Highlander: plant varieties and cultivation characteristics. Knotweed baljuana and tuberous Knotweed - decorative flower

Polygonum convolvulus

The weed belongs to the buckwheat family. It is widespread. It can infest all crops, but most often it is: row crops, grains and perennial grasses.

The root of the knotweed has a tap root. The stem is recumbent or climbing, begins to branch from the base, the lower part is reddish in color. The length of the stem can be from 30 to 100 cm. The leaves have a triangular or heart-shaped base, petiolate, arrow-shaped. The width of the cotyledons is from 3 to 5 cm, length from 12 to 20 cm, oblong in shape.

Flowers can be located in the axils of the leaves and at the ends of the branches, usually 3-6 pieces in whorls. The flowers are inconspicuous, small, pink or white.

The fruit is gray-green, brown or grayish-brown in color. The fruit of the knotweed has a triangular nut in the pericarp.

The fertility of one plant is no more than 65 thousand nuts. Seed germination lasts up to 6-7 years. Seeds can germinate from a depth of no more than 8-10 cm. In autumn, weather conditions are not favorable for seed germination. In the spring, when the weather is humid and warm, this is a great time for seed germination, which usually occurs en masse. If there is a high potential weediness in vegetable fields, then up to 1500 debris per 1m2 can appear in such areas.

Excellent conditions for the weed bindweed are created on moist soil. At the same time, the weed easily suppresses and inhibits the growth of the cultivated plant, as its competitive ability increases.

It causes great damage to grain crops, causing severe lodging, which makes harvesting difficult and increases losses during harvesting.

Climbing knotweed photo:

The knotweed plant (persicaria) belongs to the Buckwheat family. The genus includes about 300 species, distributed in forests and meadows throughout the globe.

Knotweed is a perennial that is a creeping vine or herbaceous shrub with erect stems. The flowers are small, collected in paniculate or racemose inflorescences, white, pink, burgundy or scarlet in color.

Flowering occurs in mid-late summer.

Popular species and varieties in the Moscow region

Alpine knotweed is a branched subshrub, up to 150 cm high. The foliage is bright green, ovate, the roots are powerful, creeping. It blooms in July with white flowers collected in large paniculate inflorescences. Good for cutting. The plant is winter-hardy and unpretentious, grows quickly, crowding out its neighbors.

Weyrich's knotweed is a powerful, unpretentious plant, up to 200 cm tall, forming dense thickets. Blooms in August with small white flowers.

Related knotweed is a ground cover variety of persicaria, with a stem height of up to 25 cm. The flowers are small, bright pink, and sit in spikelet inflorescences. Blooms in May. It tolerates drought and shading well, but can freeze in snowless winters. Varieties:

• Darjeeling red (hot pink);
• Donald Lownes (dense pink blooms turning to red).

Amphibian knotweed - used mainly to decorate the banks of reservoirs. The perennial grows partially submerged in water. The leaves are elongated, shiny, floating on the surface of the water. The inflorescences are elongated, candle-shaped, pink. Flowering begins in July and lasts until frost.

Snake knotweed is also placed along the banks of reservoirs. The plant is perennial, up to 130 cm high. Pink inflorescences resemble the arrows of reeds. Blooms in June. The most popular variety is Superba, with pink candle inflorescences, the height of the peduncles is up to 90 cm.

Aubert's knotweed is a compact vine (up to 40 cm in height) that grows well in partial shade and loves moist soils. Carpal inflorescences: pink, white or yellow.

Convolvulus knotweed is an annual plant with climbing stems and shoots.

Reproduction methods

Highlander can be planted:

• layering,
• dividing the bush,
• cuttings,
• seeds.

The simplest thing is to divide the bush or plant root suckers (layers) of the plant. It is more convenient to divide the bush in the spring. The root system lies shallow and is not difficult to dig out. The bush is divided into parts, the divisions, always with a pair of growth buds, are transplanted to a new place.

Persicaria is planted in layering at the end of summer. They simply separate the young offspring of the plant from the mother bush and replant it. The distance between plantings depends on the size of an adult bush and ranges from 20 to 70 cm. When planting, humus or compost is added to the hole, up to half a bucket.

Persicaria cuttings are cut in summer. Parts of the stem with several internodes are kept for 1 hour in a solution of any growth stimulator (Kornevin, Heteroauxin). After which they are planted in a bed with fertile and loose soil (mixed with sand). The plantings are sure to provide shade. Care consists of regular watering and spraying. Rooted seedlings are transplanted to a permanent location next spring.

Seed propagation is suitable for snakeweed, oriental and splayed knotweed. Seeds are sown before winter or early spring in the ground or for seedlings. When sowing in spring, stratification (cold treatment) is required for 60 days. Seeds in a damp cloth are kept in the refrigerator at a temperature of +5 degrees.

Knotweed is sown to a depth of 1 cm. Care consists of regular watering and loosening the soil. For the winter, the seedlings are covered with sawdust or peat.

Features of cultivation

This is a plant of cool, shady and humid places; most varieties winter well in the middle zone and the Moscow region.

In well-lit places, persicaria may lose the brightness of the foliage color.

It is important to remember about the aggressiveness of the plant. The mountaineer quickly grows in breadth, filling all available space and oppressing its more modest neighbors. To prevent it from crowding out other plants, the growth of the root system is limited by digging strips of tin or special flexible plastic around the bush. This obstacle will prevent the roots from spreading uncontrollably.

