Conifers usually have a reputation for not being very exciting, tedious and monotonous. It is believed that they look like in a children's riddle - "in winter and summer in one color", that is, monotonously. Perhaps many people know that conifers grow dull in winter and, perhaps, look dull. But over the past forty years there has been a real revolution in the selection of conifers. Now there are even too many different forms from which to choose. And their diversity in size, crown shape, life forms, texture and color is simply beyond enumeration. Even without taking into account the change in color with the seasons of the year, conifers produce enough shades of variety to be of interest throughout the year, especially if you include deciduous larches and metasequoia. A garden of carefully selected conifers will never be dull. Add in the seasonal changes that many conifers produce, as well as the ability to combine conifers with other plants, and you have created something amazing: a year-round exposition with changing phytocenoses over time.
At the end of winter, when the days are getting milder, many conifers that have been under stress winter winds and low temperatures, lose their winter color and become more lusciously green even before they have new growth. There are special cultivars of arborvitae and other conifers that turn bronze-red or reddish-brown for the winter. Buds on spruce, pine and larch begin to swell, lengthen and increase in size. They are divided brighter, lighter and more noticeable. In many species, female and male "spikelets" and "cones" become more noticeable.
In the middle and end of spring, a lot of energy of our pets is spent on new growth. Caps of bud scales, which covered the buds in winter, now hang at the ends of new shoots and scatter to the sides, covering the ground under the crown of the tree. New needles appear, at first small and soft. The young light growth stands out brightly against the background of last year's needles, decorating the plant. It's an exciting time of the year, with micro strobiles, young buds and shoots. various forms and colours. With the new growth, the whole plant becomes mottled or bicolored. Contrasting young growth stands out especially brightly in fir, spruce, yew, while larch branches will soon be covered with young pale green needles, similar to brushes-brushes. In a pine, young shoots look like candelabra, its needles are still hidden inside and will open later. All these plants, unlike tropical ones, have only one growth per year. And they are in a hurry. They would need to start growing early in order to slowly finish the growing season. But too early is also bad. We know that even local European spruce can be damaged in spring from late frosts. But what about ek-ots? Some conifers complete the growth of shoots by the beginning of summer. And shoots of arborvitae, cypress and junipers can grow most of the growing season. The timing of the end of shoot growth is a very important factor affecting the overwintering of plants. At the same time, there is a surge in development and wild flowering other plants in the garden, and changes occur every day.
The time when spring passes into the beginning of summer is the period of growth for conifers and most other plants. This is a busy and busy time for both plants and gardeners. Late spring frosts and direct summer sun can damage some conifers. This is the time to look for Hermes and spider mites. Prickly spruce and Caucasian fir are some of the late species in which the buds open. Pine needles appear. And the dusting of Scots pine is precisely the dendroindicator of the onset of the phenological prelude. It is during this period of the year that golden cypress trees and white-tipped thuja western are most beautiful and bright. In dry weather, plants need watering, and sometimes protection from direct sunlight. Gradually, growth fades, and pine needles become more and more rigid, like real needles. June is a very good month for admiring conifers. But conifers are only part of the big picture. Buds are especially attractive at an early stage. Later, when they are ripe, they will turn brown. In many conifers, they are visible only at the top of the tree, but not in all.
Korean fir starts producing buds at a young age. Her seed production is plentiful, and there are cones in the lower part of the crown, and what more! They are purple-blue for several weeks and rise like candles from the needles of the branches. Very large beautiful cones of the Balkan pine. Unlike fir, they hang down. Spruce cones hanging from branches in midsummer are often purple, like red spruce, or green, like other spruces. Although conifers are most striking in early summer, they find it difficult to compete with the multicolored annuals and perennials. However, they serve as a good background and complement them.
