What can be planted under a spruce in the garden. Blue spruce on the site - a bad or a good omen? Scientific substantiation of superstition

Recently, a neighbor in the country, having caught me on the street, began to explain with fervor what danger I put myself in by planting Christmas trees on the site.

I have heard the story that one has only to outgrow the house, as the owner immediately dies, I have heard more than once. Fighting superstition is a thankless task, but you should at least think about where this ridiculous prejudice came from.

Even in pre-Christian times, the life of our ancestors was closely connected with the forest. Among the Slavic and especially the Finno-Ugric tribes that once inhabited the territory of our country, spruce was considered an intermediary between the world of the living and the dead. In the view of the ancient peoples, this tree was closely related to the ancestors, so its branches were used in funeral rites. It was in spruce forests that the dead were usually buried: dark forests were associated with the other world. In the same time coniferous trees(including spruce) were a symbol of immortality. Their vitality and unique ability to remain green even in winter served as the best motivator for our distant ancestors, as they say now. People believed that the energy of spruce is favorable and promotes well-being. In some places there was even a custom to throw spruce branches at the hem of young housewives, wishing them family happiness and healthy kids. And much later, already in the Christian tradition, spruce became a symbol of rebirth and eternal life, an indispensable attribute of the celebration of the Nativity of Christ. Thus, it is definitely not worth associating this tree only with cemetery stories.

As for the belief about the imminent death of the owner of the house, near which the spruce grows, then the situation is even simpler. This is a tree of the first magnitude, whose height reaches 30–40 m. However, in the first years of life, spruce grows very slowly: its growth rate increases only after 10 years. If a person planted a small Christmas tree under his window, it will take many years for it to outgrow the house. It is likely that during this time the owner will have time to grow old. Unfortunately, no one lives forever.

There is only one very prosaic reason why these trees really should not be planted near the house. Spruce is a windbreak species. It has an extensive crown surface, but a shallow root system, and during a strong wind (such as, for example, a hurricane that recently swept through Moscow and the region), it can collapse directly onto the nearest buildings. But this applies only to species spruce, e. prickly and their tall varieties. Varietal decorative Christmas trees, which are sold in garden centers, as a rule, even as adults, do not exceed 3 m in height and do not pose any danger.

Evergreen spruce looks impressive at any time of the year. Decorative, fairly simple care, a variety of shades, crown shapes and varieties, attractiveness in both single and group plantings - all this attracts designers. And, of course, what new year holidays without a fluffy beauty - a glauca planted near the house will perfectly cope with the role Christmas tree, you can often find photos where street tree becomes the center of New Year's celebrations.

There is a prejudice that ate is not a place near the house, some even call it a "graveyard" tree. In addition, it is generally accepted that spruce is a female tree, and if it is planted near the house, then it “survives” men. In fact, the spruce symbol is immortality and eternal life. Among the Slavs, spruces were protected from evil spirits, and that is why they were planted in the cemetery - it was believed that low, spreading branches “seal” evil spirit in the ground. So, spruces planted in a row near the house can be considered a reliable protection from evil forces.

Norway spruce and its varieties

Norway spruce is a “native” inhabitant of our forests, it is a slender tree with a dense pyramidal crown that can grow up to 50 m. It prefers fertile, loamy sandy loamy, slightly moist (but without stagnant water) soils. It does not tolerate smoke and gas pollution, so common spruce is rarely planted in the city, suburban areas are more suitable for it.

Serbian spruce - or Bulgarian spruce, more attractive than Norway spruce - it has more decorative, bluish-green needles and purple-brown cones. But the main thing is that it perfectly adapts to the polluted city air. Spruce Serbian shade-tolerant, can grow on calcareous and acidic soils. This is one of the fastest growing species, it is distinguished by a narrow cone-shaped (less often - columnar) crown.

Of the other popular types of spruce, we note:

Akron - grows in a bush or in the form of an irregular cone. Growth is average, up to 8 cm in height and 10 cm in width, but at the same time, an adult acrone rarely grows above 3-4 m, a ten-year-old specimen usually does not exceed 1.5 m. Young needles are bright green, but over time very gets very dark. Branches - hanging, arched, raised. Akron acquires a special decorative effect with the appearance of cones that grow at the ends of shoots in in large numbers and having a very spectacular, rich burgundy or bright red (depending on the level of illumination) tint in the spring

inverse - a spruce with a weeping crown, if you do not initially fix the trunk on a support, does not grow above 0.5 meters, the branches will spread along the ground, annually adding 25-40 cm in length. 6-7 meters high

nidiformis - refers to dwarf species. Adult nidiformis does not grow above 1 m, while the crown (with densely spaced branches, spherical or nest-shaped) can be up to 2 m in diameter. Shoots - bright green color, annual growth - 3-5 cm. It is actively used for mass plantings in groups or creating borders, and in rock gardens

Karelian - another dwarf species spruce, does not grow above 1 m, the crown is cushion-shaped, up to 1.5 meters in diameter. Photophilous, but tolerates partial shade well. Karel perfectly adapts to the conditions of the city

Blue spruce: queen of conifers

Blue spruce (another name is prickly spruce) and derived varieties are most often found in landscape gardening. A tree with a cone-shaped crown, can reach a height of up to 40 m. In nature, it grows along the banks of rivers and streams, planting is carried out in well-moistened places, but the water should not stagnate. Limey and dry soils are not suitable. Preferably - well-lit places, it develops well in the shade, but the color of the needles and its density may be partially lost. It adapts well to urban conditions, easily tolerates gas pollution.

But at the same time, young prickly spruce will require attention - care consists, first of all, in regular watering (and even spraying) in the summer. For the winter, it is better to tie the branches to the trunk - the snow accumulating on dense needles can simply break them. In winter, prickly spruce can get burned (especially problematic in the southern direction) due to bright sunlight, so it is better to wrap a young seedling with cotton cloth (non-woven fabric).

Thanks to active breeding, prickly spruce has many varieties, the most popular are:

glauca (Glauca) - or gray-gray, with a cone-shaped, very dense crown, with bluish-blue needles, it is distinguished by more flexible, less prickly and denser growing needles. The older the tree, the richer the color of the needles becomes. Glauka grows faster than prickly spruce, in a year it can “stretch” up to 1.5 meters. Shade-tolerant, well withstands shaping and shearing, therefore it is often used to obtain hedges

globoza (Glauca globosa) - a miniature form of Glauka, belongs to dwarfs, grows slowly (annual growth is not more than 10 cm), not growing above 2 m. The crown is spherical or irregular, it can have several trunks at once. Globoza attracts with its needles - very bright, blue in color, easily tolerates pruning

prickly spruce hupsi - has the most brightly colored needles, a festive silver-blue, very saturated shade. Sometimes it may even seem that hupsi is just artificial, her needles are so bright. The variety is fast-growing (can reach a height of 11-15 m), not demanding on the soil, light-loving.

Spruces in landscape design (photo): a variety of options

Choice specific type spruce for planting is largely determined by the size of the site. For big open spaces common spruce, Serbian spruce or prickly spruce are suitable - tall beauties planted in a group (3-4 plants), they will become the dominant of the site, acting as a counterweight to the volume of the house. For small plots medium-sized and dwarf specimens are more suitable.

Tree planting: compatibility

Only others grow well next to the spruce coniferous crops and heather (blueberries, rhododendrons, honeysuckle, etc.) get along well.

But apple trees are very flexible, many cultures feel good next to them, which is often not good for apple trees. But on the other hand, they feel good if oak, linden, poplar, maple are planted in the distance ...

Roses do not like anyone, preferring to grow in splendid isolation. However, they do not harm their neighbors either. For some varieties of roses, a small openwork shadow is beneficial - flowers and buds do not fade so much in the sun and acquire a more saturated color.

Walnuts and hazelnuts do not like anyone at all, they crowd out any culture, even shade tolerant plants: viburnum, chokeberry- and they wither under them ...

Mock orange, lilac, roses, viburnum, barberry, horse chestnut, fir oppress apple and pear trees.

Cherry likes to grow next to cherries, cherries, grapes, apple trees.

Plum does not like the neighborhood of pears, prefers black currants.

Raspberries cannot stand red currants, cherries cannot stand black currants.

DON'T CUT THE TREE...

It is good if preferences are taken into account before laying the garden. And if not, then what - cut down trees? It can be cut down and uprooted. But such an approach means losing several years that were spent on the growth and formation of trees. Instead of an ax, you can force incompatible cultures to “make friends”.

Take, for example, raspberries and strawberries. They are bad neighbors not because of energy, but because they have common diseases and pests. In principle, this is not scary, only the growth phases do not coincide.

For protection, it is necessary to process adjacent landings at the same time. Otherwise, pests and diseases will master the simple trick that is demonstrated in apartment buildings cockroaches: if we kill strawberries, everyone will run into raspberries ... And vice versa.

Therefore, you can spray more often, trying to carry out treatments at the same time, and then the pests will not survive until the next new year. (At the same time, it is necessary to spray them at the beginning of bud break. Then, when the strawberries bloom, cover them with a film and process the raspberries again. The third time the plantings are sprayed after harvesting the raspberries and strawberries).

Birch - bad neighbor not because it's a vampire tree. She just has a powerful superficial root system, which beats other crops in the race for water and fertilizer. Drill holes 40 cm deep along the periphery of neighboring trees with a drill, add additional fertilizers to them and water them - then the trees will stop withering.

It is quite possible to plant shade-tolerant crops under a walnut if you carefully collect the foliage every autumn and burn it. Then harmful "emissions" will decrease and joint "living" will become possible.

Spruce is bad because it acidifies the soil. AT middle lane this is bad, on the alkaline soils of the South - on the contrary, it will be beneficial. Well, powerful growth can be limited by secateurs.

But almost all the trees next to the birch do not grow well, wither and often get sick. Draw your own conclusions and good luck

It is believed that planting a spruce is a bad omen. This can be heard from residents of villages and private sectors, who believe that there is no place for a Christmas tree in the yard and near the house. Whether this is so and what this sign is connected with, we will tell below.

In the article:

Why planting a spruce is a bad omen - answers from ancient legends

Signs were collected by our ancestors, noticing what was happening around the events that led to one or another result. Most of these beliefs have come down to us in their original form and are still working. There are signs about almost everything that surrounds us: about animals, about plants, about the weather, about the house, about love, money, and so on.

And if the logic of some of them is obvious - if you spilled salt, then you will cry soon, then some of the signs are frankly surprising.

Bad sign about the Christmas tree on the site, was no exception. It is worth noting that it is common in those regions where spruce is a rare guest. In areas with spruce forests, there is no such belief.

Almost everyone knows that planting a spruce is a bad omen for death, loneliness, childlessness, or the birth of only daughters. If this tree, planted near the house, dies, gets sick or is struck by lightning, one of the owners of the house can soon die. During a thunderstorm in the old days they never looked for shelter under a spruce, they chose a birch, however, there are also a lot of bad signs about it.

Similar superstitions were found not only among the Slavs, but also in Europe. So, one of the most famous examples of folklore associated with spruce is the legend of a tree planted by the first colonists near Lake Keitele in Finland. This spruce was considered a symbol of good luck, the first fruits of the harvest were brought to it, and only after that they were served on the table.

According to legend, every time one branch withered on a tree, one of the first colonists died. And then the tree fell, and after that the last surviving old woman died, who was one of the first to come to develop new territories. After the fall of the spruce, only the descendants of the colonists survived. The latter went to the world of the dead along with the tree, which symbolized their luck, harvest and vitality.

Bad omen - Christmas tree on the site

So, why is spruce on the site a bad omen? There is a belief in the villages that spruce should not be planted in the yard, next to the house. It is believed that as soon as the spruce becomes higher than the roof, death will happen in the family. According to another variation, when the spruce grew taller than the person who planted it, he was dying.

There is another interpretation of the relatively bad omen of a Christmas tree on the site. There is a belief that a spruce planted near the house will not allow the owners of the site to successfully marry or marry, and couples get divorced. According to this superstition, spruce is considered the tree of loneliness.

Another variation of this interpretation suggests that spruce drives men out of the house.
And at the house of a young family, they were not advised to plant Christmas trees, as this could deprive them of their heirs.

Another meaning suggests that the spruce brings the dead, since earlier the bodies of the dead were wrapped around with spruce branches.

In addition, there is a belief that spruce is a kind of energy vampire.
However, esotericists say that this tree actively absorbs energy in summer, and in winter, on the contrary, shares it. Therefore, more often walking in a spruce forest is advised to people who do not tolerate winter time of the year.

The following proverb can also be called a reflection of signs:

In a pine forest - to pray, in a birch forest - to have fun, and in a spruce forest - to hang.

Christmas tree in the yard is a bad omen: explanations of scientists

When asked why it is impossible to plant Christmas trees on the site - the omen is bad, historians give other arguments. The fact is that houses in Russia were built of wood, and the spruce, which was planted next to the house, could quickly catch fire at the slightest spark. In this case, the fire quickly passed to the house. The tree could have set the entire village on fire.

In addition, do not forget that a single tree often attracts lightning, which can also cause a fire.

And the third reason for dislike for firs in Russia was that this evergreen plant very dense crown. Consequently, when the spruce outgrew a low peasant house with a chimney, strong wind in the hut it was possible to burn.

From this point of view, the sign is quite logical. However, now houses, firstly, are not built of wood, and secondly, most of the private ones are two or three floors high. Therefore, the sign cannot be called "working".

And here is what cultural experts write:

For the peoples of the Finno-Ugric language group, a tree is an intermediary between the world of people and the world of the dead, the lower world of ancestors. The Karelians had a custom of confession to a tree. At the Upper Vychegodsk Komi, a fir tree was brought to a dying sorcerer, before which he confessed and died without torment.
Coniferous trees - spruce, pine, juniper, fir, cedar, etc. were endowed with special sacredness. They symbolized eternal life, immortality, were the receptacle of divine life force, had a cult significance
Dronova T.I. Earthly existence - as preparation for the afterlife

So, we see how our ancestors collected signs, on the basis of which they believed in certain properties of spruce.

Meanwhile, in our time, spruce is symbol of the new year, and many plant Christmas trees in the yard, so that later in winter they can dance around it. And how to imagine a plot in a country house or a private house without trees?

It is interesting that they are now planting on plots not only spruce, but also fir, which is also considered tree of the dead helping souls find their way after death. Popular and canadian firs about which our ancestors have no signs at all.

Whether to follow the sign or not is a personal matter for everyone. Trusting this or that sign, it is important to remember the psychological aspect.

With the help of signs, a person shifts responsibility for what is happening to a tree growing in the yard, a croaking crow, and spilled salt.

For some, this is a variant of working with grief, in this way a person tries to survive the tragedy that has occurred, the death of a loved one. In more "light" cases, the psyche conveniently shifts responsibility for what is happening to signs so as not to face an unpleasant reality that requires an even more unpleasant decision.

It's no secret that thoughts materialize. And if, for example, when you see black tulips and remember that they are unfortunate, you constantly think about it, you will easily attract this misfortune.

This does not mean that our ancestors were superstitious and possessed absolutely cave thinking. No, they