The bladderwort is decorative and unpretentious. Bladderwort viburnum Bladdercarp how to prune in autumn

Bladderwort is a flowering perennial shrub, which is also called “spirea”. This plant is becoming increasingly popular due to its unpretentiousness and excellent decorative qualities. A hedge made from bladderwort can become a real decoration for any garden plot. Moreover, in nature there are many varieties of this plant, which differ from each other in the color of the leaves and buds.

Planting a bladderwort, like any other plant, begins with choosing its permanent place of growth. It prefers well-lit areas and is otherwise quite unpretentious. Spiraea grows throughout almost the entire northern hemisphere of the planet and is able to adapt to any type of soil. The main thing is to comply with the following condition: the bladderwort does not like proximity to large oversized trees.

To plant, you need to dig a hole of such depth that a layer of fertile soil can fit at its bottom, and the root collar of the plant seedling is at soil level. There is no need to resort to the use of any fertilizers during the planting process, because in the first days of development in the soil, the bladderwort will not be able to absorb them.

Caring for this plant consists of timely pruning and regular watering. The only thing this crop cannot tolerate is drought, so in the summer you will have to water the bush often. But you should be careful, because water should not get on the inflorescences and leaves. By the way, it is better to water either early in the morning or in the evening. This plant needs pruning to give it a well-groomed decorative appearance.

If this is not done, then the bladderwort most often sends out several long branches and loses neatness. That is why, as they grow, the branches need to be cut with pruners or a sharp knife, then the plant will form and grow thickly and beautifully. If you cut a very thick branch, then it is best to treat the cut with a special product; it will protect the bush and promote speedy healing.

In addition to timely pruning and watering, spirea requires fertilizer and prevention. This needs to be done only once a year, in the spring, when plant growth is most active. It is recommended to use manure mixed with a small amount of ammonium nitrate as a fertilizer. This composition must be placed under the bush in a small layer, but in such a way that the trunk is not covered. In addition, in the spring the bush should be carefully examined and, if necessary, painful and dry branches should be cut out.

Bladderwort: reproduction features


Gardeners often have questions: how does the bladderwort reproduce? How can it be transplanted? Spiraea has a fibrous root system, which is why it tolerates transplantation to another place of growth well. It can be done using 2 methods. If you just want to transplant the plant to another area, then you need to dig it up with an extremely large lump of soil, trying not to destroy it. This method is called transshipment.

If the bush looks sickly or weak, then the lump should be carefully disassembled to inspect the root system. It may have become infected with rot or fungus. The affected roots must be removed by cutting, and the cuts themselves should be sprinkled with wood ash. After this, the bladderwort can be planted in a hole into which turf soil mixed with sand was previously poured.

The second, most effective and easiest way to propagate this shrub is by cuttings. Moreover, in this way, instead of just one plant, you can get several at once. It is best to do this in late spring or early summer, while the flowering process has not yet begun. Cuttings of spirea are no different from propagating other plants in the same way.

Using a sharp knife, you should trim healthy and strong branches of the bush, which have about 2-3 internodes, clean them of leaves (this will significantly reduce the evaporation of moisture), dry them a little and plant them in calcined and clean sand. When new buds begin to bloom on the cuttings, they can be planted in open ground. It is better to do this next to the plant from which, in fact, the cuttings were taken.

The young shrub must spend its first winter covered, in which case new plants will appear in the garden plot next spring.


  • Despite the fact that the bladderwort is one of the most unpretentious plants to care for, its development and active growth directly depend on many aspects, one of which is its timely and correct pruning. All types of spirea tolerate this process well, which allows them to be made into neat bushes with compact and dense crowns. This plant is given both molding and sanitary pruning.
  • During the process of sanitary pruning, broken and damaged branches are removed. It is usually done in the spring or as needed. In this case, you need to pay attention to the appearance of the plant. Molding is done after the end of the flowering period. It is necessary to trim the shoots to 1/2 or 1/3 of the crown size. In the 2nd and subsequent years, you need to trim 2/3 of the size.
  • A hedge created from vesicular carp needs to be trimmed 1-2 times during the growing season, but more often if necessary. The first haircut should be done in April-May, while the buds have not yet bloomed, and subsequent ones - as needed. Sometimes pruning of the bladderwort is done for rejuvenating purposes. In this case, old shoots must be removed to the base, and the rest - to the point where the side shoot originates. This pruning should be done in the autumn, when the leaves from the plant fall off, or in early spring, before the spirea blooms. If plant species with colored foliage produce shoots with green leaves, they need to be removed.

Viburnum foliage: photo


Bladderwort is an easy-to-grow and beautiful perennial shrub. It does not require special attention and care, but it has a very beautiful and unusual appearance. If trimmed correctly, it can make an amazing and original decoration for any garden plot!

Sanitary pruning

Decorative haircut of spirea

  • gardening scissors;
  • pruner;
  • hacksaw


Shrub rejuvenation

  • installation of green fences;




Features of the vesicular carp

What time to plant

How to plant

Bladderwort care

Trimming

Transfer

Diseases and pests

Reproduction of bladderwort

Cuttings

How to propagate by layering

Bladderwort in winter

Autumn care

Preparing for winter

  1. Luteus
  2. Aureomarginata
  3. Nana

  1. Darts Gold
  2. Diablo (red leaf)
  3. Red Baron
  4. Lady in Red

The deciduous shrub Physocarpus is a member of the rose family. The Latin name of such a plant consists of 2 roots of the ancient Greek language, namely: “physo” - “bubble” and “carpos” - “fruit”. There are 14 species in this genus. In the wild, bladderwort can be found in North America and East Asia. When grown in the garden, this shrub is distinguished by its unpretentiousness, and also by the fact that it is able to maintain its spectacular appearance throughout the entire growing season. This shrub is also fast-growing and resistant to air pollution. This plant is grown as a single plant and used in landscape design. However, a hedge made from vesicular carp looks most impressive.

Features of the vesicular carp

The spreading bush of the bladderwort consists of drooping branches that form a lush spherical crown. In an adult shrub, the bark peels off in wide stripes. It can reach 300 centimeters in height. The three- to five-lobed leaf blades are shaped like viburnum leaves. Simple white flowers have many stamens. They are part of hemispherical inflorescences, which can reach 5–7 centimeters in diameter. Lush flowering occurs at the beginning of summer. The fruits of such a plant also look quite impressive; they are swollen leaflets that turn red when ripe. Only 2 types of bladderwort are cultivated, although there are several spectacular varieties whose leaf blades have different colors.

Planting bladderwort in open ground

What time to plant

If you were able to buy seedlings with a closed root system at a nursery or garden center, they can be planted in open soil at any time of the year (just not in winter). If the purchased seedlings have an open root system, then you should choose spring for planting them, and preferably autumn. For planting such a plant, a well-lit, open place is suitable, next to which large trees will not grow. If the color of the leaf blades of the variety is green, then such a shrub will be able to grow normally in a shaded area. Bladderwort is not picky about soil, but it must be well-drained and contain lime. If you want it to have the most decorative appearance, then you should choose loose loamy soil, rich in nutrients.

How to plant

When preparing a planting hole, it should be remembered that its size must be such that it can accommodate a layer of soil saturated with nutrients (or an earth mixture consisting of peat, turf, earth and sand), while the root collar of the seedling after planting should be flush with the surface of the site. In this regard, it is recommended to prepare a hole by digging it and filling it with fertile soil half a month before the planned planting day, in this case the soil will have time to settle well. The seedling is placed in the planting hole together with a lump of earth, but remember that you should not add fertilizer to the soil during planting, since the young plant is simply not able to absorb it normally. Then the hole will need to be filled with soil mixture (the composition is described above) or soil saturated with nutrients. The planted shrub needs abundant watering. If the soil settles after watering, you will need to top it up. During the first days, you should ensure that the trunk circle of the vesicular carp is always slightly damp. The surface of the site should be covered with a layer of mulch (humus or peat).

Bladderwort care

When caring for such a plant, it is very important to water it on time, since it reacts extremely negatively to drought. When watering, make sure that the liquid does not get on the surface of the leaf blades and inflorescences, because this can lead to burns. In this regard, this procedure is recommended to be performed early in the morning or in the evening. In the hot summer, watering will need to be done approximately a couple of times a week, and 4 buckets of water should be used per bush at a time. Observe the condition of the leaves of the vesicular carp, because not only drought, but also waterlogging of the soil can harm it. If the area is not covered with mulch, then each time after the bush is watered, its surface must be loosened and weeded.

The plant needs to be fed a couple of times a year (in spring and autumn). In spring, you need to feed the plant with the following nutrient mixture: take a five-hundred-gram jar of mullein for 1 bucket of water, as well as 1 large spoon of urea and ammonium nitrate. For 1 adult bush, take 1.5 buckets of this solution. In the autumn, one and a half buckets of a nutrient solution consisting of 10 liters of water and 2 large spoons of nitroammophos should be poured under each bush.

