into which poisoned baits are placed and lightly sprinkled with earth so as not to accidentally poison the birds.
Root meadow mite and its larvae sharpen the bottom of the bulb, penetrate into its middle and feed on the juice of its internal scales, which leads to rotting and drying of the bulb. To destroy the tick, they resort to treating plants with insectoacaricides - Actellik, Agravertin, Akarin and similar preparations. As a preventive measure, scilla bulbs are treated with the same preparations before planting in the ground.
Scylla after flowering
After flowering, the flower-bearing shoot of Scylla is immediately cut off, while the leaves are removed only when they themselves completely die off. As for the preparation of the plant for wintering, almost all types of Scylla are frost-resistant, so they winter normally without shelter. But it is better to cover the scillas growing in open areas for the winter with spruce branches or dry leaves.
As you can see, planting and caring for Scylla is not at all laborious, especially since it can also be grown by self-sowing.
Types and varieties of scilla (scilla)
Since there are a lot of species of blueberry, including in culture, we offer you an acquaintance only with the most famous of them, as well as with the Scilla varieties that are most in demand in floriculture.
She is scilla campanulata, she is endymion spanish (Endymion hispanicus), native to the forests and grasslands of Portugal, Spain and southern France. This is perhaps the most beautiful type of blueberry: a plant of low growth (20-30 cm), with a single peduncle and bell-shaped blue, pink and white flowers up to 2 cm in diameter, collected 5-10 pieces in an erect racemose inflorescence. Scylla campanula blooms from the end of May for a little less than two weeks. The bulbs of this species left in the ground for the winter need to be covered. The best varieties of Scylla bell-shaped:
- Rose Queen- scylla with pink flowers with a lilac tint and a barely noticeable aroma on peduncles about 20 cm high;
- sky blue- large blue flowers with a blue stripe, located on powerful peduncles in a spiral;
- La Grandes- a plant with white flowers, of which there are about fifteen in each inflorescence;
- Rosabella- lilac-pink fragrant flowers, collected in a dense inflorescence on peduncles up to 30 cm high. By evening, the aroma of flowers intensifies.
Or scilla bifolia, distributed in nature in the Mediterranean, the Crimea, the European part of Russia and Ciscaucasia. This is the most profusely flowering and shortest type of Scylla. A plant about 15 cm high bears from one to three peduncles, each of which forms an inflorescence of white or pink flowers with a strong and pleasant smell, up to 15 pieces. Scylla bifolia, as the name implies, has only two broad-leaf leaves up to 20 cm long. Flowering in plants of this species begins in the second half of April and lasts about two weeks.
Cultivated since 1568. There is a garden form of bifolia var. Purpurea with purple flowers.
Or scilla autumn, grows wild in the Mediterranean, North Africa and Asia Minor. This plant gives up to 5 flower arrows 15-20 cm high, on which small flowers of reddish-violet or pale lilac color are revealed, collected in loose brushes of 6-20 pieces. The beginning of flowering is the end of July or the beginning of August. The leaves of the plant are linear, grooved, narrow, up to 25 cm long. This species has been cultivated since 1597.
Or scilla Peruvian, comes from the Western Mediterranean. This plant develops 2-3 flower arrows up to 35 cm high with small bright blue flowers less than 1 cm in diameter, collected in a dense conical inflorescence. In one inflorescence there can be up to 80 flowers. The leaves of Scilla Peruvian are linear, up to 30 cm long and up to 1.5 cm wide. There can be from 5 to 8 of them on one plant.
Or scilla siberian, got its name by mistake, because it does not grow in Siberia. Its habitats are the European part of Russia, the Caucasus, Crimea, as well as Southern and Central Europe. The leaves of this species appear simultaneously with blue flowers containing nectar. The peculiarity of the flowers of this species is that they open at 10 o'clock and close at 16-17 o'clock, and in cloudy weather they may not open at all.
