Highlander medicinal plants for reservoirs. Amazing Highlanders

Highlander is one of the few plants that have so many species that are radically different from each other. Annuals, perennials, vines, creepers, shrubs grow all over the world, and there are more than 300 species. Of these, 20 species are cultivated, and they delight with their decorative effect.

Highlander tall

Highlander tall is used for landscaping the banks of reservoirs, hedges and for making silage for animals. The most popular of the tall species: Eastern, Sakhalin, Japanese:

1. East Highlander is an annual plant that grows up to 2 m in height and has large paniculate inflorescences. Flowers are red, pink, lilac or white. The leaves are green, oval, pointed at the ends. After flowering, black nuts are formed. East Highlander blooms at the end of summer and until frost. Unpretentious in care, loves nutritious and moist soil. Eastern mountaineer grows both in the wild and on garden plots. In nature, it can be found in forests, steppes and meadows. As an ornamental plant, Eastern Highlander is actively grown in Primorsky Krai and China.
2. Sakhalin mountaineer is a tall perennial plant with creeping roots. Height up to 5 m, branches straight, strong. The leaves are oval, up to 30 cm long and up to 25 cm wide. Flowers are collected in white panicles. Blooms in the second half of summer. Flowering period up to 45 days. The plant is very winter hardy. In nature, it grows on Sakhalin and in Japan. It mainly grows on slopes and hills. In garden plots it is used to decorate old buildings, artificial reservoirs, hedges. Sakhalin residents add young leaves to salads and soups. The plant is used as feed for cattle. Sakhalin mountaineer quickly fills the free territory, and many gardeners do not risk planting it on their plots.
3. Japanese knotweed is a tall bushy plant. The height reaches 5 m. The branches are hollow, cranked, very similar to bamboo stems. The leaves are green, medium in size, oval in shape. Throughout the leaf are frequent veins. The flowers are small, cream-colored, collected in panicles. Blooms Japanese knotweed in early September. This is the fastest growing mountaineer, it allows you to create a hedge in a short time and hide the site from prying eyes. Handles pruning well. Branches can be used to weave baskets, vases, and other crafts. This mountaineer grows very quickly and is difficult to remove from the site.

Highlander undersized

Undersized species of highlander are used for planting in flower beds, decorating alpine slides and as borders. The most popular of the low-growing plants are: capitate mountaineer, related and viviparous mountaineer.

The capitate mountaineer is an annual plant that is able to close the soil void in a short time. Height up to 15 cm, branched, creeping. The leaves are small, green with red veins and spots. The inflorescences are small, in the form of cones, consist of small pinkish-white flowers.

It is used for landscaping flower beds, sheared borders and filling areas under trees. Grows well in both full sun and full shade. Most often propagated by seeds. Undemanding appearance, easy to care for. Reacts to top dressing with abundant flowering. Can be planted in a pot and used as a houseplant.

The related mountaineer is a short perennial native to the Himalayas. Plant height up to 25 cm. The leaves are long, lanceolate, green. Flowers in the form of dense spikes.

The color can be pink or red. The length of the inflorescences is 10-12 cm. The related mountaineer begins to bloom in May and blooms throughout the summer season. After flowering, the leaves of the plant turn red. Likes moderate shady places, but can grow in the sun. Does not require frequent watering and tolerates drought well. With stagnant water, rhizomes can rot.

High winter hardiness, but can freeze in the absence of snow. The related highlander is very decorative, it is used in flower beds, alpine slides, for landscaping coastal areas, it coexists well with other perennials. Grows well and can overwhelm some plants.

Highlander Viviparous - a perennial plant, up to 45 cm high. Outwardly resembles the Snake Highlander, but has a more decorative appearance. Stems are straight, bare. The leaves are hard, lanceolate, dark green. Inflorescence spikes, with pale pinkish or red flowers. Blooms all season. In nature, the viviparous mountaineer grows in the tundra, along the banks of rivers and lakes. Roots and flowers are eaten, added to salads, tea is made.

