Description of the Rogersia plant, agrotechnology of planting and care when growing on a personal plot, how to reproduce, combating diseases and pests during cultivation, species and varieties.
Rogersia is a plant belonging to the Saxifragaceae family. The native lands on which this representative of the flora grows in natural conditions are in the East Asian regions and the Himalayas. Today the genus unites about 8-9 different species, but according to some information, only three of them are actively used in culture.
| Family name | Saxifrage |
| Growing period | Perennial |
| Vegetation form | Herbaceous |
| Breeds | Vegetatively (by cuttings, rhizome segments or dividing a bush) or by seeds |
| Open ground transplant terms | Spring or autumn |
| Landing rules | Place seedlings at a distance of 50-80 cm from each other |
| Rogers primer | Lightweight and nourishing, hydrated enough |
| Soil acidity values, pH | 6, 5-7 (neutral) |
| Illumination level | Partial shade, it takes several hours of direct sunlight to lay flower buds - western or eastern location |
| Humidity level | Do not allow the soil to dry |
| Special care rules | Regular watering and feeding |
| Height options | Approximately 1, 2–1, 5 m |
| Flowering period | From June for three weeks and up to a month |
| Type of inflorescences or flowers | Panicle, composed of shields |
| Color of flowers | White, pinkish or red |
| Type of fruit in Rogers | 2-3 nest boxes |
| Fruit color | Light green turns red when fully ripe |
| The timing of fruit ripening | Since July |
| Decorative period | Spring-autumn |
| Application in landscape design | Single or group plantings, near tall trees in near-trunk circles |
| USDA zone | 4–6 |
The plant bears its name in honor of the American captain John Rogers (1821-1882), who later rose to the rank of admiral. This prominent historical figure was the head of the expedition through the territory of China and Japan during 1852-1856, and he was the first to find and describe this representative of the green world of the planet.
All varieties of Rogers are perennials characterized by a herbaceous form of growth. Thickened rhizomes have a scaly coating. The rhizome tends to grow very quickly in the horizontal plane and after a few years you can get bushes differing in power or compactness with spectacular inflorescences. This is due to the fact that there are a large number of new growth points on the root branches.
Interesting
A characteristic feature of Rogers is its rapid growth. At the end of spring, you can see the first sprouts, which by June take the form of thickets made up of beautiful leaves.
The size of the leaves is large, it happens that the diameter reaches 0.5 m. The foliage is attached to the elongated petioles. The contours of the leaf plates are palmate or pinnately complex, their outlines are somewhat similar to chestnut foliage. On the petiole, practically in a sessile state, leaflets unfold, which in Rogersia can be in the range of 3–9 pieces, often their number reaches a dozen. The leaves have a double serration at the edge, with a slight sharpening at the tops. On the surface, you can see streaks that diverge in the form of feathers. The color of the foliage is striking in a variety of shades.
Interesting
It is the color of the foliage of Rogers that attracts the eye to this representative of the flora, since in the spring they can have a red, brown or bronze color, which gradually takes on a green color, and in the fall, bronze tones begin to appear again.
When flowering, which begins in June and stretches from 20 days to a month, a panicle inflorescence is formed, composed of scutes. The inflorescence is leafless, it contains a large number of flowers. The flowers are usually leafless, but sometimes 1–5 incompletely developed petals can be discerned. There are five sepals, but 4–7 units are rarely formed. Their color can be white, pinkish or red. Sepals have a bulging apex. There are five to seven pairs of stamens in a Rogersia flower. The ovary is rarely semi-inferior, mostly semi-superior, with 2-3 nests. It is interesting that the height that the shoots (peduncles with leaves) can reach, together with the inflorescences, with proper care, can be within 1, 2-1, 5 m.
When flowering, a delicate pleasant aroma hovers over such plantings. When the flowers wither, the leaves begin to grow actively again. The fruit of the Rogersia is a capsule, characterized by 2-3 nests. It is shaped like an asterisk. At first, the skin color of such fruits is light greenish, which eventually takes on a reddish tint.
The plant is gaining popularity among gardeners today because of its unpretentiousness, resistance to frost, hardiness to dense shade and decorative characteristics.
Agrotechnics of planting and caring for Rogers when growing in open ground
- Landing place this spectacular plant must match its natural preferences. It is important to remember that both gusts of wind and direct sunlight will negatively affect the bush. It is advisable to find a place in the shade, or so that the sun shines only at sunset or sunrise. You will also need to provide protection against drafts - plant next to fences, large trees or a house. However, at the same time, too thick a shadow will lead to the fact that the flowering of Rogers will never occur, since the laying of flower buds is possible only when the stems disappear under the direct streams of ultraviolet radiation. Since in nature the plant loves the banks of waterways, it can be planted next to water bodies, but it is important that the roots are not in the water. It is also undesirable to find ground waters close to each other.
- Rogers primer they select light and nutritious so that it contains organic matter, such as peat chips, humus or compost. The substrate should always remain sufficiently moist, but moisture should not stagnate in it. For greater nutritional value, organic matter (peat, compost or humus) is mixed into it. If the substrate on the site is heavy or clayey (too wet), then river sand or fine gravel is added to it to increase looseness.
- Rogers landing held both in spring and with the onset of autumn. Before planting, the soil must be thoroughly reforged and then leveled. It is imperative to lay a layer of drainage material in the pit, which will be a guarantee that the root system will not undergo waterlogging. This material can be stones, expanded clay or gravel. The planting hole is dug in such a way that the seedling can easily fit in it. The depth of the hole should be about 6–8 cm. Since the plant is quite large, at least 0.5–0.8 m is left between the seedlings. After planting is carried out, abundant watering is carried out, and then the soil is mulched with peat. During the growing season, such a mulching layer needs to be added.
- Fertilizers when cultivating Rogers, it is recommended to use it regularly, since the plant is characterized by the property of depleting the soil due to its rapid growth and size. During the period of growth of the deciduous mass, preparations with nitrogen are used in the composition (for example, urea or ammonium nitrate), and when flowering begins, potassium-phosphorus fertilizing will be needed. Such funds must be applied twice during the period of activation of growth and also flowering. Some growers use a full mineral complex (like Kemira-Universal or Fertika). Fertilizers, which include copper and potassium, zinc and magnesium, as well as nitrogen and phosphorus, do not interfere.
- Watering in the process of growing Rogers, it is recommended to carry out in such a way that the substrate always remains in a moist state. Drying of the soil is prohibited. Such operations are especially important when the weather is hot and dry. If such periods last for a long time, then you can add deciduous mass spraying to the care.
- General advice on care. Since the foliage and inflorescences gradually begin to dry out, you should periodically inspect such bushes and prune spoiled leaf plates and stems. If a layer of mulch was not applied, then once a month it is worth loosening the soil between the bushes.
- Wintering. Since Rogers is a perennial, it must be prepared for the cold season. To do this, all dried up shoots and foliage are cut off, the flower-bearing stems are cut off, and the bush is sprinkled with a layer of peat chips or dry fallen leaves. After spring comes and the snow melts, it is recommended to cover the bushes with agrofibre (for example, spunbond), since return frosts can harm the plant more than severe winter frosts.
- The use of Rogers in landscape design. Since the plant has bright and spectacular leaves and no less interesting inflorescences, it can decorate any corner in the garden, even as a tapeworm or in group plantings. It is recommended to form such plantings from different varieties, then all the beauty of the foliage will be fully revealed. With a group of different varietal variations, it is possible to decorate the trunks of tall trees.
Such bushes are combined both with other perennial representatives of the flora and tall flowers. In the latter version, the best neighbors will be bells with tall stems, hosts, astilbe, ostrich or other ferns. Low-growing plants, such as periwinkle or lungwort, will also look good.
If there is an artificial or natural reservoir on the site, then on its shady shores Rogersia will be very comfortable, since the plant prefers such locations in natural conditions. In this case, such aquatic representatives of flora as calamus, sedge and susak can be planted in the neighborhood. A similar shrub in a rock garden or rockery among stones will feel good.
Outdoor Planting Astilboides Care Tips
How to breed Rogers?
In order to have such a bush in the garden with beautiful foliage that has the property of changing color during the growing season, it is recommended to use seeds or apply the vegetative method. The latter will include dividing an overgrown plant, rooting cuttings or jigging parts of the rhizome.
Reproduction of Rogers by dividing the bush
This operation is recommended to be carried out in the spring or autumn period. The plant is carefully removed from the soil (you can dig it around the perimeter and, using garden species, remove it from the soil). After that, division into parts is carried out so that each of the divisions has a sufficient number of root processes with renewal points and stems. The planting of the delenka is carried out immediately to a permanent place in the garden. Planting depth should be 4–5 cm.
Important
It is noticed that if the division and planting of Rogers is carried out in the autumn, then it will grow much faster.
Reproduction of Rogers by rhizome segments
This manipulation is performed in the fall. It is necessary to divide the rhizome into parts that will reach 10 cm in size. Planting is carried out in containers filled with nutritious loose soil (for example, a peat-sand mixture). Containers are buried on the site for the winter, providing shelter, or continue to be kept in a room where the heat does not exceed 10 degrees. In the latter case, regular moistening of the potted substrate will be required. Only with the arrival of spring can you transplant to the permanent place of your personal plot.
When buying rogeria rhizomes not in a planting container, that is, the root is bare, then before planting it is recommended to soak it for several hours in a basin with a solution to stimulate root formation (Kornevin or Radifarm will do).
Reproduction of Rogers by cuttings
The best period for this operation is July. As a cutting, a leaf with a "heel" (part of the stem tissue) is taken, which is placed in a solution to stimulate root formation, and only then is planted in the ground. The soil can be a peat-sand mixture. After the root shoots appear at the cutting, you can transplant to a permanent place in the garden. If a seedling with a closed root system was purchased (that is, in a container), then before planting in a prepared hole in the open field, it is necessary to lower it into a basin of water for several minutes (from 10 to 30 minutes). When air bubbles stop rising from the soil surface, you can remove the plant from the container. When planting, it is important to preserve the earthen lump without destruction - the transshipment method is used.
Reproduction of Rogers with seeds
This method is the most difficult and demanding. After the seeds are harvested, then sowing is carried out in the autumn. The seeding depth should be 1–2 cm. For planting, seedling boxes filled with fertile and light soil are used. After the sowing has been carried out, the containers are placed under a canopy in the fresh air. Thus, stratification will be performed over a period of 14–20 days. After that, the boxes with crops are transferred in a room where the temperature is in the range of 11-15 degrees. After a couple of weeks, the first shoots can be seen.
When the Rogers seedlings reach 10 cm, a dive into separate small pots is necessary. You can use disposable plastic containers, but the best solution would be to take pots of pressed peat - this will help to carry out subsequent planting without damaging the root system of the seedling. With the arrival of May, the seedlings can be put out on the street, but they are transplanted only with the arrival of autumn. With proper care, when 3-4 years have passed from the moment of transplantation into open ground, the appearance of inflorescences can be expected.
Read more about breeding astilbe
Disease and pest control in the cultivation of Rogers
Since the plant is a natural antiseptic, it is rarely affected by diseases. However, if the thickets of bushes are too thick, and the soil does not have time to dry out, then this can cause rot. A sign of a problem is darkening on the stems and the same spots on the plastic sheets. If these symptoms are found, you need to quickly cut and burn all the affected parts of the Rogers, and treat the entire plant with fungicidal preparations, such as, for example, Bordeaux liquid or Fundazol. Processing should be carried out in the daytime, when there is still a lot of time left until the evening and the surface of the leaf plates is dry.
Pests that can cause trouble when growing such an ornamental deciduous crop can be slugs and grape snails, which settle in moist soil under the bushes. To prevent them from appearing on the surface of the substrate between the Rogers bushes, it is recommended to sprinkle crushed eggshells or ash. Such a layer will interfere with the movement of gastropods, and they will not crawl onto the dusted areas. You can collect pests manually or use chemical metaldehyde agents (like Groza-meta).
Read also how to deal with diseases and pests in the garden cultivation of Rhodiola
Rogers' notes
This representative of the flora was brought to the territory of European countries from China only at the end of the 19th century, however, gardeners loved it so much for its external data and ease of care, it began to spread rather quickly on suitable lands for growth. However, apart from decorative use, the plant did not find it.
Types and varieties of Rogers
Rogersia horse chestnut (Rodgersia aesculofolia)
may also occur under the name Rogers chestnut-leaved. The natural area of growth falls on the mountainous Chinese regions, located at an altitude of 2.9 km above sea level. While the plant is blooming, its height is 1.4 m, but after it the bush is measured within 0.9–1 m. In the root zone, the leaves have half-meter petioles. The outlines of the leaf blades are very similar to chestnut ones, for which the specific name was given. Both petioles and leaves have pubescence of brown hairs. Leaves cover the stems along their entire length.
The foliage is characterized by a pinnate dissection into 5–7 leaf lobes. The length of each leaf reaches 25 cm, while the total diameter of the leaf itself does not exceed 0.5 m. In the color of the leaves of Rogers cones, as soon as they unfold, beet-bronze shades prevail, which gradually take on a rich color of fresh greenery. On the surface, there is a rather spectacular venation, which gives the leaves a relief.
When flowering, rather branched panicle inflorescences are formed in large sizes. They are composed of small whitish or slightly pinkish flowers. The length of the inflorescence can reach 30 cm. They are crowned with strong flowering stems, which serve as an ornament, towering above the foliage. The flowering process stretches from the last week of June to the end of July. Cultivation dates back to the early 20th century.
