Moroznik - the rose of Christ, planting and care

Hellebore (in Latin Helleborus) is a grassy perennial from the Lyutikov family. This beautiful flowering plant is a real miracle of nature. Because it blooms at a time when flowering is impossible for other plants.

Frostweed can please with beautiful buds in November or early April.

Description of hellebore, photo

It is grown as an ornamental and medicinal plant. There are 14 species in nature, according to other sources - 20. The discrepancy in numbers is due to the fact that some varieties stand out as separate species.

The hellebore has many other names - frostflower, winter hibernation, hellebore (Latin name, written on pharmacy packaging). Because of the early flowering (for the Easter holidays), it is called the rose of Christ. All varieties are toxic, because they contain alkaloids of cardiological effect. In moderate doses, they are used as a medicine.

The homeland of hellebore is the Mediterranean, mainly distributed in East European, Asian countries. Most often grows in natural conditions in the mountains, loves shady areas. This plant can withstand any bad weather - and slush, and frost.

It has hard, dense leaves that do not fall even in winter. Flowers appear at unusual times, so hellebore is considered a very unpretentious perennial that is easy to grow. And its beautiful, delicate, as if made of marble, inflorescences are able to decorate any garden and stand in a bouquet for a long time after cutting.

The herbaceous evergreen perennial has leaves on tall petioles. They are collected in a basal outlet. Plant height, depending on the variety, is from 30 to 100 cm.

The flowers are bisexual, located on long peduncles, collected in inflorescences of racemose form. Five-star large sepals (5-8 in diameter, sometimes up to 12 cm), which are often mistaken for petals, are white, pink, beige, purple in color, in some varieties yellowish-green. The petals themselves have changed and are small nectaries. After the end of the period of pollination by insects, when it is no longer necessary to attract them, the sepals acquire a greenish color and begin to fulfill their intended purpose - to synthesize organic substances.

Types and varieties of hellebore: Caucasian and others

In the gardens, several types of hellebore are grown as ornamental, from which various varieties are derived, differing in color, shape and size of flowers, height of bushes, color of leaves.

The most common species grown in ornamental hellebore gardens:

Planting and growing hellebore

Planting hellebore can be done by dividing rhizomes or seeds.

Planting rhizomes is easier to plant, plants begin to bloom earlier, but the difficulty is that with this method they do not take root well.

Growing from seeds will take longer, flowering occurs after 3-4 years, but the plants adapt better and bloom. Of the seeds collected on its site, you can grow only if the species hellebore (not hybrid). To grow hybrid varieties, seeds must be purchased in specialized stores.

Seedling for seedlings

Only freshly harvested seeds are suitable for planting, because last year's seeds have low germination. It is better to sow in late June, when they are already ripe and ready for planting.

So that the seed does not crumble to the ground ahead of time, the flowers are tied with gauze, from which they are then removed.

For sowing seeds for seedlings, you need to choose a shaded place, fertilize the soil with humus, it should be loose and moist. Deepen the seeds by 1-1.5 cm. After planting in June, seedlings will appear in the spring of next year, in March.

When 1-2 pairs of leaves appear on the seedlings, you need to dive them into a flower bed in a shaded place where they will grow for 2 years. Then plant stronger seedlings in a permanent place. Only in the third year they bloom.

Transplant and division

With proper planting, hellebore can grow normally in one place for up to 10 years.

These plants do not like frequent transplants. Therefore, it is better to leave the bushes in one place until they grow very much.

Then you can dig them out and divide them into several bushes. After landing in a new place, they take root for a long time. Therefore, you need the right care - regular watering, protection from direct sunlight.

Hellebore growing conditions

Most hellebore species grow better in the shade or in diffuse lighting. But this plant is universal and adapts to many conditions. Some hybrid varieties that feel great in sunny areas are bred.

Outdoor hellebore care

These plants are unpretentious, frost-resistant, not demanding on the composition of the soil. But some care recommendations must be observed:

• Avoid stagnation of water at the rhizomes and drying of the soil. Therefore, loosen the soil and provide regular watering in dry weather.
• It is advisable to mulch around plants with peat, compost, small wood waste.
• On acidic soils, they grow worse, so you need to add chalk, lime, ash to such soil.
• Forest soil, which contains all the necessary substances, is ideal for these plants.
• Moroznik likes fertilizers that need to be applied every 3 months. Then it will delight with abundant flowering. In addition to mulching with compost or humus, you need to make mineral fertilizers during the growing season, as well as bone meal.

Despite the frost resistance of these plants, many varieties, especially hybrid ones, in regions with severe frosts need to be insulated, so they are covered with spruce for the winter.

Diseases and Pests

Moroznik is a poisonous plant and therefore not very attractive to pests, has a high resistance to disease. But under certain conditions, it is also subject to such an effect:

• the problem occurs with waterlogging, then the plant can be affected by fungi;
• Anthracnose - in this case, you need to remove all the affected areas of the plant and conduct treatment with a drug containing copper;
• ring spotting - cut off all affected areas and treat with fungicide;
• downy mildew - pruning and spraying with special preparations;
• of the pests are dangerous - aphids, slugs, snails, mice, hop caterpillars.

Mr. Summer resident: useful properties and application of hellebore

Moroznik is successfully used to treat many diseases. But you can take it only in limited quantities, because an overdose is dangerous to health. Only a doctor can prescribe such a treatment, since there are many contraindications.

For medicinal purposes, the rhizome of the plant is used. It is freed from damaged areas, washed well, dried and ground. After preparing decoctions, infusions, ointments.

Healing properties of hellebore

The plant has the following medicinal properties:

• cleanses the body of toxins, radionuclides, toxins;
• improves gastrointestinal motility;
• normalizes cardiac activity;
• boosts immunity;
• helps with sinusitis;
• treats skin diseases and wounds;
• helps with urolithiasis;
• improves the condition at the initial stage of oncology;
• strengthens the immune system;
• liquefies sputum;
• promotes resorption of cysts and nodes;
• normalizes the water-salt balance;
• relieves obesity.

With the regular use of this drug, the first six months the gastrointestinal tract is cleansed, and then the blood is cleansed.

Contraindications

Moroznik is not recommended for use:

• children under 7 years of age and old age;
• during pregnancy and lactation;
• after a heart attack;
• with individual intolerance;
• in case of diagnosed ischemia, gallstone disease, arrhythmia, tachycardia.

It should be remembered that hellebore is a poisonous plant.

An overdose is possible both with a one-time excess of the dose, and with prolonged use of small doses.

Watch the video: Erot - Helleborus Visualization (November 2024).