Hyssop herb: planting and care, growing out of seeds

A fragrant and blooming area around the house, in the garden or at the dacha is everyone's dream. It is doubly pleasant when plants perform not only a decorative function, but are also useful. Leadership in the degree of multifunctionality belongs to spicy herbs. They not only benefit, but also decorate the garden with its original look and rich aroma. Among these is the herb hyssop. Planting and nursing, growing from seeds and other features of breeding of the named plant - all this will be considered further in the article.

Distribution and ecology

Hyssop unites for itself the whole genus of semi-shrubs and herbs with a strong aroma from the family of clear-witted. They are characterized by a small height (up to 50-60 cm) and leaves oblong or linear, almost sitting on the stem.

Hyssop grows in Asia, the Mediterranean, Russia (in its European part, in the Caucasus and in western Siberia). It prefers stony slopes, steppes and dry hills, as well as loose soil. This is a wonderful honey plant.

The medicinal properties of hyssop are known from ancient times, the first written references to grass are found in the Bible. In horticulture, the most common hyssop is medicinal.

Botanical description

Hyssop officinalis (planting, care will be considered further) is widespread in Africa and Eurasia. The plant is a shrub growing from 20 to 80 cm. Its root is woody, rod-shaped. Numerous lignified stems of tetrahedral form, slightly pubescent, or almost bare, leave from it.

Leaves, located opposite and almost sessile on the stem, have a lanceolate shape, their edges slightly folded down. In this case, the lower leaves are slightly larger than the apical.

Stretched spicate inflorescences look decorative. Corolla in flowers is most often blue or purple, less often white or pink.

The fruit has a complex structure. The cenobium consists of four equivalent nutlets, which are trihedral-ovoid in shape. Flowering is long - from July to September.

The spicy aroma of a mixed type (camphor with turpentine), tart taste and amazing medicinal properties is what hyssop is valued for. Planting and care in the open ground, as a rule, do not cause difficulties, so you can grow a small but very useful shrub on your site.

Species and varieties

In addition to hyssop medicinal, the culture is also known for chalk and anise. Not knowing the person to mix them up is easy enough:

1. Hyssop Cretaceous is a rare and protected species, listed in the Red Book of Ukraine and Russia. The name speaks for itself - it first appears on chalky soils from all plants.
2. An anise hyssop possesses a characteristic odor, which is enhanced by trituration, and lavender flowers.

Planting and care for all three types do not fundamentally differ.

Breeders brought out a variety of varieties, differing mainly by the color of flowers. Let's name the most famous:

• "Accord" is a medicinal, with a different aroma, drought-resistant and wintery. The plant forms high shrubs up to 80 cm, the number of shoots - up to 25 pieces. Flowers are pink, small.
• "Pink fog" - the average maturity period, is intended for use in cooking and canning. In height, the plant reaches up to 50 cm, shoots are thin, but elastic, small flowers are painted in a pale pink color. Has high resistance to various environmental conditions. It is a drought-resistant, heat and cold-resistant hyssop (cultivation, planting and care - standard).
• "Nikitsky white" (shown in the photo below) is a medium-sized variety (up to 55 cm), the plant forms compact bushes, a long flowering (75-80 days).
• "Hoarfrost" is a half-shrub in height from 40 to 70 cm with erect shoots, a shrub is compact. Greenery has a rich aroma, reminiscent of the smell of Ledum. The variety is characterized by a high yield of green mass, small flowers, pale lilac shade.

Place on site and soil

Hyssop, although it has long been adapted to our climatic conditions, is still a native of the warm climate of the Mediterranean, which imposes a corresponding imprint on the characteristics of its cultivation. The plant prefers sunny areas on a small hill.

To the soil, hyssop is not particularly sensitive, the main requirements are lightness, air and moisture permeability, the reaction of the medium from neutral to slightly alkaline. It is not advisable to plant the plant in places where cold winds and drafts are observed, water stagnation and bogging.

Medicinal hyssop: planting and care of seedlings

The seeds of the plant described for a long time retain their germination and are suitable for planting within 3-4 years after harvesting. To obtain hyssop, two methods are used: seedling and seedless. The seeds are sown in the first half of March and April-May, respectively.

In the case of growing seedlings, it is necessary to prepare the soil first. The best thing to use is ready, light and nutritious. Fill it with an even layer in shallow drawers, make grooves 1-1.5 cm deep and evenly distribute the seeds. After there are several real leaflets, it is necessary to dive hyssop. Planting and leaving in the future are elementary.

Planted in separate peat humus pots or plastic cups of the plant should be regularly watered. Arrange them in a sunny and warm place. Before planting, one fertilizing can be carried out with a complex mineral fertilizer. The seedlings are planted in 45-60 days, at the stage of 5-7 leaves.

It is necessary to follow the scheme to avoid thickening. In the first summer there will be a small number of peduncles, but since the second bloom will be abundant and massive. Bushes grow old with age, and from this they have smaller leaves and flowers, so it is recommended to replace plants with new ones after 4-5 years.

Directly in the soil, hyssop seeds are sown in late April-early May, when the soil warms up sufficiently. The depth of embedding is 0.5-0.7 cm, the distance between rows is 50-60 cm. Seedlings appear after 1-2 weeks. When there are six real leaves on plants, they must be weaned, leaving a distance of about 20 cm between the individual specimens.

Peculiarities of growing

One of the unpretentious spicy-aromatic herbs in the garden is the hyssop. Planting and caring for him, as you saw, are elementary. During the growing season it is enough to weed the weed from the weeds, loosen the soil.

Do not abuse water. Suffice it 2-3 times for the entire season, the rate of 1 square. M. - 15-20 liters. For abundant flowering, autumn pruning is necessary. Form a bush hemispherical shape, leaving shoots in a height of 12-15 cm. If the site grows several varieties of hyssop, then they need to be isolated from each other, as the plants very quickly are dusted.