What is done at the end of summer and at the beginning of autumn? The process of seasonal development and attenuation of nature occurs gradually. And everything is relative, depending on the area where you live. The most important seasonal autumn phenomenon is the gradual die-off autumn leaves trees and shrubs. First, the first yellowed leaves appear, then there are more and more of them. The leaf fall begins.
Rustling leaves cover lawns and paths, get stuck in the crowns of firs and spruces. Bronze, yellow, red, crimson, purple crimson leaves form a brilliant contrast with bluish-green conifers. Although the season of autumn's bright colors passes quickly (sometimes only a few days), it is worth making the effort and waiting for it all year. Some barberries and turf have enough small size, or they can be maintained at that size by pruning. They give luxurious autumn colors, which combines wonderfully with conifers and is suitable for small gardens. Very beautiful next to coniferous maples are false-sibolds and Manchurian.
Autumn is a time of great change for deciduous conifers. All of them go through a miraculous transformation of their needles before falling off. For many gardeners a good choice- larches, especially since dwarf forms have already appeared among them, suitable not only for large parks, but also for garden plots. The change in their needles from green to gold is very gradual. European larch remains green for a long time, its needles are the last to fall. Ginkgo biloba, although not a coniferous tree, is also a gymnosperm. In some years, its fan-shaped leaves are killed by frost. But in the case of a warm long autumn, you can admire its golden leaves against the background of bluish firs. Blue and yellow colors go well together.
When autumn turns to winter, for many garden plants the main season of color and attractiveness is passing. But not for conifers. While the color hues can be more impressive in autumn, some conifers gradually change color as the days get shorter and the nights get colder. Some become dimmer and darker. Little by little, the bright green lacy summer needles of the microbiota turn brownish, and on open places in frosty weather - even purple-bronze. There are examples of other conifers, in which their winter color is even more original and bright than their summer green clothes. But it should be noted that many golden conifers become less noticeable and bright by winter. This applies, for example, to some forms of western thuja.
In winter, many gardens are bare. Although deciduous woody trees can be attractive on their own and when leafless, and are often adorned with colored shoots and bark or fancy crown shapes, gardens look poorer at this time of year without the evergreen conifers that provide structure to garden compositions and color scheme. Shape and texture are important in winter garden, regardless of its purpose. Low Winter sun Illuminates the crowns of conifers, which look even more impressive in diffused light or fog, when the color is less visible. The weather can create different combinations of light and shadow, even with the darkest and most gloomy conifers. With the help of frost, hoarfrost and snow, they are transformed, and the old familiar compositions look completely different. Hoarfrost changes conifers beyond recognition.
Snowfall can be a hazard to many upright conifers. This applies to thujas, junipers, cypresses, flatheads, yews. In areas with heavy snowfall, branches should be tied up to prevent them from breaking. Pines, spruces and firs are more resistant. They hold heavy snow caps better. Under layers of fluffy freshly fallen snow, the trees look very picturesque. Purely White snow on the branches, icicles on the tips of the shoots, frost on the needles - residents of the northern countries can admire this. The low winter sun can change this scene every minute. And on loose snow long shadows fall from the trees. This magical charm can be just as spectacular as a summer scene in your garden. In the pre-spring, when the daytime temperature becomes positive, the first thaws will appear around the trees. And soon their buds swell and a new annual cycle of development begins.
Blog "About plants" ( detailed descriptions all kinds of plants)
Depending on the seasons of the year, trees, shrubs, herbaceous plants change their appearance, as well as the course of processes in development and growth. These changes are especially pronounced in spring and autumn.
March 21 day equals night. Since that time, in the middle latitudes of the northern hemisphere, the sun rises every day higher and warmer. The sky turns bright blue, cumulus clouds turn white. The first thawed patches appear, streams begin to murmur. There are no leaves on the trees yet, grasses have not appeared and flowering plants but the breath of spring is already felt. Some trees are starting to bloom and dust. The alder has well-visible brownish-red catkins. In winter they were dense, but now they grow very quickly, their scales are folded back, and a golden-yellow cloud of pollen spills out from there. Following the alder, the hazel scatters pollen, and about five days after the hazel, the red willow blooms. Willow is the first of the early spring honey plants. At the end of April, aspen and bred willow are gathering dust. The presence of a small number of insects at this time, the absence of foliage on trees and shrubs contribute to the free transfer of pollen from one plant to another by the wind. Along with dusting, another important process occurs in trees - sap flow begins. The water dissolves the nutrients deposited in the stem and carries them to the buds, which begin to swell and prepare to become leaves and flowers. Sap flow is especially pronounced in birch and maple, it lasts about a month; during this time, plants pump tens of liters of water. The beginning of sap flow is a sign of the onset of spring.
The days are getting longer, the temperature is rising, the soil is getting warmer. The snow is melting hard; the first flowers appear. When spring comes, the plant needs to grow faster, take root, use heat and moisture for development. Many plants that have adapted to this are called early flowering plants. Golden baskets of coltsfoot flowers appear on scaly stems, resembling a small sun. With the onset of heat, summer leaves appear from the rhizome of the coltsfoot, the lower surface of which is light, soft and warm, and the upper surface is smooth, cold (hence the name - coltsfoot). These leaves accumulate organic matter during the summer, in order to then transfer them to the rhizome and allow the flower shoots to appear so early in the spring. You can meet coltsfoot everywhere: along slopes, river banks, ditches and just on the road.
A beautiful spring flower appears in the forest - a blue scilla (it is often called a snowdrop). open after 8-10 days amazing flowers at the honeysuckle. At first they are red or purple, then they turn purple, then blue or whitish. And since flowers bloom on the same plant at different times, flowers of different colors can be seen on it at the same time. Together with the lungwort between the bushes you can see the red-purple corydalis. Against the background of last year's leaves stand out yellow flowers goose onions and white - starfish.
In places where there is a lot of moisture, you can meet other representatives early flowering plants: marigold, which has large rounded leaves of a brilliant green color and bright flower with a golden corolla, spring chistyak, which, unlike the marigold, has not 5-6 petals, but 8 (both in the calyx and in the corolla), etc.
In early flowering plants, development occurs due to nutrients deposited in rhizomes, tubers and bulbs since autumn. Bright coloring during flowering attracts a few insects to early-flowering plants for pollination. However, often these plants reproduce vegetatively: an already formed new plant is separated from the mother plant. Consequently, both methods of reproduction in early flowering plants complement each other, providing a high percentage of survival and fitness.
You can see in the forest flowering shrub- wolf's bark. Lilac flowers grow directly on the stem. Its flowers and berries are poisonous, and a bast layer develops under the bark - bast; this is probably where its name comes from.
Finally, the buds on trees and shrubs burst and the first leaves appear. Bird cherry is one of the first to turn green, followed by poplar, alder, elm. In birch and oak, flowering is somewhat ahead of leafing.
Coniferous trees bloom in late spring. So much pollen is formed that it covers everything around with a yellow coating (“sulfur rains”).
In late spring, all plants turn green and bloom. In May, lilies of the valley, growing in a friendly family, bring special joy to people, since a lot of plants can grow from one rhizome. Lily of the valley blooms for a short time. Fragrant flowers in the form of small white bells are replaced first by green and then by red berries.
Rye begins to sprout, flying seeds ripen near the aspen, lilacs fade, petals fall off the apple tree - spring has ended and summer has begun.
Usually, spring is divided into three periods: early spring - the appearance of thawed patches, snow melting in the fields. The middle spring (blooming) lasts until bird cherry blossoms. Late spring - until the flowering of apple trees.