The soil needs to be moist, but without stagnant water at the roots (if the area is waterlogged, the situation will be corrected by adding sand and crushed stone to the bottom of the planting hole). The exceptions are the amphibious and serpentine highlanders. Loams with a slightly acidic reaction are well suited for the plant. Humus and peat and a little clay are added to sandy soils.

During the growth process, the knotweed requires virtually no care. Only in hot and dry weather do plants need watering. But even a short-term drought will not kill it. Mulching the soil with shavings, peat or humus will help retain moisture in the soil.

After flowering, shoots with faded buds are removed from the plant. This operation allows you to maintain an attractive appearance and prevent self-seeding from spreading.

The knotweed is not damaged by diseases and pests.

Almost all types of persicaria are winter-hardy and do not need shelter in the cold season. With the onset of cold weather, the above-ground part is cut off. Young bushes are sprinkled with fallen leaves or peat.

Where and how to use

The unpretentious highlander is successfully used to decorate the banks of reservoirs and is an integral part of shady flower beds. Tall bush forms look good in single plantings on the lawn. Combines harmoniously with astilbe, hosta, conifers, cereals, and phlox.

It has also been used in folk medicine due to its antiseptic, hemostatic and antioxidant properties. The most useful: alpine knotweed and snakeweed. Valuable plant raw materials are harvested in May, at this time the concentration of nutrients is highest.

You can eat the knotweed. Boiled rhizomes are used in salads, leaves are used as part of vitamin dressings in green cabbage soup. Aromatic hot seasonings are prepared from the seeds. Leaf tea is a wonderful drink with a unique taste.

Aubert's knotweed is a perennial plant that is often grown at home or in a country plot. Some consider it a field grass. This is partly true, but the plant is widely used in landscape design. The main advantage of this flower is that it does not require special care or planting. Aubert's photo of the Highlander demonstrates his simplicity and pleasant sophistication. It is not surprising that this plant has won the hearts of many gardeners.

Description

The homeland of the mountaineer Aubert is considered to be the Far East, Siberia, China and Japan. It grows on rocky slopes, gravel and in mountainous areas. Today there are about 300 varieties of this plant. Among them there are annuals and in nature you can see subshrubs and vines. Aubert's knotweed grows in almost all parts of the world. At the same time, he can feel great both in the meadow and on the bank of the river, in the forest or in the highlands.

Appearance

This plant is distinguished by erect or prostrate stems, which may curl slightly. Aubert's knotweed has simple leaves. If we talk about the flowers, they are quite small, collected in few-flowered curls, although they are often collected in racemes. The fruit is a small nut containing up to 100 seeds.

The height of the perennial plant Aubert's knotweed can reach up to 30-40 cm. Sometimes long hairs can be seen on the grass trunk, and sometimes it remains completely bare - it all depends on the variety of the subspecies. The length of the leaf blades of the flower is about 2.5 centimeters. They are quite sharp and wedge-shaped in shape. Flowers are located at the tops of stems or branches. In this case, the inflorescences practically merge with the vegetative part of the stem. The perianth may be white or pink.

Disadvantages of the Highlander

Gardeners very often criticize the plant for being too aggressive, which manifests itself in the fact that the mountaineer very much “wants to live”, so it spreads across almost the entire suburban area. Sometimes it becomes impossible to control its growth: even if the planting of the Aubert knotweed is kept to a minimum, this does not change the situation.

In just one season, this plant can throw out new shoots several meters beyond the boundaries of 1 bush. This brings a lot of inconvenience, since in this case gardeners have to constantly weed out shoots that spread throughout the entire area. That is why the plant is not recommended to be planted in a small garden. The Highlander loves large spaces so that he has room to roam!

Aubert's Highlander: photo, planting and care

As was said at the very beginning of the article, knotweed does not require special growing conditions. Moreover, this feature applies to all types of plants. The same applies to other characteristics and properties of the flower.

If we talk about the winter hardiness of the Aubert knotweed, it is worth noting that it is perfectly capable of adapting to cold conditions, so it is ideal for growing in harsh climates. Among other things, this plant grows and develops well in partial shade and is not negatively affected by high air humidity.

However, like any other plants, it is best planted in more fertile and moist soils. Loamy soil is considered the best. Just look at the photo of the Aubert knotweed to understand how well it can grow in such fertile soil.

If we talk about oxidation, it is better to choose slightly acidic or neutral soil. Pests do not bother this plant, which looks very much like a huge weed. By the way, this is why it is often called knotweed. This name “clung” to it due to its amazing ability to spread over large territories in a minimum amount of time.

Special Preferences

Aubert's knotweed, planting and caring for which is not particularly difficult, is quite unpretentious. But the plant can be pampered. To do this, it is best to plant it on neutral soil. By the way, this unusual weed loves those areas of the garden in which there is a large presence of groundwater located as close to the surface as possible. The only exception is the splayed knotweed. This subspecies, on the contrary, prefers dry land with moderately moist soil.

Secrets of caring for the Aubert Highlander

When planting, it is worth considering that during the summer it needs to be provided with moderate watering. If the groundwater in the soil is too low, it is recommended to water the plant as often as possible. If necessary, the knotweed can be fertilized, but even without this it will bear fruit perfectly.

Highlander tolerates drought well, but excessive waterlogging makes it feel uncomfortable.

Remember that young plants do not tolerate frost quite well, so they need to be covered for the winter. If severe cold sets in in the fall and the leaves of the knotweed die, then its stems must be cut off immediately. Sometimes the foliage of a plant begins to turn yellow with the arrival of autumn, so upon arrival at a suburban area in the spring, it is worth removing all brown and wilted leaves.