Highlander - Liana Baldzhuansky

Highlander Baldzhuansky is a perennial vine that grows up to 12-15 meters. It is used for vertical gardening of sites. It blooms with small white flowers, which, when the air temperature drops, acquire a pinkish tint. The leaves of the creeper are dark green. The stems of an adult liana become stiff.

Highlander Baljuan loves cool, damp places. Requires regular watering. In direct sunlight, the plant stops growing, the leaves curl and shrink.

To give decorativeness, the plant is often cut and the necessary shapes are made. Also, a haircut stimulates the appearance of flower stalks.

Highlander Baldzhuansky tolerates frosts up to 23 degrees. Most often, creepers freeze out, the roots quickly recover and give new growth in the spring. This type of highlander grows quickly and in a short time is able to add attractiveness to fences, arbors and walls of structures.

Healing Highlander

AT traditional medicine Highlander is used to treat eye diseases, gout, heaviness in the stomach and intestines. It has wound healing, astringent and bactericidal action. And this is not all the healing properties of the plant. For medicinal purposes, the mountaineer Snake and Alpine are most often used.

Highlander Snake is also called Veal Tongue, Cancer Neck or Viper Weed. A perennial herb with a fistulate stem and small flowers. Flowers can be white, pink, crimson, and collected in an inflorescence - a spikelet.

The snake mountaineer grows in sunny places and on moist soils. In nature, it can be found in meadows, fields, along river banks and on mountain slopes. Plant height is from 40 to 100 cm. In folk medicine, all parts of the plant are used: leaves, flowers, roots, seeds.

The maximum benefit is brought by raw materials harvested in May. Highlander has a very strong bactericidal effect, quickly stops bleeding and relieves inflammation. Snake mountaineer is used to treat diarrhea, stomach diseases, problems with the intestines, gallbladder, diseases of the throat, oral cavity, for the treatment of purulent wounds and boils.

Highlander Alpine is popularly called Taran, Highlander Mountainous, Kislets. It is a very decorative weed. Lush bushes, up to 1.5 m high and up to 2 m in diameter. The stems of the plant are branched, especially in the upper part. The roots are powerful, creeping. The leaves are green, oblong. At the ends of the branches are panicles of white small flowers.

Alpine mountaineer blooms in July. In the wild, it grows in forests, steppes and meadows. Quite hardy and grows fast. On the site it is used to decorate old buildings and fences. Looks good in cut.

Alpine mountaineer is successfully used in folk medicine for the treatment of stomach diseases, chronic diarrhea, hypertension and dysentery. Contains a lot of vitamin C and is used in the prevention of respiratory diseases.

Diversity and diversity made the mountaineer a unique plant. There are species that have healing properties, some have a beautiful decorative appearance, there are valuable fodder plants, and there are merciless weeds that are dangerous to plant in the garden. So that after landing there are no unpleasant surprises, choosing a highlander, you should carefully read the characteristics of each species.

Ponds, ponds, fountains | №4 (67) "2012

Text: Tatyana Berezhinskaya, expert in the construction of reservoirs

Plants planted in the pond and around it, of course, perform a decorative function. If, when constructing an artificial reservoir, you create various zones characteristic of a natural pond and choose the right types of plants, then you can significantly reduce the effort to care for it, ensure natural water purification and prevent its “blooming”.

In natural reservoirs, problems with the purity of water, as a rule, do not arise. Let's see what processes take place in these reservoirs and what role plants play in them.

Each natural reservoir has several zones where plants grow and multiply without any care. Coastal plants use the remains of organic matter and fertilizers to feed and maintain their growth, which, with streams of melt and rainwater, enter the reservoir from the surrounding areas. At the same time, they are a kind of barrier and protection of the reservoir. Aquatic representatives of the flora growing inside the reservoir consume nitrates formed during the natural nitrogen cycle. Each round of the natural transformation of organic residues into nitrogen takes place with the formation of nitrates, the accumulation of which in large quantities is dangerous for the reservoir and entails the active development of unwanted vegetation. Both coastal and aquatic plants consume exactly those nutrients that could become a source for the development of algae. That is why algae grow worse in ponds planted with cultivated plants. The leaves of aquatic plants, covering the water surface, deprive the algae of solar energy.