Has a distribution subspecies Rogersia Henrici (Rodgersia aesculifolia var.henrici) or Rogers Henrypopular with gardeners. The size of the plant is more modest. The petioles are dark in color, and the foliage has a coffee shade. With the arrival of summer, the leaf plates turn bright green, and in the fall they acquire a bronze color. Inflorescences are whitish or pale pinkish flowers. At the same time, the shade of the petals in flowers directly depends on the composition of the soil.
Basically, this species does not have varieties, since in breeding works it is used exclusively for crosses between other species. When planting in the garden, you should decide what color you want to get in the spring and summer months. Inflorescences may also have a less modest set of shades. The following variations of the Rogers horse chestnut can be distinguished:
Characterized by spectacular inflorescences:
- Fireworks or Fireworks considered one of the most striking.
- Ideal and Die Stolze or Proud) the owner of inflorescences composed of flowers of various shades - from bright and rich pink to red.
- Cherry Blush or Blush), Dis Hoone (Die Schone or Beauty), Elegans and Roothaut or Redskin) when flowering, inflorescences of a pure pink color are formed.
- Pagoda with snow-white flowers in the inflorescence and tiered outlines of the inflorescences, also characterized by a significantly extended flowering period.
Differing with a spectacular leaf color:
- Red Leaf (Red Leaf or Red leaf) prevailing red color in the foliage.
- Braunlaub or Brownleaf, Cherry Blush or Cherry Blush), Die Schone or The beauty), characterized by bronze shades of foliage.
- Smaragd does not change the color of the deciduous mass throughout the growing season, the color of the leaves is green.
- The color of the leaf plates in the spring and autumn period can change varieties. Cherry Blush and Choclette Wings (Chocolate Wings).
Also, there are garden forms-giants Rogers cones-chestnut-leaved:
- Big Mama characterized by rather large leaf sizes, the segments of which are distinguished by a pointed apex. In the spring, the color of the foliage is of a bronze color; in the summer, it turns dark green.
- Hercules huge leaf plates acquire funnel-shaped outlines.
- Irish Bronze or Irish bronze) has a very impressive compact bush outlines. Palm-shaped leaves are painted in a beautiful bronze shade in the spring months. Inflorescences are large, crowned with tall flowering stems. The variety is not as demanding on cultivation conditions as others.
Rogersia pinnata (Rodgersia pinnata)
… This representative of the flora comes from China (Yunnan province). He prefers to settle in mountainous areas (approximately 3000–3900 m above sea level), where extensive pine forests grow. During the flowering period, due to the strong flowering stems and inflorescences on them, the bush reaches 1–1, 2 m in height, but when it ends or before it, the size does not exceed 50–60 cm.
The length of the leafy pinnately-divided plates is almost 0.5 m, while the width is not more than 30 cm. The leaves are attached to the stems with strong petioles, which can vary in length in the range of 0.4–1 m. placement opposite each other, which resembles rowan foliage. When the leaves are young and just unfolded, their color attracts the eye due to the crimson hue, which gradually turns dark green. The surface is covered with embossed spectacular veins. The stem has strong branching.
Flowering, which occurs in Rogersia pinnate in the first ten days of June, stretches to 20-25 days. In its process, an inflorescence is formed that has the shape of a complex panicle. Its length does not go beyond 25-30 cm. The inflorescence includes flowers with white or pink petals. When the flowers open, a pleasant aroma spreads around.
The species is the most frost-resistant and has the highest growth rate. The following garden forms have gained the greatest popularity among florists:
- Alba - characterized by snow-white colors.
- Superba - characterized by more compact and squat parameters and lush inflorescences with densely arranged flowers. The color of the petals in the flowers is pink, but their edge has a terracotta tone.
- Borodin has very lush panicle inflorescences, composed of snow-white flowers.
- Choclette Wings (Chocolate Wings) or Chocolate wings has a rather spectacular flowering, since the inflorescences consist of flowers of a pale pinkish or wine-red color scheme. Such inflorescences rise above the deciduous crown, which in the spring and by the arrival of autumn is transformed with rich shades of chocolate.
Rogersia elder (Rodgersia sambucifolia)
This species is classified as a plant of more compact outlines. It is somewhat similar to the look of Rogers feathery. The homeland is the mountainous territories of China. The height of the bush with inflorescences approaches the mark of 1.2 m, without them the size is no more than 0.7 m. If it is planted in a sunny location, then the foliage, which initially has a green tint, decorated with a pattern of deep veins, becomes a rich bronze color scheme. Flowering occurs in July. The size of the inflorescences is small, but they are very fragrant.
Related article: Planting and caring for Heuchera outdoors
Video about growing Rogers outdoors:
