Belfry purple - unpretentious perennial second-plan

Baskonnik is a genus of perennials belonging to the family of Compositae (astroids). The name is originally Russian, comes from the similarity of the leaves to the leaves of cannabis, male copies of which were called: "strangle" (with emphasis on the first syllable). According to the official classification, it is called the Eupatorium.

The bastard purple is one of the varieties of this genus. This tall (up to 1.5 m) rhizome with erect stems, ending with corymbose inflorescences up to 25 cm in diameter. The leaves are whole, large, oblong-tapering. Flowers are small, can be painted white, pink (all shades), purple. They begin to blossom in the middle of summer. Flowering is long, lasting until autumn.

An unpretentious and winter-hardy plant. Planting and care consist in the selection of a sunny open space, preferably with cultivated soil. In principle, it is not so demanding on the soil, but in well-cultivated places, bushes grow higher, and inflorescences are formed more luxuriantly. Irrigation is required regularly, especially in the dry season. The bastard purple is responsive to top dressing with fertilizers, preferably complex fertilizers.

In the spring it begins to grow late, a certain warming up of the soil is required. If you want to lower the bushes and make them more compact, then at the beginning of the growth of the stems they can be plucked. In this case they will blossom a little later, but the inflorescence will be more magnificent.

One place can grow 10 or more years. To transplant adult specimens is difficult because of a powerful root system. The plant practically does not creep around the site, without creating competition for other perennials. After flowering, the inflorescence should be removed, and before the cold it is necessary to cut off almost the entire aboveground part, leaving the hemp height no more than 15 cm. Shelter for the winter is not required.

Propagation of the bastard purple can be divided by bushes, seeds, cuttings. Seeds can be sown in the open ground in May, shoots will appear in about 2 weeks. Blossom plants, as a rule, for the second year of life. Split bushes preferably in early spring or autumn, after flowering. At the beginning of vegetation, it is possible to break off shoots with a heel, reaching 8 cm, and plant them with a jar.

The bastard purple practically does not affect the disease, and the pests do not favor it. It can be planted in the background of flower gardens, in groups or alone on lawns. It looks favorably with a nivian, klopogon, rudbeckie, helenium, solidago, perennial asters, etc. Suitable for landing on the banks of water bodies. Compositions from different in height bunchers look very harmonious.

At present, many forms are distinguished, differing in height, coloring of flowers and leaves. That's how he is many-sided - a bastard. Sorts that deserve the most attention:

• Eupatorium.Joicius Variegated - compact, low (up to 1 m), variegated.
• Eupatorium coelestinum - height up to 0.8 m, inflorescence of lilac-blue flowers.
• Eupatorium Little Joe - flowers smoky pink, height up to 1 m.
• Eupatorium Phantom - height 0.8 m, flowers are blue-green, stems dark.

If the soup bowl is to your liking, it can be dried, the faded inflorescences will remind you of the summer and raise the mood in the cold winter.