If plants are transferred to a new pond from a natural reservoir or other water area with a developed biosystem, then along with the soil and roots, beneficial bacteria necessary for its healthy life can be “planted”, including bacteria that compete with unicellular algae, for example, blue-green algae, creating the effect of flowering water in the hot season.

We should not forget about the importance of aquatic and coastal plants in the process of saturating water with oxygen. In the cells of plants, the process of photosynthesis takes place, during which oxygen, vital for the inhabitants of the pond, is formed during daylight hours.

Depending on the location in the reservoir, groups of plants can be distinguished: coastal, near-water, aquatic, deep-sea and floating. Separately, there are oxygenator plants that play an important role in maintaining oxygen balance: their stems are completely immersed in water and actively release oxygen. They are not decorative, but grow quickly and can serve as a useful food supplement for fish, give shelter to small fish and become a spawning site for caviar.

It is believed that plants should occupy no more than 1/3 of the water surface, leaving room for sunlight to penetrate and oxygen to enter the water column. The question of the expediency of planting certain plants in each case is decided taking into account the natural zone and in accordance with the purpose of the reservoir and its location on the site, the decorative features of the plants. Of course, it is necessary to plant plants that will easily winter in the proposed conditions, otherwise you will have to take care of their shelter for the winter. If the reservoir is in a lowland, it is necessary to plant the coastal zone well, making a barrier of plants in the way of melt and rainwater, and arrange a drainage system.

Photo 1. Some plants, like the bogweed (Callitriche), become a refuge for fish.
Photo 2. Canadian Elodea (Elodea canadensis) will require extra attention, its growth must be controlled, otherwise it may drown out other plants.

In natural reservoirs, as a rule, there are no problems with the purity of water. Over time, a biological balance is established in them, plants spontaneously grow, beneficial bacteria develop.

Useful functions of coastal and aquatic plants:

Prevent organic nutrient residues and fertilizers from entering the reservoir;
reduce the amount of nitrates in the water;
support the life and development of a population of beneficial bacteria in the water;
saturate the water with oxygen during the daytime.

Both coastal and floating aquatic plants consume those nutrients that could be a source of blue-green algae. That is why algae grow worse in reservoirs planted with cultivated species. Many representatives of the near-water flora are also very decorative. For example, marsh marigold, blooming in mid-spring (photo 3), and umbrella susak, decorating coastal compositions in June - August (photo 4).

Pond decoration: 4 main zones

1. The adjacent area is located in close proximity to the shore, outside the waterproofing of the reservoir. Water from the artificial pond does not come here, and therefore the plants located here require watering during dry times. The plants of this zone serve to decorate and create a soft transition from the coastline to the garden. They can also be a living barrier against the ingress of water from the outside into the reservoir. Hosta, daylily, bergenia, astilbe, rogersia, rhubarb, primrose, etc. grow well here.

2. The swamp zone is formed with the help of film waterproofing, on top of which fine crushed stone or pebbles are poured, and then sand and soil. Moisture-loving plants are selected for this zone, which will receive water and nutrients from the reservoir itself. The thickness of the water layer can be from 1 to 5 cm. Irises, buzulnik, monetized loosestrife, gravel, peltiphyllum, marigold, swimsuit, lysichiton, and ostrich are planted in the swamp zone.

3. Steps or ledges for containers with plants are arranged in shallow water and coastal zones. The water level here is 5–15 cm. The leaves and flowers of plants are above the water, and root system and the lower part of the stem is under water. The transitional line between the zones of the water garden is formed from calamus, arrowhead, rush, marsh iris, reeds, cattail, turcha, pepper mountaineer, chastukha, susak.

4. Deep water zone. The planting depth is 80–150 cm. It is at this depth that heat-loving species will be able to winter under the ice. Plants with shoots floating on the surface are planted in this part of the reservoir: egg capsule, white water lily, nymphs, pemphigus, aloe-like telorez, fern-shaped azolla, thick-leaved eichhornia (water hyacinth), three-lobed duckweed, pistia, common watercress. In the same zone, oxygenating plants are also planted: common bog, urut, marsh turkey, hornwort, elodea (water plague), pondweed, tillea. Their growth may have to be limited.

As a rule, when arranging a decorative one, special attention is paid to the beautiful design of the coastal line, and the water surface of a garden pond is content, at best, with water lilies. But there are many more plants that can not only decorate the water surface, but also benefit the pond and its inhabitants, and some of them will be introduced to you today by landscape designer Natalya Vysotskaya, our permanent author and consultant.

oxygenating plants

It is no secret that only a clean and healthy body of water can have an attractive appearance. In nature, unique plants cope with the cleaning of water bodies, which, by absorbing carbon dioxide, normalize the oxygen balance in their habitat. Thanks to this unique ability, plants got their name - oxygenators. The stems, leaves, and flowers of oxygenators are mostly submerged and only occasionally appear on the surface, so they are classified as underwater plants.

Most oxygenators do not represent any decorative value, but for the life of the reservoir they are an indispensable component. Let's try to systematize the diversity of representatives of this group. When choosing oxygenators, you need to consider:

1. Dimensions of the reservoir

2. The presence of plants in the pond

3. The presence of living creatures in the reservoir

For small ponds, it is advisable to use from annuals - autumn swamp ( Callitriche autumnalis), from perennials - urinate spiky ( Myriophyllum spicatum), which in the conditions of Central Russia requires wintering indoors. This category also includes a swamp or water starfish ( Callitriche palustris) and needle swamp ( Eleocharis acicularis).

For larger reservoirs of perennials, dark green hornwort is used ( Ceratophyllum demersum), which can grow at a depth of up to 9 m, and elodea ( Elodea), which grows at a depth of 20 cm to 3 m, but since it grows very quickly, it is recommended to cultivate it in large reservoirs. Rdest ( Potamogeton) prefers running water and can serve as food for fish, it will feel great in reservoirs of any size, even when it dries out, the plant remains alive for some time and can resume when it enters a favorable environment.

The hornwort is considered a unique oxygenator plant ( Ceratophyllum), which is very decorative and unpretentious - it grows both in the sun and in the shade and is not picky about the size of the reservoir. When propagating, hornwort cuttings are simply thrown into the water. Also, marsh turkish can be attributed to decorative oxygenators ( Hottonia palustris), it is one of the few flowering representatives of this group of aquatic plants. Turcha blooms in early summer on the surface of the water, forming peduncles up to 20-25 cm in height, at the ends of which are pale lilac or white flowers.

Relatively unpretentious oxygenator plants include fire-fighting fontinalis, or water moss ( Fontinalis antipyretica). This slow-growing plant thrives in both sun and partial shade, but prefers a slight flow.

To improve the quality of water with a high lime content, the wild-growing seaweed hara ( Charales). After the hara has fulfilled its purpose, experts advise removing it from the reservoir, since the plant is an aggressor. Regarding the use of tillea for natural cleaning of water bodies ( Tillaea) there are conflicting opinions. On the one hand, the tillea - this plant copes well with the functions of an oxygenator, on the other - is the strongest aggressor, which, growing, intensively displaces other species from its habitat.

Plants floating on the surface

This category of plants is characterized by free-floating leaves or stems on or near the surface of water. Such plants are especially necessary if the reservoir is lit by the sun for most of the day. The leaf blade, floating on the surface, shade the water surface, thereby preventing the development of unwanted blue-green algae.

The most common plants from this group are: vodokras, wolfia, hydrocleis, jerushnik, luronium, duckweed, telorez, eichornia.

Let's name the features of some of them:

Vodokras ordinary ( Hydrocharis morsus ranae) - a perennial plant, with small (2.5 - 5 cm) rounded leaves and white three-petal flowers that rise 3 - 5 cm above the water surface. Vodokras blooms throughout the summer. Snow-white flowers take turns replacing each other, so the pond will always look elegant, apparently the water color got its name due to the effect of continuous flowering.