Reproduction methods

By and large, this plant does not need artificial propagation, since it grows well on its own. However, if such a need nevertheless arises, you can use any of four methods: use seeds, cuttings, dividing the rhizome or bush.

Keep in mind that each subspecies has its own preferences. As a rule, seeds should be sown in late spring immediately after frosts have subsided. In this case, the seeds can either be immediately placed in the ground, or they can be pre-germinated in boxes.

If we talk about Aubert's knotweed, this plant prefers cuttings. Let's take a closer look at the features of this procedure.

Cuttings of knotweed

Cuttings can be performed both in spring and summer. Plants must be planted at a distance of 20 to 60 cm from each other. It should be borne in mind that replanting new shoots is often not required. By the way, in one area they can live up to 10 years.

In order to perform the cutting procedure, it is necessary to prepare the source material. Branches with at least two nodes should be used as shoots. Also, the cuttings must be treated with Kornevin.

After this, you need to prepare the bed that needs to be insulated. You need to make sure that the temperature of the earth is slightly higher than the environment. In this case, the rooting of the new plant will occur much faster. In order to organize high-quality insulation, it is necessary to place a little horse manure at the base of the ridge, sprinkle it on top with fertile soil and sand mixed with peat in equal proportions.

Landing is quite simple. The lower node of the prepared cutting must be buried 1-2 cm into the ground, then covered with polyethylene or other material in order to create the necessary microclimate around the plant. For winter, plants must be dug up and stored at a temperature of no more than +2 °C. After this, the finished shoots can be safely planted in the spring.

On a note

As has already been said many times, this plant spreads quite actively throughout the countryside, but there is a special trick that can help you avoid aggressive occupation of fertile territory. To do this, it is necessary to create limiters up to 30 cm deep around the knotweed.

Please note that in conditions of severe drought, or, conversely, high humidity, flower clusters may form on plant stems. In this case, the plant will look a little more modest and graceful in appearance.

If we talk about the root system of the knotweed, it is characterized by increased creeping, so the flower spreads not only above the ground, but also below it. That is why it is necessary to weed not only the upper parts of unwanted shoots, but also thin out their rhizomes. However, this disadvantage can turn into an advantage if you need to quickly green up an unsightly garden plot.

This plant is very popular among landscape designers, as it can be used to quickly create decorative fences and other living fences.

Procurement and storage

As a rule, it is customary to collect highlander from the second ten days of June until the end of autumn. It is advisable to perform this procedure during a period of drought, at the moment when the plant begins to bloom. To do this, it is necessary to separate all excess parts from the knotweed and dry it in the open air. It is recommended to avoid direct sunlight.

It is best to dry the plant in the attic. In this type of room there is enough fresh air, and the sun does not dry it out. If necessary, special drying devices can be used. In this case, the temperature should be set no higher than 45-50 °C. Ready shoots are stored in woven bags or cardboard boxes. This is how highlander retains all its properties for almost two years. After such a long period of storage, it is not recommended to use dried herbs.

Use of knotweed in everyday life

According to reviews, Aubert's knotweed is successfully used as a healthy feed for livestock. This plant has a huge amount of nutrients, so it is used along with clover and alfalfa.

In ancient times, the above-ground parts and roots of plants were used to give fabrics a yellow tint. Today, this unique plant is used in the production of wine or liqueurs. If you are talking about cooking, then young knotweed is suitable for making salads or cooking vitamin soups. In some Central Asian countries, knotweed is used as a filling for pies, and some nationalities use this herb to clean dishes.

Medicinal properties

Polygonum contains a huge amount of tannins, silicic and ascorbic acids, and carotene. Thanks to this, the herb is considered healing. It is used in the treatment of inflammatory processes occurring in the stomach, liver and kidneys.

Also in folk medicine, tincture of knotweed is widely used. It is used to remove stones from urolithiasis. In addition, this plant is actively used in the form of decoctions, powder, tinctures, extracts, etc. Scientists have proven that this unpretentious plant has a lot of useful properties.

Use in folk medicine

Aubert's knotweed is widely used in folk medicine. As a rule, it is used to improve digestion. In this case, the rhizomes of the plant are poured with alcohol in equal proportions and infused.

Knotweed is widely used for ear diseases. In this case, knotweed is used. In addition, it is used for a number of many medical procedures, as it has a huge number of positive properties.

What types of knotweed are often grown in suburban areas?

In addition to Aubert's knotweed, other varieties of grass are also grown in the gardens. Very often you can see a related knotweed in a suburban area. Externally, this plant is characterized by its short stature; as a rule, it spreads slightly along the ground. You can also find double-twisted knotweed, which is also called its homeland, Japan, China and the Himalayas. It is also suitable for growing in harsh climates.

All varieties of this plant are distinguished by their attractive appearance and unique unpretentiousness. They can be successfully used as components of a design composition or as separately planted plants. In addition, Aubert's knotweed vines tolerate pruning very well, so you can give the plant any shape. All procedures for the decorative formation of a grass carpet can be carried out at any time of the year. Highlander is distinguished by its enormous vitality, therefore such procedures do not have a negative impact on it. However, do not forget to promptly limit its growth. Otherwise, in a few years this plant will fill the entire area and crowd out other flowers, so take care of at least minimal care - Aubert's knotweed is very aggressive in growth.

Despite the fact that the name of the genus evokes associations with mountains, most species are plants of the plains.

Knotweed (Polygonum) is a fairly large genus of the buckwheat family (Polygonaceae).