Scylla sibirica has three subspecies:
- Caucasian (Scilla sibirica subsp. caucasica), found in Eastern Transcaucasia. In plants of this subspecies, arrows are 20 to 40 cm high, the flowers are dark blue with a purple tint, blooming for two to three weeks from mid-spring;
- Armenian (Scilla sibirica subsp. armena), growing in the southern Transcaucasia and in the northeast of Turkey. In the Armenian subspecies, the leaves are crescent-shaped, arrows are only 10-15 cm long, bright blue flowers open in mid-spring and bloom for two to three weeks;
- Siberian (Scilla sibirica subsp. sibirica) grows in the mountains, shrubs and forests of the Caucasus, Crimea, Asia Minor and Asia Minor, as well as the European part of Russia. This is the most famous subspecies of the blueberry in culture. Its plants have 3-4 broadly linear leaves up to 1.5 cm wide, the number of peduncles up to 30 cm high on one plant can be from 1 to 4, azure flowers bloom in mid-spring and bloom for about three weeks. A subspecies has been cultivated since the beginning of the 17th century. The white-flowered form of this subspecies has been in cultivation since 1798; it blooms a week and a half later than the sheds of a different color, but blooms for almost four weeks. In addition to plants with white flowers, there are varieties with pink and blue colors. The most famous varieties of the Siberian subspecies of the Siberian blueberry:
- Spring Beauty- currently the best variety of the species with powerful purple-green peduncles and five to six flowers of a dark purple shade with a diameter of about 3 cm. The variety is very popular in Western European culture. Its peculiarity is also that it does not set seeds, but it is easily propagated by children;
- Alba- a variety with very beautiful flowers of snow-white color, creating a spectacular contrast with the flowers of the Spring Beauty variety.
In addition to the described species, grape, Pushkin-like, Rosen, Tubergen (or Mishchenko), purple, one-flowered, sea (sea onion), Litardieu, Chinese (proleskovidnaya), Italian, Vinogradov, Bukhara (or Vvedensky) blueberries are in demand in the culture.
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Siberian blueberry (Scilla siberica) is a perennial herbaceous plant belonging to the Asparagus family. In another way, it is called scylla and is often confused with a snowdrop. It grows in Eastern Europe, Western Asia, the Caucasus. The plant is also found in other countries, including North America. In Russia, it can be seen in the black earth regions of the European part, but in Siberia the flower is not found. Scilla grows mainly in broad-leaved forests, especially in thickets of shrubs or on the edges. Most often, Siberian and two-leaved scilla (Scilla bifolia) are grown in gardens.
Description
According to the description of the Siberian blueberry, it is a perennial bulbous plant. It develops as an ephemeroid: the growing season begins in early spring and lasts until May, and after the fruit ripens, the flower fades. It has broadly linear basal leaves (from 2 to 4 pieces), which are pulled together at the end into a cap and fully develop before the start of the flowering period. Flowering shoots reach a height of 10-20 cm, each has several flowers.
A characteristic feature of the leaves of the blueberry is that on cold and cloudy days they are pressed to the ground, and on warm and sunny weather they take an almost vertical position. Scylla usually blooms with blue and blue flowers, but there are species and varieties with pink, purple, white and purple buds.
The peculiarity of the flowers of the Siberian blueberry is that they open at 10 o'clock, and close at 16-17, and in cloudy weather they may not even open.
The fruit of the plant is a box with black ovoid seeds.
The dormant period of the flower begins in June, when the roots and leaves die off. Scylla's root system changes every year, forming a new one in autumn.
Due to early flowering, the blueberry is used for cutting and selling, therefore it belongs to an endangered species and is listed in the Red Book.
The flower is widely used in ornamental gardening. The area where Scylla grows is almost completely blue during flowering.
