Features of creating a beautiful hedge from a brilliant cotoneaster: photos, tips for planting, propagating, pruning. Dogwood: description, varieties, properties, benefits and harms, methods of application, contraindications and recipes

Dogwood in sugar

most valuable food product is dogwood mashed with sugar. This method allows you to save all the vitamins and aroma of fresh fruits. Only ripe fruits are suitable for this. The pits are removed from the washed and dried fruits, and the pulp is rubbed through a sieve. Sugar is added to the resulting mass at the rate of 2 kg per 1 kg of harvested fruits, mixed and placed in clean, dry jars, which are closed with plastic lids and stored in a cool place.

Pita

It is an excellent antiscorbutic. For its preparation, overripe fruits are selected, washed, stones are removed, the pulp is crushed into gruel, which is laid out on a wooden tray and dried in the sun until dry thin pancake strips - pita bread are formed. The place for drying should be well ventilated. So that the pulp from the fruit does not rot, it is sometimes sprinkled with salt. Ready lavash can be used all year round as a seasoning for various dishes.

Syrup

Sorted fleshy overripe fruits are washed, allowed to drain well, then rubbed in an enamel bowl wooden spoon and leave to settle for 24 hours. The resulting mass is filtered, sugar, water are added and boiled until cooked for strong fire. Warm syrup is poured into heated, well-dried bottles. The next day, the bottles are tightly corked.
For 1 kg of dogwood - 7-8 glasses of water and 2 kg of sugar.

dogwood juice

It is quite sour. as an independent drink, it is better to use it with the addition of syrup. Mature, intensely colored fruits should be processed. The washed fruits are crushed together with the seeds. This ensures good drainage and increases juice yield. After the first pressing, the pulp is shaken out of the bag into enamel pan add 2-3 cups to it hot water, mix and after two or three hours pressed again. The juice obtained from the first and second pressing is poured together and added to each liter of the mixture 0.15-0.2 liters of 50% sugar syrup (0.7 liters of water and 300 g of sugar).

Liquor

Rinse 2 kg of ripe fruits, remove the seeds; put the prepared fruits in bottles with a wide neck or in glass jars and add 1 kg of sugar, add a piece of cinnamon and one vanillin powder. Soak in the sun for 8-10 days, then add 3/4 of the vodka. After 4-5 weeks, strain the liquor through filter paper or thick layer cotton wool, pour into bottles and cork. To enhance flavor and improve palatability withstand the liquor for a long time.

Dogwood dessert liqueur

For preparation, dogwood alcoholized juice and vanillin are used. Liquor has a dark red color, sweet and sour taste, dogwood aroma. The alcohol content is 25%, sugar - 42%.

dogwood punch

For preparation, use dogwood alcoholized juice, cinnamon infusion, clove infusion, vanillin, lemon oil. The punch has a red color, sweet and sour taste, dogwood aroma with a touch of spices. The alcohol content is 17%, sugar - 38%.

Jam

To do this, use solid face, dark red or yellow fruits. Selected and washed fruits are placed in an enamel basin or pan and blanched in water for 20 minutes at a temperature of 80°C. After blanching, the fruits are poured with syrup, the concentration of which should not exceed 40% (700 g of water and 400 g of sugar per 1 kg of fruit). Dogwood jam is boiled in two doses with an exposure between boils of at least eight hours.

For jam, 1 kg of sugar is taken for 1 kg of fruit. The sugar remaining after making the syrup is divided into two parts and added to the syrup at the beginning of each boil.

The fruits filled with syrup are kept for eight hours, thrown into a colander, the syrup is put on fire and, with stirring, half of the remaining sugar is added to it.

The syrup is boiled to a boiling point (100 ° C), fruits are placed in it, removed from heat and kept for eight hours. After that, the fruits are again thrown into a colander, and the rest of the sugar is added to the syrup. After the sugar is completely dissolved, the fruits are placed in boiling syrup and the jam is boiled until tender.

For packaging jam with hermetic sealing, the boiling point of the syrup at the end of cooking should be 100°C, and without hermetic sealing - 105°C. This is the classic method of making jam.

Jam can also be prepared in another way: the fruits are placed in syrup (for 1 kg of fruits, 1 kg of sugar and 5 glasses of water) and boiled until the fruits become transparent, well soaked in syrup.

However, the properties of fruits are best preserved in jam prepared in this way: the fruits are poured with hot syrup at the rate of 1 kg of sugar per 1 kg of fruits and 4-5 glasses of water, let it brew for 6-8 hours, bring to a boil, pour hot into sterile jars and covered with metal lids.

Jam can also be made from a mixture of dogwood and apples, taken in different proportions. Dogwood is pitted, apples are cut into slices. Prepared fruits are poured with sugar syrup (1 kg of sugar per 1 liter of water) and boiled until tender in three doses.

Candied fruits (dry jam)

Pitted dogwood is used to make jam, hot it is thrown into a colander to completely separate the syrup. The fruits are dried in the oven or on a baking sheet and covered with sugar (200 g per 1 kg of fruit). Store in a dry place in a glass container.

Jelly

Dogwood is thoroughly washed, allowed to drain, placed in an enamel pan, poured with water so that it covers the fruits by 2-3 cm, cover with a lid and cook them for 30-40 minutes. over low heat until softened. Then strain and let stand. The juice is measured, mixed with sugar and boiled, continuously skimming off the foam, until tender. Hot jelly is poured into pasteurized jars and closed with lids. If jelly is prepared with pulp, then after the first cooking, the pulp of the fruit is separated from the seeds, placed in a decoction with sugar and boiled until tender.
For 1 liter of dogwood juice - 700 g of sugar.