Description

Taxonomy Highlanders is complex and confusing, and most scientists adhere to the division of the large cosmopolitan genus mountaineer into several small genera - therefore, in popular scientific literature the names Persicaria, Bistorta, Fallopia, Reynotria are often found.

Among these plants there are annuals (for example, knotweed (P. aviculare), which is widely used in medicine, and knotweed (P. persicaria), and very large perennials, woody vines, and aquatic plants (for example, found in stagnant bodies of water in the middle zone, amphibian knotweed (P. amphibia).

Eat climbing knotweed in the form of a vine, which under favorable conditions grows up to 15 m in length. The plant grows very quickly and can grow 3-5 m in a season.

Leaves Highlanders vary in shape, but are always entire, up to 30 cm long. The stems often have a reddish tint. Small white, pink, and less often red flowers are collected in dense axillary or apical inflorescences.

Types and varieties

Mostly perennial species are common in culture. Snake knotweed, or crayfish necks(P. bistorta, Persicaria bistorta, Bistorta major), received its name for the twisted shape of its rhizome.

The pink candles of its inflorescences bloom in early June and rise above the grass stand (plant height up to 1 m). In the garden, this species is unusually attractive during flowering.

It requires acidic soils and sufficient moisture, otherwise it loses its leaves, but when watering is resumed, it wakes up again. Easily propagated by dividing the bush. The variety "Superba" has a bush height and diameter of 60 cm, large, spectacular light pink inflorescences up to 15 cm long, which stand well when cut.

Highlander splayed(P. divaricatus, Aconogonum divaricatum) - a spreading branched plant up to 120 cm high - forms spherical bushes. The combination of delicate white inflorescences that appear in July-August, reddish stems and narrow green leaves is attractive. It is drought-resistant, does not tolerate excessive moisture, and often runs wild.

Highlander related(P. affine, Persicaria affinis, Bistorta affinis, P. brunonis) - a ground cover plant, one of the most drought-resistant highlanders, which cannot tolerate soaking and stagnant moisture. Perhaps this is the only highlander that can decorate an alpine hill. It freezes in snowless winters, so it is recommended to cover it with spruce branches. It blooms almost all summer, and besides, it is a chameleon mountaineer - at the same time on the plant you can see both pink, recently opened inflorescences and faded red ones, which stand well in winter bouquets.

In the variety "DarjeelingRed" the flowers are dark pink, in "Donald Lowndes" they are pink-red. The most unusual variety, 'Dimity', has dark green leaves that turn brown in winter, wine-red stems, and flowers that are first white, then red-pink, and rusty brown after flowering.

Knotweed viviparous(P. viviparum, P. insulare, Bistorta vivipara). This species is distinguished by rather narrow leaves on long petioles. Easily propagated by bulbs that appear in inflorescences.

Japanese knotweed(P. cuspidatum, P. sieboldii, Fallopia japonica, Reynoutria japonica) - a large rhizomatous perennial, often runs wild and is used as an ornamental and forage plant, as well as for securing slopes and ravines.

The hollow stems with slightly swollen nodes are somewhat reminiscent of bamboo, which is why the common English names for the plant are Japanese, American or Mexican bamboo. Last year's dried stems remain throughout the winter. In favorable conditions, the height of the plant reaches 3-4 m, and perhaps it is the largest perennial that winters excellently in temperate latitudes.

It is not recommended for small gardens as it is very aggressive. The leaves are broadly ovate, up to 14 cm long, small cream flowers are collected in erect panicles, bloom in late summer - early autumn. There is the variety "Variegata" with white and variegated leaves and the more contrasting "Devons Cream".

A closely related species - Sakhalin knotweed, or Sakhalin buckwheat (P. sachalinense, Fallopia sachalinensis) - has narrower and pointed leaves, easily forming hybrids with Japanese.

Weyrich Highlander(P. weyrichii) is less known in cultivation, resembles the two previous species, but is slightly shorter in height - up to 2 m. Prefers fertile loamy soils.

Another large mountaineer is the alpine knotweed (P. alpinum). Its height is about 150 cm. It blooms profusely, is extremely unpretentious and aggressive, good for cutting. Heat-loving.

Baljuan knotweed(Fallopia baldschuanica, P. baldschuanicum, P. aubertii) is characterized by very fast growth and is attractive during flowering. This spectacular vine with pinkish flowers is consistently decorative only in the southern regions of Russia; it freezes to the level of snow cover, but quickly recovers.

Knotweed(R. amplexicaule) is sometimes also called candle-shaped - for the shape of the inflorescences. Blooms in August - October. Varieties differ in winter hardiness, for most of them the 6th zone is indicated: "Atrosanguinea" with pinkish-red inflorescences and wide leaves 120 cm high, "Inverleith" - a dwarf narrow-leaved form with bright red inflorescences, "Rosea" - bright yellow in autumn, pointed leaves with prominent veins, large pale pink inflorescences, height 120 cm.

The "Firetail" variety has ruby-red inflorescences, while the "Summer Dance" variety has light green leaves and bright red-pink inflorescences. Only for the variety "Golden Arrow" with golden-green leaves and bright red inflorescences, the 4th zone is indicated.

Knotweed lingonberry(R. vacciniifolium) - groundcover perennial with pinkish flowers, up to 15 cm high. Withstands frosts down to -23°C, in winter protection from excess moisture is required.

Some heat-loving mountaineers are cultivated as decorative foliage plants. The color of the leaves of P. virginianum is more pronounced in the sun; the variety “Lance Corporal” has yellowish-green leaves with red-brown spots in the center, while “Painter’s Palette” has variegated leaves with white and dark red patterns.

