Distinctive features of Kampsis, how to grow a wonderful plant in open ground, the sequence of breeding tekoma, the fight against diseases and pests, interesting facts, species. Campsis is often found under the name Tecoma, although this is not entirely true and it belongs to the Bignoniaceae family. There are only two representatives in the genus, one of which respects the lands of China with its natural habitat, and the other comes from the territory of North America. In our area, it is possible to meet this flora samples in the Ukrainian southern regions, as well as in the Crimea, in the south of Russia and in the Caucasian lands, but most often Kampsis decorates the resorts on the coasts of the Azov and Black seas with its appearance.
The plant bears its scientific name thanks to the Greek word "kamptein", which means "bend, bend" or "twist". All this describes the liana-like shoots of the plant in the best possible way.
So, as it has already become clear, Kampsis or Tekoma (we will adhere to the name, although not entirely correct, but known to many) is a woody liana, which loses its foliage with the arrival of the cold season. In height, the shoots of a plant can reach a 10-meter mark, climbing in nature along the trunks of large trees, and on a personal plot using any support suitable for themselves, if the owner did not take care of this in time. Over time, old branches are covered with a grayish-green bark, when young shoots are of a grassy green color.
On the branches there are opposite leaves, which have an odd-pinnate shape, with a sharpness at both ends, but slightly sharper at the top. Slightly depressed veins appear on the surface. The color of the leaves is rich, from grassy green to dark emerald. Moreover, even before the appearance of flowers, well-leafy shoots are also decorative.
But the natural decoration of Kampsis is its multiple flowers. The corolla takes on a tubular or bell-shaped shape. The color of the flowers is bright orange, pink, reddish-golden, red-scarlet, crimson or reddish-orange. But that's not all, since the flower itself is colored in these shades in different ways. The entire tube from the outside takes on shades of orange, and the five petals bent outward and the inside of the corolla are distinguished by more saturated tones of red color. Against the background of green foliage, the blossoming buds look very attractive, for which the tekoma won the love of flower growers and phytodecorators. The length of the flower is 8–9 cm with a diameter of up to 5 cm. The flowers are collected in loose panicle or racemose inflorescences, decorating the shoots almost along their entire length.
The flowering process begins in mid-summer and covers the first month of autumn. The aroma of Kampsis flowers attracts multiple flying and crawling insects, which serve as pollinators, but since the number of such "workers" is large, growers do not advise planting a liquid near the windows.
Campsis is distinguished by the highly decorative outlines of its liana-like shoots and flowers. Therefore, it is often used when grown in parks and gardens, not only for landscaping, but also for phytodecoration of buildings, fences, retaining walls, as well as terraces and pergola scorching rays of the sun) or gazebos. At the same time, a great help in using this decorative liana is that it shows great resistance in urban conditions, showing its gas, dust and smoke resistance.
Planting and rules for caring for Kampsis on a personal plot
- Landing place The tekoma should be well lit, southern or southeastern locations of walls or supports are suitable. However, even in partial shade, Kampsis will grow well, but the flowering will not be so abundant.
- The soil. The plant is undemanding to the selection of soil, but swampy and heavy substrates are not suitable for Kampsis. We need a loose and fertile composition.
- Fertilizers for kampsis they are usually not required, but if the owner feeds his vine with nitrogen-phosphorus preparations, he will be able to increase the duration of flowering and its abundance.
- Pruning. It is this procedure that is the main one for Kampsis, since the tree-like liana has a high development intensity and the ability to conquer more and more territories with its root shoots. Such a procedure is needed to restrain growth and, if desired, shape the crown. Sometimes the tekoma is shaped like a standard tree or the necessary outlines are formed with the help of shoots. Pruning is performed with the onset of spring days. Most of last year's branches are removed, while leaving only skeletal shoots, completely lignified and young branches, with the help of which further crown molding takes place. When pruning, you should not worry about the subsequent flowering process, since the buds will begin to be laid mainly on the young growth of annual branches.
When the flowering still lasts, the care of the Kampsis consists in removing the discolored buds and cleaning under the liana, since quite a lot of flowers fall to the ground. The branches from which the flowers have fallen should be shortened by 3-4 eyes.
Steps for self-breeding Kampsis
To get a new vine with abundant flowering shoots, you can sow seeds, root cuttings or layering, and plant root shoots.
Seed reproduction is easy, but with this method, maternal signs may disappear. After the seeds have ripened in leaflets-boxes, they are collected and immediately sown on the surface of a moistened substrate laid in a seedling box (they do not need to be stratified). But such seed is perfectly stored at room temperature, and you can sow it with the arrival of spring directly to a permanent place. It is recommended to sprinkle the seeds on top with a small layer of soil or peat. All crop care is to maintain the soil in a seedling box (pot or flower bed) with constant moderate moisture. A transparent plastic cover is recommended on top of the seeds, or a piece of glass is placed on the container. The box with seedlings must be placed in a warm place so that the temperature readings are at around 25 degrees. Lighting should be bright, but shaded from direct sunlight.
After 2-3 weeks, you can already see the first shoots, when they get stronger and a couple of leaves develop on them, then you need to make the first pick. Landing in the ground is carried out already with the arrival of spring. When 5–6 leaves grow on the seedlings, they are transplanted to a permanent place of growth. Such young Kampsis will begin to bloom only 7–8 years after planting.
The most acceptable method is cuttings. Usually, blanks are cut from lignified or green shoots, while trying to cut out their central part. Such an operation is carried out for green shoots in June-July, and cuttings from lignified shoots are cut in winter or with the arrival of spring. There should be at least 2-3 leaves on the blank (the rest can be removed). Planting is carried out in a loose and fertile substrate, usually a peat-sand mixture or peat-perlite mixture is used. It can be planted immediately on a flower bed or garden bed, in soil with looseness and fertile properties (a mixture of garden soil, peat and sand). When planting in open ground, they try to pick up a place in partial shade so that the sun's rays do not burn the cuttings that have not yet matured. The soil is mulched around the blanks - this will help keep its moisture content longer.
When cuttings are cut from lignified shoots, they are planted slightly at an angle. You can place such blanks either on the garden bed, for subsequent transplantation, or immediately to a permanent place, adhering to the above rules.
The rooted parts of the Kampsis are planted next spring. If cuttings are cut from green shoots, then the percentage of their rooting is 90 units, and from lignified shoots - 100%.
Another effective method is to deposit root shoots. There are always many young plants near the mother bush of Kampsis, which originated from the root system of an adult specimen. It is customary to dig up such a liquid with a piece of root and immediately plant it on a prepared permanent place of growth. However, a similar operation is performed when the vine is in a state of rest (rest).
When propagating with the help of layering, both green and lignified plant shoots can be used. Such a branch should easily reach the soil, and be laid on it in such a way that part of it can be fixed in a horizontal position and sprinkled with substrate. Securing the shoot is carried out using a hard wire, hairpins, or you can take a stone. Caring for such a layer is to keep the soil around it moist. Usually they are engaged in rooting in this way in the spring, in order to separate the rooted young kampsis from the mother bush next spring. Seedlings that have been obtained in this way show an excellent development rate.
Diseases and pests that arise when growing tekoma
The biggest problem for a plant if the requirements for care are violated are spider mites, whiteflies and scale insects. To combat such harmful insects, it is recommended to spray with insecticidal preparations. It is necessary to re-process the bush after a week in order to finally remove the pests or their eggs.
If the place where the kampsis is planted is in the shade, then the plant will not develop well. Also, the liana is affected by an excess of nitrogen in the soil. When the soil has dried for a long time, the tekoma will respond by dropping flowers.
Curious facts about the Kampsis flower
Of the negative properties of kampsis, multiple insects can be distinguished that fly, crawl, and are attracted to the liana by its aroma, covered with multiple flowers, so you should not plant the plant next to windows that are often opened. Since such pollinators can become a problem for people, stinging and biting them.
It is also worth considering the properties of tekoma, as a plant that is too rooting, its root shoots, reaching any obstacles or supports, begins to climb them, filling everything around. With its root airy shoots, the shoots of Kampsis can grow not only into a tree, but even into brickwork, gradually destroying it.
Vine flowers "live" for only a day or two, and new buds bloom to replace them, but there are so many of them that the flowering process seems to be continuous, only the owner will have to remove the fallen flowers from the ground under the bush every day.
Kampsis types
Since there are only two varieties, many hybrid plants have been bred on their basis, only a few of them are listed here.
Campsis grandiflora (Campsis grandiflora) is also often referred to as Chinese Campsis. In culture, the plant has been grown since the beginning of the 19th century, it is a large-sized liana, which sheds its foliage depending on the season. Its shoots are lignified and capable of rising to a height of 10 m with the help of a support. But occasionally this species can take the form of a bush. The leaf plates have complex pinnate outlines. It consists of 7–9 leaf lobes, which are distinguished by an ovoid shape, along the edge along them, serration is started. The length of the leaflets is 3–6 cm, the top is pointed at the top.
During flowering, buds are formed, which open into flowers with a corolla of tubular or funnel-shaped outlines, reaching 8 cm in width. Their color acquires a fiery orange color. Flowers are collected in large inflorescences of a loose paniculate shape, mainly growing on the tops of the shoots. The flowering process begins when the plant reaches an age of 2-3 years, it is stretched over time (from June-July to September) and is quite abundant. The beginning of bud release varies depending on the season and the locality in which the species grows.
After pollination of the flowers, the fruits ripen, in the form of a capsule of the pod contour. Its length does not exceed 15 cm, and it is mostly single. Such pods ripen in late September or October. A large number of seeds are placed inside the capsule. Their shape is flat, they are covered with a winged seed coat, which helps the seeds with the wind to spread to the plant.
There is a decorative variety of Thunberg (f. Thunbergii), which is distinguished by the formation of flowers of a smaller size with an orange tint. The corolla tube is short, the blades are also not large in size.
Rooting Campsis (Campsis radicans) bears the second name of Rooting Tecoma. It has been in culture since the middle of the 17th century (1640). This plant differs from the previous variety in larger sizes. The stems have multiple aerial root processes, by means of which the branches are attached to any protrusions on the surface, while rising to a height of almost 15 meters.
Shoots are covered with complex leaf plates, their outlines are pinnate, they are 9–11 leaf lobes. The surface of the leaflet is naked, the color is bright green, and on the reverse side the shade is lighter, differs in pubescence.
The size of the flowers is also different from the large-flowered variety - smaller, the corolla is tubular, funnel-shaped. The diameter is 5 cm, the length is measured up to 10 cm. The apical inflorescences, racemose outlines, are collected from such flowers. The color of the broom is orange, and the bent petals are bright red.
The fruit after flowering is a pod-like box of flat shape. When fully ripe, such a fruit is opened with a pair of valves. The length of the pod reaches 12 cm, there is a narrowing at both ends. Such a fruit-box ripens between September and November. Inside the box there are seeds, small in size, their shape is flat, rounded-triangular. There are also two wings that allow the wind to carry them over a long distance.
This species naturally grows in the lands of North America. The following varietal plants are available:
- Magnificent (f. Speciosa) has a shrub shape, branches are weakly branched, long and thin. The size of the flowers is relatively small, the color is orange-red, while the x diameter reaches three centimeters.
- Golden (f. Flava) characterized by yellow flowers.
- Early (f. Praecox) characterized by a flowering process that begins earlier than the typical species and has large scarlet flowers.
- Dark purple (f. Atropurpurea) the flowering process takes place with flowers with a dark scarlet color, a purple tint, the sizes are quite large.
Campsis tagliabuana (Campsis tagliabuana) is a hybrid variety, reminiscent of the large-flowered Caspsis variety. Shoot height reaches 4–6 cm in height. When growing, the plant acquires the shape of a bush, with its shoots capable of climbing the proposed supports.
More about growing campsis in the following video:
