Rock beechis a popular species of an attractive and profusely flowering perennial. This hardy, frost-resistant and decorative plant is one of the most valuable species planted in rock gardens. We suggest what thecultivation of rock dragonflylooks like and what requirements this plant has, how to performcutting the sproutsso that the plant blooms as much as possible, and we also reveal ways tobreeding rock dragongrowing in the garden.
Rocky dragonfly - Aurinia saxatilis
Fig. depositphotos.com
Rocky dragonfly - description and application
Scalpot(Aurinia saxatilis) belonging to the Brassicaceae family, is one of the most valuable and popular perennials found in our gardens. It is a plant of the mountain climate, in its natural state in Poland it grows in the Pieniny Mountains.
The erectedshoots of the rocky dragongrow to a height of 30 cm. They are overgrown with spatulate leaves forming dense rosettes. The shoots are slightly overlapping and at the base they become woody over time. Tiny, intense yellowflowers of the rock whip , gathered in loose panicles, appear in April and May. In good weather conditions and the right cut, the rock dragon blooms again in autumn.
Intensely yellow flowers of the dragonfly blend well with other plants, enlivening flower beds and rock gardens.Rock bunny grows quicklyfilling free spaces between stones, slabs or in flowerbeds.
Rocky dragonfly worksas a plant for perennial borders and garden walls. It can be planted in balcony boxes and pots. It looks decorative against the background of such species as: forget-me-not, sapphires, verbena, shiny sage, red poison, spiked swede, St.
Rock bean on a retaining wall
Fig. depositphotos.com
Smagliczka belongs to the so-called spring rock five. This means that it is one of the five basic spring flowering perennials that we most often plant in rock gardens. This group also includes: the Caucasian geese, phlox phlox, evergreen garment and garden snake.
Rock bunny - varieties
Apart from pure species, there are also interestinggarden varieties of rock dragonfly , obtained thanks to the work of breeders. The 3 most popular varieties of smagliczka are:
Rock bunny 'Compactum'- is slightly shorter than the species and has a more compact habit, its golden-yellow flowers are gathered in dense paniculate clusters.
Rock bunny 'Plenum'- creates full, intense yellow flowers gathered in dense, convex clusters.
Rock smagliczka 'Summit'- among other varieties of rock smagliczka it is distinguished by early flowering, compact habit and uniformity of plants obtained from sowing seeds.
Rock Smagliczka 'Summit'
Fig. Ruff tuff cream puff, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
Rock bunny - cultivation
The rock dragonfly is resistant to drought , frost-resistant (the plant is assigned to the plant hardiness zone 6) and has low cultivation and care requirements.
Smagliczka prefers warm and sunny locationsBlooms profusely only in full sun, while there are fewer flowers in partial shade.
Good to know
For abundant flowering it is very importantcutting the rock dragonflyAfter the first flowering, cut the dragonfly to height approx. 10 cm above the ground, then it will bloom again in September. By cutting, you can also correct the shape of the plant and prevent excessive growth.
Plants are planted in the fall or spring.Smagliczka looks good when planted singly or in groups of 2-3 piecesTo achieve the effect of turf cover, plant the plants in an amount up to 11 pieces / m².
not very picky towards the groundPerfectly adapt to the position, although it grows best on dry, rocky and permeable ground with alkaline to neutral soil pH.
Smagliczki are undemanding plants , so you don't need to fertilize them on a daily basis. However, it is worth applying a small dose of fertilizer to flowering plants immediately after flowering and pruning, so that the plant blooms beautifully once again.
Rocky dragonfly - reproduction
We can reproduce the rocky dragon in two ways:
Reproduction of the scallop from sowing seeds- in warmer parts of the country, the seeds can be sown immediately in April, but then the plants may not be able to bloom again in autumn. It is best to sow in rows 15 cm apart, and after the plants have emerged, stop, leaving the plants at 5 cm intervals. The seeds germinate about a week and the plants bloom about 2 months after sowing. However, it is advantageous to prepare seedlings by sowing seeds in March for a cold inspection. In April, seedlings are planted permanently.
Propagation of the dragonfly from cuttings- after the plant has faded (from September to October), prepare cuttings about 10 cm long from one-year-old side shoots. We place them directly in pots filled with substrate, preferably in a mixture of peat and sand, and store them in a shaded and cool place ensuring adequate humidity.We plant the rooted cuttings permanently in spring.
MSc Eng. Anna Błaszczak
