Description of the bulbodium plant, recommendations for planting and caring for a brandy in the garden, how to reproduce, possible difficulties in growing, a florist note, species. Bulbocodium is found under the synonym name Brandushka and belongs to perennial herbaceous plants that are included in the Colchicaceae family. This genus, which unites corms, is (according to some information) monotypic and in nature it is possible to meet these representatives of the flora on the territory of the countries of Central Europe or the Mediterranean. In these areas, plants prefer to settle in mountain meadows, among bushes, in steppes and floodplains, they are not uncommon in Ukraine. According to other sources, only two varieties are attributed to the genus of brandy: Bulbocodium vernum and Bulbocodium versicolor.
| Family name | Colchicaceae |
| Life cycle | Perennial |
| Growth features | Herbaceous |
| Reproduction | Seed and vegetative (deposition of daughter corms) |
| Landing period in open ground | Autumn time |
| Disembarkation scheme | At a distance of 10 cm from each other |
| Substrate | Garden soil, nutritious and well-drained |
| Illumination | Open area with bright lighting, partial shade possible |
| Moisture indicators | Moderate watering if the soil is very dry in spring |
| Special Requirements | Unpretentious |
| Plant height | 0.08–0.1 m |
| Color of flowers | Hot pink |
| Type of flowers, inflorescences | Single flowers |
| Flowering time | April May |
| Decorative time | Spring and early summer |
| Place of application | Curbs, ridges, rock gardens or rockeries |
| USDA zone | 5–9 |
The plant has its first name in Latin from the fusion of the Greek words "balbos" and "kodion", which translate as "onion" and "little skin", respectively. In all likelihood, the ancient scientists had in mind the outlines and nature of the scaly cover of the corm, which serves as its protection. The second popular name "brandushka" seems to be rooted in the ancient Cossack word "brandychit", which means "to crowd", since, blooming, the flowers of this plant literally crowded each other.
Bulbokodium is a herbaceous perennial with a tuberous bulb. Usually in a curtain (group planting or flower bed), you can count 5-30 primroses. The stem of the brandu is very short and goes deep into the bulb, its height rarely exceeds 8–10 cm.
The leaf plates appear at the same time as the flowers and are very short at first. But even when flowering is complete, the leaves continue their growth, stretching at the same time to a height of 25 cm. The shape of the leaves is linear, the color is green, bluish-green or greenish-purple. Even before the beginning of June, the leaves do not lose their decorative effect, but soon they quickly acquire a yellow color and lie down.
Several flowers originate from each bulb, which appear as soon as the snow cover melts. These flower "candles" will look fresh for 10 days, but the entire flowering process of the curtain lasts up to two to three weeks. Since there are a lot of flowers in one place, they seem to "crowd" on the hillocks, hence it went that the plants "branded".
When flowering, the diameter of the opened buds reaches 7 cm. The color of the petals in the flowers is bright pink, which makes the brandy stand out against the background of other primroses, which mainly delight the eye with blue, purple or snow-white shades. After flowering, a fruit is formed that has the shape of a box. The seeds are actively pulled apart by ants, promoting reproduction, which is why this primrose has the property of myrmecochory.
If we talk about the outlines, then the view of the brandy is somewhat reminiscent of a three-fold colchicum (Colchicum), or as it is called an autumn garden. But it is worth noting that if the last plant begins to delight with flowering in autumn days, then the bulbokodium opens its buds in the spring and therefore is considered one of the most beautiful "snowdrops" among flower growers. Differs in unpretentiousness and winter hardiness. The best "neighbors" when planting a herbaceous plant bulbokrodium in the garden are Iridodictyum, Scylla and Chionodoxa. But the most effective is the combination with crocuses, which have similar outlines of flowers and sizes, but do not have pink shades in their palette.
Bulbokodium: recommendations for growing a herb in the open field
- Landing place. Most of all, for such a spring flower, a flowerbed or garden bed located in partial shade is suitable, although the plant likes open and well-lit areas. This is because when the development and flowering of the bulbocodium occurs, the sun is not yet very active. These corms are not dug up over a five-year period. And it is often customary for flower growers to plant summer flowering species of garden flora with a shallow root system on top of them, so that until next spring the place in the flowerbed does not look empty.
- Ground the most suitable for growing this spring will be a nutritious and well-drained substrate, which will easily pass moisture to the corm, but remain moderately moist.
- Landing. In order to plant a herbaceous plant in the open ground, the autumn period is suitable. It is necessary to dig a hole up to seven to eight centimeters deep, if you count from the bottom of the corm. But it is better to focus on its diameter and then the depth of the backlog will be 2-3 indicators of the diameter of the planted corms. When planting, they try to maintain a distance of up to 10-15 cm. It is better to arrange peculiar islands of such spring flowers. After the planting is carried out, it is necessary to mulch the future curtain. This will help the moisture to evaporate less intensely, and the substrate will continue to remain loose and filled with air. The plant is suitable for winter forcing.
- Fertilizers for brandy are introduced both in spring and autumn. In early March, while the snow has not melted yet, a complex mineral fertilizer is used for corms. It is scattered directly over the snow cover, or as soon as it has come off, and the soil has not yet had time to dry out. Such a drug can be funds: Fertika (lengthening the flowering period), Biopon or Kemira. It is better not to use organics and nitrogen-containing preparations, as they will promote the development of foliage and at the same time deplete the corm. Spring feeding is carried out once. The fertilizer is scattered over the surface of the moist soil, mixing with its upper layer, or the preparation is pressed into it. In the fall, when it is planned to plant the bulbodium in a new place, the soil is prepared by introducing organic matter or nitrogen-containing fertilizers into it. They are humus, two-year compost, bone meal or dry mineral products for corms (for example, Gumi-Omi). The fertilizer is scattered on the soil surface and then buried in the ground using a rake.
- Watering. Since the development of this spring flower begins immediately after the snow melts, it is quite enough for the moisture that remains in the ground. But if there was little snow or it melted early, and the soil had time to dry out, then it needs to be moistened. The main thing is that the corms are not allowed to dry out, since the curtain may die.
- General advice on care. After the aerial part of the brandu dies off, it is rather difficult to determine the location of its corms, and this is the greatest difficulty in care. The main thing during the end of the growing season is not to damage the corms. To do this, it is recommended to outline the curtain and in this place do not wield a hoe to a great depth. Here it would be better to remove the weeds by hand. And mulch the plantings with a layer of sawdust, needles of forest trees or small pebbles.
Bulbocodium: breeding tips
You can get a new herbaceous plant for growing in the open field by sowing seeds or propagating it by jigging daughter corms.
Since flower growers receive seed material in culture quite rarely, but you have the opportunity to get hold of the seeds of this delicate spring flower, you can sow them with the arrival of autumn. Better to use freshly harvested seeds. A bed is being prepared, into which seeds are sealed, which are then sprinkled with a layer of soil. This is done in order for the seed to undergo natural stratification (exposure for a long time at low temperatures) or keep it on the lower shelf of the refrigerator until spring, and plant it in the ground as soon as the snow melts. It is necessary to choose such a place so that it is protected from direct sunlight (for example, under trees) and with the arrival of the last autumn days, dry foliage is thrown onto the seedling bed, and when it snows, it is covered with a snow cap from above.
With the arrival of spring, as soon as the snow cover melts, it is recommended to remove the shelter and then wait for the first sprouts of the brandy to appear, and this process for a plant can take up to two years. When caring for crops, it is necessary to loosen the soil, pull out too weak shoots, allowing the rest to grow, and remove weeds. But you should not rejoice at the seedlings, since such seedlings will bloom only after 4–5 years. Therefore, it is recommended to use a vegetative propagation method.
During its short growing season, the mother corm of the Bulbocodium grows, on average, one daughter bulb (baby), which will be twice as large as an adult. Separation is recommended when the foliage is completely dry. In order to help the plant to form such a baby, it is recommended to carry out regular feeding of this spring flower. It is necessary to apply complex mineral fertilizers intended for bulbous flowers (for example, Fertiku) in the spring on the snow cover, and in November they are fed with humus, bone meal or humus. When after the formation of corms 3-4 years pass (occasionally and less often), the overgrown curtain is carefully dug up and the children are separated. Then they are planted in a prepared place in the garden.