"Planting" the plant will not cause any difficulties. It is enough to lower the water-color buds into the water. A big advantage of using water paint in landscaping garden ponds is the possibility of wintering at the bottom of the pond in the form of resting buds (provided that wintering is possible below the freezing level of water). The plant is not aggressive, grows slowly, great for cultivation in central Russia.

But when using duckweed for green decoration of the water surface, you should be more careful. The plant fills the water surface more aggressively than the previous species, so you need to control its numbers. Two species are best known - small duckweed ( Lemna minor) and three-lobed duckweed ( Lemna trisulca). We will not describe the appearance of the duckweed, since it is known to everyone. Duckweed also overwinters, like water-color, in the form of buds that sink to the bottom along with a dead plant. In addition to protecting the reservoir from the sun and supplying it with oxygen, duckweed serves as food for fish.

Another representative of the duckweed family is Wolffia rootless ( Wolffia arrhiza). Its tiny leafy stems float on the surface and form green or brownish-green spots on the water. The miniature size of this plant allows it to be used for small ponds. The features of planting and care are that you don’t need to do anything - just launch the colony into the pond and admire. The plant overwinters in a pond.

Telorez aloes ( Stratiotes aloides) - combined the qualities of both water paint (because it belongs to the same family) and duckweed. With the elegance of snow-white three-petal flowers, it looks like water paint, foliage - like aloe (hence its name), and aggressiveness of distribution - like duckweed. Most of the time, the telorez is attached by its roots to the bottom of the reservoir, and only twice a year emerges and swims freely - in July during flowering and at the end of August, when daughter rosettes appear.

Eichornia pachypodia, or water hyacinth ( ) although it requires wintering indoors, it is certainly the leader among plants that are used in landscaping water bodies, since it is distinguished by its extraordinary beauty during flowering.

Eichornia thick-legged (water hyacinth)

Rare plants floating on the water deserve attention - azolla, pemphigus, water chestnut, pistia and salvinia. The most beautiful aquatic plants are of tropical origin, which means they need to spend the winter in a warm room. Perhaps that is why they are so rare in our waters.

Azolla ( Azolla) and Salvinia ( Salvinia) are one of the few representatives of ferns that can swim. This plant is quite rare in our reservoirs, because it is thermophilic and requires wintering in a room where the air temperature does not fall below +12 ºС. Therefore, the reservoir in which these ferns will live in summer should be small and warm up well.

Pemphigus ( Utricularia) is an insectivorous plant with yellow flowers that blooms from June to September. Why blister? Because on thin underwater leaves there are many small bubbles, the complex mechanism of which helps the pemphigus to catch its edible victims. In the conditions of central Russia, it hibernates at the bottom of the reservoir.

deep sea plants

Features of cultivation have already been covered on our website. Now let's take a closer look at such as water lilies, egg capsules and nymphaeum.

Water lily (Nymphaea) is an aquatic, beautifully flowering light-loving perennial that grows well when planted to a depth of 2 m. The best way cultivation - (as this plant is also called) in special containers that are placed at the bottom of the reservoir. In the conditions of central Russia, winter-hardy species of water lilies can winter in open water bodies: snow-white water lily ( N. candida), white water lily ( N.alba), fragrant water lily ( N. odorata).

pod ( Nuphar), unlike the water lily, is less decorative, but it can grow in shade. Winters only in frost-free waters.

Nymphaenik ( Nymphoides) is an incredibly attractive and aggressive plant. Yellow buttercup-like flowers bloom in July-September. Prefers sunny places, hibernates, like the egg-pod, in frost-free reservoirs.

Nymphaenic Indian

coastal plants

Calamus, watch, mountaineer, decodon, iris, marigold, arrowhead, reed, cattail - this is not a complete list of coastal plants. Many of them need no introduction and have long been known in culture.

Coastal ones perform not only the function of a smooth transition from the water element to land, but also protect the shores of water bodies from erosion, and in winter, the stems of plants with a hollow stem guarantee the supply of oxygen under the ice crust.

Natalia Vysotskaya, landscape designer

2013 - 2016, . All rights reserved.