Popular varieties
The most popular varieties of blueberries are presented in the table:
| Varieties | Description |
Caucasian  | Arrows in a plant 20–40 cm high, dark blue flowers with a purple tint. Blooms from mid-spring for 2-3 weeks |
Armenian  | The leaves of the plant are sickle-shaped. The length of the arrows is only 10–15 cm. The flowers are bright blue in color. |
Siberian  | The plant has 3-4 broad leaves. The number of peduncles is from 1 to 4, white flowers bloom in mid-spring. In addition, there are plants with blue and pink color. |
Spring Beauty  | Low compact plant with powerful purple-green peduncles and 5-6 large dark blue flowers. This variety does not set seeds, but is successfully propagated by a baby. |
Alba  | The petals of the variety are snow-white in color. Blooms longer than other varieties - 25 days. It is an unpretentious plant that grows well in shade and partial shade. |
Landing in open ground
Planting the Siberian blueberry and further care for it are not particularly difficult. Planted most often:
- on the curbs;
- in alpine hills;
- in rockeries;
- in mixborders.
The flower grows in well-lit places. He loves scilla and partial shade, and spring-flowering varieties are much more photophilous than those that bloom in autumn.
Before you plant a plant, you need to prepare the site. The earth should be rich in organic matter, contain mineral components and leaf humus. For better flower growth, a small amount of forest soil with semi-decomposed bark and foliage of trees can be added to garden soil.
The earth should be slightly moist: the blueberry does not like swampy and acidic soils. Scilla bulbs should be planted in holes spaced 5–10 cm apart, to a depth of 6–8 cm. Plants bloom in the second year.
Spillage is propagated not only by bulbs, but also by seeds. To get them, you need to wait until the boxes turn yellow and crack. They are cut, the seeds are taken out and sown in the soil. Seed germination is low, and such plants begin to bloom only after 3-4 years. For the first time they are seated only after 5 years. During this time, Scylla multiplies flower stalks and builds up children.
Care
It is best to water the Siberian blueberry in the morning, trying not to get water on the flowers: this will make them lose their decorative effect. To facilitate the procedure, plantings can be mulched with leafy humus, as a result of which it will be necessary to water and loosen the soil much less frequently. You need to feed the scilla with a complex fertilizer, for example, Nitrofoska, to which the plant will subsequently respond with abundant flowering. It is also desirable to add to the solution:
- magnesium;
- copper;
- iron;
- calcium.
Siberian blueberry is an absolutely undemanding plant. In comfortable conditions, it grows like a common weed.
Once every three years, the scilla is transplanted. So that it does not lose its decorative effect, it is dug up, separated from the bulbs of the children and seated as quickly as possible, otherwise the bulbs will rot. It is best to do this procedure in late September or early October.
Diseases and pests
Siberian spelling, like other small-bulb crops, is affected by the following diseases:
- achelenchoides;
- gray rot;
- bulb rot.
Of the pests, the most dangerous are root meadow mites and mouse-like rodents.
- 1. Gray rot affects the upper part of the bulbs and leaves of the plant, due to which they become covered with gray mold and rot. After a while, dense spots appear, the scylla turns yellow and dies. Sick plants should be destroyed immediately. The affected areas on the bulbs are cut out, and the wounds are treated with wood ash.
- 2. Achelenchoides affects the ground part of the plant and the bulbs, because of which they begin to rot. Ring rot is clearly visible in the cross section. The diseased bulb is covered with necrotic spots. Infected plants lose their decorative effect, and they slow down their growth. Damaged bulbs are dug up and destroyed, while healthy bulbs are kept in a thermos with hot water for 30 minutes for preventive purposes.
- 3. Bulb rot is caused by fungal infections such as Septoria, Fusarium and Sclerotinia. The first sign of the disease is the yellowed leaves of the blueberry, then the bulbs are affected, becoming covered with dirty red spots. The plant must be destroyed.
Mouse-like rodents, such as field and house mice, feed on the bulbs of the blueberry, and in the warm season they eat the sprouts. To prevent this, a protective groove is made around the plant, poisoned baits are placed in it and sprinkled with a small amount of earth, since birds can accidentally poison themselves with poison.
The root meadow mite sharpens the bottom of the bulb, penetrates inside it and begins to feed on the juice of the scales, because of which it rots and dries out. To destroy this pest, the plant is treated with insecticides: Akarin, Agravertin, Aktellik.
In order to prevent these drugs, it is necessary to pickle the bulbs before planting in open ground.
Synonym: scylla, scilla.