Marmalade

Ripe soft dogwood is washed in water, the bones are removed, poured into an enamel bowl and boiled in water until completely softened. After cooking, the water is drained and used for jelly, and the remaining mass is rubbed through a sieve, 500 g of sugar per 1 kg of fruit, one teaspoon of ground cinnamon are added and boiled until thickened with constant stirring. Then the mass is laid out on an enameled tray moistened with cold water and sprinkled with powdered sugar. Dry marmalade on a baking sheet, after which it can be cut into pieces. Store marmalade in boxes or glass jars.

Jam

Ripe dogwood fruits are placed in a deep enamel bowl, poured with 2 cups of water and boiled until softened, and then rubbed through a sieve. Sugar is added at the rate of 1 kg per 1 kg of pulp. It is necessary to cook the jam until it thickens, stirring constantly.

Compote

It has a beautiful red color and is very fragrant. Compote can be prepared from only one dogwood or together with apples and pears in a ratio of 1:1 or 1:2. The fruits are washed in running water, blanched for 1-3 minutes, placed in sterile jars, poured with boiling syrup and corked. The syrup is prepared at the rate of 1 cup of sugar per three-liter jar compote.

Compote can be prepared directly in jars by pasteurization. For this right amount fruits are placed in jars, poured with warm syrup, boiled for 10-15 minutes and rolled up with lids.

Klimenko S.V. Cornel varieties in Ukraine

Cotoneaster shiny - enough interesting plant which belongs to the rose family. It is excellent for creating hedges, thanks to which it is actively grown in private areas and in parks or squares. In the wild, it can be found on the territory of Eastern Siberia, China and Buryatia. Cotoneaster cultivation can also be safely practiced in urban conditions, since it is practically immune to dust and gases, frost-resistant and drought-resistant. Let's find out how to properly plant a brilliant cotoneaster and what care to provide for it so that the plant pleases with its appearance.

Cotoneaster brilliant: description and characteristics

Cotoneaster brilliant is a densely leafy, upright and deciduous shrub, reaching a height of two meters. It has small (about 4 cm) dark green ovoid leaves, pointed at the end. They have a smooth surface, due to which the plant can be classified as decorative. Leaves appear in early spring and have a pale green color.

A characteristic feature of this plant is the ability to change its color: with the advent of autumn, the cotoneaster hedge acquires a purple color. The inflorescences are pink, corymbose and combine 5-8 flowers. Flowering of cotoneaster begins in May or early June, after which round fruits are formed that look like small berries (they remain on the bushes until autumn). Cotoneaster flowers themselves are inconspicuous, but when they open at the same time, pink buds against the background of green leaves look more than attractive, giving the bush an additional decorative effect.

The fruits of cotoneaster brilliant are formed from almost every flower. At the initial stage of ripening, they are green, but over time they change color and become rich red. When the berries are fully ripe (they change color to black), the dogwood of this species is quite edible.

In the wild, this shrub most often grows alone, although there are often dense plantings of cotoneaster, which we are more accustomed to seeing in private gardens. When grown in the middle lane, both open areas with good sunlight and shady areas are equally well suited for it, but we will talk about this later.

Did you know? Dogwood has beneficial medicinal properties, which have long been known in Tibet (the plant was used for septic conditions and dysentery).

Advantages and disadvantages of the type

When breeding cotoneaster brilliant, it is important to take into account not only the advantages of growing this plant, but also take into account the existing disadvantages. The advantages of the presence of brilliant cotoneaster in its area include the following:

• unpretentiousness in care and neat appearance;
• good resistance to both frost and dry periods;
• almost complete immunity to diseases;
• unpretentiousness in growing conditions (feels great in places heavy pollution air soot, dust, exhaust gases);
• undemanding to the composition of the soil and the level of illumination of the site.

All this makes it possible to plant seedlings of brilliant cotoneaster in parks and even on city streets. At the same time, we must not forget about the disadvantages of choosing this particular plant for growing. These include:

• the need for regular pruning of cotoneaster;
• the relative difficulty of reproduction.

Of course, there are much more advantages, so perhaps you should think about buying seedlings.

Features of planting cotoneaster brilliant in the garden

All types of cotoneaster that exist today calmly endure planting and take root in a new place almost painlessly. But for the reproduction of brilliant cotoneaster by planting seedlings in open ground it is better to wait until the onset of spring (early spring is also suitable, as soon as the snow melts and night frosts lose their former strength) or perform the procedure in late autumn.

How to choose a place for planting cotoneaster brilliant, the exactingness of the view to lighting

Cotoneaster bushes are best placed in well-lit areas, although they grow well in partial shade. In any case, the prepared place should be well protected from the wind, and also be distinguished by deep occurrence. ground water. The cotoneaster planting scheme provides for the placement of seedlings at a distance of 1.5-2 meters from each other (more accurate numbers depend on the future crown diameter). Plant seedlings are buried in the soil by 70 cm.

Important! When planting any plant (including the brilliant dogwood), it is important to have a good drainage layer up to 20 cm thick. Gravel and crushed brick are well suited for the role of drainage.

Demanding cotoneaster brilliant to the soil

The composition of the soil for cotoneaster brilliant does not play a significant role, but at the same time for its correct and rapid development you need to prepare the following soil mixture: Mix 2 parts of soddy soil with 1 part of peat or compost and 2 parts of coarse sand. It will also be useful to add lime to the resulting substrate at the rate of 300 g per 1 m² of land area.

How to properly plant cotoneaster brilliant in the garden: technology and planting scheme

First of all, it should be noted that the reproduction of brilliant cotoneaster cannot be called an easy process. It is mainly carried out from seeds, but often also used grafts, cuttings And layering(vegetative propagation).

seed way

If you have chosen the seed method of breeding cotoneaster, then be prepared for the fact that only half of the seedlings will immediately sprout and some more of them may sprout next year. To increase the germination of seeds, it is better to stratify them during the year before planting. To do this, after harvesting in October, the seed material is placed in a metal container and sent for storage in a refrigerator or in the open air. Landing is carried out on next year autumn.

