Woolly purgatory(Stachys byzantina) is a strongly bushy perennial belonging to the Lamiaceae family. It is cultivated primarily for its thick and soft leaves covered with a silvery-gray velvety cutter. Due to the appearance of leaves, woolly purgatory is sometimes called rabbit or lamb ears. Learnthe use of woolly purgatoryin the garden, seegrowing woolly purgatory , and find out what diseases can attack this plant.
Woolly Purgatory
Woolly purgatory - application
Woolly purgatory grows stronglyThis makes it suitable for carpet plantings and for turfing dry and sunny places. It can be used to fill borders and borders of a rebate. It is also a valuable plant in rock gardens and moors, and is used to plant green roofs.Woolly purgatory can also be grown in containersIt is also attractive in winter, because the leaves do not die in autumn.
Interesting texture and color of purgatory leaves , which varies depending on the variety, is an excellent background for plantings of annual or perennial plants. Thewoolly purgatory is especially attractive in the company ofplants such as irises (irises), ornamental garlic, peonies, catnip, oakwort and sedum plants, as well as many ornamental shrubs.
The purple flowers of purgatory , appearing in June and July, are honey-bearing and can be dried after cutting.
Woolly purgatory - cultivation
Woolly purgatory is a plant with low environmental requirements . It prefers sandy loam, well-drained, rocky and not too moist or even dry ground. However,in the cultivation of woolly purgatory, any soil will workThe only exception are heavy and moist soils, where purgatory can warm in the cold months.
The bestposition for growing purgatoryis in sunny or slightly shaded places. In deep shade, the leaves lose their silvery-gray color. Woolly purgatory is an expansive plant, which must be taken into account when planning its cultivation.
From June to August (in the second year of cultivation)Purgatory blooms with tiny purple flowersgathered in ears. Decorative flowers are only at the very beginning of flowering. Usually they are cut as soon as possible, if you do not plan to harvest the seeds.
In the spring, we also cut the leaves close to the ground- we can mow them, e.g.lawnmower. This treatment stimulates the plant to thrive and maintains the vigor and he althy appearance of the leaves. Every four years, highly developed purgatory stumps need to be divided. When dividing old carp, their fragments can be used to propagate the plant. Anotherway to propagate Purgatory is to sowseeds collected from the inflorescences. We sow the seeds in April-June on the seedbed. After about 4 weeks from sowing, the seedlings are ready to be planted permanently.
Woolly purgatory does not require high fertilizationand, in principle, fertilization is not necessary in its cultivation. Every few years, when dividing carp, you can sprinkle it with a layer of compost, if you notice that it grows less.
Woolly purgatory - diseases
Woolly purgatory is resistant to diseases, pests and frost thanks to the protective layer of the cutter. However, as a result of growing on too moist soil, it can be attacked by fungal diseases.Powdery mildew is the most common disease of woolly purgatory .Its symptoms appear on the leaves covered with a white bloom, unfortunately hardly visible among the kutner. The leaves begin to grow and deform more slowly. When disease symptoms are observed, spray the plant with Amistar 250 SC, Nimrod 250 EC (10 ml of the product / 10 l of water) or Topsin M 500 SC (15 ml of the product / 10 l of water).
Toto prevent this disease in purgatoryyou should regularly clean the roots of purgatory from dead leaves to prevent their rotting. You should also avoid planting woolly purgatory on heavy and moist soils and over-watering.
MSc Eng. Agnieszka Lach
