Description and types of ophipogon, application in landscape design and for the improvement of the body, advice on growing, advice on reproduction, diseases and pests. As soon as they do not call ophiopogon - snake beard, dragon sting, monkey grass, fountain plant, lily of the valley. So what is this interesting plant? It is found on the slopes of the Himalayas, in Japan and the Philippines. Comes from the lily family.
Ofipogon is not big, but original in appearance. It grows in a dense bush, the rhizomes are also compacted and short. Long leaves with golden-yellow and silvery-white stripes break through from small bulbs in bunches. Carpal inflorescences with thin legs are similar to cereal spikelets. Varieties with variegated leaves are appreciated. Flowers come in a variety of shades: white, lilac, lilac, blue, purple. At home, it begins to bloom from late spring to late summer. In our climate, later. It is very undemanding to the surrounding conditions, but at the same time it is considered quite rare. In nature, there are more than sixty species of lily of the valley.
Some types of shrubs:
- Ophiopogon or lily of the valley, white inflorescences, blue fruits.
- Ophiopogon yaburan, inflorescences are white-lilac, fruits are blue-violet.
- Japanese ophiopogon, small inflorescences of pink and lilac color, blue-black fruits.
- Ophiopogon is flat-shot, showy leaves of black and black-green color, inflorescences of white and pink color, fruits are black with blue.
Monkey grass in landscape design
There are hybrids created specifically for landscape design. The beauty of ophiopogon is that it changes old leaves to new ones almost imperceptibly, so it always looks fresh. The leaf plates come in very original colors. And how beautiful its fruits, berries and flowers look against the background of leaves.
The plant perfectly tolerates shaded areas in the garden, near the house, in parks and squares. This ground cover, creeping shrub in landscape design is used to decorate the contour of flower beds, fountains, artificial ponds, borders and paths. Looks very good on light pebbles, and in contrast to light plants. Landscape designers widely use it for landscaping parks, squares and gardens.
The use of ophiopogon for healing the body
Lily of the valley exhibits antimicrobial activity - it has phytoncidal properties. These substances enhance the regenerative processes in tissues, stimulate the body's defenses and immune forces. That is why decorating household plots with this plant near the house is not only beautiful, but also useful. The air enriched with phytoncides improves the health of people suffering from diseases of the nervous and respiratory systems. Therefore, walks before bedtime in gardens and squares where ophiopogon grows are useful.
Its medicinal properties are especially well known and used in China. The roots of this plant are used: for a wet cough, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, cardiovascular and nervous systems. Fatty acids, isoflavonoids, polysaccharides, cyclic peptides, saponins are found in the root system of monkey grass. Extensive research is being conducted on the use of steroidal saponins for the treatment of patients with liver cancer and other cancers. Isoflavonoids have an anti-inflammatory effect and are used to treat patients with acute skin inflammation.
Growing lily of the valley as a home or garden plant, you can not only admire it, but also be healthy.
Growing ofiopogon outdoors
Monkey grass adapts well to different climatic conditions. Differs in high frost tolerance. Countries with temperatures during the winter months up to 28 degrees below zero are suitable for him. It tolerates dry summers well. He loves shade and partial shade very much, only variegated varieties do not tolerate shading. For the best development and growth of the plant, it is necessary to ensure regular moisture in the soil. Also, every spring and summer, ophiopogon must be fed with fertilizers with a complex of organic and mineral additives. He does not need pruning, it is just recommended to remove the leaves as they die off.
Growing lily of the valley indoors
- Lighting. Ophiopogon looks very nice in city apartments and offices. Since this plant tolerates shade well, it can be placed even in the darkest corners of rooms. But the southern - sunny sides of the room are contraindicated for lily of the valley.
- Air temperature. For good growth and development, ideally, the temperature indicators of the air in the summer period should be 18-25 degrees above zero, and in the winter period from 5 to 10 degrees above zero. In winter, monkey grass is kept at a temperature of about two degrees Celsius, and is placed in a room without heating. In the absence of a cool place, ophiopogon must be sprayed. In the summer, the fountain plant is taken out to the loggia.