Trimming

This shrub requires systematic sanitary and formative pruning. In spring, it is imperative to prune for sanitary purposes; for this purpose, all injured, diseased, frost-damaged stems and branches, as well as those growing inside the bush, are cut off. By pruning the bladderwort in the fall, you are preparing it for the coming winter. Pruning to form the crown can be done in the fall, but experienced gardeners recommend doing it in the spring. In order for the bush to have the shape of a fountain, you need to cut off all the thin stems at the base, leaving 5 or 6 of the most powerful ones, which need to be shortened a little. If you want the bush to be wide, you need to cut it at a height of 50 centimeters. When the bush is 6 years old, anti-aging pruning is performed on the stump. On thick stems, the cut points should be smeared with garden varnish.

Transfer

In some cases, it becomes necessary to replant this plant, for example, you need to move it to another place. If the shrub is already mature, then it should be replanted in early spring, before the buds swell, or in autumn, when the leaf fall ends. The bush is replanted with a sufficiently voluminous earthen lump, and first it is pruned, during which injured, diseased and thickening stems are cut off, and the remaining ones should be shortened to 0.2–0.3 m. Thanks to this, you will be able to put a strain on the root system weaker, because during adaptation it will be extremely difficult for her to feed an adult plant. Transplantation is carried out in almost the same way as planting, only it should be taken into account that in this case the vesicular carp is already an adult. The transplanted bush must be watered using a solution of Heteroauxin or Kornevin, and the leaf plates must also be sprayed with Epin or Ecogel-anti-stress.

Diseases and pests

Planting and growing bladderwort is quite simple, and the gardener will also be pleased with the fact that it has a very high resistance to pests and various diseases. However, if the soil lacks nutrients, the plant develops chlorosis, which causes the apical stems to dry out and young leaf blades to turn yellow. If you notice signs of this disease, you should spray the foliage or water the bush itself at the root with a solution of Ferrilene, Antichlorosis, Ferovit, but experienced gardeners recommend using Iron Chelate. As a rule, after this procedure the vesicular carp recovers very quickly.

Reproduction of bladderwort

Bladderwort can be propagated quite easily by vegetative means, namely by cuttings, layering, and also by dividing the bush. The generative (seed) method of propagation is also suitable for this. Seeds are sown in spring or autumn, and first they must be stratified for 30 days. However, you should be aware that shrubs grown in this way rarely retain the rich leaf color that is inherent in the parent plant. Growing bladderwort from seeds is also a rather labor-intensive process. In this regard, it is recommended to resort to vegetative methods for its propagation.

Cuttings

Cuttings should be taken before the bush blooms. To do this, cut off the green shoots of the current year. The length of the cuttings can be from 10 to 20 centimeters, and each of them should have 2 or 3 internodes. All leaf plates located at the bottom of the cutting must be cut off, and those located at the top must be shortened by ½ part. Prepared cuttings must be immersed in a solution of a root-stimulating agent (for example, Kornevin). Then they are planted in a training bed in an earth mixture consisting of peat and sand. They are watered and covered with polyethylene film. Caring for cuttings is very simple; they need to be watered on time and systematically ventilated. In winter, rooted cuttings need shelter, and in the spring they can be planted in a permanent place.

How to propagate by layering

This propagation method is the simplest and most effective. In spring, you should select the most powerful and absolutely healthy shoot, which must necessarily grow outward. All leaf plates should be torn off from it, leaving only those growing at the very top. Then this stem is placed in a pre-prepared groove, the depth of which should be about 12 centimeters, then it is fixed using a wooden bracket (you can use hairpins), then the groove must be filled with soil. Throughout the entire growing season, the cuttings will need timely watering, weeding and loosening of the soil surface. By the onset of the autumn period, the cuttings will have to give roots, and it must be separated from the parent bush and covered for the winter.

How to propagate by dividing a bush

It is best to propagate Viburnum foliage by dividing the bush. This procedure is carried out in spring or autumn. However, if you have experience and certain skills in this matter, then you can divide the bush in the summer. In order for this procedure to end successfully, it must be carried out very quickly, because the root system, once exposed to fresh air, should under no circumstances dry out.

Bladderwort in winter

Autumn care

In autumn, this shrub looks especially impressive, because it is at this time that the foliage turns different colors. It has relatively high frost resistance and in winter, as a rule, only those branches that have not had time to ripen freeze. But it should be taken into account that rooted cuttings, like young specimens, need shelter for the winter.

Preparing for winter

If weather forecasters predict a very frosty winter, then adult bladderwrack bushes should also be covered. To do this, you need to carefully tie the bush with twine, and then “put” a cone of roofing felt on it or loosely wrap it with lutrasil. However, first you need to cover the surface of the tree trunk circle with a layer of mulch (peat), the thickness of which should be from 5 to 8 centimeters. Young shrubs need to be trimmed, their trunk circle mulched, and then covered with spruce branches.

Types and varieties of bladderwort with photos and names

At the moment, only 2 types of bladderwort are cultivated, as well as their varieties and varieties.

Amur bladderwort (Physocarpus amurensis)

This species can be found in natural conditions in North Korea, Northern China and the Far East, and it prefers to grow in mixed forests. The height of such a shrub with a spherical crown is about 300 centimeters. Young stems are brownish-red and smooth, while on older trunks the bark peels off in longitudinal strips. The three- to five-lobed leaf blade has a heart-shaped base and is about 10 centimeters long. Their front surface is dark green, and their back surface is whitish-gray, because there are star-shaped felt hairs on it. The corymbose inflorescences consist of 10–15 white flowers, one and a half centimeters in diameter. Flowering lasts approximately 20 days. The fruit is a swollen leaflet that turns red when ripe. This species is highly frost-resistant. It is used to create hedges, as well as in group and single plantings. Cultivated since 1854. The most popular forms:

  1. Luteus. In summer, the leaf blades are painted a rich yellow color, and in autumn they turn bronze.
  2. Aureomarginata. The leaf plates have a dark golden edging.
  3. Nana. This dwarf shrub has dark green, single-colored leaf blades.

Physocarpus opulifolius

This species is native to the eastern part of North America, and it prefers to grow in undergrowth and on river banks. This shrub with a hemispherical lush crown can reach a height of 300 centimeters. Elliptical three- to five-lobed leaf blades have an elongated large middle lobe and a serrated edge. Their front surface is green, and their back surface is painted in a paler shade; sometimes it can be pubescent. Small (diameter about 1.2 cm) flowers are pink or white and have red stamens. The fruit is a swollen, collective, pale green leaflet that turns red when ripe. This type can be used to create a hedge, as well as in single or group plantings. Cultivated since 1864. The most popular varieties:

  1. Darts Gold. The height of a dense and wide bush can reach up to 150 centimeters. The yellow leaf blades turn greenish-yellow in summer. Racemose inflorescences consist of white or pink flowers.
  2. Diablo (red leaf). The height of the bush is about 300 centimeters. The color of its foliage is purple or dark red. If the bush is grown in a shaded place, then its leaves will be green with a purple tint, and when grown in a sunny place, they will have a red color. In autumn, the color of the foliage does not change. This variety is the most popular.
  3. Red Baron. The height of the bush is about 200 centimeters. The bare oval three- to five-lobed leaf plates reach 7 centimeters in length and have a serrated edge. They are painted in a striking dark red color and are narrower than the Diablo vesiculus. Umbrella-shaped inflorescences consist of white flowers with a pink tint, reaching a diameter of 5 centimeters. The red fruits, which contain from 3 to 5 pointed sacs, also look quite impressive. This variety is one of the most valuable.
  4. Lady in Red. The bush can reach 150 centimeters in height. This variety was bred by breeders from England. The deep red leaves gradually darken. The color of the delicate flowers is white and pink.

Among the shrubs there are few that would combine decorativeness, ease of cultivation and low maintenance requirements as advantageously as the vesicular carp. Look at the photo, how can you pass by such a handsome man, because he does not lose his charm even in winter. Planting will not take much time, but you will admire the decoration of the bush for many years.

Varieties and varieties of bladderwort

Sometimes the bladderwort is mistakenly called spirea, but this is a misconception. These two plants belong to the same family, but belong to different genera. In an adult plant, the bark is separated from the shoot in wide strips. The fruits of the vesicular carp look like a bubble, which gives the plant its name. Varieties of viburnum-leaved bladderwort are used in decorative landscaping. These varieties are grouped according to foliage color.

Varieties with red color leaf blade:

  • Diablo;
  • Summer Wine;

Variety Summer Wine

  • Red Baron;

Variety Red Baron

  • Schuch.

Varieties having yellow leaf blade:

  • Luteus;
  • Darts Gold;

Variety Darts Gold

  • Nugget.

Varieties double painted:

  • Center Glow;

Variety Center Glow

  • Coppertina.

Variety Coppertina

Of course, planting a bladderwort, like any plant, begins with choosing a suitable location. Bladderwort grows well both in the sun and in the shade. It grows poorly on soils with high groundwater levels and high lime content. Such soil can provoke chlorosis or rotting of the roots, which will lead to the death of the bush. The plant does not impose any special conditions on soil fertility.

You can safely plant the plant as a hedge along the road, since the bladderwort tolerates urban air pollution very well.

The bladderwort is completely unpretentious to the planting site

It is better to purchase a plant for planting with a closed root system in nurseries. This way you will have a guarantee of purchasing a varietal seedling. Container seedlings can be planted at any time, excluding the winter months. Planting material with an open root system is planted in spring or autumn. Autumn planting is preferable, since the conditions for rooting are more favorable than in spring.

