We grow edelweiss

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Frankly, edelweiss, in comparison with many other flowers, is absolutely not amazing in its beauty. But this is only at first glance. This little flower is shrouded in many secrets. In particular, it has long been considered a symbol of love, fidelity, courage. Perhaps because once men, risking their lives, tried to get this flower high in the mountains for their loved ones. Therefore, it is not surprising that I so want to conquer this "highlander" by trying to grow it on my site. Read this article on how to do this with minimal effort.

Edelweiss, or leontopodium (Leontopodium) - a genus of herbaceous plants of the Astrovian family (Asteraceae), common in the highlands of Europe and Asia.

Content:

What is edelweiss?
Edelweiss Care
Edelweiss propagation
Edelweiss partners

What is edelweiss?

Not very bright. Therefore, if you drop him among roses, gladioli or phlox, the edelweiss will simply “get lost”. But, if you create the appropriate conditions for him on your site, placing it on an alpine hill is a completely different matter. By the way edelweiss alpine can only be found in the Carpathians and the Alps, where it grows at an altitude of 1700-2000 m. There is also a Siberian species - edelweiss palibina (Leontopodium palibinianum), growing in the mountains of Siberia, Mongolia and Korea, it is larger than the alpine.

Edelweiss Alpine (Leontopodium alpinum) according to modern classification is considered a subspecies of Edelweiss snow (Leontopodium nivale) - Leontopodium nivale subsp. alpinum.

Often called the Siberian edelweiss subspecies of the plant "Cat's foot pink" (Antennaria rosea subsp. confinis), which is wrong from a botanical point of view.

The leaves and stems of the edelweiss are covered with grayish-felt pubescence, which protects the plant from excessive evaporation of water - this is how nature wisely ordered. The flowers are mostly snow white. Inflorescences are baskets collected in dense heads. Usually they are surrounded by an “asterisk” of apical leaves. In France, the plant is called - an alpine star. At the same time, inflorescences vaguely resemble the imprint of a lion paw. Therefore, the scientific name - Leontopodium - in Greek means a combination of the words "lion" and "leg". The usual name "edelweiss" comes from the Greek words "noble" and "white." It blooms in June and August.

Edelweiss Care

Edelweiss does not require special care. This is a one- or perennial photophilous drought-tolerant plant. It prefers light, dry calcareous soils; it does not tolerate stagnation of water. Since this is a real inhabitant of the mountains, it is advisable to add crushed stone or coarse sand to the soil when planting.

Unlike many other flowers, edelweiss nourishing soil is not good. From this he loses decorativeness. However, it feels great on poor soils, in the cracks between the stones.

Edelweiss propagation

Edelweiss is propagated, most often from seeds, better by seedlings, sowing it in February – March in a mixture of soil from deciduous land and sand (2: 1). Seeds are not deepened, but scattered on the surface of the soil. The box is covered with glass or film, which is removed when the shoots appear. Plants grow slowly.

In late April and early May, seedlings can be planted in open soil. Edelweiss can be propagated by dividing the bush in spring or autumn. True, the edelweiss bushes are very closely intertwined with roots, so when dividing, they should be disassembled very carefully. They will bloom next year. Plants can grow in one place for 2-3 years. So that they do not lose their decorativeness, they should be transplanted to another site.

Edelweiss partners

The height of the edelweiss is 15-20 cm, so it is so important not to "hammer" it with other plants. Partners for it can only be such low cultures as alissum, gypsophila, tenacity, stonecrop and other ground cover plants.

If you manage to grow your edelweiss, you can rightly be proud of it. In addition, the plant is listed in the Red Book, and therefore it is necessary to protect it and promote distribution. In addition, even in winter, edelweiss can delight you with its beauty, since it is often used as a dried flower for making winter bouquets. At the same time, it retains its shape and silver color.