Several types of mountaineer are known in Russia mainly as medicinal plants, and a certain part of them are also considered weeds. Under natural conditions, you can meet the mountaineer almost all over the world - it mainly grows near water bodies, in forests, in highlands and meadows. Of the three hundred existing varieties of this plant, only twenty are used to decorate gardens.

Getting to know the plant

Highlander, also called buckwheat or buckwheat, as well as persicaria, is a genus of perennial and annual herbaceous plants, a little less often - vines and shrubs of the numerous Buckwheat family. This genus has almost three hundred species distributed throughout the planet, but so far only twenty species are used in culture.

The stems of the mountaineer are mostly prostrate or erect, but sometimes curly are also found. The next simple leaflets have a lanceolate-ovate shape.

The small flowers of the highlander are formed by few-flowered curls, often collected in paniculate or racemose inflorescences. The fruits of the plant are funny nuts with a huge number of seeds.

The very first to find their application in culture was the mountaineer, a related and incredibly attractive snake mountaineer, which appeared from Nepal.

Highlander application

In folk medicine, some types of mountaineer are used as an anti-inflammatory, astringent and hemostatic agent.

Also, the highlander has found its application in landscape design and is an integral part of the most beautiful flower arrangements. Some of its species are used to decorate the western and eastern slopes of curbs and alpine slides, as well as to decorate reservoirs. Alpine mountaineer is the leader in this direction, looking very organically along the paths and in the foreground of rockeries in the hosta and astilba community. It will look good in rockeries and rock gardens and a mountaineer related. For growing on the surfaces of reservoirs, the amphibian mountaineer is most optimal, and the snake mountaineer will look luxurious along their banks. Curly varieties of highlanders are good for vertical gardening.

Tall species are also often used to mask various outbuildings and fences that do not fit into the overall composition of the site. Highlander in the cut looks quite interesting. And if you plant perennials in groups, you can get very bizarre compositions. Just do not forget that in the neighborhood with the mountaineer, only competitive plants are allowed to grow.

How to grow

Highlander is an undemanding plant, but it will grow best on non-acidic soils and in partial shade, in moderately humid places. It is highly undesirable to waterlog the soil (especially for the splayed and related mountaineer), despite the fact that snake mountaineer grows excellently even when it occurs near groundwater.

Highlander propagates by root offspring and division, less often by seeds. A rapidly growing plant can easily grow in one place for 6 to 10 years. However, the highlander tolerates transplantation along with earthen clods quite well and painlessly.

The mountaineer is not afraid of drought, he can winter without any shelter - that is why he is considered extremely unpretentious in care. In addition, it is not only frost-resistant, but also shade-tolerant. True, occasionally there are species that are distinguished by a special love of light and are able to develop safely only in well-lit areas. And moisture-loving species of highlanders must be provided with abundant watering. For better growth, you can also occasionally feed these plants. The mountaineer is very resistant to diseases and pests.

An eye and an eye is needed for a highlander - its aggressive growth can make its own adjustments to the landscape design of the site, turning a wonderful plant into a weed that easily displaces less strong plants.

At the end of winter, the highlander may lose its decorative effect a little, however, you should not immediately cut off the old shoots - a little later, oblong narrow leaves will begin to appear on them, to which blooming candles will be added in May. The peak of the highlander's decorativeness is celebrated in June, at the very beginning of the month.

The amazing world of highlanders (Polygonum) from the buckwheat family of the same name (Polygonaceae) is rich and interesting. A peculiar intrigue begins with the diversity of their names: persicaria (Persicaria), fallopia (Fallopia), Bilderdykia (Bilderdykia), Reynotria (Reynotria), Bistorta (Bistorta) - that's all of them!

Highlander related or persicaria related - spectacular perennial, photo
To deal with all the riddles will help us today Encyclopedia of garden plants. Despite the fact that it gives priority names, the article (as an exception to the rule) first of all gives the more commonly used and better known folk type name.

Highlander many-flowered - perennial liana,a photo
I have selected for you 3 perennial herbaceous species (with varieties) and 3 creepers. Some of them are unpretentious, successfully grow on their own, others require attention and caring care. Among the favorites there are real healers - medicinal plants!