There are no tricks when planting: a hole is dug so that the root collar is level with the ground surface. Filled with fertile soil composition and well watered. The top is mulched with humus, peat or just dry soil.

Bladderwort seedlings

To obtain a hedge from bladderwort, young seedlings are planted in a two-row manner in a checkerboard pattern. A distance of 35 cm is left between the rows, and 45 cm in the row. Such a hedge can be formed by pruning, giving it the appearance of a meter-high rectangle. A free-growing hedge, limited only by pruning on the sides, will grow 1.8 - 2.5 m, depending on the variety planted.

Advice. Shrub varieties with golden or purple foliage, such as Diabolo or Darts Gold, are best planted in sunny areas, since the decorativeness of the foliage is reduced in the shade.

Hassle-free care

Despite the fact that the bladderwort is an unpretentious plant, this does not mean that you should plant it and forget about it. The life expectancy of the bush is 30 years. Under favorable conditions, the shrub is capable of adding up to 45 cm in width and height during the growing season; in the second year, only flowering shoots are formed on the regrown shoots, so stimulating pruning and crown formation are vital for the bush. The plant tolerates this procedure very well and recovers quickly. For the winter it does not require any additional shelter, the vesicle is very winter-hardy, only in severe frosts can the tips of its shoots freeze.

The bladderwort does not require special care

Watering

Young, newly planted plants require special attention to soil moisture, because their survival rate depends on this. In general, the frequency and abundance of watering depends on the age, soil composition and climatic zone of growth.

  1. When the bladderwort grows on loam and high temperatures in the summer, regular watering will be required twice a week, four buckets of water per adult bush.
  2. On heavy clay soils, it is important not to over-moisten the soil, so as not to provoke the death of the root system.

Keep watering in moderation

Trimming

Pruning can be divided into sanitary and formative. Sanitary pruning is carried out in the spring; its task is to remove broken or frozen branches of the plant. Formative pruning is best done in the spring, but can also be done in the fall.

Free-growing bladderwrack bushes have a fountain-shaped crown. The plant's top buds are always the first to wake up and begin to grow. If you want to get a wide bush with many shoots, cut the branches at a height of half a meter. The fountain-like shape is achieved by cutting out all thin shoots to ground level. There should be about five of the strongest shoots left in the bush; they are additionally shortened to a height of one and a half meters from the ground. Radical pruning is carried out every 4–5 years, leaving stumps 15–20 cm from the ground.

Bladderwort looks great as a hedge

Pruning begins when the plant reaches three years of age. To give the bush a more compact shape, you can shorten the young shoots 2–3 times during the growing season.

Advice. If for any reason an adult bush needs to be transplanted to a new location, do it in the fall, after the leaves have flown. Remove excess branches and shorten the rest by 30 cm. An adult bush is planted in the same way as a young plant.

Fertilizer and feeding of shrubs

Feed the bladderwort twice a season. In spring, fertilizers containing an increased dose of nitrogen will be required for the growth of vegetative mass. This should be done at the moment the buds open. Use an infusion of mullein or bird droppings at the rate of half a liter per bucket of water. In the fall, apply a solution of nitroammophoska about the size of a matchbox of fertilizer per bucket of water. For adult bladderwrack bushes that have reached 10 years or more, the dose of fertilizing is increased by half.

Feed the crop 2 times a year

The bladderwort responds well to mulching the tree trunk circle with organic materials. Mulch creates favorable conditions for the roots of the plant: the soil does not overheat, it is structured and breathes, and moisture surges are minimized. Mulch will save you from constant loosening and weeding.

Methods of propagation of bladderwort

Bladderwort is easy to propagate on your own - by layering or cuttings, like currants, or by dividing a bush. The seed method is also possible, but the fact is that seedlings rarely inherit the characteristics of the mother plant from which the seeds were taken. Besides, this is a troublesome task. The vegetative method of plant propagation is more reliable and gives consistently quick results.

Reproduction by layering. This is the least labor-intensive option. Select a healthy and strong shoot in the spring, tear off the foliage, leaving only the top intact. Now we place this shoot in a pre-dug trench, 10–15 cm deep, and press it to the ground with a wire or wood pin. We bend the top with the leaves vertically upward and tie it to a wooden peg. The buried part of the shoot will give roots. Now the main task is to moisten the soil in a timely manner so that the young roots are well strengthened by autumn. Next year, in early spring, you can plant a young bush in a permanent place.

Bladderwort in landscape design

Propagation by cuttings. For this purpose, young shoots of the current year about 20 cm long are cut. At the top of the head, the foliage is shortened by half, the rest is completely removed. The lower part can be slightly scratched to quickly form callus, which will subsequently give roots. For a day, put the cuttings in a bucket of water, to which we add a drug that stimulates the formation of roots or a spoonful of honey. Now you can plant the cuttings in the school.

The soil must breathe, so we prepare the cuttings in advance and add soil from a mixture of peat and sand. We cover the school with film and do not forget to moisten, ventilate and spray. In winter, the cuttings need shelter, and in the spring they can be planted in a permanent place.

Bladderwort cuttings

To propagate bladderwort by seeds, they must be stratified for a month before planting. Plant the seeds to a depth of 2–3 cm.

Diseases and pests

Another advantage of the bladderwort is that it is practically not affected by diseases and pests. It is rare to observe leaf chlorosis - when the tips of the shoots dry out and the foliage turns yellow, the veins remain green. This is due to a lack of microelements in the soil: elements of iron, magnesium or nitrogen, or waterlogging of the root ball. Chlorosis can be caused by viruses and microorganisms that are carried by pests. Applying complex fertilizers with watering or spraying the foliage with chelated compounds will help the bladderwort restore health.

Bladderwort diseases mainly occur due to improper care

Bladderwort is good as a solo plant and excellent as a living fence in mixed group plantings. Even the bark of this shrub is decorative. Leaves and flowers that change shades throughout the season will bring contrasting color variety to the green decoration of the garden area.

Bladderwort in the garden: video

Growing bladderwort: photo

Physocarpus is a deciduous shrub from the Rosaceae family that is decorative throughout the season. This unpretentious bush with lush inflorescences can be grown by a beginner. We will talk about the features of growing bladderwort.

In landscape design, viburnum leaf is especially popular. This plant has spreading and drooping branches, three- or five-lobed leaves (like viburnum), the color of which depends on the variety, and white or white-pink spherical inflorescences, from which it is impossible to take your eyes off in summer. In autumn, very decorative and unusual leaflet fruits appear in place of flowers.

    Diabolo bladderwort - a bright accent for your garden

    An unpretentious, fast-growing and devilishly spectacular shrub, decorative throughout the growing season.

To enjoy this beauty on your site, you need to make very little effort.

Planting a bladderwort

For beginners, it is best to choose seedlings with a closed root system. Such plants can be planted from spring to autumn. And it is recommended to “settle” bladdercarp seedlings with bare roots in the garden only in the fall (September), or, in extreme cases, in early spring, but then the plants take root worse.

Bladderwort prefers open sunny areas. Tall trees should not grow near this place. By the way, varieties with green leaves develop well in partial shade, but bright colors can only be achieved in the sun.

In order for the plant to form a lush crown, and in summer to have many inflorescences on the shoots, the soil on the site must be well-drained, loose, fertile (a mixture of garden soil, peat, sand and turf is suitable), loamy and without lime.

A hole for the bladderwort is dug of such a size that a seedling with an earthen clod can easily fit there. Fertile soil is poured into the hole 2 weeks before planting so that the soil has time to settle. When planting a seedling, the root collar should be at the same level as the soil surface.

The seedling is watered abundantly. If at the same time the ground subsides significantly, then it needs to be added. To preserve moisture, young bladderworts are mulched with peat or humus.

This shrub is suitable for single and group plantings, but a hedge of bladderwrack looks best in the garden. To grow it, young seedlings are planted in a two-row manner in a checkerboard pattern. The distance between rows is 35 cm, and between plants in a row is 45 cm.

Bladderwort care

The plant does not tolerate drought well, so first of all you need to take care of timely watering (in summer - on average 2 times a week). But the soil is moistened early in the morning or in the evening so that drops do not fall on the leaves and inflorescences. Otherwise, under the influence of the sun, burns may form on the plant. If the bush is not mulched, then after watering the soil is loosened and weeds are regularly weeded.

When planting bladderwort in fertile soil, there is no need to apply fertilizer, but after a few years the plant begins to be fed 2 times a year. In spring, use 0.5 liters of mullein and 1.5 tbsp. ammonium nitrate or 1 tbsp. urea (urea). All this is dissolved in 10 liters of water and poured under one plant. For shrubs older than 10 years, you will need about 15 liters of this fertilizer. In autumn, the bladderwort is fed with nitroammophoska (2 tablespoons per 10 liters of water). 10-15 liters of fertilizer are used per bush.

Pruning and formation of vesicle carp

Pruning the bladderwort in the spring should be both sanitary and formative. At the same time, all broken, diseased, frozen branches are removed, as well as those that grow inside the bush and thicken the crown. The remaining shoots are pruned so that the bush acquires an attractive shape.

In autumn, pruning of the bladderwort is necessary so that the plant overwinters better. At this time, all damaged and dry shoots are cut out, after which they are burned to destroy pests that like to spend the winter on dry branches.

Anti-aging pruning of the bush (to the stump) is done at the age of 5-6 years. In this case, it is recommended to cover the cuts on thick shoots with garden varnish to prevent fungi and bacteria from penetrating there.

Bladderwort diseases

The bladderwort practically does not get sick and is not damaged by insects. But if the plant lacks nutrients (in particular iron and magnesium), it may develop chlorosis. In this case, the leaf plate (excluding the veins) turns yellow, and the young shoots dry out. To save the bush, it is watered at the root with Antichlorosis or Iron Chelate.

Overwintering of the bladderwort

Adult plants overwinter well in the middle zone without shelter, but young seedlings are insulated in the fall: after pruning and mulching with peat (5-7 cm layer), they are covered with spruce branches. If an adult bladderwort has a weakened immune system and a frosty and snowless winter is expected, then it is better to carefully tie the bush with twine and insulate it with a cap to cover the plants for the winter or wrap the bush with spunbond.

How to propagate bladderwort

The most popular propagation of bladderwort cuttings before the plant begins to flower. For this, young green shoots of the current year 10-15 cm long are used. The lower cut on the cutting is made just below the bud and at an angle of 45 degrees. The leaves are removed, leaving only the top two and at the same time shortening them by half.

The cuttings are placed for a day in a container of water, to which a root formation stimulator (Kornevin, Heteroauxin) is added. Then the cuttings are planted in a garden bed in a mixture of sand and peat or rooted at home in a container. Cover the container with film or a plastic lid, periodically ventilate and moisten the soil. In the spring, the cuttings are planted in a permanent place.

As you can see, cuttings from vesicular carp is not difficult. But if you want to put in even less effort, then the plant can be propagated using layering.

In the spring, a healthy and strong shoot is selected, the leaves are torn off (only the top is left), placed in a pre-dug hole (10-15 cm deep) and pinned to the ground. A wooden peg is driven in nearby and the top of the allocated shoot is tied to it. The soil at the cutting site is regularly moistened, and the next year, in early spring, the formed young bush is transplanted to a permanent place in the garden.

Another popular method of propagating vesicular carp is bush division. In spring or autumn, the bush is dug up and divided into several parts, each of which should have several shoots and a root lobe. The cuttings are immediately planted so that their roots do not have time to dry out.

The bladderwort is propagated and seeds, which are sown in spring or autumn (necessarily after stratification). But this is a very labor-intensive process. And varietal shrubs cannot be propagated in this way: they will not retain the characteristics of the mother plant.

The unassuming bladderwort will decorate your garden from spring to late autumn. The plant has attractive leaves, inflorescences, and fruits. Set aside a place for it in your summer cottage - and the spectacular shrub will not disappoint you!

Landing

Selecting a location

Choosing the time to land

Soil preparation

Bladderwort care

Watering

Feeding

Preparing for winter

Reproduction

Propagation by cuttings

Dividing the bush

Trimming

Varieties

  1. Diabolo
  2. Luteus
  3. Dart's Gold
  4. Center Glow
  5. Red Baron

Jul 21, 2015 Elena Timoshchuk

There are many ways to create an unusual decorative composition from spirea (as the vesicle is also called): pruning to give the crown a variety of shapes, combining varieties with different colors and leaf configurations. The shrub has a decorative appearance throughout the season: first, the area will be decorated with compact bushes with foliage of various shades, then with clusters of white or pink flowers, and in the fall, fruits of an original shape will form in their place. Landscape designers have appreciated the plant - using only different types of vesicles, they create interesting and original compositions.

Sanitary pruning

The bladderwort rarely gets sick and is damaged by insects, so sanitary pruning will not be very difficult. In early spring, remove all broken or dried branches, take a closer look - suddenly some bush has caught an infection or has been attacked by pests. After this, look for any shoots growing inside the bush. Such branches should also be cut off; they make the bush too dense - the wind will not pass through the foliage, and the air will stagnate. You can finish your work here.

In the fall, after the leaves fall, check for damaged fragments, remove weak, undeveloped shoots and all branches that cause you suspicion. Only strong, healthy shoots will survive the winter cold; all others will weaken the vesicle. With each haircut, and especially in the fall, burn all removed areas. If they are left until spring, the pests will definitely overwinter on dry wood.

There is no need to insulate spirea after autumn pruning. Only young and weakened specimens are covered.

Sometimes sanitary pruning has to be carried out in the summer. When you see a damaged shoot, remove it immediately so as not to spoil the decorative appearance of the plant and not create conditions for the development of infection. If a thick branch is cracked and needs to be cut down, treat the wound with garden varnish or a special putty; these drugs will heal the damage faster. Small sections do not need to be processed; they will heal on their own.

Spiraea decorates the site with beautiful leaves of different shades. Sometimes a hybrid plant may send out a branch covered with green foliage. Do not expect that with age the young leaves will change color and will not differ from the rest of the crown. Such fragments need to be removed: they will not change the color, but will spoil the appearance of the bush.

Decorative haircut of spirea

Some ornamental trees and shrubs do not necessarily require the formation of a crown - but the bladderwort needs to be cut, even if you do not like clear contours and prefer the natural beauty of plants. Unlike thuja and other conifers, which in any case will grow many shoots and form a dense crown, spirea itself will not give such beauty. She will release several branches that stretch greatly in length and consider her mission complete. Neither a hedge nor a flower garden decoration can be made from such a bush.

Before starting work, keep in mind that you will have to cut branches of different thicknesses, so collect and sharpen all the necessary tools:

  • gardening scissors;
  • pruner;
  • hacksaw

To stimulate the growth of new shoots, old shoots should not be allowed to stretch too much. After flowering ends, shorten the branches of young bushes by 1/3. In the second year and all subsequent seasons, the shoots need to be cut back to 2/3 of their length. The bush will take a compact, even shape, and the contour depends on your goals. The plant tolerates cutting well and will immediately begin to produce new shoots. The crown will become thicker, but the branches grow so actively that sometimes you have to adjust the shape every month.

Sometimes the owners carefully cut off old shoots, follow all the rules when forming the crown, but the bush remains loose and produces very few new shoots. This is not due to inept cutting, but to poor soil or improper care. The plant is unpretentious, but it also needs moisture and nutrients. Correct your mistakes, otherwise no amount of pruning will give the vesicle a decorative appearance.

If during sanitary or decorative pruning you have to remove young strong shoots, you can use them to propagate the bush. Prepare cuttings with 2-3 internodes, cut off all the leaves to avoid intense evaporation of moisture, and plant them in the sand. When you see swollen young buds, plant the branches in a permanent place. They will most like to grow next to the mother vesicle from which the shoots were taken.

Shrub rejuvenation

Old bushes lose their decorative properties. If you notice that the foliage has become less dense and fresh, the bush blooms sparingly, and the inflorescences have become smaller, it means that the bladderwort requires rejuvenating pruning. Typically this procedure is carried out 5-6 years after planting. Stock up on garden pitcher and a saw in advance, since you will have to remove thick trunks.

To stimulate the development of new shoots, you need to carry out rejuvenating pruning. It is better to do this work in the spring, before the buds begin to bloom, or in the fall, when the leaves fall. Shoots that, due to age, can no longer produce dense foliage and lush inflorescences, need to be cut down to the ground. All other trunks are cut to the branch of the first shoot.

Large-scale pruning weakens the bush - provide it with good care, timely watering and fertilizing. If the procedure was carried out in the fall, insulate the vesicle with straw or covering material. In regions with frosty winters with little snow, it is better to protect spirea, which is rejuvenated in the spring, from the cold.

The use of spirea in landscape design

The shoots of the bush grow very quickly; after cutting, the plant will become thick and lush in one season. This quality is especially convenient for beginning gardeners. If in the first year you unsuccessfully formed the crown, by the fall all the mistakes will be covered by young branches, and in the spring you will give the vesicle the desired contour.

Decorative bushes are used for various elements of country house design:

  • installation of green fences;
  • decorating fountains, gazebos, sculptures;
  • creating compositions from several plants or single bushes;
  • as a decorative element in flower beds and flower beds.

If spirea is used for a hedge, you cannot wait for the end of flowering: the fence will lose its correct outline, young branches will stick out in all directions, like the needles of a hedgehog. The haircut should be done in early spring, before the buds open. After about a month, you will see protruding branches again. Cut them in a timely manner so that the fence does not become shapeless. The fence can be made even, alternating bushes with different colors of leaves, or you can make ledges, waves, and turrets. If you supplement the vesicle with other ornamental shrubs or trees, the scope for imagination will become even wider.

From spreading species, the branches of which first grow upward and the ends go down, you can create a dense, wide bush. Trim the lower branches to about 40 cm from the surface of the ground, and trim the tips of the remaining shoots. Depending on the density of the shoots, you can create a continuous “umbrella” or leave 4-5 trunks and get a figure resembling an octopus. Spiraea viburnum is well suited for a crown of this shape. Arrange a few bushes randomly on an empty lawn, and the area will take on an original look. It is even more interesting if among the drooping species you plant plants with shoots sticking up.