Small-headed knotweed "Red Dragon"(P. microcephala) is not hardy but has stunning dark purple foliage. Blooms in August - September, height 50 cm. Undemanding to the mechanical composition and acidity of the soil. The most effective are its combinations with decorative foliage plants - both in silver and golden tones.

In regions with cold climates, this species is recommended to be grown as an annual crop or transferred to a frost-free room for the winter. Prefers moist soils, but does not tolerate soaking in winter. The color of the leaves is brighter in a sunny place.

Some annual species of mountaineers are used as ornamental plants, but they are little known in culture

Eastern knotweed (P. orientale)- a large heat-loving plant up to 200 cm high with red drooping inflorescences - sown in a permanent place at the end of May.

Knotweed (P. capitatum)- a fast-growing warm and moisture-loving groundcover annual, light pink flowers are collected in spherical inflorescences.

There are two types used in gardening:

• Aubert's Highlander
• and Baljuan knotweed.

Aubert's Highlander- a low shrub vine; in the middle zone, shoots grow by about 1.5 m per season. It blooms with snow-white flowers from July to October. The flowers are small, collected in racemes, located at the tops of the shoots.

Young leaves have a reddish tint, later becoming a normal green color. In winter in the middle zone climate, depending on the weather, the plant may freeze quite strongly, but in the spring it quickly recovers.

Baljuan knotweed- a more powerful vine than the previous type. During the season it can grow up to 5 meters. The flowers are small, pinkish-lilac in color, collected in large paniculate inflorescences. Blooms more abundantly than Aubert's knotweed. The frost resistance of the plant is low. It is better to grow in southern regions with a mild climate. In the middle zone it freezes to the level of snow, and can freeze completely. To ensure that winter frosts have less impact on the plant, you should select warm, well-protected places from the wind.

Knotweed is mainly used for quick and effective vertical gardening: walls, fences, gazebos, balconies, etc. The liana can be grown in a tub and stand on a terrace or balcony.

Partners for the mountaineer can be other hardy woody vines that are not inferior in growth rates, for example, virgin grapes, mountain clematis, fragrant honeysuckle.

Types and varieties

It is better to plant highlanders in partial shade, although they can tolerate bright sun. They are undemanding to the mechanical composition and acidity of the soil; most species require good moisture; very responsive to agrotechnical measures, but do not like excess fertilizers.

Highlanders are not affected by diseases and pests and are generally very unpretentious. Easily propagated by dividing the bush or seeds. It is recommended to grow small seedlings and cuttings, while large ones are planted immediately in a permanent place. When propagated by seeds, stratification is necessary for 1-2 months, or the seeds are sown before winter. They germinate in light at a temperature of 18-25°C.

Highlanders tolerate transplantation well. Rhizomatous species grow quickly, so it is necessary to limit their growth and combine only with equally powerful and rapidly growing plants that can withstand the onslaught of mountaineers: peach bell (Campanula persicifloia), sapling (Eupatorium), purple meadowsweet (Filipendula purpurea), veronicastrum virginiana (Veronicastrum virginicum).

Highlanders go well with cereals, as well as with plants in similar colors that bloom at the same time: with echinacea (Echinacea), with various pink-flowered spirea, especially with. Japanese (Spiraea japonica), hydrangea (Hydrangea), autumn-blooming anemones (Anemone). Flowering in June, snakeflower goes well with foxglove (Digitalis).

Large mountaineers can be used to decorate outbuildings and fences. But it should be borne in mind that they can form shoots at a considerable distance from the mother plant and break through hard coverings. The city of Japan is especially famous for this, so it is recommended to protect the underground part of the plants with a strong barrier.

Aubert's Knotweed is a species of Knotweed native to Western China. It is a low climbing shrub vine, the trunk and shoots of which are not woody. This plant has beautiful leaves, ovoid in shape and bright green in color. Their length reaches 9 cm. In autumn, when the plant fades, the leaves turn red.

Aubert's knotweed blooms from mid-August. It is covered with small white flowers, which are collected in brushes. Flowers are mainly located in the upper part of the shoots.

There is another name for the Highlander plant - Polygonum. It comes from the Greek words 'polys' - many and 'gonos' - knee. This name is given to the plant for its knotty, geniculate stem. However, it should be noted that botany has not yet given the plant a single generic Latin name, so we can call it as we like. If we look through the encyclopedia, we will see the following naming options:

• Polygonum;
• Persicaria;
• Fallopia;
• Rhinotria;
• Product.

In the genus Highlander there are 300 species of annual and perennial herbaceous plants, less often subshrubs and vines, widely distributed throughout the globe. They grow in all climatic zones - near rivers, lakes, swamps and wooded areas.

Many people mistakenly confuse the Aubert Highlander with the Buljuan Highlander, because outwardly they are practically impossible to distinguish. However, it is worth noting that the latter species of Highlander blooms much more luxuriantly, reaching 5 m in height, while the maximum height of Highlander Aubert is 1.5 m.

Aubert's Highlander: planting and care

Growing Knotweed is not a difficult process, but it grows so much that it can be a challenge to care for. Experienced gardeners note that it will be more difficult to fight Highlander after its powerful, creeping rhizome has strengthened and begins to produce numerous offspring. The area can turn into real thickets that are impossible to get through. Therefore, the knotweed is perceived by many gardeners and owners as an aggressive but ornamental weed.

