Features and description of Abbotswood shrub Potentilla, planting and care
Every summer resident wants to have a refined flowering site. Therefore, gardeners are trying to plant a beautiful plant in their backyard, to the envy of neighbors. Many people wonder what the Abbotswood shrub cinquefoil is. What recommendations should be followed in order to grow such a culture, and what conditions are undesirable for it.
General description and characteristics of Potentilla Abbotswood
A plant like the Abbotswood shrub cinquefoil is a crop that has been known since ancient times. It has healing properties that are used in traditional medicine.
The bush itself is low, as it does not exceed one meter. The crown is dense and even pillow-shaped, and the leaves are painted in a light green hue, which becomes yellowish in autumn. As for the flowers, their color is white. They are also small in diameter and are collected in single or small brushes.
The rest of the characteristics of this plant include:
- such a culture begins to bloom from June, flowering continues until autumn, capturing October;
- the shrub itself is considered an ornamental and deciduous plant, which becomes a decoration of the summer cottage;
- every year the shrub grows by twenty centimeters;
- the life span of this plant is up to thirty years.
Thanks to this characteristic, Abbotswood shrub cinquefoil can become an ideal plant for ennobling a summer cottage.
Main positive and negative aspects
This beautiful shrub has positive characteristics. Namely:
- the whole season pleases the summer resident and gardener with a blooming view;
- considered one of the best shrubs for creating living borders and flower beds;
- the plant retains its decorative appearance for a long time:
- the shrub is unpretentious in care.
A small disadvantage of this plant is the need to carry out a procedure such as anti-aging pruning every five years. It also does not tolerate dry air.
Plant growing recommendations
In order for such a shrub as Potentilla Abbotswood to please with flowering for a long time, it must be looked after. The plant itself is considered unpretentious, but it does not like dry weather when the air becomes excessively dry. In this case, the shrub should be sprayed daily.This should be done in the evening.
There is no need to water it in hot weather. You can do three abundant waterings per season so that Abbotswood Potentilla feels comfortable. To maintain the desired size, the bush is formed every fall, but after the flowering stage is completed.
Site selection and soil preparation
Cinquefoil Abbotswood prefers sunnier areas, but it does not tolerate prolonged exposure to direct sunlight. The place should be slightly shaded, but it should be well lit in the morning and evening hours. The plot is chosen spacious. Do not plant Potentilla near conifers.
Before planting, the soil should be well dug up and then leveled. The earth must contain a large amount of clay. The shrub must be planted in prepared pits, at the bottom of which crushed stone and pebbles are poured, and on top - turf soil mixed with sand and humus.
Preparation of planting material
Potentilla seedling is best purchased in mid-April, and immediately planted in open ground. It is better to buy such a plant in a nursery.
The seedling should contain several shoots and have a compact crown. This indicates a good root system. Before planting, the seedling is recommended to be shed with warm water.
Planting process and time
For such a process, it is better to choose the second spring month, when the snow has completely melted. Small shrubs are planted in the ground, which are sprinkled with soil with the addition of minerals.
The plant is placed in a prepared hole, which should be twice as large as the root system itself. In this case, you need to ensure that the roots are evenly distributed.
In conclusion, the earth must be watered and sprinkled with soil on top of the hole. After half an hour, the soil is spilled with humic fertilizer, which will stimulate growth. As soon as the seedlings sprout, you need to then, after a week, plant them so that the distance is about thirty centimeters.
Practical advice on care
Potentilla Abbotswood does not require any special care. The shrub is unpretentious, it is enough to feed it with mineral fertilizers in the spring, and it will delight with its flowering for a long time.
In the cold period and for the winter, the plant does not hide. It easily tolerates frosty weather. And to get a lush, beautiful shrub, you just need to cut off last year's shoots in a timely manner.
Watering rules
The shrub should be watered as it dries. You need to take about ten liters of water, per one Potentilla bush. If the summer is hot, then you need to water the plant once every twelve days.
It is important to monitor the soil - it must not be allowed to crack and become hard.
Loosening and weeding
It is necessary to loosen the soil in the summer, to a depth of about ten centimeters. In this case, the earth is necessarily weeded, and all weeds are removed. Cinquefoil loves loosening, this allows the soil to be saturated with oxygen. Therefore, it should be loosened twice a week.
This is best done after a little watering when the ground is soft. This will remove all weeds.
Soil mulching
Soil mulching occurs immediately after planting. In this case, the earth is covered with a peat layer, about five centimeters. This will keep moisture in the root area for as long as possible. It is also recommended to cover the ground with needles and straw.
Fertilizers and feeding
A very young plant must be fed, starting from the third year after planting it on the site. The very first feeding is carried out in the evening. You can use garden compost for this.
Before the flowers begin to bloom, the shrub should be additionally fed with fertilizer, which contains ash, as well as potassium and phosphorus.
Trimming
The Abbotswood cinquefoil shrub should be cut once every three years. This procedure should be done in September. Shoots that are not yet covered with dense wood are shortened by one third.
If the shrub is cut in April, then the shoots are shortened by twenty centimeters. This will speed up plant growth and promote branching.
It is important that the cinquefoil tolerates a haircut well and retains a neat decorative appearance for a long time.
Pests, diseases and methods of control
Cinquefoil Abbotswood is quite resistant to various diseases and pests, but sometimes it gets sick with rust. This fungal disease is not detrimental to the plant, but at the same time affects the decorative effect of the shrub.
In this case, it can be treated with a soapy copper liquid. Also, do not plant Potentilla near coniferous trees.
Sometimes the plant is invaded by caterpillars. This insect eats the leaves of the bush, and also lays eggs on their back side. As a result, the shrub stops developing fully. To cope with such a problem, it can be treated with Actellic solution or Acarin.
Reproduction methods
The Abbotswood Potentilla shrub reproduces in several ways:
- dividing the bush;
- cuttings;
- layering.
It can be propagated independently by plots. To do this, in the spring or autumn period, you need to separate the root, which has buds, and place it in a chatterbox from Gumiks for twelve hours.
Then plant it in the ground in the warm season, but the kidney should not be at a depth of more than five centimeters.
For reproduction, bushes that have already bloomed for three years are more suitable.
Cinquefoil Abbotswood in landscape design
It is recommended to plant it to create vegetable borders, as well as in rock gardens. This design looks spectacular at the summer cottage. Therefore, the Abbotswood Potentilla shrub will become a decoration of the garden area. And thanks to its white color, this plant will be in harmony with other flowering crops.
