Hearts turned out(Lamprocapnos spectabilis, syn. Dicentra spectabilis) came to Europe from China and Japan. Thanks to its high resistance to unfavorable weather conditions, it has become well established in our climate. After years of oblivion, the hearts return to favor when planted in gardens and grown in containers and for cut flowers. Learn therules for growing themagnificent heart, as well as tips for pruning and breeding it. We presentthe most beautiful varieties of heartsrecommended for gardens.
Hearts turned out - Lamprocapnos spectabilis
Fig. pixabay.com
What does the heart look like?
Hearts turned out , as the name suggests, is a plant with a stately appearance, growing up to 60-100 cm in height. In early spring, pinnate, blue-green heart leaves appear, resembling fern leaves. From them grow long, arched shoots ending with one-sided clusters of large, showy, pink or white heart-shaped flowers.Hearts blooms in May and Juneto dry out after flowering stops and disappear completely from the discount after 2-3 weeks.
Where to plant a large heart?
Eleganthearts turned out to be comfortable in shady nooks and forest gardensIt is best to plant it in such a way that other plants cover the heart's drying leaves in July. This plant looks great when planted in the company of such plants as: ferns, funkies, geraniums and Arends tavulka.
The beauty of the hearts will be emphasized byspecies that appear later in spring and will fill the places after the heart has faded, e.g. cranberry, bereberys, tiarella or autumn anemones.In order to deal with the gaps left by the withered heart, it is worth planting annual plants, e.g. impatiens, under its leaves, so that they develop after the hearts dry.
Hearts turned out - Lamprocapnos spectabilis
Fig. pixabay.com
Large hearts can also decoratebalconies and terraces, creating beautiful compositions with other plants, e.g. daisies, forget-me-nots or late varieties of tulips.
Hearts turned out - varieties
Hearts turned 'Alba'- grows up to 60 cm in height. It is an extremely decorative variety whose snow-white flowers and feathery green leaves will decorate any garden.
Hearts turned out to be 'Gold Heart'- it is distinguished by pink flowers and golden, densely growing leaves. It is one of the few hearts that keeps its leaves until autumn. The plant grows to a height of about 50 cm.
Hearts turned out to be 'White Gold'- its white flowers and yellow leaves blend nicely with plants with dark leaves, especially with dark green and blue hostas.
Hearts turned 'Alba'
Fig. pixabay.com
Hearts turned out 'Valentine'- this is a very impressive variety with unusual red-pink flowers appearing at the turn of May and June. It grows up to 80 cm in height, creating large clumps. Due to its large size, this variety of the magnificent heart looks best individually as a garden solitaire. Due to its compact habit, it is also recommended for cultivation in containers.
Hearts turned out to be 'King of Hearts'- her pale pink heart-shaped flowers gathered in clusters and blue-green leaves resembling parsley leaves are a beautiful decoration of any garden.
Hearts turned out 'Cupid'- is an unusual variety with pastel pink flowers and pale green leaves. It looks great when grown in a container, thanks to which the full beauty of this plant can be appreciated from all sides.
Hearts turned out - growing in the garden
Hearts prefers permeable soilsrich in nutrients, as well as shady and semi-shaded positions. Young plants feel best in neutral soil, while older plants prefer slightly acidic soil (5.6-6.5 pH). Heavy and excessively moist soil and too sunny an exposure may weaken the flowering of the heart. If we only have a sunny position, we should ensure that the substrate is sufficiently moist. Then nothing will prevent you from planting a heart there.
The stand where we plan to plant the heartshould be weeded, well dug and fed with a portion of manure, or the soil selected from the well should be mixed with well-distributed compost. The plant has relatively low nutritional requirements, but responds very well to organic fertilization. Dig holes slightly larger than the root ball at intervals of 50 cm, plant the plants and cover them with soil.Cover the stumps with a 3-4 cm layer of substrate so that delicate leaves and shoots can quickly appear above the soil surface. We do not forget to water the seedlings abundantly. Hearts, for a perennial, grows quite large, so it should be planted in the amount of only 1-3 pieces per m².
In orderto protect the heart roots from freezingand to reduce evaporation of water from the substrate, we mulch the soil with compost every autumn to mix it with the substrate in the spring.
Caring for the big heartprimarily involves regular fertilization. When young leaves appear in spring, it is worth supplementing the soil around the plant with delayed compound fertilizer and fertilizers rich in phosphorus and potassium toencourage the heart to bloom abundantlyTo stimulate the plant to grow and produce flowers, it is good in early spring or autumn, and after the leaves have dried, it is good to divide the root ball regularly. Hearts usually need a season or two for full flowering.
Hearts turned out - Lamprocapnos spectabilis
Fig. pixabay.com
Hearts turned out - trimming
The hearts turned out to die slowly after creating the inflorescences and fading out which he accumulates in storage roots. It is from them that new plants grow in spring.At the beginning of July, cut off all the yellowed or dry parts of the plant just above the ground . Strongly pruning plants after flowering can delay aging (and also promote re-flowering).
Hearts turned out - reproduction
Hearts can be multipliedgeneratively by sowing seeds, and also vegetatively - by division and shoot cuttings.
Heart propagation by sowing seeds- seeds are sown immediately after harvest, from August to October.The appropriate sowing substrate is a mixture of leaf soil, peat and sand in a ratio of 1: 1: 1. For germination, seeds require stratification (cooling) for 6 weeks at -4 ° C to 0 ° C. Then we move the boxes to the greenhouse where we maintain the temperature from 12 to 15 ° C. After placing the boxes in the greenhouse, the most important thing is to maintain the proper humidity in the room. After 8-12 weeks, the seedlings are planted in 1-5 pots in the substrate, which should be the same as the one in which we sowed the seeds. Plants are planted at their destination in spring, when weather conditions will allow it.
Heart propagation by division- this is the most effective way to get new plants. For this purpose, in early spring or after flowering, when the stems with dormant buds are best developed, dig the perennial out of the ground and gently separate its root ball. Since the roots are fleshy and poorly branched, it is difficult to reproduce the heart turned by dividing it, you have to be very careful not to damage the roots.The new plants obtained in this way are immediately planted on the target site.
Multiplication of hearts from shoot cuttings- new plants can also be obtained by cutting side shoots. In spring, we collect young butt stems with a woody fragment of the so-called heel and place in a pot filled with a mixture of peat and sand in a ratio of 1: 1. We prepare the seedlings in such a way that each of them has at least two nodes from which it will take root. Place the young plants in a greenhouse or in an inspection room with a temperature of approx. 18 ° C, not forgetting to water them regularly. In late summer we plant the plants permanently.
MSc Eng. Anna Błaszczak
