The author of the text is Dr Katarzyna Wróblewska
There are not many people who can pass by the winter-blooming winter flowers indifferently. Zimowit Colchicum is a type of tuber-forming perennials from the Colchicaceae family (until recently classified as lily).Its Latin name derives from the mythical land of Colchis, to which the Argonauts went for the golden fleece.According to myths, these plants grew from a poisonous potion prepared by Medea, the daughter of King Ajetes in love with Jason .
Zimowski's are as beautiful as they are dangerous. Their leaves, seeds and tubers contain the poisonous alkaloid colchicine, which is also a valuable medicine. The mutagenic effect of colchicine on cells is also used in the breeding of new plant varieties.
The best known and most frequently cultivated species is our native autumn winterite C. autumnale, which grows mainly in the lower parts of the Sudetes and the Carpathians. Most often it grows on damp hay meadows. It is not harmful for goats and sheep, but the milk obtained from such fodder is unfit for consumption, while cows avoid it. Draining meadows and allocating them for cultivation causes the disappearance of wintering as much as its excavation for medicinal and ornamental purposes.All this makes the autumn winter bird an endangered and protected species.
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Zimowit Colchicum (Photo: Fotolia.com) |
Autumn winter has an interesting development cycle - flowers appear in autumn and leaves in spring.The knowledge of this fact will allow you to avoid errors in cultivation and make it possible to take full advantage of the decorative qualities of this plant. Large (may reach over 20 cm in circumference), brown-husked winter tubers are planted in August.It is best to choose a sunny position for them, or semi-shaded, with rather heavier (but not waterlogged), clay or loamy-sandy and rich soil.From one large tuber even a dozen magnificent lilac-pink ones flowers.
What we admire, however, is only part of the flower. The lower part, the ovary where the seeds are established, is deeply embedded in the tuber below the soil surface. It is also there that the seeds ripen throughout the winter. In spring, 2-3 long, lanceolate leaves grow from the tuber. Later, seed bags appear among them.
During the development of leaves, winter leaves require a lot of water in the soil - in the event of drought, they should be watered abundantly.At this time, the mother tuber dies and its role is taken over by the daughter tubers. At the beginning of summer, the leaves begin to turn yellow and dry, and the tubers undergo a summer dormancy. This is the best time to dig up the tubers for propagation. Tubers left in the bed (overwintering for several years may grow in one place) require much less moisture during this period.In rainy years, it is even advisable to protect them against excess water by covering the soil with foil.
Varieties of winterites from crosses
In addition to the pure autumn winterworm species, many hybrid varieties can be found in cultivation, resulting from crossing with other species. They are usually characterized by larger flowers and different color saturation. The best known include 'Autumn Queen', 'Lilac Wonder' or 'The Giant'. There are also varieties with full flowers, e.g. 'Waterlily' and white ones, e.g. 'Album' with single flowers or 'Alboplenum' with full flowers.Regardless of the variety, winter crops make the greatest impression when planted in a larger canopy.
In June, however, there is a problem with yellowing leaves that cannot be cut and empty space for summer. It is worth sowing this place with annual plants.Another way is to plant winterites in naturalistic beds, among other perennials that will cover the drying leaves and fill the gap or, drawing patterns from nature, in the meadow.