Siberian blueberry is a perennial herbaceous bulbous plant with broad-linear basal leaves, six-pointed flowers of a bright sky color. The Siberian blueberry flower is widely used in landscape design, and is also popular with beginner flower growers. It is worth noting that the bulbs of this plant are poisonous.
The plant is poisonous!Ask the experts
In medicine
Siberian blueberry is not a pharmacopoeial plant and is not listed in the Register of Medicines of the Russian Federation. The plant is not used in official medicine, traditional medicine or other medical practices.
Contraindications and side effects
Despite the fact that only the bulb is the poisonous part of the Siberian blueberry, the plant should never be used for food or medicinal purposes. When taking the plant orally, there is a high risk of severe intoxication of the body. The person begins to feel sick, then vomiting joins. Associated symptoms may include dry mouth and swelling of the larynx, which can even lead to death.
Scientists say that even 10 grams of a poisonous plant can kill an animal weighing up to 20 kilograms. For this reason, it is strictly forbidden to use the plant for food, to prepare medicinal potions based on it, or to feed animals with it.
In floriculture
Siberian blueberry has gained immense popularity among floriculture lovers due to its early flowering and very unpretentious care. Scilla is often compared to a snowdrop, as both plants begin to grow immediately after the snow melts. Gardeners use blueberry to decorate flower beds, paths and gardens. With its unusual color, the plant gives the garden a peculiar zest and is one of the first to open the season of flowering crops.
The plant is considered unpretentious, however, for abundant and beautiful flowering, it is necessary to follow some care measures. Siberian spelling is undemanding to the soil, for this reason the choice of soil and location does not matter. The plant does well both in the sun and in the shade. If you plant a plant on the sunny side, the Siberian blueberry will begin to grow immediately after the snow melts. If planted in the shade, the plant will begin to grow a little later.
The culture loves moisture very much, so watering should be plentiful, and most importantly, regular, especially if the blueberry grows in the open sun. Once a week, various liquid fertilizers are added to the water for irrigation, mainly mineral, rich in copper and zinc.
Classification
Siberian Spill (lat. Scilla siberica) is a species of the genus Scilla (lat. Scilla). The genus includes about 90 plant species. Previously, this genus belonged to the Liliaceae family (lat. Liliaceae), today the genus Proleska belongs to the Asparagus family (lat. Asparagaceae).
Botanical description
Siberian spelling is a perennial herbaceous bulbous plant. It develops as an ephemeroid: the growing season lasts from the moment the snow melts until May. As soon as the fruits ripen, the plant withers.
Leaves broadly linear, basal. Their number can vary from 2 to 4, at the tip the leaves are pulled together into a cap, fully developed before flowering. There are several flower-bearing shoots, their height is from 10 to 20 cm, each bears several flowers.
The flowers are actinomorphic, with a simple corolla-shaped perianth with six free leaflets, the color of which can be from bright blue to violet-blue. Flowering occurs in the spring season. Usually begins to bloom in late March or late April, depending on weather conditions.
Spreading
In the wild, the Siberian blueberry grows in the European part of Russia, the Caucasus, Iraq and Iran. Rarely found in the forests of North America. It grows mainly in deciduous forests, as well as on the edges.
Distribution regions on the map of Russia.
Procurement of raw materials
The plant is not harvested for the future. Siberian blueberry is a poisonous plant, it is not eaten and is not used for medicinal purposes.
Chemical composition
The chemical composition of the Siberian blueberry is practically unknown to science.
Pharmacological properties
Siberian sprout, the use of which is only for the purposes of ornamental crop production, does not have any pharmacological properties.
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3. Scilla // Botany. Encyclopedia "All plants of the world": Per. from English. = Botanica / ed. D. Grigoriev and others - M.: Könemann, 2006. - S. 830-831. - 1020 s.
4. Mordak E.V. Genus 19. Scilla - Scilla L. // Flora of the European part of the USSR / Ed. ed. An. A. Fedorov. - L .: Nauka, 1979. - T. IV. Ed. Volumes Yu. D. Gusev. - S. 240-243. - 355 p.
