Iberis, or Iberian, is a cruciferous plant with small, delicate flowers and a pleasant aroma that is widely used in landscape design and floristry. It is unpretentious, does not require special care and tolerates temperature extremes, so even an inexperienced gardener can grow it. To do this, you need to choose the right variety and know about some of the features of Iberis - planting, care and basic rules for growing. Help in this and the photo.
Features of growing Iberis
Iberis is a semi-shrub growing up to 50 cm, with a rooted root system, small lanceolate leaves and small flowers collected in umbrella inflorescences. The most common shade of the petals is white, but some species have a pinkish, lilac and dark red hue.
Iberis is called in different ways by a heterosexual, stennik or pepper shaker
The plant has many varieties - among them there are grassy, semi-shrub, frost-resistant, heat-loving, as well as annual and perennial varieties.
For growing in the domestic climate, perennial varieties are most often used - they normally tolerate winter and delight owners with their elegant appearance for several years in a row.
The flowering period lasts 1.5-2 months - depending on the variety, the first inflorescences can be seen in May or in August. Iberis blooms thickly and luxuriantly - sometimes the leaves are completely hidden under numerous flowers, and the area is filled with intense fragrance.
Propagation of the plant is possible both by seeds and by the vegetative method (dividing the bush, seedlings), but experienced gardeners prefer the first option. Because of the rooted root system, Iberis does not tolerate transplantation. It is much easier to collect seeds that maintain viability for four years and plant them in the ground. The exception is regions with an unstable climate, where frosts are observed in April and May - in this case, the flower is better to grow seedlings.
What climate is suitable
In the wild, Iberis is found mainly in the mountains of southern Europe and Asia Minor, in the Caucasus, in the Crimea and on the banks of the Don, so the optimal climate for it is hot or temperate. He tolerates frosts, but does not respond well to sudden changes in temperature and lack of snow. Accordingly, it is better to shelter for planting in the winter - at too low temperatures and too much rain, the plant may die. The rest of the Iberis is quite hardy, and its cultivation does not require any special conditions.
Iberis is an excellent honey plant
Photos and descriptions of popular varieties
There are about 40 varieties of Iberis in the world, but the most popular are perennial species that tolerate cold winters, frosts and other climatic difficulties.
Not all species and varieties of Iberis have a pleasant smell characteristic of this plant.
Evergreen
The size of the whole oval leaf plate of the evergreen Iberis does not exceed 7 cm
A shrub with a height of 30-40 cm, found in the wild in the south of Asia Minor and Europe. It has dense leaves with a rich color, umbellate inflorescences and white flowers with a diameter of not more than 1.5 cm, which appear in mid-June. If you regularly remove wilted inflorescences after the first flowering, the evergreen Iberis will bloom again in late August and will delight the eye until the first frost. Common varieties are findell, snowflake, little jam, whiteout. Allocate a separate variety of evergreen Iberis - bitter, its height is 20-30 cm, and flowers sometimes have a light purple hue.
Crimean
Iberis Crimean is cultivated mainly as an open ground plant, which is great for decorating personal plots due to the more frequent or dense growth of stems to each other.
The natural habitat of the plant is the Crimean peninsula, from where the plant got its special name. A type of flower that reaches a height of only 5-10 cm, but looks very impressive - thick gray-green leaves and lilac inflorescences that acquire a white hue after opening the buds. It blooms mainly in spring, prefers a mild and temperate climate, tolerates severe frosts rather poorly.
Gibraltar
Iberis Gibraltar is suitable for landscaping rocky areas
It is considered a perennial plant, but in cold winters it blooms only 1-2 times. The bushes grow up to 25 cm, have small narrow leaves and umbrella inflorescences, which, before flowering, have a lilac hue, but over time their petals become almost white. The most popular variety among gardeners, which is often used for decorative purposes, is canditaft. Its large inflorescences are larger than in other species, and slightly resemble dahlia flowers.
Rocky
Iberis rocky is used for rockeries, borders, mixborders, on rocky areas, tolerates a haircut
In nature, this type of plant is common in the rocky regions of southern Europe. Stems up to 15 cm tall are covered with a large number of light pink or cream flowers at the end of April. Flowering lasts 1-1.5 months, the most common varieties are Vice Risen and Tom Tamb.
Umbrella
Iberis Umbrella has the brightest colors of all plant varieties.
At this annual branched stems grow 40 cm in height. They are covered with a brownish-green smooth bark and small whole leaves. In June, many dense corymbose inflorescences with snow-white fragrant flowers bloom. They bloom for more than two months. The main varieties are red nash and pink dream. Red Nash - a shrub with a height of about 30 cm is covered with carmine-red inflorescences. Pink dream - a lot of small bright pink flowers bloom over a low dark green shoot, this cold-resistant plant withstands short-term frosts.