However, this weed can be made into a gorgeous bush. To do this, you need to dig part of the plant’s root system into the ground. You don’t have to worry about this, because it will take off well and will quickly grow throughout the surrounding area. Do not plant the Highlander next to fruit trees and bushes, otherwise in this case they will not produce a very good harvest, because the Highlander will take away moisture and a large amount of nutrients from them.

Owners who decide to decorate their yard with Aubert's knotweed should know about the peculiarities of propagation and care of this plant. Let us immediately note that the Auberta knotweed liana is widely used for decorative purposes, because it is covered with beautiful green foliage and grows so well that it can cover all the not so beautiful places in your garden plot.

People often plant Knotweed Auberta to beautify coastal areas, fences, yard structures and posts. Those who know about the healing properties of Polygonum must use its flowers as a medicinal plant.

Aubert's Highlander: landing

We will list the basic rules that must be followed when planting Highlander Aubert for you point by point:

Check that the soil is loose. If you plant seeds, they must be stratified in advance (they must be stored in the refrigerator for 60 days). Sow seeds only in spring, when the air temperature reaches 5 degrees, either in open ground or in boxes for seedlings (planting depth should not exceed 1 cm). If you decide to plant Aubert's knotweed cuttings, then you will need to prepare them in the summer, when they are green. Each cutting must have 2 nodes:

• treat each cutting with a product such as Kornevin;
• send it to be stored in a dark room where the temperature is maintained at 22 degrees (the cutting should be in this place for about 18 hours);
• root the cuttings into the prepared soil 1.5 cm deep - the main thing is that the temperature of the bed is 4 degrees higher than the air temperature (to achieve this, you need to fertilize the bed with manure, sand and peat);
• after planting the cutting, cover it with a plastic dome so that the necessary microclimate is maintained under it;
• in winter, the cuttings will need to be dug up and stored in the basement, where the temperature should not fall below 2 degrees Celsius.

Aubert's Highlander: care

Aubert's knotweed is one of the plants that needs to be constantly watered. Daily watering will keep the soil loose and fertile, which is very important for plant growth.

If the need arises to replant the bush, you can do it even in summer. The main thing is to leave a piece of soil on the rhizome in order to replant the Highlander with it (this way the plant will take root better). Do not be alarmed if the Knotweed begins to wilt in the first few days after transplantation; this is a normal process. In the transplanted area, the plant will grow for 10 years in a row.

Aubert's knotweed is a winter-hardy plant. But you still need to ensure that frost does not damage the flower buds. If the bush is not protected from this, then it simply will not bloom. There is no need to constantly prune the plant. This should only be done if it has grown excessively. In spring, be sure to remove shoots from the bush that have already died. To prevent the soil from losing moisture, mulch it with wilted leaves in the fall. Prepare a support for Highlander Aubert to climb along. It could be a trellis, a pergola - anything. Otherwise, the plant will look like a weed, although this has advantages - no pests will stick to it.

To systematize all of the above, we will list for you point by point the basic rules for caring for the Aubert Highlander:

• In the summer, provide the plant with abundant watering (it should be done every day), but do not allow the soil to be damp, otherwise it simply will not survive this and will die.
• Constantly fertilize the soil in which Knotweed grows. Otherwise, the bush simply will not receive the necessary nutrition and will die from a lack of nutrients.
• If you have just planted young cuttings, then be sure to wrap them up for the winter so that they do not freeze.
• If the plant is hit by autumn frosts, then immediately cut off the stems of the Knotweed Aubert so that the entire plant does not die.
• In the fall, the leaves of the knotweed will turn yellow; they should be left in this state until spring, when they will already turn brown. They should be cut back in the spring to allow new leaves to grow.
• In the winter season in the middle zone, depending on the weather, the knotweed often does not tolerate frost well. Therefore, it is advisable to cover the plant with polyethylene so that its leaves do not freeze, and the knotweed blooms the next year.

The plant as a whole is very resistant to various pests and diseases. It does not need to be sprayed with any chemicals because it survives well in all conditions. But if you treat its leaves or flowers with pesticides, nothing bad will happen.

Aubert's Highlander: photo

Description of the medicinal properties of knotweed

As we mentioned above, the knotweed has very valuable healing properties. The branches of the plant cannot be used only for medicinal purposes. Folk sages recommend using only the leaves and inflorescences of this plant. The plant contains:

• a very large number of alkaloids (in particular, aliphatic mercyl alcohol);
• there is also a substance such as wax or rutin;
• there is emodin with essential oil;
• Highlander also contains tannins with coumarins and steroids;
• the plant contains anthraquinones with kaempferols and flavonoids;
• it is noted that Gorets also contains quercetin with vitamins C and K;
• high content of linoleic, oleic, myristic, stearic and palmitic acids.

Thanks to this composition, the plant can be used to treat numerous ailments:

• related to gynecology (very often doctors recommend that women drink decoctions from knotweed leaves during uterine bleeding during menstruation and after operations - you just need to grind 2 tablespoons of knotweed leaves and pour boiling water over them, this remedy can be consumed 2 hours after Once it brews, you need to drink it 3 times a day);
• The decoction is also prescribed to children who have been diagnosed with an umbilical hernia;
• if there are diseases associated with the kidneys or joints, then you can use a decoction of Highlander;
• if you are badly burned, you can prepare an ointment based on Highlander - it will very quickly relieve the inflammatory process and heal the wound (to prepare such an ointment, you need to squeeze the juice from the plant and mix it with butter).

Knotweed is one of the plants that can be eaten by people. Knotweed leaves can be eaten raw or cooked. Some people use Knotweed fruits (its seeds) to feed pets, including chickens and other birds.