Possible difficulties in caring for the brandy
It is clear that due to the fact that the vegetative activity of the bulbokodium is very short, the plant is practically not susceptible to diseases and harmful insects.
Flower growers on a note about bebokodium
If you want to use the plantings of the bulbodium in your garden with greater efficiency, then it is recommended that they plant the borders, form group plantings, these flowers show themselves well in rockeries or rock gardens, among plants with a small height.
A variety of primroses such as Anemone nemorosa, Anemone blanda and Anemone ranunculoides, as well as Eranthis (Eranthis) or Viola odoratus are partners in open ground. This is due to the fact that these representatives of the flora, with their shoots, have the ability to wrap the soil surface, like a green carpet, decorating empty spaces between shrubs and garden trees.
Usually flowers have the property of protogony, when the pistil and pollen ripen in one flower at different times. This makes self-pollination of the plant impossible.
The main thing is not to confuse the herbaceous plant brandy with other representatives of the Bezvremennikov family, since among them there are poisonous ones, and nothing is known for certain about its properties.
If a person is not very versed in botany, then he can easily confuse the bulbokodium with crocuses, but the similarity is only external, these representatives of the flora even belong to different families.
People are actively picking the blossoming flowers of this primrose and today the plant is listed in the Red Book of countries such as Russia, Ukraine and Moldova. But not only this was the reason that the brandy was on the verge of extinction - the places of its natural growth began to be destroyed very actively by man.
Bulbocodium types
Spring Bulbocodium (Bulbocodium vernus) is also called Spring Brandushki. Native lands fall on the territory of Moldova, the Belgorod region and the Crimean lands. The plant is considered rare today and, therefore, is in the Red Book of both Russia and Ukraine. The main habitats are flood meadows, damp meadows or thickets of bushes, but they are also found in mountain meadows. These representatives of the flora have a very short growing season and are called ephemeroid.
The corm has the shape of an egg, its bottom is drawn and flattened, which makes them resemble croplands. The diameter of the corm varies in the range of 2-3 cm, its surface is covered with leathery scales of brown color. The foliage develops simultaneously with the flowers from the corms, but at the same time it begins to surpass them in size, since its growth does not stop, even when flowering comes to an end. The height of the plant reaches 8 cm. By the end of spring, the length of the leaves will be 20–30 cm, while the color of the leaves turns yellow and they die off.
From a bulb 2-3 flowers grow, but occasionally they can be counted up to 4 units. The flower diameter is 4–6 cm with the same length parameters. The flowering process can take up to 20 days, but each individual flower will not fade for only 8-10 days. There is a sweet honey aroma that attracts only awakened insects. Petals in flowers with a lilac-pink tint, the shape of the blossoming buds is star-shaped, somewhat reminiscent of crocuses. Until the buds open, they are whitish in color. They are larger in size than the varicoloured Bulbokodium variety. The fruits are boxes. In culture, this species has been cultivated since 1901.
Bulbocodium versicolor is also named Brandushka multi-colored or Brandushka Russian (Bulbocodium vemum). The height of the plant is slightly higher than the previous variety and can vary between 8-15 cm. The corm is also ovoid, giving rise to both flowers and linear-lanceolate leaves. The surface of the corms is covered with blackish-brown shells. There are usually three leaves, their top resembles a small cap. They can grow on petioles covered with brown spots. The color of the foliage is bluish-green.
Flowers grow singly or 2-3 units. The flowers have a bedspread with a wavy edge, the petals are narrower than those of the spring brandy and their color is lighter. The flowers begin their growth at the same time as the leaves, but then the foliage surpasses the flower stars in height and continues to grow even after they wilt. After pollination of the flowers, an elongated capsule appears. The flowering process occurs in March-April, but fruiting begins in May.
The habitat is considered to be a forest-steppe or steppe zone, it can be found on the plains of Moldova and Russia, as well as Ukraine. Occasionally this plant becomes a "guest" in similar areas of Romania, Hungary and Serbia.
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