Campsis

Plant Kampsis (Campsis) - a representative of the Bignoniev family. This is a large liana with woody shoots and spectacular bright flowers, shedding leaves for the winter. In nature, Kampsis live in East Asian countries and in the south of the North American continent. The genus includes only two species, as well as their hybrid form, which is a shrub. Campsis has an average cold resistance and is able to withstand only short-term frosts, therefore, most often such a plant adorns gardens and parks in the southern regions.

The name Kampsis comes from the word "twist". Due to the shape of the flowers, such a bush is also called tubule. Often, Kampsis are combined with similar tekomarii (or tekoma), but these species simply belong to the same family, and their names are not considered synonymous.

Description of Kampsis

Campsis are bushy vines that are held on supports with aerial roots or shoots. Thanks to this property, the plants are able to climb more than 10 m upward. The shoots of the lianas spirally cover the supports. Over time, the flexible stems become stiff and thicken.

Kampsis foliage is also highly decorative. Its complex, pinnate leaves include up to 11 oblong leaves with a serrated edge. In addition to elegant leaf plates, the plant is distinguished by bright flowers with a tubular base. The diameter of their corolla reaches 5 cm, and the length is up to 9 cm. The flowers form medium-sized panicle inflorescences at the ends of young branches. Their coloration can include tones of red, yellow and orange, as well as pink or crimson. Although the flowers are odorless, they are melliferous and attract a wide variety of insects, and in the tropics they are also pollinated by hummingbirds.

Later, in place of the flowers, long pods are formed with two leathery valves about 10 cm in size. Winged membranous seeds ripen in them. After cracking a ripe pod, they spread around the area. At the same time, not all vines can form such fruits. It is assumed that multiple plants are required for pollination.

Like other garden vines, Kampsis are widely used in vertical gardening. Bushes are planted near trellises, gazebos, trellises and other garden objects. Vines can wrap around arches or fences. But it is not recommended to plant beautiful bushes near the walls of garden buildings or houses. Although such a neighborhood will look very impressive, the consequences can be unpleasant.Campsis is incredibly easy to root in any places where particles of soil, sand or even dust have fallen - for example, shoots can take a fancy to cracks in walls, even sprouting through brickwork or cracks in plastic. To avoid this, while continuing to enjoy a tropical bush in your own garden, you should especially carefully monitor its growth and distribution.

If desired, the Kampsis plant can even be grown at home or in a greenhouse, but in this case the bush will need more frequent formative pruning. A Kampsis bush in a pot or a beautiful wooden tub at home will become a real decoration of your interior.

Brief rules for growing Kampsis

The table shows brief rules for growing kampsis in the open field.

Planting Kampsis in open ground

The best time and place to land

Campsis has sufficient cold resistance and is able to withstand a short drop in temperature to -20 degrees. But a long-term cold snap can ruin plantings, so the plant is classified as thermophilic. In regions with frosty winters, it is recommended to plant a young liana in open ground no earlier than the end of May.

It is better to plant a liana in an unshaded place - the plant loves the sun. For planting kampsis, the southern (or southeastern) area of ​​the site is chosen, reliably closed from strong winds and icy drafts. Liana is undemanding to the soil, but prefers soils rich in mineral elements. A slightly acidic or neutral fertile substrate is best suited for the plant. On a poor and overdried land, the flowering of creepers will be scarce. Wetlands for planting should also not be chosen, as well as lowlands - in them the bushes can freeze out.

Due to the ability of vines to attract numerous insects to their flowers, plantings should be placed further from the windows of the house. In addition, due to the ability of the established plant to grow quickly and turn into a difficult-to-remove weed, you should try to limit the area allotted for it. To do this, slate or sheets of metal are dug into the ground along its edges to a depth of about 80 cm. If you do not follow the liana, then the growth of the growing kampsis can begin to appear literally throughout the entire site, including at a considerable distance from the main plant.

Landing features

Campsis blooms only a few years after the start of cultivation. To get flowers already for 2-3 years of the life of the bush, you should use a cutting taken from an adult liana with abundant flowering.

The pit for planting Kampsis is prepared in the fall. Its depth should be up to 60 cm, and its diameter should be about half a meter. When preparing a hole, you need to mix the top layer of the excavated soil with compost (up to 5 kg) and 0.5 kg of mineral fertilizers. The finished mixture is poured onto the bottom of the pit. If necessary, a drainage layer is laid under it.

In April, the seedling itself is placed in the pit, its roots are straightened and covered with soil. The depth of the bush should not be changed during transplantation. The land next to the seedling is well rammed, and then watered.When moisture is absorbed into the soil, the root area is mulched with a layer of peat or compost. Campsis will immediately need support, which should be taken care of in advance. They try to tie the seedling to it immediately after planting it.

Caring for Kampsis in the garden

Despite its tropical appearance, Kampsis is unpretentious, and especially careful care is not required for it. The main activities for growing vines include watering, weeding and feeding, as well as loosening, sanitary inspections and periodic pruning.

Watering

The watering schedule is especially important. Campsis does not tolerate both overdrying of the soil and stagnation of moisture at the roots. In addition, during periods of drought, vine shoots may lose their attractiveness. Watering must be regular if you want to see Kampsis in full bloom. After the watering has been carried out, the land next to the vines is loosened and weeded. In order not to overmoisten the soil, the plant should be watered often, but little by little.

To reduce the number of watering will help not only soil mulching, but also placing small shrubs with similar maintenance requirements next to the campis. They are planted right in the vines near the trunk circle.

Top dressing

Kampsis does not need frequent feeding, but with periodic introduction of nitrogen and phosphorus compounds, its flowering will become more magnificent and longer. They can be applied at the root or sprayed on the foliage of the plant. Starting at the end of summer, feeding is stopped.

Pruning

Pruning is considered to be one of the basic conditions for caring for Kampsis. The plant lends itself well to formation. Without it, the bushes grow both in height and in width and need to restrict growth. In addition, flowers appear only on fresh twigs, so proper pruning of the campsis will help make the vines bloom more lush. With the help of pruning, it will be possible to turn the bush into a kind of tree or give it any interesting shape.

You can begin to form the crown of the kampsis shortly after landing in the ground, acting in stages. All shoots of the bush are cut to a length of 15 cm. When the stems grow again, you should select up to 5 of the most powerful branches, and cut off the rest. As they develop, the shoots are given the necessary direction, in some cases they can be additionally tied up.

Formed kampsis is considered only after the length of the main shoots reaches 4 m.As a rule, this occurs only for 2-3 years of the life of the bush. The tops of the lateral shoots are also subject to pruning (they are shortened, leaving no more than 3 buds-eyes) and all damaged, dry or diseased branches. Branches growing in the wrong direction are also pruned. If the disease has affected one of the main branches, it should be removed completely. Such a shoot will be replaced by a young shoot, from which only one, the largest and strongest shoot should also be selected.

Sometimes Kampsis is rejuvenated by pruning. All its branches are cut at a height of 30 cm, but this procedure should be carried out at the very beginning of the spring season, before the buds wake up.

During flowering, withering flowers and twigs are removed from the shoots, on which 3-4 flower buds have already bloomed. Such actions will help prolong flowering. Pruning should also be done after the growing season is complete. Only the branches of the base are left on the liana, and the remaining shoots are cut to a pair of buds. In the spring, after wintering, sanitary removal of dry or affected branches should be carried out. You can get rid of the abundant excess overgrowth of Kampsis by digging up a growing bush or cutting off the shoots with a pruner.

Campsis after flowering

The frost resistance of Kampsis allows the bushes to withstand a fairly strong drop in temperature, but only for a short time. The long, cold winters require good shelter. For convenience, the Kampsis supports are recommended to be removable. This will allow them to be stowed away for the winter and put back in place in the spring. Liana is covered according to the same principle as grapes.The stems are removed from the supports and compactly folded on the ground, and then covered with dry fallen leaves, spruce branches or a layer of sawdust. A film is placed on top, and an additional layer of spruce branches is placed on it. The shelter must be properly secured so that it is not blown away by the wind.

If the vine grows on an arch or other non-removable, but not too large structure, you can cover it directly on it. The roots of the bush are covered with sand, foliage or spruce branches, and the shoots are wrapped in several layers of non-woven covering material. From above, you can additionally close the structure with a film that will protect the lower layers from getting wet.

In spring, Kampsis does not release fresh foliage for a long time. Sometimes the bush begins to sprout fresh shoots directly from the roots.

Why Kampsis does not bloom

Problems with flowering campsis most often arise due to return frosts in the spring, frequent cool drafts, and too cold weather in the summer season. Diseases or pests can also cause the lack of buds.

The propagation methods of a plant also significantly affect the timing of its flowering. With seed reproduction, the bushes bloom only for 4-7 years of life. Vines obtained vegetatively begin to form buds already in the 3rd year of development.

Pests and diseases

Campsis is very resistant to pests and flower diseases. Most often, bushes can suffer from the development of rot: this leads to stagnation of water at the roots.

If the summer is dry, aphids can settle on the shoots of the vines. Usually such insects attack young foliage or plant buds. To combat such pests, treatment with soapy water is used. To obtain it, 10 g of tar soap is added to 1 bucket of water. A small amount of aphids can be knocked down with a stream of water, or the foliage of the Kampsis can be sprayed with vodka.

Kampsis breeding methods

Campsis can reproduce in many ways. These include sowing seeds, rooting cuttings (green or woody), as well as the formation of cuttings or the use of root growth.

Growing from seeds

Growing a campsis from seed is a simple process, but it has several drawbacks. Such a plant most likely will not be able to retain the characteristics of the mother bush, and will also begin to bloom much later than during vegetative propagation - after about 6-8 years.

Kampsis seeds do not need preliminary preparation. Once harvested before sowing, they can simply be stored at home in a dry place. In the first days of March, seeds are planted in neutral soil that conducts water well. They are buried 0.5 cm, and then the container is placed in a warm place. The sprouts should appear in about a month. After the emergence of seedlings, the container is moved to a bright corner. After the formation of 3 pairs of full-fledged leaves, the seedlings are transferred to the ground and planted in the chosen place.

Cuttings

Cuttings can be cut green or woody. In the first case, cutting is carried out at the beginning of summer, using only the middle part of the shoots about 30 cm long. All foliage is removed from them, with the exception of the upper 2-3 plates. The remaining leaves are shortened by more than half. Prepared cuttings are planted in fertile soil in a shady place, placing them at an angle of 45 degrees. The seedlings are watered and then mulch the soil near the plantings.

Woody cuttings are harvested at the very beginning of spring, choosing solid shoots of the last year. The segments are planted in the ground according to the same principle, but if there may still be severe frosts on the street, then deep containers are used for growing. The rooting rate of any cuttings is very high, but last year's seedlings take root a little better. After establishing warm weather, they can be transplanted to their final location.

Reproduction by root shoots

If the campis grows in suitable conditions, it will form numerous root shoots. A similar process is separated from the bush along with a part of the root, and then immediately moved to the chosen place.This type of reproduction is carried out in early spring or towards the end of autumn, after leaf fall, when the processes of bush development are not activated.

Reproduction using layering

In spring or summer, on a bush, vines choose a stem that grows closer to the ground. It should be bent to the ground and fixed. All summer long, the future layering is monitored: the soil next to it should remain loose and moist. To speed up the process, the section of the shoot pinned to the ground should be dug a little. By next spring, the overwintered shoot will give roots, and it can be cut off from the original vine. The plants obtained in this way have a particularly fast growth rate.

Types and varieties of Kampsis with photos and names

Kampsis has only two species: large-flowered (grows in China and Japan) and rooting (lives on the North American continent). The third type of vine - hybrid - was obtained by the efforts of breeders. Sometimes Kampsis are also called bignonias by the name of their family.

Rooting campsis (Campsis radicans)

In height, such a liana reaches 15 m. At a height, it keeps with the help of aerial roots sucking to the supports. Campsis (Bignonia) radicans has feathery foliage up to 20 cm long. On the outside, the leaf blades are bare and bright green, on the seamy side - light green with slight pubescence. The entire plate or only veins can be pubescent. Funnel-shaped flowers have a diameter of about 5 cm, and their length reaches 9 cm. Corollas are painted in a bright orange color, turning into red at the limb. The buds bloom from the end of June, but this does not happen at the same time, due to which the decorative effect of the bush is extended. After flowering, pod pods up to 12 cm long are formed.

The name of the species is associated with the ability of its roots to germinate not only in the soil, but even in walls or tree bark. When growing such a liana, it is important to remember this feature and choose the safest place for the flower, fenced off to limit its growth. In gardening, the species has been used since the middle of the 17th century. Basic forms:

• Gorgeous - this plant curls weakly and looks more like a shrub with flexible shoots of great length. The leaf blades are composed of small oval leaves. The flowers are reddish-orange in color.
• Golden - yellow-flowered liana.
• Early - Forms large fiery red flowers that appear several weeks earlier than other Kampsis.
• Dark purple - forms large burgundy-purple flowers.

Campsis grandiflora (Campsis grandiflora)

Or Chinese bignonia (Bignonia grandiflora). Such a vine does not form air roots and is attached to the support by the tops of the shoots. Campsis (Bignonia) grandiflora is more compact and resembles a medium-sized shrub. The leaf blades include up to 9 leaves with a serrate edge. Their length reaches 6 cm. From the inside, they are as smooth as from the outside. The flowers are larger (up to 8 cm in diameter) and are colored in tones of red and orange. After flowering, pods up to 20 cm long are formed. Seedlings of this type bloom already in the 3rd year of development.

In comparison with the American species, the eastern kamsis is considered to be more thermophilic. It appeared in culture later. It has a decorative shape - the Thunberg campis with short-tubular orange flowers.

Campsis hybrid (Campsis x hybrida)

Such plants are spreading shrubs, but sometimes they can resemble vines. Campsis x hybrida has a feathery foliage of 11 parts. The size and color of the flowers of this species resembles the large-flowered Kampsis, but its frost resistance is higher. In culture, hybrids have been used since the end of the 19th century.