Important! To shorten the preparation time, you can immerse the seed in sulfuric acid, leaving there for 20 minutes and then stratify for a month.

Before being placed in the soil, the seeds must be soaked in warm water, after which all the floating specimens are collected and discarded, since they will no longer germinate.

Healthy and full-fledged seeds are placed in the ground to a depth of 4 cm and sprinkled with soil on top. It is also important to observe the distance between the rows: it should be at least 15 cm.

Do not wait fast shoots, because the germination of cotoneaster seeds is very difficult, and even with full compliance with all planting conditions and further care often germination is no more than 20-30%. During the first year, germinated seedlings grow up to 30 cm in height, and a year later, crown formation begins. Flowering occurs no earlier than after 4 years.

Due to the fact that the seeds germinate so poorly, the brilliant cotoneaster is very rare in the wild. To increase your chances of success, it is recommended to sow the seeds very densely. Bushes are transplanted when they are at least 1-2 years old.

Vegetative propagation

The most common method of vegetative propagation of brilliant cotoneaster is propagation by cuttings. For cuttings, green or lignified cuttings are harvested. In any case, the selected specimens must be well developed and large, at least 15 cm long. In addition, at least two internodes must be present on each such part. July is considered the best time to perform the procedure.

Before planting the cuttings, it is better to place them in a root formation stimulator for several hours, and then plant them in boxes in a prepared substrate. It should consist of humus, soddy soil and sand, taken in equal quantities. Before placing the cuttings in the ground, the soil must be well shed with water. The prepared parts of the plant are placed in the ground at an angle of 45 °, deepening into the soil by 5 cm. Then they are covered with glass jars, which must be regularly removed to ventilate the cuttings and water them.

Important! Instead of cans, it is better to use plastic wrap, which will speed up the process of rooting the planted cuttings.

Subject to all the conditions for planting and caring for the cuttings, by the autumn they will have a powerful root system, and they can be transplanted to a permanent place of growth. For the winter, young plants must be covered with needles or dry leaves.

If you decide to use lignified cuttings for propagation, then you need to cut them off with the onset of frost, after which you need to place the cut parts in the sand and store in a cool place. With the advent of spring, the cuttings are taken out of the shelter and cut into pieces up to 20 cm long (each such piece should have at least three buds). In the future, rooting occurs in the same way as in the first case.

Did you know? Cotoneaster brilliant - one of the few species with edible berries. However, despite this, they are rarely eaten.

by the most simple option vegetative propagation of cotoneaster brilliant is reproduction by layering. You just need to properly prepare the soil in the place where the shoot will be buried. The preparation procedure is simple: the earth is dug up to a depth of 50 cm, after which sand and peat are added, which helps to provide air access to young roots.

The shoot itself is placed at a depth of about 10 cm from the soil surface, fixed with a metal or wooden bracket and sprinkled with soil mixture prepared according to the specified recipe. The procedure is carried out at the beginning of summer, and in the fall the cuttings are cut off from the mother bush and left in the same place until spring. At the beginning of the growing season, rooted layers can be transplanted.

Rules for caring for a brilliant cotoneaster

Caring for a brilliant cotoneaster will not give you much trouble, however, for growing a beautiful and strong plant, which can become a real decoration of the garden, it is still worth considering a few basic requirements.

Need for watering

Any kind of cotoneaster has a high drought resistance, so even in a very dry summer, the shrub can easily do without watering. It is enough to water adult plants of brilliant cotoneaster several times a season, adding 8 liters of water under each bush. The main thing in this matter is to prevent waterlogging, because an excessive amount of moisture in the soil can destroy the cotoneaster.

On hot days, especially if the plant grows in dusty places, it can be periodically refreshed by washing off the dust from the foliage of the shrub with a stream of water. This is especially true when hedge serves as a fence and is located on the border of the site.

Did you know? The brilliant cotoneaster berries, which, as we have already noted, are quite edible, are most often used in the preparation of tea drinks, as well as tinctures and wines. In general, the dietary properties of these fruits can be used to create sweets, marshmallows and gingerbread, which is especially valuable for diabetics.

How to fertilize a plant

How quickly cotoneaster will grow brilliant, largely depends on the regularity of fertilization. So, if you want to get a beautiful and plentiful crown, having achieved good growth during the season, then it is necessary to feed the shrub with nitrogen-containing fertilizers, and before direct flowering (approximately in the middle of May) under the bush, fertilizing containing phosphorus and potassium (for example, superphosphate) should be applied. Do not ignore organic matter (humus or manure). Slurry is diluted in water at a ratio of 1:6, and when using bird droppings, 10 parts of water should fall on 1 part of fertilizer. The resulting composition is shed soil during spring digging around the bush. In the same way, you can fertilize the land with the help of dry complex compounds.

Fundamentals of pruning cotoneaster brilliant

To create fences and decorative figures from cotoneaster, shaped pruning is mainly used, after which the shrubs grow rapidly, but retain their original shape. When using this method, all shoots are cut by one third.

Important! Cotoneaster can be given absolutely any shape: square, ball, cone, etc. However, crown formation should be started only after the plant reaches a height of 60 cm (on average, this happens at the age of two).

To begin with, pinching the top is performed, which causes the active growth of new shoots. As soon as you get a crown with sufficient density, you can proceed to pruning.

The right hedges are distinguished by special sophistication and attractiveness. However, in order to get a neat and even live fence, cutting to any geometric shape, you need to have special trellis scissors and a taut rope, although the most acceptable option is ready template made from wooden frame. You can create a similar frame or frame yourself: from the bars they make a shape in the form of a trapezoid, in which the upper part will be 10-15 cm narrower than the lower one. In any case, the form for the hedge should be appropriate for its purpose and height, taking into account the small margin left for the growth of shoots.

Before trimming, a rope is pulled between two frames that are installed across the landings, correcting the surface for cutting. In the event that you have to perform a large amount of trimming work, then it is better to use a special garden tool- a brush cutter.

For young plantings, the height of the annual pruning should increase by 5-7 cm until the desired size of the green hedge is reached. It is not necessary to be very zealous in removing or shortening the lower tier of branches and it is advisable to leave them 10-15 cm wider than the upper layer, which grows more actively, thereby causing brownout bottom shoots.

Do I need to cover the cotoneaster for the winter

Despite the fact that cotoneaster is a fairly frost-resistant plant,

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Few plants retain their attractiveness from early spring to late autumn. Shiny cotoneaster is one of the crops with outstanding decorative qualities. This shrub is equally beautiful throughout the warm season due to the artificially created shape and the striking color of the foliage and fruits.

Cotoneaster brilliant - a plant from the Rosaceae family

The birthplace of brilliant cotoneaster is the harsh Transbaikalia. IN natural environment it covers rocky slopes, grows on river pebbles, in light deciduous forests and dense shrubbery. All this suggests that the plant is adapted to the most different conditions habitat.

Cotoneaster brilliant, in the culture of Cotoneaster lucidus, belongs to the Pink family. However, he does not look like the queen of flowers at all. It has a different shape of leaves and flowers. And most importantly, edible fruits are formed on it. And the rose serves only decorative purposes.

This kind garden plants is a deciduous shrub that can grow up to 3 meters in height and almost the same in width. At the beginning of development, the brilliant cotoneaster rises strictly vertically. Young shoots are closely pressed against each other. Therefore, the bushes look compact and neat. With age, the crown acquires a wide spreading shape. A large number of lateral branches are formed on the shoots, which makes the bush thick and impenetrable.

Young shoots are gray with brown tint coloration and sparse pubescence. In the second year, the branches become completely bare and smooth. In winter, their color changes. They turn red, acquire a dark brown or brown-olive hue.

The plant is held in the ground by a highly branched and deeply penetrating tap root system. The bush feeds on the formation of many small roots, which are located close to the surface of the earth.

Cotoneaster brilliant - a bush with special foliage

In early spring, the branches of the brilliant cotoneaster are covered with foliage, which creates a special attraction for the shrub.

The leaf has a simple elliptical shape, somewhat similar to pink. Its base is wide, sharply rounded, held on a thin petiole. The tip is sharp, with a slight bend. The leaves are arranged in order. They are small in size - from 2 to 6 cm in length and 1 - 4 cm in width. Feels firm, even hard.

Leaf color varies depending on the time of year. In the spring she is gentle green color. By the summer, it acquires a rich dark shade from the front and remains light at the bottom. In autumn, the cotoneaster is especially beautiful, as all the colors are formed on it. The leaves turn yellow, orange, red, purple and finally darken to a rich brown with a black tint.

The most important advantage of this type is considered a special shine. Top part The sheet is covered with a transparent film, which creates a mirror surface. It reflects the sun's rays. And with a light breeze, the foliage plays with highlights and shimmers. In autumn, the gloss becomes especially expressive due to the variegated colors of the leaves.

The leaves stay on the branches until frost. IN warm winters in southern latitudes, it can persist throughout the season, covered with a thin fringe of hoarfrost.

Cotoneaster brilliant: flowering and fruiting

Cotoneaster brilliant - blooming profusely ornamental shrub. Bud blooming begins at the end of May and continues for a month. Almost the whole of June, the bush stands in a snow-white dress, as the flowers have a light color with a reddish bloom.

The buds are formed in the axils of the leaves, held on thin petioles, connected in several pieces. From this, a corymbose inflorescence is formed, consisting of 3-5 buds.

The flowers themselves are small and singly quite inconspicuous. However, opening at the same time in large numbers, buds against the background of greenery look especially attractive and give the plant an additional decorative effect.

Each flower consists of five white petals, located remotely from each other. In the middle there are several stamens ending in red stigmas. Thus, the flower resembles a red ball with a white rim.

During flowering, the brilliant cotoneaster emits a fragrant aroma that attracts bees and other insects. With their help, pollination of buds and the formation of fruit ovaries occur. In order for this process to occur most intensively, it is recommended to plant fruit-bearing and decorative cotoneaster bushes nearby.

In turn, the plant serves as an excellent tool for beekeepers in obtaining honey. If large thickets of brilliant cotoneaster are located next to the apiary, then the bees do not need to fly anywhere else. From 1 hectare of such plantations, you can collect up to 100 kg of useful products.

Fruit this shrub are formed from almost every flower. They are green at first. As they mature, they change color and become bright red, and then black. Small beads of cotoneaster berries completely cover the branches, and the plant looks very impressive. As the leaves turn from green to colorful, the fruits turn black and become even more visible.

Inside each berry, 2-4 seeds are formed, in which seeds are stored that are capable of reproduction. When used for the purpose of reproduction, species characteristics mother plant are completely preserved.

Mass ripening of fruits occurs in October. IN middle lane, Moscow and the Moscow region, this happens a little earlier, in the second half of September. But it is better to collect them after a slight frost. Then they have at least some taste.

Due to the lack of taste edible berries cotoneaster brilliant is rarely eaten. Gardeners collect them as valuable medicine. Birds enjoy eating them.

Cotoneaster brilliant - wonderful ornamental plant, able to decorate any garden and turn the site into a piece of paradise.

