Among all the varieties of decorative perennials, the magnificent dicenter stands out, which is often called the “broken heart”. The plant has an unusual shape of flowers and does not require careful maintenance, and during flowering it turns into a lush bouquet of bright inflorescences. Description of the dicentres, especially its planting and cultivation, as well as ways to combat possible diseases and pests - further in the article.

Features of the Alba variety

Florists grow on their plots various varieties of this perennial plant, but the most common of them is the magnificent dicenter or Spectabilis. One of the most striking representatives of this type of flower is the variety Alba.

Did you know? One of the most beautiful is the Gold Heart variety, obtained in 2004. Plants are distinguished by rich golden color of leaves growing on peach-colored shoots.

The main distinguishing characteristics of the flower:

• the height of the bush does not exceed 70 cm;
• inflorescences are racemose, bent in the form of a crescent, have a length of up to 20 cm;
• heart-shaped flowers, with curved petals, painted white, and their diameter is 3 mm;
• flowering period lasts from May to June;
• the bush withstands frosts down to -40 ° С.

The rest of the representatives of the Alba variety are not much different from other copies of the magnificent dicentres. For all plants of this species, the general rules for planting, care and reproduction apply.

What does the center look like?

The bushes of magnificent dicentres are highly decorative, therefore, they can become an ornament for any site and are often used in landscape design.

Description of the appearance of the plant:

1. The height of an adult bush depends on the variety and can reach 1 m.
2. The root system is branched and powerful. With age, the roots become thicker and lignified.
3. The crown is magnificent, has a rounded shape and consists of direct branched shoots.
4. Green mass is located on the petioles. It grows only at the base of branches.
5. The sheet is large, with carved edges. Above it is painted dark green, and its lower surface is gray.

A feature of the plant is that after the end of the flowering period, its ground part completely dies, and the bush goes into a dormant state until next spring.

What is the structure of the flower

The magnificent dicenter is appreciated by many flower growers precisely for its bright flowers, which in shape resemble halves of the heart. Their color depends on the plant variety, but the structure is the same for all representatives of this species.

Did you know? The name of the dicentres is due to the appearance of its flowers. It came from a combination of two Greek words: “dis” - “twice” and “kentron” - “spur”.

Description of the appearance of the flower:

1. Curved unilateral inflorescences of the plant look like a drooping brush. Located on the tops of the shoots.
2. The flowers are oblate in length, heart-shaped. The edges of their petals are bent outward.
3. The diameter of one flower is 2-3 cm (depending on the variety).
4. There are two spurs on the corolla of each flower.
5. Inflorescences exude a light pleasant aroma.

How to plant in open ground

Dicenter belongs to unpretentious plants and can be grown in various climatic conditions. But in order for the bush to have a decorative appearance, it is necessary to observe some rules for the selection and preparation of the site, as well as to plant the plant in the appropriate time. The procedure for embedding planting material in the ground itself is quite simple, so even an inexperienced gardener can perform it.

The timing

The optimal time for planting a plant in an open area is the end of April or the beginning of May. Such terms are due to the fact that the dicenter can suffer from return spring frosts, so it is planted only after stable, warm weather is established.

When growing the bush in regions with long, warm autumns and mild winters, you can plant in mid-September. It is important that the plant has time to adapt in a new place before the first frosts and build up a strong root system.

Landing technology

In order for the dicenter to maintain a decorative appearance, for its cultivation you need to find a suitable place in the garden. The flower can grow both in the sun and in the shade. In the first case, flowering begins later, but its duration increases. When grown in bright sunshine, the bush blooms earlier, but the inflorescences burn out faster.

Important! When landing on the site of several copies, the dicentres between them leave a distance of at least 50 cm.

The basic requirements for the site for planting dicentres:

• distance - at least 0.5 m from other plants, fences and buildings - the lush crown of the bush requires free space;
• the absence of groundwater occurring at a depth of less than 1 m to the surface of the soil - the roots of the flower quickly rot when moisture stagnates;
• loose soil slightly acidic or neutral.

If planting is planned for spring, then landing pits for dicentres are prepared in the fall. To do this, dig the area, and then make holes with a depth and diameter of 40 cm. During the autumn planting of a flower, such holes are dug 3-4 weeks before the procedure.

During the digging on 1 m² of area make the following fertilizers:

• 5 kg of humus;
• 20 g of superphosphate;
• 15 g of potassium sulfate.