- Transfer. The transplant operation is carried out in the spring, into the soil, consisting of a mixture of peat, turf and sand in equal parts. It is imperative to lay a drainage layer of pebbles, expanded clay or polystyrene in the pot in order to prevent root decay. Tanks for planting lily of the valley need squat and wide. Young plants change their pot and soil every year, and more mature ones, once every 3 years.
- Watering. In order for the lily of the valley to develop well and bloom with its unusual spike-shaped flowers, the plant must provide the necessary watering scheme. In summer, ophiopogon is watered abundantly, but regularly. And much less in winter. Do not pour or overdry the substrate under any circumstances. The shrub does not like dry air. Therefore, in the summer, in the heat, and in the winter, when the heating dries the air, regular spraying is carried out.
- Fertilizer. Organic and mineral supplements are optimal for ophiopogon. Monkey grass is fertilized in the spring and summer season about one to three times every seven days. In the autumn and winter seasons, feeding is not applied.
- Some tips for breeding. Since ophiopogon is an ornamental plant, it is propagated like many such representatives - vegetatively. This is an easier and more justified way. Of course, you can propagate by seed method, but since monkey grass gives a large number of shoots, this does not make sense.
Every 2-3 years, in spring, the roots of the monkey grass are divided into small bushes with 7-10 leaves each. Each bush is transplanted into a separate pot with prepared substrate and drainage. At the end of autumn, ripe lily of the valley fruits are harvested. Seeds are squeezed out of the berries, which are washed and soaked in water until germination. The prepared germinated material is planted in containers with a loose substrate at a distance of 2-3 cm. After that, watering is carried out and the soil is covered with polyethylene to prevent the substrate from drying out. The container is placed in a cool place, and shoots are expected by the end of November. When young seedlings grow up to 9-10 cm, they can be transplanted into open ground or prepared containers.
Diseases, pests of ophiopogon and methods of dealing with them
Ophiopogon is practically not susceptible to disease, but there are some insects that harm the plant. These are thrips and whitefly. Young leaves love to eat snails and slugs.
It is easier to prevent the appearance of thrips than to fight this insect. Pests lay eggs under the skin of the leaf plates, so it is extremely difficult to destroy them. Only the strongest concentrated preparations help. At the same time, all flower stalks are cut off from the plant. Processing is carried out once every ten days until the complete destruction of thrips.
Another pest is the whitefly. Its larvae damage the ophiopogon leaves. There are many methods of dealing with it. You can set up glue traps to catch adults. From folk remedies - spraying with herbal and garlic infusions. Also, once a week, the plant is treated with various chemicals - insecticides.
Some types of ophiopogon
- Ophiopogon or Lily of the valley (Ophiopogon), Rhizomes are short, slightly thickened, intertwined with roots with small bulbs. The leaves collected in densely growing bunches are thin, lanceolate, the inflorescence looks like a spikelet. In inflorescences on short pedicels from three to eight flowers. The fused perianth from below forms a short tube. The berry of the fruit is blue. The seeds are round in shape.
- Ophiopogon jaburan, Plant height from ten to seventy centimeters. Lanceolate leaves with blunt tips are collected in a dense rosette, grow at the roots (centimeter wide, 80 cm long). The peduncle is even, with leaves of the same length. The inflorescence is racemose, stretching to a height of 15 cm. The appearance of small flowers is somewhat similar to lilies of the valley. They come in different colors: white or pale lilac. The berry of the fruit is blue with a purple tint. Other subspecies with different colors of stripes on the leaf plates are white-silver and yellow.
- Japanese ophiopogon (Ophiopogon japonicus)The fibrous root system consists of small nodules. Basal leaves grow upward, rather narrow and tough. The length of the peduncle is less than the length of the leaves. The flowers are small, not densely growing, several in the inflorescence. It is rather loose and reaches a length of up to 7 cm. There are colors: pink or lilac. The berry of the fruit is black in color with a blue tint.
- Ophiopogon planiscapus, The leaves are wider than all species, similar to belts up to 30 cm long. The color is: black, dark emerald. The inflorescences are racemose. The flowers are large, bell-like, white or pink. The berry of the fruit is round, juicy, black and blue. Other subspecies with different leaf colors. There are black, dark emerald with a purple tint. The buds turn white with a delicate creamy tint.
For more on what ophiopogon looks like, see here:
