Autumn winter(Colchicum autumnale) is one of the latest flowering onion flowers. Planted in August, it will bloom in September or October of the same year, being an attractive decoration for an autumn garden. See whatvarieties of winteritesare worth planting in a garden bed, learnsecrets of growing winterites , and see how easy it isreproducing autumn winteriteson your own.
Autumn winter
Autumn winter - garden varieties
Autumn Zimowitis a plant belonging to the Colchicaceae family. The natural habitats of this species are located in Europe, and in Poland most often in the lower parts of the mountains, in wet meadows and in bright forests. Zimowit is a protected species in Poland, and its number is constantly decreasing as a result of collecting for medicinal purposes, as well as draining and plowing meadows. Therefore, under no circumstances should the tubers of winterites for the garden be obtained from natural habitats. On sale, you can find interestinggarden varieties of zimowitówwith different color of flowers.
Zimovite flowersare funnel-shaped, composed of 6 perianth leaves, up to 6 cm long, with a long, narrow tube that elongates as it blooms. For sale you can findgarden winterites with white flowers(e.g. winter variety 'Album' with small flowers and full-flowered variety 'Albiplenum'), as well asvarieties blooming on pink, purple and purple(these are e.g.cultivars 'Lilac Wonder', 'Herald', 'Plenum', 'Rubrum'). However, the life cycle of these plants is completely different.
Winter flowers bloom in autumn , in our climate usually in September. Sometimes there is also spring flowering, but it is rare. Leaves appear in spring and dry up at the beginning of summer. One tuber produces 3 to 8 broad-lobed, dark green leaves.
Fall winter crops
Fall winter tubersare usually offered as bulbs for autumn planting. However, you should think about buying and planting them a little earlier than in September or October. Well,the conditions for growing winteritesin the garden are closely related to the life cycle of this plant, which is slightly different than most bulbs planted in autumn.
As I mentioned, in our climate, winter winter it blooms in September and then only the stems and flowers of this plant appear.Leaves appear in spring and can be observed until the beginning of summer.Planting of winter bulbs should be carried out about a month before the flowering date, which is preferably in AugustTherefore, buy winter bulbs as soon as possible, as soon as the autumn offer of onion flowers appears in garden shops, and with their planting let's not delay.
Zimovite tubers are oval, covered with dry, brown scales, quite large.They are planted at a depth equal to three times the onion diameter , which usually falls on a dozen or so centimeters deep.
Winter cultivation positionshould be fully sunny to very slightly semi-shaded, and the soil for the cultivation of winterites should be fertile and permeable. However, care should be taken that it does not dry out excessively (in the natural environment, the plant grows on moist soils). Autumn winterite grows best in neutral to slightly alkaline soils. Fertilization of winterites is carried out during the leaf development period, i.e. in springIt is best to choose a multi-component, universal or natural compost fertilizer.
Winter critters look best when planted in groups.Spacing between the tubers of zimowitówshould be from a dozen to a maximum of 20 cm. These plants are best planted in the background of the lawn, on the edge of the bed, in a rockery or among creeping shrubs. They look nice between tufts of ornamental grasses.
Zimovite breeding
Zimowski breeds mainly byseparating the adventitious tubersfrom the mother tuber. For this purpose, the tubers are dug up when the leaves are dry, usually in June or July. They can also be propagated from seeds, which, however, is difficult and it is rather not practiced in amateur cultivation.
Zimowit is poisonous
It must be added, however, that only after consumption Grown only as an ornamental plant, it is of course completely safe: -)
The whole plant and its seeds are poisonous due to the colchicine they contain. Several hours after consumption, symptoms such as numbness and burning sensation in the mouth, vomiting, diarrhea, and difficulty swallowing and breathing, gradually leading to paralysis and death, develop. Consuming a few grams of fall winter seeds can be fatal for humans. Therefore,it is better to give up the cultivation of zimowites when we have small childrenor the garden is used by domestic animals.