Step-by-step instructions for planting a seedling:

1. Put a layer of broken brick or crushed stone at the bottom of the landing pit.
2. Fill the recess 1⁄3 of the height with fertile soil mixture prepared from garden and turf land, humus and sand (these components are taken in a ratio of 2: 2: 1: 1).
3. Pour plenty of warm water over the pit. Wait until the liquid has completely absorbed.
4. Lower the bottom of the seedling into the hole, spreading the roots. The root neck should be at the same level with the surface of the earth.
5. Sprinkle the roots with the remains of nutrient soil, filling the hole to the very top. Slightly compact the soil around the seedling with your hands.
6. Pour about 5 liters of water under a young plant.

Video: landing and care of the center

Care center

After the plant successfully adapts in a permanent place, it is necessary to provide him with proper care. It does not require a lot of time and effort from the gardener, but should be carried out regularly and taking into account some recommendations. For normal growth, the dicenter needs to properly water and fertilize, trim the crown, and also properly prepare the bush for wintering.

Important! As necessary, after watering or rain, weed removal and surface loosening of the earth around the plant are performed.

Watering

Regular moistening of the soil helps maintain the decorative look of the dicentres during the entire growing season, but waterlogging of the soil is detrimental to the root system, therefore, when irrigating a flower, these rules are followed:

• for irrigation use soft, settled water at room temperature;
• in hot and dry weather, the plant is watered 1 time per week;
• with sufficient rainfall, the flower does not need additional irrigation;
• in cool weather, the frequency of watering is reduced so that the soil under the bush is not too wet;
• the fluid flow rate per plant is about 5 liters.

Fertilizer

For normal development, the plant needs nutrients, so after planting the dicenter is periodically fed with fertilizers. This procedure is first performed in the second year after planting.

Basic rules for feeding the bush:

• in early spring at the beginning of the growing season, a solution of 10 l of water and 30 g of urea (or ammonium nitrate) is prepared or chicken droppings diluted with water in a ratio of 1:20 are used;
• at the stage of inflorescence formation, the plant is fertilized with a liquid mixture of 10 l of water, 10 g of calcium nitrate, 20 g of superphosphate and 15 g of potassium sulfate;
• at the beginning of flowering, the dicenter is fed with a solution of 10 l of water, 25 g of superphosphate and 15 g of potassium sulfate;
• the consumption rate of each of the listed types of top dressing is 2 liters per bush.

Pruning

The ground part of the bush dies off after flowering is completed, therefore, it does not need to form a pruning pruning. But if during the growing season yellow leaves or dried shoots appear on the bush, they must be removed immediately so that they do not spoil the decorative appearance of the plant.

Care after flowering

When the dicenter completely fades, it is recommended to cut off all its shoots under the root. These branches are no longer needed by the plant, since next spring new green stems with leaves and inflorescences will appear.

Did you know? One of the most dwarf plant varieties is Candy Hearts. The height of an adult bush does not exceed 25 cm.

In addition, the complete removal of shoots helps the crop to easily winter. When cutting branches above the surface of the soil, only small stumps with a height of 3-5 cm are left.

Does it winter and how to prepare for winter

The underground part of the dicenter tolerates winter well in the ground, but only if there is a special shelter that protects the roots from frost. To prepare the plant for cold weather, the hemp remaining after trimming the stems is sprinkled with compost or humus in the fall. The thickness of such a layer of mulch should be 5-8 cm, but no more - under too dense shelter the roots will begin to rot. Protection is removed only in the spring after the disappearance of the likelihood of night frost.

Seed collection

The gardener can independently collect seeds from flowering dicentres. They are in the fruits of the plant - small boxes that appear on the shoots after flowering.

Dicenter seeds have a smooth black surface and an oblong shape. Theoretically, they can be used for planting for two years from the time of collection, but in practice they have very low germination, so it is very difficult to grow seedlings from the collected seeds at home, and gardeners prefer not to waste time and effort on this procedure.

Reproduction dicentres

A dicenter can grow in one place up to 7 years, but after that its flowering intensity decreases, so after a specified period of time, you need to take care of the plant propagation, growing a new instance from separate parts of the mother bush. The dicenter is propagated by dividing rhizomes, cuttings, and a young plant is also grown by the method of forcing indoors. Each of these methods has its own characteristics.

Rhizome division

Using this method, several young bushes are obtained from one mother plant, replanting each of them in a separate place in the garden. It is recommended to propagate by dividing the bush to a 3-4-year-old dicenter, since as older specimens have a too branched root system, individual processes of which can oppress each other. The procedure is performed in late April or early September.

Important! To make the young bush more magnificent and beautiful, you can plant it in one hole 2–3 copies obtained by dividing the rhizome of the mother plant.

