The Bignoniev family unites many diverse plant species. One of them is campsis. This is a large deciduous vine with airy roots and bright decorative flowers, woody with age. Suitable for decorating terraces, balconies, garden arches, arbors, fences. Heat-loving, but can withstand prolonged winter frosts under cover.
Botanical Description
The stems of the campsis are long, curly, branched, form a shrub with a dense rich crown. With thin shoots of aerial roots, he clings to supports. The leaves are green, of a complex structure: unpaired, composed of 7–11 lobes of ovoid shape with pointed tips and finely serrated edges.
Blooms profusely. The buds are large: 6–10 cm in diameter, funnel-shaped, with a weak aroma. The fused bases of the petals represent a narrow elongated tube, the edges are bent outward. Located at the ends of the shoots in inflorescences of several pieces. Shades of mainly red: raspberry, bright pink, dark orange, scarlet. The flowering period begins in mid-June and lasts until the fall. Pollination occurs crosswise.
Fruits ripen in autumn. These are narrow dry brown-green capsules with two valves, 7–12 cm long. The seeds are numerous, with thin membranes and wings. After opening the valves are carried by the wind. Single plants rarely bear fruit. To obtain seeds, it is desirable to plant several specimens.
Campsises are good melliferous plants. During flowering, they attract all surrounding insects.
Landing
This vine is used for vertical gardening. It should not be placed close to windows and doorways, otherwise in the summer you will have to fight off flies, wasps, bumblebees and bees. The best places for planting: high fences, walls of arbors. Sites should be protected from the north wind and well lit. Suitable south, southeast and southwest sides. Campids are not afraid of direct sunlight.
Landing work in the middle lane must be carried out at the end of May, when the morning frosts leave.
Soils are demanding on the composition of soils. A loose neutral soil, rich in humus and saturated with minerals, is optimal. On stony and meager, its decorative qualities will suffer.
Prepare the ground in the fall.
- For each plant, dig a hole 60–65 cm deep and wide.
- 3-4 kg are added to the soil removed from each pit. humus and 1 kg. complex mineral fertilizer.
- The bottom of the holes is covered with a drainage layer 10-15 cm thick. You can use coarse river sand, stone chips, broken brick or gravel.
- The soil mixture is laid in pits and rammed.
When the expected heat arrives, the seedlings are carefully placed in the ground, again digging holes to about mid-depth. The root shoots are neatly straightened, pouring soil between them. Immediately after planting, water is abundantly watered, adding 12 liters of water. When it is completely absorbed, basal circles cover with a layer of mulch from sawdust, peat or humus.
The support for the plant must be taken care of in advance. If there is no suitable fence near, you can dig it nearby. Sheets of a metal profile, slate stretched between posts, wooden frames are suitable for this quality. The height of the supports should be at least 90 cm.
In the landscape, kampsis solo or successfully adjoins other climbing cultures. It can be planted next to clematis, wisteria, akebia. In the lower tier are lavender, stunted peonies, forest sage, various types of geraniums. Compact shrubs go well with liana: Japanese spirea, barberry, cinquefoil.
Care
Campsis is considered an unpretentious culture. With the right care regimen, it does not differ whims.
Watering and feeding
Moisture regime of lianas needs to be adjusted to weather conditions. With heavy rainfall, it does not need additional watering, otherwise the rhizomes rot. Mulch and shrubs growing nearby protect the soil from drying out. A short drought also does not harm the plant. In the heat, it is recommended to moisten the culture every two days, pouring 4-5 liters of water under the rhizomes. In dry weather, it is advisable to wrap the air roots in layers of wet moss or porous wet wipes. After watering, inspect the soil and remove all germinating weeds.
Every year in the spring, before laying buds, it is recommended to introduce complex nitrogen-phosphorus mixtures into the soil. You can buy fertilizers for flowering.
Pruning
Campsis is growing rapidly. If its development is left to chance, the bushes will turn into tangled thickets, so the forming haircut should not be neglected. Regular processing not only gives accuracy, but also stimulates the abundant flowering of vines next year.
Cut the branches in October, at the end of flowering or in the spring, before the buds swell. The skeleton of the plant is formed as follows:
- leave two strong lignified branches, the rest are removed with secateurs;
- within 4–5 years the procedure is repeated;
- when the trunk reaches the required length: 3-4 m, every year 2-3 new shoots are left on it, shortening them by 5-7 cm, the rest are removed.
Thus, a crown is formed until the bush grows to the desired scale.. After processing, the branches are sent in the right direction or tied to supports. Sanitary pruning is combined with decorative, removing along the way all withering and diseased branches.