Many gardeners refuse to buy cuttings of Knotweed Aubert just because it grows out of control. It can fill the entire area and spread to the neighbors' area. Therefore, you need to monitor the growth of the bush and trim it in a timely manner.

According to reviews from gardeners who planted Aubert's Knotweed, the plant can be considered an ornamental plant. It looks great at any time of the year and is in great harmony with any flowers in the flowerbed. Surprisingly, Highlander will decorate your front garden in the autumn, when all the flowers have already faded. It will not have flowers, but the beauty of its leaves cannot be compared with them. If you have time to keep an eye on Aubert's Highlander, be sure to decorate your front garden with it. This perennial plant will delight you with its beauty on cold autumn evenings and bring brightness and freshness to your yard.

Video: “Highlander”

Sakhalin knotweed (Sakhalin buckwheat)

It is a rhizomatous perennial, the greenery of which, located above the surface of the ground, dies off in the fall. It has a strong and hollow inside stem with rings.

Flowering period: knotweed begins to bloom from the 2nd half of August and continues to bloom until the end of September.

Care

This plant needs abundant watering. The soil for its maintenance must be loose and fertile. Knotweed is very resilient; it can be replanted even in summer with part of the soil. It needs to be watered every day. Blooms well in autumn. If at the time of transplantation the knotweed has dried up, you should not immediately pull out the plant and throw it away; a little time will pass and a green shoot will appear that will delight you. Without transplantation, the highlander can grow up to ten years.

The knotweed tolerates our winter without problems, however, frosts in early autumn can have a detrimental effect on it by damaging the flower buds, in which case the plant will not bloom.

The knotweed is beautiful and looks great in a group of plants, as well as as a separately planted specimen. A powerful bush will decorate the lawn; you can also create a wall of tall and inclined stems; it can become an excellent background for other bright garden plants. The knotweed also perfectly camouflages various outbuildings. You can get whole stands of knotweed.

Reproduction

Reproduction of the plant occurs with the help of seeds, rhizome segments and division of the bush.

Climbing knotweed (Polygomun, Fallopia) - Liana

There is a very interesting type of this plant - climbing knotweed, it has the appearance of a vine, the length of which, under the best growing conditions, can reach up to 15 meters. This type of knotweed grows quite quickly, by 3-5 meters in one season.

Care

Like other species of this plant, climbing knotweed is not too whimsical. It will grow equally on the sunny side or in partial shade, but it will bloom better and more luxuriantly in the sun.

The soil

It is important that the soil for this species is properly drained and contains sufficient nutrients. This species does not tolerate drought very well; it needs to be watered frequently and abundantly. During drought in poor soil, this knotweed will be attacked by aphids, so regular watering is very important for it.

Trimming

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There is no need to specifically prune this knotweed every year. You can trim the plant if you are not satisfied with the excessive and rapid growth of the vine. In spring, dead shoots should be removed. The soil must retain moisture, so it should be mulched.

Like any vine, knotweed needs some kind of support for climbing. If the climate is favorable for growth, it is worth installing a strong trellis, pergola or other support in advance.

Reproduction

Climbing knotweed is propagated using seeds and cuttings. In the summer, this type of plant can propagate using apical cuttings, and in the fall - using lignified ones. Its cuttings can have a length of 20 to 30 cm.

Landing

The plant should be planted in loose soil. The seeds must be stratified in advance - they need to be stored in the refrigerator for about two months, after which they can be sown in open ground in the spring or in seedling boxes in the fall. You need to plant at a depth of 1 cm.

Gardeners usually plant 2 types of this plant: Baljuan knotweed and Aubert knotweed.

Aubert's Highlander

It is a low-growing shrub-liana; shoots reach about 1.5 m in one season. It blooms with snow-white flowers from July to October. Its flowers are usually small, collected in racemose inflorescences, they are located on the tops of the shoots. Young leaves have a red tint, then they turn green. In the winter season in the middle zone, depending on the weather, the mountaineer often does not tolerate frost well, but with the onset of spring it is filled with life again.

Baljuan knotweed

Baljuan knotweed is a powerful vine. In one season it can grow 5 meters. Its flowers are also small, pink-lilac in color, collected in large paniculate inflorescences. Blooms more luxuriantly than Aubert's knotweed. This species is not used to frost. It is more suitable for southern regions and mild climates. In the middle zone it will freeze to the level of snow, and sometimes completely. If you want to save the plant from frost, it needs to be planted in sheltered and insulated places where there is no wind.

As a rule, climbing knotweed allows you to quickly and effectively achieve vertical gardening for fences, walls, balconies, gazebos, and other fences. You can also grow this type of vine in a tub, or place it on a balcony or terrace.

You can also add other woody vines to the mountaineer, which also grow quickly, for example, it can be girlish grapes, mountain clematis or fragrant honeysuckle.

The leaders of vertical gardening are climbing roses, clematis, campsis, virgin grapes and ivy. But climbing perennial vines from the genus of mountaineers are much less common, despite their undoubted advantages: very fast growth, an extraordinary riot of greenery, long-term abundant flowering and a delicate aroma. For those who like to experiment and use new plants in their garden, I suggest you study in more detail the mountain vines, which are sure to surprise you with their unique properties.
As a rule, two types of mountaineers are grown as garden vines - Baljuan and Auberta, less often - multifloral.

