Perennial and annual representatives of the Dicentra plant—a genus of herbaceous plants, a subfamily of Fumariaceae, and a member of the poppy family—have captured the hearts of gardeners with their unusual flower shapes. The Latin word "dicentra" is composed of two Greek words: "dis" meaning "twice" and "kentron" meaning "spur," and can be translated as "two-spurred." This means the flower has two spurs. The flower arrived in Europe from Japan in 1816 and immediately gained popularity among aristocrats. Today, this once-forgotten plant has gained popularity among gardeners, who appreciate the ease of planting and caring for the dicentra in open ground. Photos of the plants show off their beauty and diversity.
Description of the plant
The genus Dicentra includes 20 species, growing in the fields of North America, on the mountain slopes of the Far East, Siberia, Crimea, and throughout eastern China. The bushes are short, ranging from 0.3 to 1 meter. The plant has long, thick roots that extend deep into the soil.
The stems are green, branched, and sturdy. They bear dissected green leaves and numerous heart-shaped flowers, varying in color depending on the species. The flowers are no more than 2 cm in diameter and form lush, arched clusters. The fruit is a capsule containing shiny, oblong black seeds.
When to disembark
Seeds are sown in plastic cups in early spring, on insulated balconies or in greenhouses. They produce small shoots, which can be planted outdoors on warm days in April and May. The plant is propagated from shoots in September by dividing the roots. Fall planting should be done early to allow the separated roots time to establish before the first frost.
The plant requires a sunny location to promote early flowering. Gardeners plant Dicentra whenever convenient, considering that planting and care in open ground are relatively easy. Photos with the newly grown bushes make beautiful additions to home albums.
Dicentra is undemanding when it comes to soil, but its best choice is light, well-drained soil rich in nutrients. Dicentra is planted directly in open ground and given the necessary care. The soil should be prepared in advance. If planting is planned for spring, the site should be prepared in the fall.
When a gardener plans to divide overgrown bushes in the fall, they prepare the planting area in the spring. Preparation is simple: dig the soil to the depth of a spade, add humus at a rate of 3 kg per square meter, and add mineral fertilizer at a rate of 20 g per bucket of water.
The perennial Dicentra is planted in open ground; its care is simple, and gardeners later boast about photos taken at their dachas. Seedlings are planted in pre-prepared holes no more than 0.4 m deep, with at least 0.5 m between holes. The bottom of the hole is lined with drainage material, such as broken brick or crushed stone. A mixture of garden soil and compost is added. Now the seedling can be placed in the hole and backfilled with a garden soil mixture.
What care does Dicentra require?
Water the plants moderately with soft water, keeping the soil constantly moist. Even on dry days, be careful not to overwater, as excess water can cause root rot. Loosen the soil under the bushes because the roots need oxygen. Weeds should be removed, of course. During spring frosts, young shoots should be covered at night. Since Dicentra overwinters outdoors, new plantings are also made directly in the garden and cared for according to general guidelines.
Fertilize the plant with nitrogen fertilizers at the beginning of flowering. During full bloom, add superphosphate. In the fall, water the area around the trunk with a mullein infusion, and mulch the soil with humus. To prolong flowering, prune faded inflorescences promptly; the plant will immediately produce new flower shoots.
The bushes can be left untransplanted for 5-6 years. Then, dig up the bush, carefully divide the wilted, stale rhizome into several new seedlings with 3-4 buds, and plant them in a new, pre-prepared location. Sprinkle the cut area with ash. Dicentra is planted directly in open ground and requires little care.
Dicentra is repotted at the onset of autumn cold weather, immediately after the bush stops blooming. It can also be repotted in the spring, during the warm days of April and May. Dicentra is planted outdoors and given the necessary care.
You may be interested in:Care also includes disease control, although the plant is resistant to various diseases. However, tobacco mosaic and ring spot sometimes appear. Much less frequently, the bushes are susceptible to mycoplasma disease, which causes distorted flower stalks and stunted growth. Dicentra is planted outdoors, and care includes pest control.
Prevention involves proper watering and avoiding excess moisture. To prevent this, the soil should be treated with a formalin solution, but this should be done at least four weeks before planting. Of the many insects that attack this plant, only aphids are a favorite.
You may be interested in:Dicentra varieties
In total, breeders have created 20 varieties of Dicentra. All differ in appearance, inflorescence arrangement, and flower color. What they all share is a strong root system and easy planting and care in open ground.
The most popular varieties among gardeners are:
- Dicentra Magnifica, Dicentraeximia, is also called exceptional, excellent.
- Dicentra Beautiful, Dicentraformosa.
- Dicentra Golden Vine.
- Dicentra napellus, Dicentracuccularia.
- Dicentra Aurora.
- Dicentra King of Hearts.
- Dicentra Oregana.
- Dicentra Alba.
- Dicentra White.
There are many varieties and types of Dicentra, and gardeners strive to enhance their landscapes with a combination of them, especially since they require very little planting and care in open ground. They choose varieties from photos online and order seedlings.
Dicentra splendid is native to western North America. There, the perennial shrub grows to 20 cm. Its pink flowers, however, reach a diameter of 25 mm, surrounded by dense, serrated foliage. It is frost-resistant, and its roots survive winter temperatures as low as -35 degrees Celsius. When grown in home gardens, the soil surface is mulched after autumn frosts.
Dicentra pulcherrima is native to British Columbia, where its bushes can be found in humid forests in central California. Weather conditions allow the bushes to grow to 0.3 m, but their inflorescences reach up to 15 cm, surrounded by dense, scalloped foliage. The weight of such splendor is supported by dense stems and strong roots. When grown in the garden, they need to be covered for the winter, despite their high frost resistance.
You may be interested in:Dicentra cucullata is native to eastern North America and is widely cultivated in Oregon and Washington. It gets its name from the unusual shape of its roots, covered in small nodules. This variety is easy to cultivate. Its primary flower color is white, but subspecies with pink flowers have already been developed—one is the Pittsburgh variety, and another with lemon-yellow flowers.
Dicentra aureiflora is native to Mexico and the high mountain slopes of California. This variety boasts bushes up to 1.5 meters tall and blooms throughout the warm season. The deep yellow flowers have two distinctive petals with an unusual curvature. In the wild, these bushes quickly emerge from recent fires, but in the garden, unlike their counterparts, they require special conditions.
Reproduction of Dicentra
The easiest way is to divide a 3- to 4-year-old bush into several seedlings. The most difficult method is to grow the bush from its own seeds. These are sown in separate trays in September, immediately after collecting the seeds, and placed in a room with a constant temperature of 18 to 20 degrees Celsius.
The seedlings emerge after 30 days. When the shoots reach two leaves, they are pricked out and then planted in open ground. These seedlings require particularly careful care. For the winter, the young shoots should be covered with plastic. By spring, the plants will have developed a strong root system and will grow into vigorous, small seedlings.
Propagation by cuttings is carried out in the early warm spring. For this, cuttings are prepared in the spring by cutting young shoots, along with the remaining bud from which the shoot grew. The cuttings should be at least 15 cm long. The cut areas on the bushes are treated with ash.
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The cuttings are placed in a root growth stimulant solution for 24 hours, then planted in flower pots to encourage growth and strengthen the root system. Light, moist soil is used, and the cuttings are always covered in glass jars for several weeks. Cuttings in pots will develop new roots, but they can only be planted outdoors the following year.
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