Flower perennial mountaineers

They are perhaps the most beautiful! Their abundant flowering captivates. Small dense spike-shaped inflorescences of various colors make them dominant flower beds. The maximum decorative effect is reached at the age of 2-5 years.

Highlander snake or crayfish necks

A perennial, familiar to most of us since childhood, is still loved and in demand in summer cottages. Today he is on the lists of planned acquisitions from a considerable number of flower growers.

Highlander snake or crayfish necks (Persicaria bistorta, syn. Polygonum bistorta)- cushion-shaped evergreen perennial up to 75 cm high and up to 90 cm wide. It comes from Europe, North and West Asia. It got its specific name due to the similarity of the twisted rhizome with reptiles. Pink spike-shaped inflorescences 5-7 cm long bloom from the first days of June.

Knotweed subsp. carnea. Photo from ru.pinterest.com

Its decorative form is more attractive: subsp. carnea, syn. Polygonum carneum- 45-75 cm high, up to 45 cm wide, bright pink inflorescences, and grade "Superba"" - up to 90 cm high, light pink inflorescences.

In central Russia, it winters without shelter (withstands up to -40 ° C). It requires acidic, well-drained moist soils: with a lack of moisture, it sheds leaves, but when watering is resumed, it is restored. Be sure to remove faded inflorescences.

It is luxurious near water bodies, beautiful in borders and mixborders of natural style. Good for cutting.

Easily propagated by dividing the bush in spring or autumn.

Highlander related

Gorgeous highlander chameleon from the Himalayas is magnificent! On it at the same time you can see inflorescences of different colors, which darken when flowering.

Related mountaineer. Photo from davisla.wordpress.com

Knotweed related (Persicaria affinis, syn. Polygonum affine)- ground cover perennial up to 25 cm high and up to 60 cm wide. White, pink, crimson inflorescences bloom throughout the summer.

Decorative varieties:

• "Darjeeling Red" - 15 cm high, 50 cm wide, dark pink inflorescences;
• "Dimity" - 10 cm high, 45 cm wide, dark green leaves turn brown in winter, wine-red stems, inflorescences are white at first, then pink-red, rusty-brown when flowering;

Knotweed is a related cultivar of Darjeeling Red. Photo courtesy of penlanperennials.co.uk. Knotweed is a related variety of Dimity. Photo from greenfusestock.photoshelter.com

• "Donald Lowndes" - up to 20 cm high, about 30 cm wide, pink-red inflorescences;
• "Superba" - inflorescences are light pink at first, then turn red; leaves are brown in winter.

Knotweed is a related cultivar of Donald Lowndes. Photo from farmyardnurseries.co.uk. Knotweed is a related variety of Superba. Photo from google.ru

A typical species tolerates a short-term decrease to -28.9 ° C. In central Russia for the winter it is better to cover with humus and dry leaves. Quite drought-resistant, does not tolerate stagnant waterlogging. It grows on clay and loamy soils with any acidity.

Good in rockeries, mixborders and cut.

Highlander candle-shaped

Luxurious large Himalayan.

Highlander candle (Persicaria amplexicaulis, syn. Bistorta amplexicaulis, Polygonum amplexicaule)- resistant creeping semi-evergreen perennial with a height and width of 1.2 m. Silver-green leaves up to 20 cm long, oval, slightly wrinkled, pointed. Spike-shaped narrow inflorescences up to 10 cm long from bright red and purple to white; bloom from mid-summer to autumn.

Decorative varieties:

• "Arun Gem" - 30 cm high, 90 cm wide, undersized, dark pink spikelets (drooping tips - bronze);
• "Firetail" - 1.2 m high, bright red short dense inflorescences up to 10 cm long; dark green ovate leaves with distinct veins; blooms in summer and early autumn; creates thickets;

• "Inverleith" - 45 cm high and wide, compact, short spikelets are dark red.

A typical species tolerates -34.4 ° C, sun, partial shade, clay, loam. Needs free space, which is provided during landing. Pruning after flowering. Usually not sick.

Tapeworm.

Propagated by seeds (spring) and division (spring or autumn).