Baldschuani knotweed (Polygonum baldschuanicum)

Because of its high growth rate, European gardeners call it “a mile per minute.” This large vine, reaching a length of 15 m, is capable of growing 5–6 m in one season. The leaves are beautiful dark green, oval, about 10 cm long. Paniculate inflorescences are usually 20 cm long, but under particularly favorable conditions can reach 40–50 cm. Blooms profusely from the very beginning of summer until late autumn, filling the garden with a wonderful honey aroma. Small white flowers acquire a pink tint by autumn, with the onset of cold weather.

Winter hardiness is not very high; at temperatures below –20 ° C, the part of the plant above the snow cover often freezes out, but with the onset of spring it quickly recovers. True, it may not bloom in the first year, since flowering occurs on the shoots of the previous year. Life span is 16 years.

Aubert's knotweed (Polygonum aubertii)

This vine is very similar to the previous one, but differs in its smaller size (in the most favorable conditions its length does not exceed 12 m), growth rate (up to 1.5 m per season) and less abundant flowering. The inflorescences are large, about 20 cm, white with a greenish tint, sometimes turning pink. The leaves are green, oval-shaped, up to 9 cm long. There is a species with yellow leaves and red shoots - Lemon Lace.

Even less winter-hardy, it freezes without shelter at a temperature of –15 ° C, therefore, as a rule, it is grown in tubs. In this case, its length reaches 6 m. Life span is 6–10 years.

Polygonum multiflorum

This is a real long-liver - its lifespan is hundreds of years. Due to its popularity in folk medicine, it is better known as a medicinal plant, but is also found among gardeners. A small, up to 5 m high, liana with beautiful green leaves and white inflorescences up to 20 cm long. It blooms from late summer to mid-autumn. Heat-loving, requires shelter in winter. It grows quickly, so after a few years it is, in principle, possible to collect the roots for medical purposes, but this must be done with extreme caution, since an overdose is dangerous. Therefore, it is better to use ready-made drugs. Sometimes grown as a houseplant.

Agrotechnics of cultivation

When planting mountaineers, it is very important to choose the right location. They should be planted in sun or partial shade in places protected from the wind. Polygonum multiflora is less sun-loving, so it can also be planted in shallow shade. If you want to cover the wall of a new, newly built house, it is better to wait until next year - walls covered with thick foliage will not dry well.

They are not very demanding on soil, but grow best on well-drained, slightly acidic loams.
Planting time: spring or autumn. If the plant is planted in the fall, be sure to completely cover it for the winter. The distance between plants, taking into account their rapid growth, should be at least 2 m. After planting, it is better to mulch the soil to maintain the correct water balance, and also immediately install a support along which the vine will climb up.

The first year after planting, abundant watering is necessary, and in the future it is better to keep the soil moist all the time, although highlanders can withstand drought quite well. If the soil is not very fertile, you can fertilize it with complex fertilizer once a season. But if the plant is planted in a tub, fertilizing must be done weekly.

Highlanders do not need pruning, but if you are not satisfied with the rapid growth of the vine, feel free to trim off the excess - the plants not only tolerate this procedure well, but also respond to it with more abundant flowering.

The most important thing in caring for highlanders is preparation for winter.

The most important thing in caring for highlanders is preparation for winter. If you grow Aubert's knotweed in a tub, it's not difficult. You should remove the plant from its support, bring the tub into a well-lit room with a temperature of about 12 ° C and keep it there until the next season, periodically moistening the soil. If the vine grows in open ground, but has not grown much, you can also remove it from the support, roll it up and cover it well for the winter.

The covering layer should be at least 30 cm. But it is impossible to remove a powerful 15-meter vine from its support, so you should cover the plant from below to a height of 30 cm. A double layer of black spunbond is suitable as a covering material. If the winter is snowy, both the roots and some shoots of the current year will survive. In this case, the knotweed will bloom. If the shoots die, flowering will occur only in a year. However, this will not affect the abundance of greenery; you just need to trim off the dead parts of the plant in the spring.

Highlanders reproduce by layering or cuttings, and cuttings can be germinated in advance. To do this, in the fall or winter, a cutting with two buds is immersed in the soil to a depth of 1 cm from the top bud and grown until spring, and then planted in a permanent place. But it is much easier to plant green cuttings directly into the soil during the season - they take root well and quickly begin to grow.

Highlander creepers in the design of the site

Like any other vines, Baljuan knotweed is very good at creating arbors, hedges, and for decorating not very aesthetic buildings and fences. Weaving a dense green carpet around a gazebo, veranda or the southern side of the house, the plant creates a more comfortable microclimate inside, providing protection from heat and dust. If you have a dried-out tree on your site, you can get a wonderful garden composition by simply planting a knotweed under it - by mid-summer the tree will be completely covered with vines.

The Baljuan knotweed, having no support, is able to quickly tighten the horizontal space, covering as it moves even unuprooted stumps, if any. You can also strengthen the slope with it.

Potted varieties of vines are perfect for decorating balconies, verandas, and terraces.
The inflorescences of climbing mountaineers, like all other representatives of this genus, look very good when cut, so during the summer and autumn you can decorate your room with beautiful bouquets.

Polygonum multiflora is easy to grow as a houseplant.

Polygonum multiflora is easy to grow as a houseplant; all you need to do is provide it with good drainage, moderate watering and periodic spraying. For the winter, however, it is advisable to put it in a cool place, since the plant will be dormant.

If you need to quickly cover up some unsightly building, create a shady gazebo, fence yourself off from neighbors, or simply add greenery to the area while young trees and bushes are growing, plant climbing knotweed. This vine is capable of weaving a large surface within a few months, and beautiful large oval leaves and panicles of white and pink inflorescences will undoubtedly become a magnificent decoration for your site.

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