Cotoneaster (lat. Cotoneaster)- a genus of evergreen or deciduous slow-growing shrubs, as well as medium-sized trees of the Pink family. The name of the shrub was compiled by the Swiss botanist Kaspar Baugin from two Greek words: cotonea, which means "quince", and aster - "having a similar appearance." This is explained by the fact that the leaves of one of the cotoneaster species have a strong resemblance to quince leaves. The genus Cotoneaster is represented by more than a hundred species, varieties and varieties growing in nature in North Africa and Eurasia. The uninformed often believe that dogwood and cotoneaster are one and the same plant, and in vain they expect delicious berries from cotoneaster. In fact, apart from the consonance in the name, there is nothing in common between these plants - they are generally from different families. Cotoneaster berries look like a tiny apple and are completely inedible, unlike the juicy dogwood fruits. The value of the cotoneaster is in its decorative qualities, which allow the plant to be used as a spectacular element of the garden throughout its long life.

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Planting and caring for cotoneaster (in brief)

• Landing: in spring, before buds swell or in autumn, in leaf fall.
• Bloom: in June.
• Lighting: bright sun or partial shade.
• The soil: any: the necessary nutrient mixture is laid directly into the pit when planting.
• Watering: in a season with a normal amount of rain, you can not water it at all, and only if there is no rain all summer, the plant is watered once every two weeks, spending 7-8 buckets for each adult bush.
• Pruning: sanitary - at any time, shaping or rejuvenating - in the spring, before the buds swell.
  Top dressing: in April-May - with nitrogen fertilizer, before flowering - with potassium-phosphorus, and in the fall the trunk circle is mulched with peat.
• Reproduction: seeds, cuttings, layering and dividing the bush.
• Pests: apple aphids, scale insects and spider mites.
• Diseases: fusarium, powdery mildew.

Read more about growing cotoneaster below.

Cotoneaster shrub - description

Cotoneaster bushes can be deciduous or evergreen depending on which species you grow. For the most part, cotoneaster is a densely branched shrub used for landscaping streets. A cotoneaster hedge is a fairly common sight in our cities. The leaves of this plant are small, simple, alternate, ovoid, entire, dark green in summer, turning shades of red in autumn. Cotoneaster blooms with small pink or white flowers - single or collected in corymbose or racemose inflorescences. Small cotoneaster fruits are black or red. For better or worse, cotoneaster grows very slowly and lives in one place for up to fifty years, or even longer. There are about forty species of cotoneaster in culture, however, in addition to species plants, in garden design various forms and varieties of shrubs are widely used. Among the most popular species are brilliant cotoneaster, whole-edged and chokeberry, which have high winter hardiness. Amateur gardeners love cotoneaster for its unpretentiousness in care and undemanding to growing conditions. As for professionals, the cotoneaster in landscape design is most often used by them as a hedge.

Planting cotoneaster

When to plant cotoneaster

Almost all types of cotoneaster seedlings are planted in open ground in the spring, when the ground thaws, but the buds on the trees have not yet had time to open. It is also possible to plant a cotoneaster in the fall, during the time period between the beginning of mass leaf fall until the first frost - this time is most suitable for planting brilliant and chokeberry cotoneaster. Cotoneasters are shade-tolerant, you can grow them in partial shade, and this will not negatively affect the decorative qualities of the plant, but its better shape cotoneaster reaches on open sunny areas. The plant is undemanding to the quality of the soil, especially since the soil composition optimal for the growth of cotoneaster can be applied directly to the planting pit.

How to plant cotoneaster

The size of the pit under the cotoneaster should be approximately 50x50x50 cm, and you need to fill the pit over the obligatory twenty-centimeter layer of broken brick or gravel with a soil mixture of the following composition: one part of peat, sand and humus and two parts of sod land. It will be nice if you add 200-300 grams of lime to the soil mixture. The distance between the cotoneaster bush and any other plant or structure should be from 50 cm to 2 m, depending on the estimated size of the crown of an adult plant. When burying a seedling, make sure that its root collar is strictly flush with the surface. After planting, the soil is tightly tamped, watered, and the near-trunk circle is mulched with a peat layer 8 cm thick. For greater convenience, cotoneaster is planted not in pits, but in a trench.

cotoneaster care

How to care for cotoneaster

Planting and caring for cotoneaster is very simple, and even if you do not know how to grow cotoneaster, your intuition will tell you how to proceed. difficult situation. Fortunately, such situations may not arise at all. The main thing you need to know about this plant is that it does not tolerate excess water in the roots, the cotoneaster will survive all other natural phenomena with dignity. Based on this, in principle, there is no need to water the cotoneaster, since even in a dry summer it can go without water for a long time. If the whole summer is dry, water the plant every two weeks, the water consumption for an adult plant is 7-8 buckets. After watering or rain, weeds must be removed from the site and shallow, by 10-15 cm, loosen the soil on the site. Caring for cotoneaster brilliant does not involve as regular watering as washing the plant from dust under running water, especially if a hedge of brilliant cotoneaster replaces a fence overlooking the street.

cotoneaster fertilizer

In the very first warm spring days, cotoneaster is fed with nitrogen fertilizer. It can be urea, diluted in an amount of 25 g in a bucket of water, or Kemira-universal prolonged action granules. Even before the plant blooms, it is fed with 15 g of potassium and 60 g of superphosphate per m². At the end of the season, the soil around the bush is mulched with peat.

pruning cotoneaster

Cotoneaster responds well to pruning, being just the plant from which designers form bushes of various shapes - cones, prisms, hemispheres and more complex shapes. It is allowed to trim the annual shoot by a third of the growth. Such curly pruning requires certain skills and special tools. After formative pruning, the shoots grow back, retaining the shape given to the bushes. Cotoneaster shearing can also have a sanitary function, because sooner or later old, diseased, broken or thickening branches appear on any bush. In the end, with age, you have to do rejuvenating pruning of the cotoneaster. Sanitary pruning can be done at any time, and rejuvenating and shaping - in the spring, until the buds open.

Pests and diseases of cotoneaster

The cotoneaster has a stable immunity to diseases and harmful insects, but sometimes on the underside sheet plate apple aphids appear on the plants, causing the leaves to wrinkle, and the shoots to bend and dry out. From time to time the cotoneaster gets from a tick and a scale insect. Destroy harmful insects can be treated with herbal decoctions - shag, tobacco, yarrow. Or a stronger remedy - insecticides sold in specialized stores. Of the diseases, the Fusarium plant most often affects the plant, which is treated with fungicides, after cutting out diseased areas to healthy tissue.

Cotoneaster reproduction

How to propagate cotoneaster

Different types of cotoneaster breed in different ways, however, for those who decide to choose the cultivation of cotoneaster seed way, you should know that cotoneaster seeds have low germination, so they need to be sown with a margin. They do this before winter, so that the seeds undergo natural stratification in cold soil, and cotoneaster seedlings will appear only next spring. We will tell you about another method of stratification in the section on seed propagation. Cotoneasters also reproduce vegetatively - by cuttings, layering, dividing the bush.

Cotoneaster seed propagation

Cotoneaster fruits are harvested and slightly dried to make the pulp easier to separate. Then the seeds are removed from the berries and washed with water. The washed seeds are dipped in glass jar with water: seeds suitable for sowing will sink to the bottom, and seeds floating on the surface are completely useless. After that, the seed is mixed with sand and peat, moistened, placed in boxes and stored until spring at a temperature of about 0 ºC. During this time, the seeds will undergo stratification, and they can be planted in the ground. However, there are no guarantees that even stratified seeds will sprout and give seedlings, so it is better to resort to a more reliable method of propagating cotoneaster - vegetatively.

Cotoneaster propagation by cuttings

After cutting the bush, segments remain that can be used to propagate brilliant cotoneaster, but it is better to still cut the cuttings for rooting in June. First, they need to be cut into water for a day with a growth stimulator dissolved in it, after which they are planted at an angle of 45º on a garden bed in a light, loose soil consisting of sand and peat, watered warm water and cover with a large plastic bottle with a cut neck. On hot days, the bottle is removed so that the plants do not rot. You can water the cuttings without removing the bottle. The next spring, rooted cuttings can be planted in a permanent place.

Reproduction of cotoneaster by layering

In this way they reproduce mainly ground cover species cotoneaster, for example, creeping and horizontal, because their shoots are located close to the soil or in contact with it. Select young shoots, pin them to the soil with metal staples or hooks, and sprinkle the attachment point with humus. Next spring, cut this branch with a shovel at the base of the mother bush and transplant the cuttings to the place that you have identified for it. Propagation by layering is the easiest and reliable way cotoneaster reproduction.

Reproduction of cotoneaster by dividing the bush

Adult bushes that have grown strongly can be divided into parts, followed by rooting of delenok. It's fast and effective method. It is possible to carry out the division of the bush both in spring and in autumn, immediately transplanting the parts obtained during division into new places.

Cotoneaster in winter

Cotoneaster in autumn (preparation for winter)

Almost all cotoneasters are cold-resistant and winter well without shelter, it is enough just to mulch the soil around the bush with peat, but if you are afraid that your cotoneaster will freeze, bend it to the ground, fix it in this position and throw it with dry foliage.

Wintering cotoneaster

In the event that the winter is too frosty and snowless, you can additionally cover the plant with spruce branches or covering material, but if it starts to snow, remove the shelter and let your shrub hibernate under a layer of snow. Cotoneaster chokeberry, whole-edged and shiny, which are most often grown in our climate, have high winter hardiness and withstand even significant frosts without shelter.

Types and varieties of cotoneaster

We offer you an acquaintance with the most popular types of cotoneaster grown in culture.

Cotoneaster brilliant (Cotoneaster lucidus)

originally from Eastern Siberia, where it grows singly or in groups. It is an upright, densely leafy deciduous shrub. The height of the brilliant cotoneaster reaches two meters. Its young shoots are densely pubescent, elliptical in shape, shiny dark green leaves up to 5 cm long, pointed to the top. Pink flowers in loose corymbose inflorescences open in May or June and bloom for 30 days. Decorative shiny spherical black fruits that remain on the bushes until winter. Fruiting occurs at four years. Most often used to create hedges, group plantings on the edges and lawns. In culture since the beginning of the XIX century.

Black cotoneaster (Cotoneaster melanocarpus)

also quite winter-hardy for our latitudes. This cotoneaster is edible, unlike many other plant species. In the wild, it can be found in the Caucasus, in Central Asia, in Northern China and in Central Europe. The shrub reaches a height of 2 meters, its shoots are red-brown in color, the fruits are black. The leaves are ovate, up to 4.5 cm long, the upper side of the plate is dark green, the lower side is white-tomentose, the apex is obtuse or notched. Annual fruiting begins at the age of five. Pink flowers in loose racemes of 5-12 pieces bloom for about 25 days. The species is frost-resistant and not picky about moisture, in addition, plants of this species are excellent honey plants, canes, pipes and other crafts are made from their wood. View has decorative form laxiflora with loose drooping inflorescences and more large fruits than the original view. Cotoneaster chokeberry has been cultivated since 1829.

