Campsis

Today we will tell you about an amazing and beautiful flower, this plant is also called begonia, and scientifically, kampsis. It is deciduous curly liana, which belongs to begonias. These plants are very fond of warmth, their flowers usually have a rich color, very large in size. The name of this flower is translated from Greek as "twisting". As you understood, this is due to the shape of the shoots. However, this plant also has its own varieties, for example, tekoma is considered a representative of the same family, but they have completely different genera. In Europe, Kampsis was grown already in the 17th century, but even now this tall plant is very popular with gardeners.

General characteristics.

Typically, these vines are used to plant greenery. These plants have a very beautiful appearance, and they cling to the supports thanks to their air roots. Their leaves are quite complex, more than 10 small leaves can form in one leaf plate. They have small notches along the edges. Therefore, the decorative appearance of this plant is very effective. The flowers are tubular, they are also large in size, but they have no aroma, so you will have to enjoy only the beautiful shape of the inflorescences. Moreover, it should be noted that the paniculate inflorescences are rather short, they are formed at the tips of the shoots, the flowers are usually no more than five cm in diameter, but up to ten in length. Depending on the belonging of the plants to a particular variety, the flowers are crimson, pink, red, even yellowish, so you will definitely find the very variety that suits you. It should be noted that the plant blooms in June, and finishes blooming in the fall, so this culture will delight you with a beautiful appearance throughout the season. In addition, these plants are considered excellent honey plants, so a lot of bees always gather around the vines, so there will always be a cheerful buzz in your garden. And the fruits are formed on vines in autumn, the seeds are stored in a leathery elongated pod, which is quite voluminous, it can even reach a length of several centimeters. Each pod has two valves, and membranous seeds are formed inside, which have wings. When the pods crack, the seeds fly out, so they spread over long distances, so new plants can grow in your garden without your participation next to the main vine. However, not all varieties of kampsis develop seeds, so be careful.

How to plant Kampsis.

It is believed that this culture is quite frost-resistant, therefore, even minus 20 degrees are not terrible for these plants, however, in the middle zone of our country, it is best to plant plants in open ground at the end of spring. Moreover, for planting it is recommended to choose the southern or southeastern side of your garden plot, make sure that the plants are protected from drafts and winds, these weather phenomena adversely affect the development of plants. Therefore, it is best to choose well-lit, warm areas. However, do not plant Kampsis very close to the windows, as you remember, during flowering, many bees, as well as wasps and other insects gather near the plants, so if you open the window, they can fly into the house and cause you a lot of trouble. Therefore, it is best to admire the beauty from a distance.It will be possible to plant plants on different types of soil, limestone soil is well suited for this, but there should be a lot of useful trace elements and minerals in the ground. It is best to prepare the planting holes in the fall, for this you will need to dig holes for about one bayonet of a shovel, the width and length of the hole should be 50 cm each.This amazing plant usually does not begin to bloom immediately, but at two or three years of age. Therefore, you can plant cuttings in open ground, having previously rooted them, only in this case the plant will bloom in the next season. Usually, when planting, the top layer of soil is cut off and mixed with complex mineral fertilizers, as well as compost, after which this soil mixture is used to fill the pit. The seedling is placed in the middle, and the root system is well straightened. The soil mixture is distributed evenly, so that air chambers inside the pit are not formed. But the liana itself does not need to be deeply buried, usually the plants are planted at the same depth at which the culture grew before. After planting the plants in the open ground, it is best to compact the trunk circle well and water the planting. When the water is well absorbed, do not forget to mulch the trunk circle. For this, peat or compost is used, this is done so that moisture does not evaporate, and nutrients are not washed out if precipitation in your region falls too intensively. And do not forget to immediately install supports near the flower, this is necessary in order for the plant to curl. And do not forget that the crown should not grow too intensively, so you can occasionally limit the growth of vines, for this you can also dig in a little slate near the trunk circle, but it should be buried quite intensively. Such a fence will slightly darken the shoots, which means that the crown will not develop and grow as actively.

How to grow kampsis in the garden.

In order to grow Kampsis, you will need to adhere to certain rules. Although this plant is exotic, it is quite unpretentious and undemanding, therefore it is not necessary to take care of this crop too intensively. So stick to the basic rules, water, feed, inspect plants on time, and also loosen the top layer of the earth and weed the beds. Remember to protect your plantings from disease and pests, and prune your crop. Remember that the plant will need to be watered quite intensively, but you should not overdo it, because due to an excess of moisture in the soil, the root system can rot. If you loosen the soil during the time, remove weeds, then the appearance of the plantings will be very beautiful. If you want to water the plants less intensively, then you will need to mulch the near-stem circle, you can also plant small, compact, low-growing shrubs next to the Kampsis. However, make sure that the plants do not compete with each other, such a struggle will not lead to anything good, the shrub will oppress the vines.

Campsis is usually not fed, but if you still want to apply fertilizer to the soil, then feed the vines with nitrogen and phosphorus, and this will need to be done before flowering, so they will grow and develop more intensively. As you remember, we told you about pruning, these vines will definitely need to be systematically formed, if the bush grows arbitrarily, then all the shoots will look untidy, so it is best to remove excess branches. It is believed that it will be possible to form bushes immediately after planting plants in open ground, for this, all shoots are usually cut off, leaving shoots of 15 cm, after which it is believed that the plant will grow more intensively, and the culture will also bloom more magnificently in the future. On each bush, no more than 5 powerful shoots are usually left, and everything else is cut off.

Do not forget to tie up new shoots in time, and this must be done along the support, when the skeletal branches grow up to 4 meters in length, the vine is considered fully formed, but plants usually reach this size at the age of three, if we talk about lateral shoots, then they are shortened to two or three eyes, do not forget that sanitary pruning is also necessary for the shrub. Branches that are affected by any disease will definitely need to be removed, all weak shoots are also cut off. If even the skeletal branch was extremely injured, then it is advisable to also remove it. Be calm, after a while a new powerful shoot will appear on the plant, it will replace the removed branch.

Plants often rejuvenate by shortening all branches quite intensively, while the shoots should be no more than 30 cm in length, but do not forget that this will need to be done before the sap flow begins, that is, in early spring. When the bushes begin to bloom, pick the wilted flowers in time, and also cut off the shoots that have already faded. This helps to extend the flowering period, which means that the plant will delight you for a very long time. Sometimes flowers do not appear on a bush for a long time, and many gardeners worry about whether the plant will bloom at all. This often happens with those plantings that have been grown using seed propagation. It is believed that in this case, such seedlings begin to bloom no earlier than 4 years later, the development of these vines is slow. If you grow Kampsis through cuttings, then the flowers will appear earlier, at the age of three. Sometimes the plant does not bloom for a long time because frosts have passed in the spring, and it is possible that in the summer it is very cold on the site. If the climate in your region is not very favorable, then the plant may not bloom at all. Therefore, you grow Kampsis in the right conditions and plant in the right places, this is the only way the plants will grow and develop intensively and bloom luxuriantly.

Diseases and pests.

If we talk about pests and diseases, it should be noted that Kampsis is considered a fairly resistant crop. However, when water stagnates in the near-trunk circle, rot may appear on the root system. But in a dry summer, aphids sometimes settle on vines, and in order to get rid of this dangerous insect, gardeners recommend treating plants with tar soap, namely its solution. In order to prepare this "healing" mixture, you need to dilute 10 g of soap in a bucket of water and spray the plants with this composition, usually after that the insects are removed from the site.

Reproduction.

These plants reproduce in many ways. Of course, cultivation of kampsis from seeds is considered habitual. However, this method has its drawbacks, first of all, new vines rarely inherit the properties of mother bushes, so the results of such cultivation can be completely unpredictable, and secondly, such plants usually bloom much later than Kampsis grown by the vegetative method. Therefore, before planting seeds, weigh the pros and cons. However, the advantage of this method is that planting seeds is easy and simple. Before disembarking, they do not need to be stratified, and also specially prepared. Planting material is stored in ordinary paper bags at room temperature. It is believed that, in this case, the composition of the soil should be neutral. It is recommended to deepen the seeds by no more than 50 mm; after planting, the pots will need to be covered with foil and glass in order to create a favorable microclimate inside. Containers with seedlings should be removed to a warm place. Usually sprouts begin to appear in a month, when two or three pairs of good and healthy leaves are formed on each plant, the seedlings can be planted in open ground.

Cutting is considered an equally productive method of propagation of this culture.And many gardeners use this method. Usually, cuttings are rooted in the summer, while in order to prepare planting material, you will need to cut off the middle parts of the shoots. On each cutting, you will need to leave two or three upper leaves, the rest will definitely need to be removed. The cuttings themselves should also be shortened. The shoots are planted in a darkened place, and you need to add that it is desirable to plant the cuttings at an angle, but the soil where you will root the planting material must be well structured and fertile. Do not forget to water the planting abundantly with water after planting; it is recommended to fill the free space with mulch from above. The survival rate of such cuttings is also good. However, remember that for propagation using this method, you will definitely need to select lignified branches. They are made either in early spring or in summer. It is advisable to choose mature shoots for this. When cuttings are planted in their permanent habitat, usually 100% of the seedlings take root. You can easily propagate this plant using root shoots. If the site has sufficiently favorable climatic conditions, then many new plants usually form around the liana. Moreover, you can dig each of them with a part of the root and transplant to another place. Thus, from one plant you can get many new bushes. However, this is best done in the spring, before the sap flow begins, or in late autumn, when all the foliage has fallen off.

You can try to propagate the plant and layering. To do this, you will need to loosen the top layer of soil near the bush, then choose a healthy and strong shoot, it is you who will drop it in. This stem will need to be bent to the ground and fixed with staples or stones in this position. Do not forget to water the layers, loosen the soil, usually after a year, in the next season, the layers take root well, it is at this time that they are separated and transplanted to a new habitat. These plants develop quite intensively and quickly. As we noted earlier, this plant is considered frost-hardy. The culture can withstand -20 degrees, but these frosts should be short-term, the bushes will not withstand prolonged cold weather. That is why it is still recommended to shelter Kampsis for the winter. For this, you can use a removable support, as well as breathable agro material. Gardeners recommend bending to the ground and covering the bushes in the same way as grapes. Shoots are advised to carefully remove from supports, lay on the ground, sprinkle with fallen leaves, spruce branches or other material. You can put a film on top, but do not forget to remove this blanket in time in the spring, rot often forms in a vacuum.

Varieties and types.

This genus of Kampsis also has two varieties. This plant is grown in Asian countries, as well as in North America. However, the breeders have worked hard, therefore, a hybrid Kampsis was recently bred, which also has high decorative properties.

The first variety of this culture is the Rooting Kampsis. These plants have large flowers, as well as long vines, shoots perfectly cling to supports due to the many roots. The leaves are quite long, no more than 10 leaves are formed on each leaf plate. On the front side, these same leaves are naked, rich green, and on the seamy side, they are pale. You can notice a slight omission of the leaf plate, however, it is observed mainly near the veins. The flowers of this culture are quite long, tubular, funnel-shaped, they do not reach 5 cm in diameter. The flowers are rich orange, fiery red. Up to 15 large and attractive flowers are formed on each inflorescence. Moreover, it should be noted that this plant blooms for a long time, but it begins to bloom late, by the middle of summer.After the flowers begin to wither and fall off, small bolls form on the inflorescences, in which the seeds ripen. This plant has been cultivated since the 17th century. It has its own forms, for example, Kampsis Magnificent, Golden, Early and Dark purple. The vines of these plants curl quite well, the shoots are quite long, the leaves are oval, but the flowers have a different color from orange-red to dark and yellow. And in the purple variety, a gentle purple tint is noticeable.

The next species of Kampsis is considered to be Chinese or Large-flowered Kampsis. Unlike the previous variety, this plant does not form aerial roots, so they cling to the support with the tips of the shoots. These bushes are also smaller in height, no more than 9 leaves are formed on one leaf plate, each of them is about 6 cm long. No descent on the surface is observed. The flowers are funnel-shaped, tubular, orange-red in color, as you understand from the name, they are large in size, therefore they are much larger in diameter than the inflorescences of the previous variety. The first flowers appear in seedlings at the age of three, after the plant fades, hook-shaped capsules form on the shoots, it is in them that the seeds ripen. This variety is considered less frost-resistant, however, the flowers and leaves of this bush are attractive. This plant has been cultivated since the 19th century in many countries of the world.

The last type of Kampsis is the Hybrid Kampsis. He was taken out quite recently. This shrub has a spreading crown, so the shoots are not very long. They do not curl often. Up to 11 leaves are formed on each leaf plate. The flowers of this kampsis are large, orange-red in color. The culture is quite frost-resistant, this plant is grown in many countries of the world, but this variety was bred in comparison with the previous varieties quite late, at the end of the 19th century. As you understand, there are plenty of varieties and varieties of kampsis, so every gardener will find his ideal look. It is easy and simple to care for this shrub, so these plants will not give you unnecessary trouble. So try to plant Kampsis on your site, it blooms just fine, so you will definitely surprise your neighbors. Moreover, in our country this culture is not grown so actively, and Kampsis is considered the most real exotic in our country.