Iberis in landscape design
Landscape designers use Iberian mainly to frame flower beds and create alpine hills, but the plant is well suited for other purposes. Its petals are distinguished by a noble, pastel color palette, so it goes well with other cultures. Iberis looks especially impressive among evergreen dwarf trees and creeping plants. Another universal option that is suitable for any garden is a combination of small flowers of Iberis with large inflorescences of marigolds, bluebells, gazania.
Most species have long been cultivated by man as an ornamental plant; the plant gained distribution as far back as the 17th century in central Europe.
Photos of garden and garden applications
- Iberis is good in group landings on rocky slopes, in rockeries and on alpine hills.
- Inflorescences on tall stems, characteristic of medium-sized varieties, can be cut to make bouquets that cost 7-10 days
- In some countries, young shoots of Iberis are eaten, they are sweet in taste and resemble broccoli.
- In the garden or along paths (paths) to plant such a small but spectacular plant stands in a clearly visible place
- It is desirable that the soil under Iberis has a high calcium content for better growth and further development
- Iberis effectively decorates the garden and terraces, filling the air around with a pleasant honey aroma
- In the garden, as a rule, Iberis is planted on small elevations, for example, it can be a small rocky hill or a flower girl
- Iberis bloom is so plentiful that during this period the plant is compared with clouds or snow caps.
- Iberis is one of the best plants for growing in large open areas.
Landing methods
Iberis can be planted with seeds or seedlings - the material for sowing is sold in stores for gardeners or collected independently. The best option is to grow the plant by sowing in open ground to prevent damage to seedlings during transplantation, but in regions with late frosts it is better to choose the second option.
Planting seeds in the ground
Iberis is planted in open ground in the second half of April, when spring frosts are left behind. The optimum air temperature is + 10-15 ° C, but soil warming should also be taken into account. If it has not warmed up at all, it is better to wait until the end of the month for a landing. So that flowering is constant, the seeds are planted with a break of 2-3 weeks.
For planting, it is best to choose a site with loamy or rocky soil, which is well lit by sunlight and drains - excess moisture is extremely dangerous for the Iberis root system and can very quickly ruin the entire planting. The sequence of actions is as follows:
- Digging holes with a depth of not more than 10 cm at a distance of 12-15 cm from each other is an important condition, since Iberis can grow greatly in fertile soils.
- Spread the seeds evenly and sprinkle lightly with earth (planting the plant too deep is not necessary), moisten the soil if necessary. Different varieties of Iberian are best placed away from each other, otherwise pollination will occur.
- Wait for the first shoots and thin out them so that the distance between the bushes is 20-25 cm.
If the air temperature is 18-20 ° C, sprouts will appear in 7-10 days, at an air temperature of about 15 ° C - in 14-20 days.
Seedlings
Subject to all the conditions necessary for the normal growth of Iberis, the plant takes root well
The optimal time for planting Iberis seeds on seedlings is mid-March. To do this, take shallow tanks and a sand-peat mixture, and then perform the following steps:
- Steam the soil (if necessary) and loosen well.
- Distribute the seeds on the surface and slightly push them to a depth of not more than 1-2 mm, from above you can slightly powder with clean river sand.
- Cover the containers with seeds with glass or polyethylene, put in a warm place with good lighting, the temperature should be kept within 15-18 ° С.
- Crops must be periodically ventilated and moistened, but only with the help of a spray gun, otherwise the seeds will simply rot. The first shoots should appear in 1-4 weeks.
- After the emergence of the shoots, the shelter should be removed, and young plants from time to time tempered - for a short time taken out to fresh air.
- Seedlings are planted in an open area after it reaches a height of 7 cm - approximately in the middle or at the end of May. Seedlings should be planted at a distance of 12-15 cm from each other to a sufficient depth, without shaking off the earthen lump and trying not to damage the delicate roots.
- After planting seedlings, the earth around them should be compacted and slightly moistened.
Iberis will begin to bloom only in the second year.
Since Iberian has a rooted root system, it is not recommended to dive the plant, although some gardeners carry out a similar procedure
Video: sowing Iberis seeds
Outdoor Iberis Care
Iberis is one of the most non-capricious plants that do not require special care or serious costs.
Moderate watering is necessary only in strong heat and in the absence of rain for a long time - the rest of the time the plants will extract moisture from the lower layers of the soil.