Perennial creepers

They are no less interesting than their grassy relatives. Lianas are "taken in bulk": with the beauty of green-velvet leaves and touching graceful whitish inflorescences, a contrasting color would be clearly superfluous.

Highlander baljuan

Abroad, it is called "Russian liana", or "mile per minute", or "silver lace liana". He comes from Western China, Tibet, Tajikistan.

Highlander baldzhuansky,a photo

Baldzhuansky mountaineer, or Baldzhuan fallopia (Fallopia baldschuanica, syn. Polygonum baldschuanicum, Bilderdykia baldschuanica), with fallopia being the priority "name". Oval leaves up to 8-9 cm long are red at first, then bright green. Small creamy white fragrant flowers, collected in dense, abundant panicles, cover the vine from mid-summer to autumn, giving it an amazing resemblance to clematis. Clematis paniculata. It grows quickly: during the season, the shoots are extended by 30-90 cm. Winter hardiness: withstands -34.4 ° С. For her, a semi-shady place is ideal. Looks better, more luxurious on well-drained loams with constant moisture; less aggressive on poor soils; withstands drought, trampling. Supports needed. Pruned every year from late winter to early spring; rejuvenate at the end of winter, leaving a few centimeters, then shorten the long shoots as needed.

Highlander baldzhuansky gives a dense living green coating for gratings, fences, walls; can also be used as a ground cover plant, decorating not only the ground, but also old stumps; suitable for strengthening soil on slopes. When settling a highlander in the country, you must remember that you will have to control its growth. It is forbidden put it on living trees.

Highlander multiflorous

He comes from Central and South China, Korea. In the Nikitsky Botanical Garden, it has long been growing near the old Stevenovsky greenhouse. In China, old specimens are "worth their weight in gold": in the Celestial Empire, they believe that a 100-year-old fo ti (root) preserves youthfulness of the face, a 200-year-old gives a slender figure, and a 300-year-old gives immortality.

Highlander multicolored,a photo

Highlander multi-flowered, or multi-flowered rheinotria, multi-flowered fallopia (Polygonum multiflorum var. hypoleucum, syn. Reynotria multiflorum var. hypoleucum, Fallopia multiflorum var. hypoleucum) - herbaceous liana 2-4 m high. Beautiful dark green leaves 3-7 cm long arrow-shaped , with a wavy edge. The flowers are small, greenish-white, collected in short dense panicles up to 10-20 cm long, bloom in summer and until mid-autumn. In Chinese traditional medicine known as a tonic and anti-aging agent. The extract promotes hair growth. toxic.

Highlander Oberta

Another buckwheat liana, which is called the "curly lasso" because of its violent growth. He comes from China, Tibet.

Highlander Oberta, appearance. Photo from google.ru. flowers. Photo from maltawildplants.com

Oberth's Highlander, or Oberth's fallopia (Polygonum auberttii, syn. Fallopia aubertii, Bilderdykia aubertii) in the southern regions it grows up to 12 m high. In central Russia (in a tub) it gives shoots up to 5-7 m. Throughout the summer, its lively light green coating is beautiful, from July it is decorated with creamy white fragrant panicles from 20 to 40 see In flowering, this mountaineer is a “bee field”, and small fruits in the form of nuts are a delicacy for birds.

Decorative shape:

• "Lemon Lace" - rare; golden yellow leaves on red shoots, not as aggressive.

Highlander Oberta Lemon Lace. Photo courtesy of diggingdog.com. She is in garden design. Photo from rotarygardens.blogspot.com

Highlander Oberta is more thermophilic than the previous species, therefore it is removed from its supports and covered like roses; tubs for the winter are brought into a non-freezing room. The critical winter minimum fluctuates within -15 °С. In open ground, a sunny or semi-shady place is selected for him. During growth, watering is plentiful; responds well to top dressing (until August), in a tub - weekly. Requires supports and pruning of long shoots that break out of the desired contour.

Perfect for decorating walls, gates, gates and arbors. Highlander flowers are beautiful in a vase.

Propagated by cuttings from June to October.

And what mountaineers grow in your country house?