Plant several bushes of viburnum leaf around the fountain. Its spreading branches, drooping at the ends, will follow the shape of the streams.

When the bush becomes thick enough, its crown can be given any shape. Tall, rounded bushes can be made the center of a flower garden or planted near the porch. If you are going to give the vesicle the shape of a geometric figure with straight edges, be prepared for the fact that you will have to adjust the crown very often. The same problem will arise if you want to make green sculptures: young shoots will be knocked out of the contour on one side or the other, and the pruner will become your constant tool.

Landscape designers offer other options for using vesicles, each of which requires its own crown shape.

  • Border. If instead of a high green fence you build a low fence, it will not block the view of the site, but will emphasize the contour of the paths and highlight the border of other buildings.
  • Alpine slide. Dwarf varieties are suitable for decorating this object. Hanging shoots will create the effect of a lace blanket.
  • Array. If you want your bladderwort to require minimal care, plant a group of bushes close to each other. An evenly trimmed top will create the effect of a voluminous green carpet laid on the lawn.

Sometimes novice gardeners do not grow ornamental shrubs on their property because they do not know how to cut them. In fact, you can learn this in one season. Start with bladderwort, its shoots grow very quickly. Like a fairy-tale monster, 3 new shoots will grow in place of one incorrectly cut branch. Next year you won’t even be able to notice your mistake. Do you want to learn how to create green fences and crowns of various shapes? Plant spirea, this is the most suitable material for experiments.

The bladderwort will look great both as a free-standing shrub and as a hedge

Bladderwort is a perennial ornamental shrub that is popular among gardeners due to its easy cultivation and care, as well as its excellent external qualities.

A hedge made from this shrub looks very impressive. It will decorate any suburban area.

Landing

The choice of place, time and soil for planting determines how the shrub will develop and grow.

Selecting a location

Here are some tips for choosing a place to plant bladderwort:

  1. It is recommended to plant the shrub in an open, well-lit place. In a darkened area, the plant does not take root well, but the color of the leaves will begin to fade over time and will not become as pronounced and bright as in the sun.
  2. It is not recommended to plant bladderwrack next to branchy fruit trees.
  3. The plant is unpretentious to soil. It is desirable that it be light and allow water and oxygen to pass well to the roots. If the soil is not rich in minerals, it is recommended to feed the bush.

Choosing the time to land

Bladderwort is most often planted in May or early June. Over the summer, the plant will have time to get stronger and prepare for the first winter.

In our area, planting in the fall is risky. If cold temperatures and rainy, cloudy weather set in early, the shrub may not take root well and may not survive the winter well.

Soil preparation

Before planting, dig up the soil well, remove roots, pebbles, dried grass, leaves and loosen it.

The soil should be well drained, slightly acidic and free of lime.

Features of planting in open ground

Given the tendency of the bladderwort to grow, leave as much space as possible between the bushes

  1. Before planting, dig a deep hole (approximately 50 by 50 cm). A small layer of humus is placed at the bottom.
  2. The plant is carefully removed from the container in which it was located and moved into the hole in a vertical position. The root collar is not covered with soil.
  3. The hole is filled with earth, lightly compacted and watered. It is advisable to mulch immediately after planting, sprinkling the ground under the plant with peat.
  4. There should be up to two meters of free space between plants.

Growing Chinese lemongrass - instructions here.

Also read the article about daylily, planting and caring for it.

Bladderwort care

Watering

Bladderwort loves regular, abundant watering. Before the next watering, the soil should dry well. In hot weather, it is recommended to water more often.

Feeding

Tips for feeding bladderwort:

  1. The plant needs to be fertilized twice a season.
  2. In early spring, feed with nitrogen-containing fertilizer. For ten liters of water, take one tablespoon of urea and ammonium nitrate, half a liter of mullein.
  3. In autumn (before the onset of cold weather) fertilize with mineral complex fertilizers.

Preparing for winter

The plant tolerates winter well if you follow the recommendations:

  1. Before frost, you need to mulch and add a small layer of humus, hay and peat. This will serve as a good shelter from severe frosts, and with the arrival of spring it will become food for the plant.
  2. Young plants (planted in the first year) need additional shelter.

Reproduction

Most often, shrubs are propagated using cuttings or dividing the bush. This is done at the end of May or early summer (before the flowering process). The plant is propagated extremely rarely with the help of seeds, since the varietal characteristics of the shrub are lost.

Propagation by cuttings

The appearance of buds on the cuttings is a sign that it is time to plant the bladderwort on the site

Step-by-step instructions for cuttings from vesicular carp:

  1. To propagate a plant by cuttings, first cut healthy strong branches (2-3 internodes) with a sharp knife and clear them of leaves.
  2. The cuttings are dried a little and planted in warm, clean sand.
  3. When the first buds appear on the cuttings, you can plant them on the site. It is better to plant next to the plant from which the cuttings were taken.

Dividing the bush

Only an adult, healthy, well-developed bush is suitable for this.

The separated part from the bush is treated with a solution of potassium permanganate and planted in a new place.

It is better to shorten the branches in a new place a little to allow the plant to take root well and not waste energy on the formation of leaves.

Trimming

Bush pruning can be sanitary or decorative (or molding).

  1. During sanitary pruning, damaged, dry, broken branches are removed. Most often it is done in spring and early autumn.
  2. Molding is done after flowering. Cut off the shoots to about 1/3 of the crown size.
  3. A hedge of bladderwort needs pruning (haircut) 1-2 times during the growing season. The first haircut takes place in April, the next one as needed.

Also read about clematis, planting and caring for it.

And here you will find information about growing climbing roses.

Pest and disease control

The shrub has excellent immunity and is extremely rarely susceptible to disease or pest attack.

Sometimes, from an excess of moisture (especially on heavy soil), root rot can occur. In this case, you need to dig up the plant, remove the affected parts, treat it with potassium permanganate and plant it in a new place.

Varieties

Each variety of bladderwort has its own personality. Let's look at the most popular of them:

  1. Diabolo- the most preferred variety. Has good decorative qualities. It is distinguished by beautiful dark burgundy leaves that will decorate various landscape compositions.
  2. Luteus- a variety characterized by good and fast growth. It has playful leaves. When they bloom, they are yellow with an orange tint, in June they turn green, and in the fall they turn golden. The inflorescences are white.
  3. Dart's Gold- a wide shrub, round in shape, reaching 3 meters. The leaves are yellow with a golden tint or lemon. The inflorescences are white or tinged with pink.
  4. Center Glow- a shrub with expressively colored leaves. The leaves are burgundy along the edges and yellow and lemon in the center. The color is especially pronounced on young leaves. With age, the color changes and becomes like Burgundy wine, only a slight yellow tint remains at the center.
  5. Red Baron- has expressive red leaf veining. The shrub reaches 2 meters in height. The flowers are pink.

You can see photos of these varieties in the gallery:

Application in landscape design

The bladderwort will be a worthy decoration for any landscape design. You can use it to decorate small rocky paths near your house. You can create a decorative hedge.

Bladderwort will be an excellent solution for a hedge.

Plants planted singly next to benches or an artificial pond look good.

If you choose the right shade of foliage, bladderwort will look great next to a variety of bright flowers.

Every year the bladderwort attracts more and more attention from gardeners. It has good decorative and aesthetic qualities and is easy to maintain.

If you give it your care and attention, it can become a real decoration of your garden plot.

Jul 21, 2015 Elena Timoshchuk

Bladderwort is a flowering perennial shrub, which is also called “spirea”. This plant is becoming increasingly popular due to its unpretentiousness and excellent decorative qualities. A hedge made from bladderwort can become a real decoration for any garden plot. Moreover, in nature there are many varieties of this plant, which differ from each other in the color of the leaves and buds.

Planting a bladderwort, like any other plant, begins with choosing its permanent place of growth. It prefers well-lit areas and is otherwise quite unpretentious. Spiraea grows throughout almost the entire northern hemisphere of the planet and is able to adapt to any type of soil. The main thing is to comply with the following condition: the bladderwort does not like proximity to large oversized trees.

To plant, you need to dig a hole of such depth that a layer of fertile soil can fit at its bottom, and the root collar of the plant seedling is at soil level. There is no need to resort to the use of any fertilizers during the planting process, because in the first days of development in the soil, the bladderwort will not be able to absorb them.

Caring for this plant consists of timely pruning and regular watering. The only thing this crop cannot tolerate is drought, so in the summer you will have to water the bush often. But you should be careful, because water should not get on the inflorescences and leaves. By the way, it is better to water either early in the morning or in the evening. This plant needs pruning to give it a well-groomed decorative appearance. If this is not done, then the bladderwort most often sends out several long branches and loses neatness. That is why, as they grow, the branches need to be cut with pruners or a sharp knife, then the plant will form and grow thickly and beautifully. If you cut a very thick branch, then it is best to treat the cut with a special product; it will protect the bush and promote speedy healing.

In addition to timely pruning and watering, spirea requires fertilizer and prevention. This needs to be done only once a year, in the spring, when plant growth is most active. It is recommended to use manure mixed with a small amount of ammonium nitrate as a fertilizer. This composition must be placed under the bush in a small layer, but in such a way that the trunk is not covered. In addition, in the spring the bush should be carefully examined and, if necessary, painful and dry branches should be cut out.

Bladderwort: reproduction features

Gardeners often have questions: how does the bladderwort reproduce? How can it be transplanted? Spiraea has a fibrous root system, which is why it tolerates transplantation to another place of growth well. It can be done using 2 methods. If you just want to transplant the plant to another area, then you need to dig it up with an extremely large lump of soil, trying not to destroy it. This method is called transshipment.

If the bush looks sickly or weak, then the lump should be carefully disassembled to inspect the root system. It may have become infected with rot or fungus. The affected roots must be removed by cutting, and the cuts themselves should be sprinkled with wood ash. After this, the bladderwort can be planted in a hole into which turf soil mixed with sand was previously poured.

The second, most effective and easiest way to propagate this shrub is by cuttings. Moreover, in this way, instead of just one plant, you can get several at once. It is best to do this in late spring or early summer, while the flowering process has not yet begun. Cuttings of spirea are no different from propagating other plants in the same way.

Using a sharp knife, you should trim healthy and strong branches of the bush, which have about 2-3 internodes, clean them of leaves (this will significantly reduce the evaporation of moisture), dry them a little and plant them in calcined and clean sand. When new buds begin to bloom on the cuttings, they can be planted in open ground. It is better to do this next to the plant from which, in fact, the cuttings were taken.

The young shrub must spend its first winter covered, in which case new plants will appear in the garden plot next spring.

  • Despite the fact that the bladderwort is one of the most unpretentious plants to care for, its development and active growth directly depend on many aspects, one of which is its timely and correct pruning. All types of spirea tolerate this process well, which allows them to be made into neat bushes with compact and dense crowns. This plant is given both molding and sanitary pruning.
  • During the process of sanitary pruning, broken and damaged branches are removed. It is usually done in the spring or as needed. In this case, you need to pay attention to the appearance of the plant. Molding is done after the end of the flowering period. It is necessary to trim the shoots to 1/2 or 1/3 of the crown size. In the 2nd and subsequent years, you need to trim 2/3 of the size.
  • A hedge created from vesicular carp needs to be trimmed 1-2 times during the growing season, but more often if necessary. The first haircut should be done in April-May, while the buds have not yet bloomed, and subsequent ones - as needed. Sometimes pruning of the bladderwort is done for rejuvenating purposes. In this case, old shoots must be removed to the base, and the rest - to the point where the side shoot originates. This pruning should be done in the autumn, when the leaves from the plant fall off, or in early spring, before the spirea blooms. If plant species with colored foliage produce shoots with green leaves, they need to be removed.

Viburnum foliage: photo

Bladderwort is an easy-to-grow and beautiful perennial shrub. It does not require special attention and care, but it has a very beautiful and unusual appearance. If trimmed correctly, it can make an amazing and original decoration for any garden plot!

Bladderwort is a type of deciduous plant that belongs to the Rosaceae family, and is successfully grown when planted and cared for in the open ground of our climate zone. The bright personality of this plant is the color of its leaves. The leaf color of most species is burgundy, orange and the standard green.

The plant has fragile stems, the diameter of which is about 2 cm. The root system is located in the top layer of soil and prefers frequent moisture. The plant tolerates hot weather well and is not afraid of open sunny areas. This plant is native to North America, Korea and East Asia. The plant blooms for about 30 days. The flowers of the bladderwort are small and white.

Varieties and types

Bladderwort "Diablo" or purple attracts attention with dark burgundy foliage and is an excellent solution in garden design.

Bladderwort "Red Baron" The leaves of this species are slightly narrow, unlike Diablo. The leaf plate on the surface is decorated with striking veins of a scarlet hue. The plant can reach a height of two meters. Flowering is not long, but with pronounced pinkish flowers.

Bladderwort "Kalinolistny" has several varieties. The bush can reach a height of up to 3.5 meters with decomposed, fragile stems and short-lived bark that falls off the trunks. The leaf shape of the vesicular carp is similar to an ellipse and has jagged edges. This species has flowers that are white or tinged with pink.

Bladderwort "Red-leaved" popular in cultivation. This species survives winters well and does not require care. The foliage is medium-sized along the edges with jagged edges. The color of the leaves is scarlet in the spring, and with the onset of cold weather it takes on a burgundy hue. The flowers have a delicate pink tint. In garden design it looks bright in the form of a living fence.

Bladderwort "Nugget" has fragile shoots that stretch to the top. This is a hybrid variety that changes the color of the leaves depending on the season. At first the foliage has a sunny tint, but by autumn it turns green.

Bladderwort "Darts Gold" In this variety, at first the leaves have a yellow tint, and over time, with the onset of cold weather, it turns into a fiery one. The inflorescences have a light shade.

Bladderwort "Luteus" in appearance it resembles a grape bush. The height of the plant reaches up to 2.5 meters. The shade of the leaves of this variety is yellow, but over time it turns into light green. The leaves are elliptical and have a edging along the edge. This variety does not tolerate excess moisture in the soil.

Golden bladderwort or yellow. The leaves of the plant have a rich sunny shade at the beginning of the season, and with the onset of cold weather they become golden. The height of the bush is about 1.5 meters, and the diameter of the bush is about a meter.

Bladderwort "Lady in red" The height of the plant is about one and a half meters, and in diameter is about 1.2 m. The stems grow upward, the surface of the shoots has a chocolate tint. The leaves are glossy at first with a scarlet hue, and in the fall they become fiery chestnut.

Bladderwort "Amber Jubilee" this variety was named after Queen Elizabeth on the occasion of her anniversary. The height of the plant is about 2 meters, in diameter about 1.5 meters.

The stems of this variety grow upward, eventually forming a spherical shape. The shade of the leaves transitions at first with a sunny tint, and eventually light lemon with a greenish tint. Inflorescences are white.

Bladderwort "Tini Vine" this variety is a dwarf species, and its length can only reach up to 1.2 m. The leaves are bright and charming with a burgundy tint. In spring, the plant delights the eye with its flowering. The flowers have a delicate pink tint.

With the onset of cold weather, the leaves of the plant become a fiery scarlet hue. This species is quite unpretentious in care and survives winter and summer heat well.

Bladderwort planting and care in open ground

The plant is quite easy to care for and does not require special attention. But if you provide the bladderwort with appropriate conditions, the plant can add up to 40 cm in growth during the period of active development, that is, over the summer. But to form the desired shape, your shrub should trim its shoots. This procedure also stimulates the appearance of new stems.

When watering, the composition of the soil should be taken into account. If the soil is loose, it dries out quickly, so it requires frequent and abundant watering. The amount of water depends on the size of your shrub.

If the soil is clayey, then it is necessary to ensure that there is no stagnation in the soil, since this threatens infection with powdery mildew, because of which the plant gradually dies.

Feeding for bladderwort is done in spring and late autumn. In early spring, this procedure is carried out with fertilizers containing nitrogen, and with the onset of cold weather, the plant needs mineral fertilizers.

In the spring, you can fertilize with cow dung in the ratio of 500 grams of dung per 10 liter bucket and a spoonful of ammonium nitrate.

Pruning bladderwort

The plant needs pruning for medicinal purposes and for the beautiful formation of the bush. Pruning for medicinal purposes should be done in early spring before the plant has buds. It is necessary to remove broken, dry and frozen branch tips after winter.

Pruning of the vesicular carp in summer is forced if dry branches appear on the plant and it is necessary to remove faded dry inflorescences.

How to prune bladderwort in the fall

If you want a strong and large bush, you need to prune it at a height of about 50 cm. This type of pruning will help to form many new shoots. But if you want to give your bush a certain fountain-like shape. Then it is necessary to cut off all the thin branches from the bush and leave only the densest and most stable shoots.

The plant should be rejuvenated approximately in the sixth year after planting. To do this, cut out all the shoots to the base.

Transplantation of bladderwort

The plant is replanted in the spring or the bladderwort is replanted in the fall, after the leaves have fallen off.

Before transplanting, the stems of the plant should be cut to 40 centimeters, depending on the height of your plant. This is necessary so that the plant has an easier adaptation period in a new place. The bush needs to be dug up along with a large lump of earth and transplanted to a new place. Moisten the roots with a solution containing a root growth stimulator.

Reproduction of bladderwort

Propagation of bladderwort by seeds is very rare. Since seedlings from seeds do not inherit the almost saturated color of the foliage, it is a waste of time. But still, before sowing, the seeds should be stratified.

It should be sown in light peat soil containing sand in spring or autumn after collecting the seeds. After this, cover the container with glass or film. Periodically moisturize and ventilate. After the emergence of seedlings and the first pairs of leaves, the seedlings should be pricked.

How to propagate bladderwort by cuttings

Bladderwort can be propagated by cuttings in spring, summer and autumn. The cuttings must be cut from an adult and strong plant. The length of the cutting is about 10 cm and with several obvious buds.

It is necessary to remove the lower leaves from the cutting, treat it with a growth stimulator and deepen it into soil containing peat and sand. Seedlings should be covered with film. Care must be taken by moistening and ventilating the accumulated condensate. After rooting, they must be transplanted to a permanent place.

Reproduction of bladderwort by layering

The easiest way to reproduce. With the onset of spring warmth, it is necessary to select the strongest stem from an adult mother plant and dig it to a depth of about 15 cm, having previously secured it with a staple.

During the summer, you should irrigate, water and remove weeds around the cuttings. And after rooting, you need to separate the cuttings from the mother and cover them for the winter.

Bladderwort propagation by dividing the bush

To do this, you need to dig up the plant and divide it into shares with full shoots and root system. This procedure must be performed during the warm summer season. You just need to not allow the root system to dry out.

Diseases and pests

  • Why the leaves of the bladderwort dry out - the reason may be a recent transplant and poor adaptation, so it is necessary to treat the roots with a growth stimulator.
  • The edges of the leaves of the bladderwort dry out - the reason for this may be excessive sun. Therefore, the edges of the leaves begin to dry out, that is, burn.
  • The edges of the leaves darken in the bladder - your plant is affected by powdery mildew, the cause of stagnation of moisture in the soil.
  • Bladderwort leaves turn yellow - the reason is a lack of nutrients in the soil. It is necessary to feed the plant with nitrogen containing fertilizers.
  • Why the bladderwort does not bloom - the reason may be improper pruning of the plant. Because inflorescences form on newly formed shoots.
  • The plant is quite resistant to pests and is rarely affected by insects.

The vesicular carp shrub belongs to the Rosaceae group. It is undemanding to growing conditions. The most important thing in caring for it is timely pruning.

Pruning bladderwort

The crown of the bladderwort is voluminous and spreading. Its diameter can be more than 2 m. The edge of the leaf plate is pointed and jagged. The leaves have an irregular shape and a shade of bright green. The bush is valued for its inflorescences, which resemble a hemisphere in shape. They consist of many small white flowers. The fruits look like red bubbles. Over time, they darken and acquire a brown tone.

Pruning of the bladderwort should be timely

The shrub develops quickly and is undemanding to external conditions. It is easy to care for. It is important to provide the plant with abundant watering. It does not tolerate drought well. Timely pruning is equally important. It will help preserve the beauty of the lush crown. Pruning can be of 3 types:

  • Sanitary – necessary to maintain the health of the plant and its active development. This manipulation consists of cutting off broken branches and removing dried ones.
  • Molding - required to give the crown a certain shape and increase its density, as well as to give power to the stems. The minimum height of such pruning is 40 cm.
  • Rejuvenating - involves getting rid of old shoots and shortening the length of side shoots.

The shrub needs regular pruning. In bladderworts with colored foliage, it is necessary to remove the shoots on which green leaves are formed.

When to prune bladderwrack?

Shrubs are cared for as needed. The best time to cut and shorten branches is spring and early autumn. The timing of pruning the bladderwort depends on its variety:

  • Sanitary – can be carried out at any time if there is damage to the plant. If there is no direct need, such a procedure is performed in the spring for preventive purposes.
  • Molding - carried out after the bush has faded. The shoots are shortened by half their length.
  • Rejuvenating - produced in the fall after the foliage has completely fallen. In spring, you can rejuvenate the bush only before the leaves begin to bloom.

If the bushes form a hedge, they will need to be trimmed a little more often. During the growing season, up to 4 haircuts are necessary. The first time the procedure is carried out in April until the buds begin to bloom.

The pliability of the plant allows its crown to be given any shape. Its aesthetic properties can be used in landscape design.


There are many ways to create an unusual decorative composition from spirea (as the vesicle is also called): pruning to give the crown a variety of shapes, combining varieties with different colors and leaf configurations. The shrub has a decorative appearance throughout the season: first, the area will be decorated with compact bushes with foliage of various shades, then with clusters of white or pink flowers, and in the fall, fruits of an original shape will form in their place. Landscape designers have appreciated the plant - using only different types of vesicles, they create interesting and original compositions.

Sanitary pruning

The bladderwort rarely gets sick and is damaged by insects, so sanitary pruning will not be very difficult. In early spring, remove all broken or dried branches, take a closer look - suddenly some bush has caught an infection or has been attacked by pests. After this, look for any shoots growing inside the bush. Such branches should also be cut off; they make the bush too dense - the wind will not pass through the foliage, and the air will stagnate. You can finish your work here.

In the fall, after the leaves fall, check for damaged fragments, remove weak, undeveloped shoots and all branches that cause you suspicion. Only strong, healthy shoots will survive the winter cold; all others will weaken the vesicle. With each haircut, and especially in the fall, burn all removed areas. If they are left until spring, the pests will definitely overwinter on dry wood.

There is no need to insulate spirea after autumn pruning. Only young and weakened specimens are covered.

Sometimes sanitary pruning has to be carried out in the summer. When you see a damaged shoot, remove it immediately so as not to spoil the decorative appearance of the plant and not create conditions for the development of infection. If a thick branch is cracked and needs to be cut down, treat the wound with garden varnish or a special putty; these drugs will heal the damage faster. Small sections do not need to be processed; they will heal on their own.

Spiraea decorates the site with beautiful leaves of different shades. Sometimes a hybrid plant may send out a branch covered with green foliage. Do not expect that with age the young leaves will change color and will not differ from the rest of the crown. Such fragments need to be removed: they will not change the color, but will spoil the appearance of the bush.


Decorative haircut of spirea

Some ornamental trees and shrubs do not necessarily require the formation of a crown - but the bladderwort needs to be cut, even if you do not like clear contours and prefer the natural beauty of plants. Unlike thuja and other conifers, which in any case will grow many shoots and form a dense crown, spirea itself will not give such beauty. She will release several branches that stretch greatly in length and consider her mission complete. Neither a hedge nor a flower garden decoration can be made from such a bush.

Before starting work, keep in mind that you will have to cut branches of different thicknesses, so collect and sharpen all the necessary tools:

  • gardening scissors;
  • pruner;
  • hacksaw



To stimulate the growth of new shoots, old shoots should not be allowed to stretch too much. After flowering ends, shorten the branches of young bushes by 1/3. In the second year and all subsequent seasons, the shoots need to be cut back to 2/3 of their length. The bush will take a compact, even shape, and the contour depends on your goals. The plant tolerates cutting well and will immediately begin to produce new shoots. The crown will become thicker, but the branches grow so actively that sometimes you have to adjust the shape every month.

Sometimes the owners carefully cut off old shoots, follow all the rules when forming the crown, but the bush remains loose and produces very few new shoots. This is not due to inept cutting, but to poor soil or improper care. The plant is unpretentious, but it also needs moisture and nutrients. Correct your mistakes, otherwise no amount of pruning will give the vesicle a decorative appearance.

If during sanitary or decorative pruning you have to remove young strong shoots, you can use them to propagate the bush. Prepare cuttings with 2-3 internodes, cut off all the leaves to avoid intense evaporation of moisture, and plant them in the sand. When you see swollen young buds, plant the branches in a permanent place. They will most like to grow next to the mother vesicle from which the shoots were taken.


Shrub rejuvenation

Old bushes lose their decorative properties. If you notice that the foliage has become less dense and fresh, the bush blooms sparingly, and the inflorescences have become smaller, it means that the bladderwort requires rejuvenating pruning. Typically this procedure is carried out 5-6 years after planting. Stock up on garden pitcher and a saw in advance, since you will have to remove thick trunks.

To stimulate the development of new shoots, you need to carry out rejuvenating pruning. It is better to do this work in the spring, before the buds begin to bloom, or in the fall, when the leaves fall. Shoots that, due to age, can no longer produce dense foliage and lush inflorescences, need to be cut down to the ground. All other trunks are cut to the branch of the first shoot.

Large-scale pruning weakens the bush - provide it with good care, timely watering and fertilizing. If the procedure was carried out in the fall, insulate the vesicle with straw or covering material. In regions with frosty winters with little snow, it is better to protect spirea, which is rejuvenated in the spring, from the cold.


The use of spirea in landscape design

The shoots of the bush grow very quickly; after cutting, the plant will become thick and lush in one season. This quality is especially convenient for beginning gardeners. If in the first year you unsuccessfully formed the crown, by the fall all the mistakes will be covered by young branches, and in the spring you will give the vesicle the desired contour.

Decorative bushes are used for various elements of country house design:

  • installation of green fences;
  • decorating fountains, gazebos, sculptures;
  • creating compositions from several plants or single bushes;
  • as a decorative element in flower beds and flower beds.

If spirea is used for a hedge, you cannot wait for the end of flowering: the fence will lose its correct outline, young branches will stick out in all directions, like the needles of a hedgehog. The haircut should be done in early spring, before the buds open. After about a month, you will see protruding branches again. Cut them in a timely manner so that the fence does not become shapeless. The fence can be made even, alternating bushes with different colors of leaves, or you can make ledges, waves, and turrets. If you add vesicles or trees, the scope for imagination will become even wider.


From spreading species, the branches of which first grow upward and the ends go down, you can create a dense, wide bush. Trim the lower branches to about 40 cm from the surface of the ground, and trim the tips of the remaining shoots. Depending on the density of the shoots, you can create a continuous “umbrella” or leave 4-5 trunks and get a figure resembling an octopus. Spiraea viburnum is well suited for a crown of this shape. Arrange a few bushes randomly on an empty lawn, and the area will take on an original look. It is even more interesting if among the drooping species you plant plants with shoots sticking up.

Plant several bushes of viburnum leaf around the fountain. Its spreading branches, drooping at the ends, will follow the shape of the streams.

When the bush becomes thick enough, its crown can be given any shape. Tall, rounded bushes can be made the center of a flower garden or planted near the porch. If you are going to give the vesicle the shape of a geometric figure with straight edges, be prepared for the fact that you will have to adjust the crown very often. The same problem will arise if you want to make green sculptures: young shoots will be knocked out of the contour on one side or the other, and the pruner will become your constant tool.

Landscape designers offer other options for using vesicles, each of which requires its own crown shape.

  • Border. If instead of a high green fence you build a low fence, it will not block the view of the site, but will emphasize the contour of the paths and highlight the border of other buildings.
  • Alpine slide. Dwarf varieties are suitable for decorating this object. Hanging shoots will create the effect of a lace blanket.
  • Array. If you want your bladderwort to require minimal care, plant a group of bushes close to each other. An evenly trimmed top will create the effect of a voluminous green carpet laid on the lawn.

Sometimes novice gardeners do not grow ornamental shrubs on their property because they do not know how to cut them. In fact, you can learn this in one season. Start with bladderwort, its shoots grow very quickly. Like a fairy-tale monster, 3 new shoots will grow in place of one incorrectly cut branch. Next year you won’t even be able to notice your mistake. Do you want to learn how to create green fences and crowns of various shapes? Plant spirea, this is the most suitable material for experiments.

Among the shrubs there are few that would combine decorativeness, ease of cultivation and low maintenance requirements as advantageously as the vesicular carp. Look at the photo, how can you pass by such a handsome man, because he does not lose his charm even in winter. Planting will not take much time, but you will admire the decoration of the bush for many years.

Varieties and varieties of bladderwort

Sometimes the vesicular carp is called erroneously, but this is a misconception. These two plants belong to the same family, but belong to different genera. In an adult plant, the bark is separated from the shoot in wide strips. The fruits of the vesicular carp look like a bubble, which gives the plant its name. Varieties of viburnum-leaved bladderwort are used in decorative landscaping. These varieties are grouped according to foliage color.

Varieties with red color leaf blade:

  • Diablo;
  • Summer Wine;
  • Red Baron;
  • Schuch.

Varieties having yellow leaf blade:

  • Luteus;
  • Darts Gold;
  • Nugget.

Varieties double painted:

  • Center Glow;
  • Coppertina.

Landing

Of course, planting a bladderwort, like any plant, begins with choosing a suitable location. Bladderwort grows well both in the sun and in the shade. It grows poorly on soils with high groundwater levels and high lime content. Such soil can provoke chlorosis or rotting of the roots, which will lead to the death of the bush. The plant does not impose any special conditions on soil fertility.

You can safely plant the plant as a hedge along the road, since the bladderwort tolerates urban air pollution very well.

It is better to purchase a plant for planting with a closed root system in nurseries. This way you will have a guarantee of purchasing a varietal seedling. Container seedlings can be planted at any time, excluding the winter months. Planting material with an open root system is planted in spring or autumn. Autumn planting is preferable, since the conditions for rooting are more favorable than in spring.

There are no tricks when planting: a hole is dug so that the root collar is level with the ground surface. Filled with fertile soil composition and well watered. The top is mulched with humus, peat or just dry soil.

To obtain a hedge from bladderwort, young seedlings are planted in a two-row manner in a checkerboard pattern. A distance of 35 cm is left between the rows, and 45 cm in the row. Such a hedge can be formed by pruning, giving it the appearance of a meter-high rectangle. A free-growing hedge, limited only by pruning on the sides, will grow 1.8 - 2.5 m, depending on the variety planted.

Advice. Shrub varieties with golden or purple foliage, such as Diabolo or Darts Gold, are best planted in sunny areas, since the decorativeness of the foliage is reduced in the shade.

Hassle-free care

Despite the fact that the bladderwort is an unpretentious plant, this does not mean that you should plant it and forget about it. The life expectancy of the bush is 30 years. Under favorable conditions, the shrub is capable of adding up to 45 cm in width and height during the growing season; in the second year, only flowering shoots are formed on the regrown shoots, so stimulating pruning and crown formation are vital for the bush. The plant tolerates this procedure very well and recovers quickly. For the winter it does not require any additional shelter, the vesicle is very winter-hardy, only in severe frosts can the tips of its shoots freeze.

Watering

Young, newly planted plants require special attention to soil moisture, because their survival rate depends on this. In general, the frequency and abundance of watering depends on the age, soil composition and climatic zone of growth.

  1. When the bladderwort grows on loam and high temperatures in the summer, regular watering will be required twice a week, four buckets of water per adult bush.
  2. On heavy clay soils, it is important not to over-moisten the soil, so as not to provoke the death of the root system.

Trimming

Pruning can be divided into sanitary and formative. Sanitary pruning is carried out in the spring; its task is to remove broken or frozen branches of the plant. Formative pruning is best done in the spring, but can also be done in the fall.

Free-growing bladderwrack bushes have a fountain-shaped crown. The plant's top buds are always the first to wake up and begin to grow. If you want to get a wide bush with many shoots, cut the branches at a height of half a meter. The fountain-like shape is achieved by cutting out all thin shoots to ground level. There should be about five of the strongest shoots left in the bush; they are additionally shortened to a height of one and a half meters from the ground. Radical pruning is carried out every 4–5 years, leaving stumps 15–20 cm from the ground.

Pruning begins when the plant reaches three years of age. To give the bush a more compact shape, you can shorten the young shoots 2–3 times during the growing season.

Advice. If for any reason an adult bush needs to be transplanted to a new location, do it in the fall, after the leaves have flown. Remove excess branches and shorten the rest by 30 cm. An adult bush is planted in the same way as a young plant.

Fertilizer and feeding of shrubs

Feed the bladderwort twice a season. In spring, fertilizers containing an increased dose of nitrogen will be required for the growth of vegetative mass. This should be done at the moment the buds open. Use an infusion of mullein or bird droppings at the rate of half a liter per bucket of water. In the fall, apply a solution of nitroammophoska about the size of a matchbox of fertilizer per bucket of water. For adult bladderwrack bushes that have reached 10 years or more, the dose of fertilizing is increased by half.

The bladderwort responds well to mulching the tree trunk circle with organic materials. Mulch creates favorable conditions for the roots of the plant: the soil does not overheat, it is structured and breathes, and moisture surges are minimized. Mulch will save you from constant loosening and weeding.

Methods of propagation of bladderwort

Bladderwort is easy to propagate on your own - by layering or cuttings, like currants, or by dividing a bush. The seed method is also possible, but the fact is that seedlings rarely inherit the characteristics of the mother plant from which the seeds were taken. Besides, this is a troublesome task. The vegetative method of plant propagation is more reliable and gives consistently quick results.

Reproduction by layering. This is the least labor-intensive option. Select a healthy and strong shoot in the spring, tear off the foliage, leaving only the top intact. Now we place this shoot in a pre-dug trench, 10–15 cm deep, and press it to the ground with a wire or wood pin. We bend the top with the leaves vertically upward and tie it to a wooden peg. The buried part of the shoot will give roots. Now the main task is to moisten the soil in a timely manner so that the young roots are well strengthened by autumn. Next year, in early spring, you can plant a young bush in a permanent place.

Propagation by cuttings. For this purpose, young shoots of the current year about 20 cm long are cut. At the top of the head, the foliage is shortened by half, the rest is completely removed. The lower part can be slightly scratched to quickly form callus, which will subsequently give roots. For a day, put the cuttings in a bucket of water, to which we add a drug that stimulates the formation of roots or a spoonful of honey. Now you can plant the cuttings in the school.

The soil must breathe, so we prepare the cuttings in advance and add soil from a mixture of peat and sand. We cover the school with film and do not forget to moisten, ventilate and spray. In winter, the cuttings need shelter, and in the spring they can be planted in a permanent place.

To propagate bladderwort by seeds, they must be stratified for a month before planting. Plant the seeds to a depth of 2–3 cm.

Diseases and pests

Another advantage of the bladderwort is that it is practically not affected by diseases and pests. It is rare to observe leaf chlorosis - when the tips of the shoots dry out and the foliage turns yellow, the veins remain green. This is due to a lack of microelements in the soil: elements of iron, magnesium or nitrogen, or waterlogging of the root ball. Chlorosis can be caused by viruses and microorganisms that are carried by pests. Applying complex fertilizers with watering or spraying the foliage with chelated compounds will help the bladderwort restore health.

Bladderwort is good as a solo plant and excellent as a living fence in mixed group plantings. Even the bark of this shrub is decorative. Leaves and flowers that change shades throughout the season will bring contrasting color variety to the green decoration of the garden area.

Bladderwort in the garden: video

Growing bladderwort: photo

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