Iberis also does not need regular feeding - it is enough to feed plantings with complex mineral fertilizers no more than twice during the summer period. This is done after the appearance of the first leaves and at the beginning of the flowering period. Top dressing will positively affect the splendor and abundance of flowers - after top dressing they become more effective. So that the planting looks neat and does not grow too much, it is recommended to cut off wilted inflorescences regularly.
Iberis leaves are hardly noticeable due to almost covered inflorescences
Care after flowering
To preserve the aesthetic appearance of the plantings after flowering, it is necessary to trim the stems - at least 1/3 of their parts are removed. The pods that form at the place of the flowers can be harvested to produce seeds. When the plants reach the age of 5-6 years, they need to be planted, otherwise the inflorescences will become small and rare, as a result of which the flower bed with Iberis will lose its decorative properties.
Iberis flowers are suitable for cutting, they are often used in floristry
Despite the fact that most varieties of Iberis belong to frost-resistant plants, in a temperate and harsh climate it is better to prepare it correctly for winter.
In the southern climate in the last decade of autumn, it is enough to put a little compost into the soil around the plantings - it is important not to overdo it, otherwise the bushes will subsequently grow too much.
If Iberis grows in regions with harsh, snowless winters, plantings should be covered with fallen leaves, spruce branches or dry brushwood, sprinkled with a small amount of hay.
Possible problems when growing a flower
Gardeners, as a rule, do not have problems with growing Iberis, but for this you need to choose the right site for planting. On too heavy and wet soils, Iberis is affected by fungal diseases. If other plants belonging to the cruciferous family (cabbage, radish, etc.) were previously grown on the site, it is likely that a pest called cabbage keel lives in the soil. It remains in the soil for a long time and is detrimental to the root system, so before planting it is best to treat the area with a fungicidal solution.
After pollination of Iberis, small flattened pods with two leaves ripen, inside are small brown seeds
Of the pests, Iberis are often affected by mealybugs, earthen fleas and aphids.
When characteristic damage occurs on the foliage, which indicate infection of the plant, it is necessary to immediately treat with special insecticide preparations.
Reviews
Iberis planted with flowers, took root and grew a good green mass. Over the past season, doubled in diameter (currently the diameter is 35 cm). The bush itself is low, only 20 cm. It blooms with beautiful white flowers. There is also Iberis and other colors. What I like about him is its fine, leathery foliage. The bush is decorative at any time of the year, in addition, Iberis is an evergreen plant.
Yulia_tseknaser
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Iberis has long been growing self-seeding. For earlier flowering, I sow a little seedlings. This year she sowed for this only April 11th. I recommend to sow seedlings in a greenhouse, because it does not tolerate seedlings of Iberis home heat, so it will surely die.
Baba Galya
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There are varieties of Iberis with terry white and pink flowers. To preserve the decorativeness after flowering, you need to trim the branches at least 1/3 and then the bush begins to branch and acquires a beautiful appearance of the jacket, preserved until autumn.
Tata
//cvetoforum.ru/topic361.html
I learned about such a garden flower as Iberis only this year. In the spring I bought seeds and took them, as they say, without looking. The first variety I sowed Iberis umbrella, sowed directly into the ground, although you can plant them in seedlings (which I rarely do with garden flowers). There were few seeds in the pack and I just sowed them in a small circle (unfortunately I did not save the packaging). Shoots appeared 10 days later and a month later, the first umbrellas opened slightly. Soon the whole bush blossomed, after which I bought the seeds of Iberis hyacinthiflora and sowed around the umbrella. I already saved this packaging and left some seeds. Since it was already the first month of summer, when the weather was warm, this variety came up in a couple of days and now almost all of it has bloomed.
Aeternum
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The first time I bought the seeds of Iberis umbrellas about ten years ago. Growing this annual plant from seeds turned out to be so easy that since then I have been sowing it every year on my site. The most important advantage of Iberis umbrellas is its brush inflorescences, consisting of small lilac, pink, purple or white flowers with four petals. Iberis brushes resemble umbrellas in shape, hence the species name of the plant. I always sow Iberis in mid-May, when it is already warm enough and the daytime temperature is around +18 ºC. Under such conditions, seedlings appear after about two weeks.
Svetlana Nikolaevna
//moj-zvetnik.ru/iberis-zontichnyj-vyrashhivanie-iz-semyan-mnogoletnij-opyt/
Iberis is a versatile and unpretentious ornamental plant, which is very popular among experienced gardeners and beginners, landscape design specialists and florists. With all the rules for growing and caring for plants, it will be the perfect decoration for any garden.