Summer is divided into three periods: the first period (the beginning of summer), when flowering herbs: meadow cornflower, red carnation, Ivan da Marya, bluebell and chamomile. At this time, raspberries, lingonberries, cranberries bloom. The fruits of elm and poplar are scattered. In the reservoirs, a yellow egg-pod blooms. Jasmine blooms in the gardens. In the folk calendar, June is called a colorful month. Every day more and more new plants bloom, some more beautiful than others. The strawberries are starting to ripen. Summer mushrooms appear. In early July, the height of haymaking.
The second period begins with the flowering of linden and usually lasts until mid-August. This period is also called the peak of summer, sultry times. Why does linden bloom so late? It turns out that the linden blossoms on the shoots of this year, until the young shoot grows and fruit buds are laid in it, the warmest period of summer will come. The smell of linden flowers comes from afar, so the bees, not knowing the rest, collect sweet, fragrant nectar. Linden honey is tasty and healthy.
This period is also characterized by abundant flowering. herbaceous plants in the meadows. Meadow grasses bloom; Potatoes are blooming in the fields. Reservoirs are covered with various vegetation, many of the plants bloom - reeds, cattail, susak, arrowhead, chastukha, white beauty water lily. The fruits of raspberries and blueberries ripen. Yellow acacia scatters seeds.
No wonder July is called the berry month. Berries of bird cherry, raspberries, currants ripen, gooseberries and cherries ripen in the garden. The harvesting of winter crops is coming to an end in the fields.
The third period of summer (end of summer) lasts from mid-August to mid-September, until the first frost. In August, fruits and seeds ripen. In the meadows you can see blooming bluebells, korostavnik, maryannik, mullein, mint and other plants. The cranberries are starting to brown. At the beginning of August, the leaves of the linden turn yellow, and at the end of the month, leaf fall begins at the birch. Walnuts ripen in the forest. Summer lengthens into autumn. August is the month of mushrooms. The fungus is a fruiting body, its main part is hidden in the ground - these are myceliums. The mycelium grows together with the roots of trees and receives nutrients from them, however, in turn, the mycelium provides the trees with nutrients and helps their roots absorb nutrients from the soil better and faster. Mushrooms can be collected from spring to late autumn, but the main time falls on the last period of summer and the beginning of autumn.
Shrubs and creepers that change their appearance during the season.
text: Olga Sinyavskaya a photo: www.zelenaya-milya.ru, editorial archive
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preserve the beauty of the garden all year round shrubs that can transform during the season will help: change the color of the leaves or become covered with bright flowers, and then with fruits.
No surprises
When choosing plants, you should first get acquainted with their features: maximum height, splendor of the bush, the need for water and sunlight, the composition of the soil in which they were born. It is important to know what to expect from a shrub. For example, buying at garden center bright bush forsythia, which begins to be decorated with beautiful yellow flowers on the first warm spring days, when the whole garden is still asleep and the trees are bare, you should not be surprised that in April the plant will turn into an ordinary green bush. But in autumn forsythia will again be in the spotlight - its green leaves will turn golden or purple-violet. This shrub will come in handy if you decide to add a bright spot to the flower garden. Forsythia does not like strong pruning, although it can be shaped.
Blush in autumn
Many of the "changeable" shrubs grow well in our climatic conditions. One of the brightest barberry Thunberg, whose leaves are lemon yellow in summer and orange in autumn. Its variety common barberry or vulgaris, in summer it is decorated with yellow flowers with a delicate honey aroma, and in autumn it is covered with bright red edible berries.
Unpretentious to the soil dogwood, and thanks to its early abundant flowering also very decorative. Its young shoots are first light yellow, almost green, then turn brown. Dogwood blossoms one of the first, in April, with beautiful yellow flowers, and by autumn, red fruits appear on the branches.
Consonant with the name cotoneaster(do not confuse them, these are different shrubs) good for hedges and alpine slides. In the summer it pleases original green foliage that turns red in autumn.
Another green handsome man who turns red in autumn - wild "maiden" grapes. The bright decorative liana grows very quickly and is unpretentious in care, for which it is loved by gardeners in addition to its beauty.