Step by step instructions:

1. Dig the rhizome of the mother bush from the ground. Leave it for a few hours so that the roots are slightly grafted and become less brittle.
2. Using a sharp disinfected tool, divide the rhizome into several parts. Each of them should have one strong root up to 15 cm long and several growth points.
3. Sprinkle the cut points with wood ash powder to prevent infection in them.
4. Plant each of the resulting daughter plants in a permanent place, following the general planting instructions.

Planting with cuttings in spring

An equally popular way of propagating dicentres at home is to grow a plant from a stalk. It is used in late April or early May, when young green shoots appear on the bush.

The propagation algorithm of the dicentres by cuttings:

1. Carefully break off the top of a young stem 10-15 cm long from the mother plant. At the same time, a “heel” from a piece of the outer cover of the shoot should remain on its lower part.
2. Prepare a loose, light substrate from equal parts of peat and sand. Deepen the lower part of the handle into it by 6-10 cm.
3. Pour the seedling with a solution of the root growth stimulator. Cover the handle with a glass jar or a piece of plastic bottle to create a greenhouse environment.
4. As it dries, lightly spray the soil in a container with seedlings with warm water. Periodically raise the shelter for ventilation.

If this sequence of actions is observed, the dicentres usually root in the soil within a month. After that, shelter is removed from it and grown in a room or a greenhouse, providing seedlings with moderate watering and periodic loosening of the soil. Next spring, a young plant is transplanted into the open ground.

Indoor distillation

Some gardeners use the method of distilling the dicentres in the room. It allows you to achieve flowering plants at room conditions and is simple.

Did you know? At the beginning of the XIX century, the center was brought from Japan to Europe. At this time, the flower became so popular that it was sold at auction to wealthy aristocrats.

For forcing perform the following sequence of actions:

1. At the end of August, dig a bush of dicentres from the soil. Divide its root system into several parts.
2. Prepare an individual container for each of the received seedlings. Fill it with a loose mixture of sand, garden and leaf soil (the components are taken in a ratio of 1: 2: 2).
3. Plant in the tank "shares", adhering to the standard sequence of actions. Remove containers with seedlings in a dark and cool room for 80–90 days.
4. During this time, provide plants with moderate watering, avoiding the drying of the earth in the tank.
5. In early January, after the deadline, rearrange the seedlings on a light windowsill. Grow them at room temperature, carrying out regular watering as the top layer of soil in the pot dries.
6. Wait until the flowering period begins. After its completion, remove the dicenter again in a dark, cool room.
7. In the spring, transplant the plant from the tank back into the open ground.

To achieve a more magnificent flowering of the dicentra in indoor conditions, it is possible to feed the flower with standard fertilizers for indoor plants at the stage of the appearance of buds. The dosage is determined according to the instructions indicated on the packaging of the product.

Diseases and pests

If the gardener clearly complies with all the above instructions, providing the care center with the necessary care, then the flower shows high resistance to diseases and pests.

Important! The roots and shoots of the dicentres are poisonous, therefore, all operations on transplanting, pruning and propagating the bush must be performed only with protective gloves.

But if there are errors when planting or growing plants, the following problems may occur:

1. Ring spotting. The disease is of a viral nature and cannot be treated. The main sign of infection is light ring stains on the leaves, which eventually lead to yellowing and drying of the green mass. To prevent the spread of infection, the diseased bush is destroyed.
2. Tobacco mosaic. The symptom of this viral disease is the marble color of the leaves of the bush. The affected plant stops growing, begins to wither. It is impossible to cure the infection, so the diseased instance is destroyed.
3. Medvedka. The pest feeds on the roots of the bush, most often damaging young seedlings. As a result of this dicenter becomes lethargic and gradually begins to dry out.To get rid of the insect, use the Medvetox preparation, following the instructions on the package.
4. Aphid. It feeds on the juice of leaves and green shoots, as a result of which the plant stops growing, the shoots are deformed, and flowering does not occur. The pest can be controlled with the help of the drug Fitoverm.

To prevent the occurrence of these problems, you can perform the following actions:

• use high-quality planting material;
• adhere to the watering schedule;
• timely fertilizer;
• follow the recommended layout of bushes;
• regularly remove weeds and loosen the soil under the plant;
• to carry out preventive treatment against pests with the Iskra Bio preparation (according to the instructions indicated on the package).

The magnificent center is one of the most decorative types of flowering shrubs, but it is completely unpretentious in the care. With the help of these recommendations, even a novice gardener can grow this plant on his plot. A lush, flowering bush will be a great decoration for any area and can be used in landscape design.