Aged plants are rejuvenated by cutting off all shoots and leaving processes no longer than 30 cm long.
Winter preparations
For the winter, it is advisable to lay the campsite on the ground, removing the branches from the supports. From above they can be covered with a thick layer of spruce branches, dry grass, straw, leaves. So that the protection is not soaked and is not dispelled by the wind, it is additionally wrapped with a film and tied with twine. In winter, snowdrifts will fall over the film and the plant will be completely protected from the cold. In temperate climates it is recommended to use collapsible supports so that there are no unnecessary problems with seasonal preparation.
In regions with mild winters, where temperatures do not fall below -10-15 ° C, you can leave bushes on the supports, covering with spruce branches, wrapping stems with lutrasil. On top of all this you should fix the film.
Breeding
Camppsis can be bred either in a generative way - by sowing seeds, or by transplanting parts of adult plants: cuttings, root offspring, layering. All methods are effective: more than 90% of the seed and vegetative material goes into growth.
Root shoots
In bushes older than 5 years of age, root siblings grow. It is necessary to dig them out in May, cut off with a shovel along with part of the roots and transfer to a previously prepared place.
Layering
Upon the onset of heat, the lateral lignified branch is bent to the ground and fixed, after making several notches with a blade on the bark. Sprout the earth over most of the length of the shoot, leaving the apex on the surface. All season cuttings are watered and looked after just like a donor. Own roots appear in him by the fall. Next year it is already an independent plant, which must be cut off and transferred to a new place. Saving is accepted successfully, blooming in 1-2 years.
Cuttings
You can use young green shoots and annuals that have managed to lignify. The stems of the new season are cut in July. Take the middle, the thickest part of them. Planting material should be 12-15 cm long, have a couple of leaves. Their plates are shortened by half, the lower cut is made at an angle of 45 °. Cuttings are deepened in a loose moist soil mixture, in containers or ridges, under a film. Material takes root in three weeks.
Lumber cuttings harvested in early spring. You can use the material remaining after trimming. Plant them before the onset of real heat is necessary in boxes with peat and sand. By the end of May, the cuttings manage to develop enough and become ready for transplanting into the open ground.
Seeds
This is one of the easiest ways to breed.. Campsis seeds do not require pre-treatment or stratification. Their germination reaches almost 100%. The disadvantage is the long wait for flowering sprouted bushes. In addition, the generative method is not suitable for breeding hybrid varieties of creepers.
You can sow material in the spring in containers to a depth of 0.5-1 cm. They contain seedlings at a stable temperature of + 23–25 ° С. Sprouts appear within 1–1.5 months. Shoots are considered suitable for transplanting into open ground, at the ends of which 3-4 pairs of leaves develop.
Diseases and Pests
Bignonids show an enviable resistance to fungal diseases and resist most known parasites. Campsis is no exception. The only nuisance that there is a risk of collapse is the decay of the root system due to waterlogging of the soil. In such a case, it is necessary to adjust the irrigation regime or replant the bush, providing good drainage in the new place.
Of the parasites, aphids annoy Kampsis. Its larvae hide in the depths of the buds, adults suck the juice from the leaves. You can get rid of pests using chemical insecticides or alternative methods. Greens are sprayed with garlic infusion, a solution of tar or laundry soap twice a week.
Species and varieties
In nature, there are two main types of campsis. One comes from North America, the other from the Far East. Based on them, a third, hybrid species was selected.
Ramping campus
The North American variety, Campsis radicans reaches a length of 10-15 m. The leaves are dark green large, 17-20 cm in size, unpaired. The upper side of the plates is smooth, the lower is slightly pubescent. The buds are bright red or orange, collected in lush inflorescences of 5-10 pieces. It blooms from mid-summer to September. Varieties of rooted bignonia:
- golden: with bright yellow flowers;
- dark purple: with purple buds of saturated color;
- gorgeous: different small leaves and crimson flowers of smaller diameter than other representatives of the species.
Campsis large-flowered
The Chinese species (Campsis grandiflora) is less frost-resistant than rooted. It has no aerial roots, therefore grows no more than 7 m in length. The leaves are large, complex, pinnate, smooth on both sides. The flowers are large, light red, the diameter of the buds reaches 9-10 cm, inflorescences are located at the ends of the shoots.
Campsis hybrid
Campsis x hybrida is derived from natural species. When crossing, the main advantages of plants were preserved: high frost resistance and decorativeness. The flowers of the hybrid reach a size of 10 cm, it is able to tolerate prolonged cold up to -20 ° C.