At first glance, it looks uncomplicated derain white. However, this simplicity hides a huge decorative potential. In summer, white-green foliage is decorated with delicate white flowers. In autumn, the shrub shows a real riot of colors: its reddish-gray, white or black fruits are surrounded by foliage of orange, green and purple hues. Deren looks no less impressive in winter period when its bare trunks turn bright red.
Incredibly beautiful mock orange crown, which blooms in early - mid-summer fragrant white flowers. It is good even after it has faded, thanks to large leaves.
There are also shrubs that change the color of the leaves depending on the presence and intensity of sunlight. For example, vesicle- its foliage is bright red in the sun, and turns green in the shade.
summer green leaves sumac play in contrast with red-brown branches, and in autumn they turn into orange, red and purple tones.
Purple Leaf Variety barberry Thunberg "Red Chief" green in the sun.
white garden
Varieties look luxurious in the garden hydrangeas. The shrub blooms for a long time and plentifully. Depending on the acidity of the soil, the flowers can range from pale pink to lilac-blue, and a whole palette can fit on one bush.
The real queen paniculate hydrangea
, which blooms from mid-summer to late autumn. At first, the flowers have a creamy hue, then turn white, and by the end of flowering they acquire a soft pink tone.
Chic white inflorescences from May to June pleases viburnum vulgaris. She will make a successful tandem on the site with a tree-like hydrangea, which will replace the viburnum at the garden “post” in June and will delight with fluffy snow-white inflorescences until frost, maintaining the gamut. White is very good in the garden in combination with green spaces. Such a white garden becomes especially elegant and expressive against the background of sunset colors.
Every season is beautiful in its own way. The weather outside the window has a great influence on all living things that surround us. Therefore, winter and spring, and summer, and autumn play an important role in the life of plants.
Spring
Plants blooming in spring
In spring the days become longer and Sun rays everything is warmer. It is during this period that absolutely all plants begin to grow, bud and reach for sunlight. In order for the plant growth to be progressive, frequent and abundant moisture is necessary, especially if the zama was not snowy.
The very first spring flowers are small-beamed, for example, galanthus, dwarf irises, crocuses, chionodoxes and pushkinias.
And in April, daffodils, botanical tulips, hyacinths, as well as Siberian blueberries and imperial hazel grouse begin to bloom.
Closer to May, beautiful perennials bloom: primroses, oak and buttercup scillas, forest corydalis and sugar lungwort.
Shrub life also recovers in spring. The earliest are: wolf's bast, forsythia, red elderberry and Japanese spirea. Toward the middle of spring, Japanese quince, holly mahonia, steppe almonds and three-lobed louiseania begin to bloom.
May is the most colorful month in plant life. Bulbs begin to bloom - tulips, daffodils, Muscari mouse hyacinth. The decorative onion and the giant onion strike with their beauty.
Also representatives of spring flowering are forget-me-nots, daisies, violas. And closer to summer, the following come into play: bergenia, snow-white lily of the valley, brunner, dicentra and doronicum.
Of course, it is worth noting the trees that bloom in the spring - apricot, apple, pear, cherry, plum and many others.
Summer
plant life in summer
Summer is the peak of life for almost all plants. Warm weather, long sunny days and moisture contribute not only to favorable growth but also the opportunity to accumulate useful substances in order to survive the winter.
Already in the summer, tulips, camellias, cyclamens, hyacinths and daffodils begin to prepare for the next bloom, gaining strength and energy in the summer.
This time of the year is the flowering period for many varieties: prickly cleoma, roses, ever-flowering begonias, nasturtium, gazania, snapdragon, marigolds and petunias. They delight with their colors and aroma: mignonette, smolevka, mattiola, clarkia, gazania and many other flowers.
Shrubs that bloom in summer are very beautiful - budleya, jasmine, spray rose, small hydrangea, rhododendron and spirea. Careopteris, calicanth, oleander, cinquefoil, cistus, tannery and cletra - all these shrubs bloom in the warm summer period.
At the beginning of summer, cornflowers, bluebells, chamomiles grow and bloom in the meadows, and on forest edges raspberries appear. Pitchers are visible on the ponds. Strawberry fruits begin to ripen, and the first mushrooms appear.
In the middle of summer, the air is saturated with the aromas of blooming linden trees. And cherries, raspberries, blueberries, currants and gooseberries are covered with numerous fruits.
Autumn
Change of plant life in autumn
For almost all plants, autumn is a period of calm or the end of the life cycle. There are less and less sunny days, and the air temperature is gradually decreasing. annual plants such as, peas, cauliflower, dill and others finish their growth and dry up. The same thing happens with annual flowers - calendula, ranunculus, flax, forget-me-nots and others.
In autumn, birch leaves turn light yellow, mountain ash - crimson-red, aspen - orange, and alder - dull green. Most trees shed their colorful foliage.
The color of grasses also acquires a special pigment. Blueberries and goutweed turn purple, while blueberries turn bright yellow.
Leaf fall is an integral and not insignificant part of plant life. The cover formed by fallen leaves protects the trees from winter frosts and saturates the roots with useful substances.
Not all trees shed their leaves, for example, pine, spruce and juniper are evergreen species. Also in the cold season, heather, wild rosemary, cranberries, lingonberries and other plants remain green.
Trees prepare for winter by developing protective substances on their branches - leathery scales, hairy cover and resinous, waxy substances.
Survive the winter and start life cycle lingonberries, wild rosemary, dandelion, daisy, celandine, lungwort, plantain are capable of spring. In the form of bulbs, coltsfoot is preserved. And in the form of seeds, woodlice, yaruta, shepherd's bags, swans and stinging nettles remain.
Winter
How plants live in winter
Winter is the most difficult period in the life of plants. In autumn, preparations for cold weather, winds and snow take place, the chemical composition trees and shrubs. Fallen leaves protect the roots from frost and saturate the plants with nutrients.
Annual plants do not survive until the winter period, and perennials have time to prepare. The snow cover becomes for them a kind of blanket that can keep warm and maintain moisture levels.
Plants that have shed their leaves go into hibernation. And evergreen species: fir, spruce, pine, juniper, cedar - do not fall asleep, but live due to the fact that their needles contain a sufficient amount of moisture and minerals. This allows them to survive the most severe frosts.
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Winter is the most difficult period for the survival of plants, plants need moisture, which freezes in winter. That is why the plant does not replenish its water reserves in winter and therefore may die. But plants and trees in the process of development have adapted in different ways to wintering.
What plants survive winter?
Annuals do not survive the winter and only grow for one season; perennials survive the winter, but they fall asleep during this time. The aerial part of the plant dies at the end of the growing season, but the roots of the plant are protected by a layer of snow that works like a blanket. The plant then begins to grow again in the spring.
Deciduous and evergreen plants in winter
Deciduous plants hibernate during the winter, shed their leaves in autumn and as a result do not need much water and light for photosynthesis. The tree receives enough nutrients and water supplies throughout the spring and fall to survive the winter after the leaves fall.
Evergreen trees such as spruce, fir, pine, cedar, etc. do not shed their leaves for the winter. Evergreen needles contain small amounts of water, sugars, alkaloids and non-freezing oils.
The needles of evergreen trees have evolved from ordinary leaves to minimize the need for water, the evaporation of water, and at the same time to nourish the plant in winter. Evergreen trees carry out the process of photosynthesis very slowly, so they can continue to function when low temperatures unlike other plants.
How snow protects plants in winter
Snow is vital to survival perennials in winter, as it acts as a blanket. Snowflakes have a unique structure with gaps that contain air, which warms the plant. When the snow melts in the spring, it is also good for the plants, as it nourishes them with moisture.
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