Cotoneaster cotoneaster, or common cotoneaster (Cotoneaster integerrimus)

- deciduous shrub, found in nature from the Baltic to North Caucasus on mountain slopes, in limestones and sandstones. In cultivation, this deciduous shrub is still a rare thing. A cotoneaster bush grows up to two meters in height, its crown is round, young branched shoots are covered with woolly pubescence, but become bare with age. Its leaves are broadly ovate, up to 5 cm long, dark green above, smooth and shiny, gray-felt below. Pinkish-white flowers are collected in brushes of 2-4 pieces. The fruits are bright red, up to one centimeter in diameter. Winter hardiness of this species is high, in addition, it is resistant to gas and drought. In culture since 1656.

Cotoneaster horizontalis (Cotoneaster horizontalis)

belongs to the extended species. This is an evergreen cotoneaster, up to one meter high and with a crown growth width of up to one and a half to two meters. The shoots are arranged in layers, like a fish backbone. The leaves are shiny, rounded, green, in autumn they become fiery red. Small pinkish-white flowers open in late May and bloom for three weeks. Numerous scarlet fruits ripen in September and can remain on the bush until spring. This type of cotoneaster, unlike others, is demanding on the composition of the soil. In culture since 1880. It has two varieties:

• Variegatus- up to 30 cm high and with a growth diameter of up to one and a half meters, on each of its leaves there is a white stripe along the edge;
• Perpusillis- an open shrub up to 20 cm high, eventually covering an area with a diameter of up to one meter. Grows slowly. Blooms in early summer with pink flowers. Scarlet berries ripen in late summer. Green leaves turn burgundy in autumn.

Cotoneaster Dummer (Cotoneaster dammeri)

outwardly resembles cotoneaster horizontal. In the wild, it is found in the mountains of Central China. His shoots are creeping, they are almost pressed to the ground, so they often take root on their own. The branching of the shoots occurs in one plane, they rise no higher than 20-30 cm, growing in width up to one and a half meters. The leaves are leathery, small, elliptical, dark green in summer and purple in late autumn. Flowers of a reddish hue are sessile, coral-red fruits ripen in September and do not fall off for a very long time. This species has been cultivated since 1900. Popular varieties:

• Eicholz- up to 60 cm high with red-orange fruits;
• Coral Beauty- up to 40 cm high, with large single red fruits. This variety is the most winter-hardy of those belonging to this species;
• Stockholm- shrub up to one meter high with bright red fruits.

Cotoneaster pressed (Cotoneaster adpressus)

- dwarf creeping shrub up to half a meter high, covering an area with a diameter of one meter. Its shoots are pressed to the ground, the leaves are small, rounded, light green in summer and dark or bright red in autumn. Numerous pink flowers open in late spring. This type of cotoneaster requires shelter for the winter.

In addition to the species described, cotoneasters are splayed, mupinsky, holly, small-leaved, many-flowered, pink, one-flowered, Henry, vesiculated, Franchet, and racemose.

Material provided by: Volkov Vladimir Grigorievich, Volkova Nina Petrovna

Dogwood

The breath of autumn is getting stronger. Frosts occurred in the first ten days of October; persimmons, grapes, figs, peach look like scalded with boiling water. The leaves are wrinkled and dried up, but do not fall off - there is not enough moisture, not a single decent rain has fallen since the end of July. A week after the frost, the temperature dropped from twenty-seven to twelve degrees, there was heavy rain, the southern crops began to fall leaves. Now, in the third decade of October, a real autumn storm has come: everything is covered with a dense gray haze, an icy drop hangs, either light rain or large fog is sown, the temperature is within ten degrees; weather, as in that saying about a good owner and his dog.

However, not everything is so sad. There are cultures who enjoy such weather. Saplings of apple, pear, plum, gooseberry, and strawberry have perked up and started to grow actively. Dogwood took the bad weather in the same way. At the tops of seedlings and seedlings, a lot of young light green leaves appeared, the fruits of late varieties continue to pour. However, the leaves of adult dogwood trees gradually turn maroon, peaches turn gold and orange, pear blushes, apricot flaunts in lemon yellow. The variety of colors gives the nursery an unusually bright color.

Dogwood saplings went to growth

Dogwood fruits are now unusually tasty. They scored the maximum color and size, full of original taste and aroma, and there is nothing to say about their benefits. They treat tuberculosis, scurvy, liver disease, diabetes, joints, hemorrhoids, colds, beriberi, keep the body in good shape. The grafted garden dogwood begins to bear fruit in the second year after planting and for three hundred years annually brings a bountiful harvest, without requiring special care. Practically no pruning, chemical protection, minimum top dressing is needed; only weeding and sufficient irrigation are needed.

In his best

Fruiting of a two-year-old dogwood in a nursery

Culture, although unpretentious, but if you want to succeed, you still need to take into account its features:

1. When planting in a hole, in no case should fertilizers be applied, both mineral and organic. Just land, you can fall asleep fertile, but no more.

2. In nature, dogwood is a plant of the second tier, i.e. grows in partial shade, so it is better to plant it in a row between trees.

3. root system seedlings have fibrous, it must be carefully straightened, covered with earth, carefully and carefully compacted and watered abundantly; after a week, trample down and water again, otherwise they can rise on elastic roots, lose contact with the soil and die. When planting in autumn for the winter, it is better to spud, pouring a high mound of earth.

One- and two-year-old dogwood seedling

4. Being a symbiotic culture, dogwood for normal life needs the presence of its specific microflora in the root layer, therefore, it should not be placed in water before planting, washing the soil from the roots: the seedling will take root longer and worse.

5. The root system of the plant is superficial, located at a depth of 5-25 cm, so in summer young plants suffer from overheating. In addition to shading, the soil should be mulched, preferably with light material: straw, sawdust, leaves, etc. Mature trees with an extensive crown already shade the roots themselves, but they also need to be mulched.

6. In order not to damage the roots, processing in the projection of the crown should be minimal, no deeper than 5 cm; we do it with a tip or a flat cutter.

7. The soil should be kept moist, and mulch helps a lot. We have installed drip irrigation and, in the absence of rain, the plantation is watered abundantly at least once a week.

8. Dogwood is cross-pollinated, therefore, in the absence of other representatives of the culture within sight, it is necessary to plant at least two plants of different varieties.

9. Due to its biology, dogwood prefers carbonate soils with a pH of more than 7.0. When landing on acidic soils it is desirable to lime them by adding to the soil required amount fluffs.

10. A young plant may be suffering from a fungal infection or a mite, so it should also be sprayed with a general garden treatment. With age, immunity is restored and the need for chemical treatments disappears.

Dogwood is necessary in every area, appropriate in every garden; due to its high decorativeness, it can decorate any landscape, combining aesthetics with purely utilitarian properties. Plant dogwood for your own joy, for the benefit of the children, for the benefit of the grandchildren. Great-grandchildren will also enjoy the fruits of your labors - what if they remember with a kind word?

For a closer acquaintance with this unique breed, let's move on from general information to description the best varieties introduced into culture to date.

Coral

Coral - early variety barrel-shaped, with fruits weighing 3.5-4 g, original coral color, translucent in full ripeness, with a translucent stone. The skin is thin, shiny, the flesh is reddish-yellowish-brownish, sweet, the taste is guessed tones of pear and cherry. The stone is small, oval-elongated, rounded. Ripens in the first decade of August, very fruitful, fructifies abundantly and regularly. Suitable for both fresh consumption and processing.

The tree is medium-sized, the crown is of the correct oval shape, the leaf is dark green with a slight orange tint. The variety is frost- and drought-resistant, is an excellent pollinator for all dogwood varieties.

Nastya

Nastya - early term ripening, fruits are round-oval, rather tear-shaped, weighing 5-6 g. The skin is dark red, shiny, the flesh is red, juicy, medium density, sweet and sour or sweet. The stone is small, fusiform, not sharp, most suitable for the treatment of hemorrhoids. The fruits ripen in late July - early August and are perhaps the largest and most delicious at that time, and, since this is the height of the holiday season, is in high demand. Used both fresh and for processing.

The tree is medium-sized, with a compact oval-pyramidal crown, winter-hardy, drought-resistant, practically free of pests and diseases. It reacts to irrigation with a noticeable increase in the quantity and quality of the crop.

Elegant

Elegant - an early variety of spur type. The fruits are large, weighing 6-7 g, bottle-shaped, with a thin, slightly curved graceful neck. The skin is tender, black-red, the flesh is crisp, tender, harmonious taste, a thin light layer adjacent to the stone gives it a specific taste and aroma. The stone is thin, small, well separated from the pulp. The fruits ripen at the same time in early August, do not crumble, keep on the branches until withering.

The tree is medium-sized, the cup-shaped crown is slightly sparse, fruiting is plentiful and regular. Resistance to adverse growth factors is high. Serves as an excellent pollinator for other varieties.

Artemy

Artemy - ripens in the second half of August. The fruits are pear-shaped, cylindrical, slightly ribbed, weighing 7-9 g, the skin is dark red, shiny. The pulp is dark red, dense, cartilaginous, aromatic, pleasant sweet and sour taste, the stone is small. The fruits are used both fresh and for processing.

The tree is above average in growth force, the crown is oval-pyramidal, fruiting is plentiful and annual. It is winter- and drought-resistant, at the same time it is very responsive to watering, especially during fruiting.

Semyon

Semyon - a late pear-shaped variety with large fruits weighing 7-8 g, was selected from seedlings of large-fruited Crimean forms. The skin is dark red, shiny. The flesh is red, firm, slightly cartilaginous, separating from the stone, sweet-sour with a typical dogwood flavor. The stone is medium-sized, fusiform, ribbed. The fruits are very tasty fresh, they make wonderful processed products. The crop ripens at the end of August, but is distinguished by increased hanging - an amazing ability to stay on the tree until frost, and do not immediately crumble even in the first snowfalls.

The tree is compact, beautiful, with a dense rounded crown. The variety is very winter-hardy, drought-resistant, but with stable irrigation, the fruits become much larger, the quantity and quality of the crop significantly increase.

Gentle

Delicate - medium ripening, the fruits are bright yellow, teardrop-shaped, when ripe they become translucent. The largest of the yellow-fruited varieties, fruits weighing 5-6g. The skin is very tender, shiny, the flesh is yellow, with a delicate taste and pleasant aroma. Ripens at the height of the holiday season and, due to its unusual color, is in high demand. It is used fresh and for the preparation of delicacy processed products.

The tree is compact, medium-sized, with dark green leaves and a rounded elongated crown. Frost-resistant, drought-resistant, practically not affected by pests and diseases, very responsive to watering.

Solar

Sunny - medium ripening, the fruits are bright yellow, when ripe they become translucent, with a translucent stone, barrel-shaped, weighing 3.5-4 g. The skin is thin, tender, shiny, the pulp is tender, fragrant, sour-sweet, which makes it one of the most attractive dessert varieties both fresh and processed. The amazement of the consumer knows no bounds when he is convinced that this amber jam or compote made from dogwood. The fruits ripen in the third decade of August, are well ripened in the maturation and are in high demand.

A tree with an oval-pyramidal crown, compact, graceful in shape, large, dark green leaves, is a stunning sight: surrounded by trees with red fruits, a miracle appears before your eyes, hung with a necklace of gold beads, solar lanterns burning against a background of dark green leaves . It has a high fruitfulness, annually brings extremely high yield. It is resistant to drought and frost, has no pests and diseases.