The Stephanandra plant is a shrub from the Pink family. Today they are often associated with the Neilia clan. The East Asian countries - Japan and Korea are considered the homeland of the species Stephanander.
The name of the plant is associated with its structure. Due to the fact that the stamens on the tiny flowers of these shrubs are arranged in a circle, they are called the "male wreath". This is exactly how "stephanandra" is translated from Greek.
The popularity of Stefanandra is associated with the beautiful wide crown of the genus, slightly curly shoots and bright foliage. In addition, such shrubs are quite unpretentious in care and frost-resistant.
Description of Stephanandra
Stefanandra bushes in height can reach 2-3 m with a comparable diameter of the crown. Under the weight of foliage and flowers, long branches of plants begin to tilt, acquiring an arcuate shape. This feature also adds to the attractiveness of the bushes. The foliage of Stephanandra is ovoid or dissected, with a jagged edge. In summer, the leaf blades are colored in shades of green, and by autumn they turn yellow, red or orange.
Blooming stephanandra is covered with many small white flowers with a mild aroma. They are collected in paniculate inflorescences.
Brief rules for growing Stefanandra
The table shows brief rules for growing stefanandra in the open field.
| Landing | The optimal time for planting a shrub is spring. |
| Lighting level | Sunny areas are best for growing. At the same time, the plant is able to tolerate partial shading. |
| Watering mode | The plant will need regular watering. |
| The soil | The soil for planting should be sufficiently loose and have a neutral reaction. You can use peat-sandy soil, clay soil or loam. |
| Top dressing | In the spring, compounds containing nitrogen are introduced under the bushes. During the development of shoots, you can feed the plantings with organic matter several times - chicken dung or herbal infusion. |
| Bloom | Flowering usually begins in late spring and lasts until late summer. |
| Pruning | Broken, diseased or dry branches, as well as shoots growing inside the bush and contributing to its thickening, are subject to pruning. |
| Reproduction | Seeds, cuttings, layering. |
| Pests | The plant is resistant to pests. |
| Diseases | Rust, powdery mildew, rot. |
Planting Stefanandra in the open ground
Landing place
Sunny areas are best suited for planting Stefanandra. At the same time, the plant is able to tolerate partial shading, but under such conditions it will slow down its growth rate and may not bloom. In addition, the growing area must be securely closed from strong winds.Drafts are bad for the health of the bushes, so they should be planted under the protection of large objects.
The soil for planting should be sufficiently loose and have a neutral reaction. You can use peat-sandy soil, clay soil or loam. If the land in the selected area is too heavy, it is dug up, adding peat and sand. You can pre-fertilize the planting area with superphosphate (about 50 g per plant) or a complex compound (about 60 g per bush).
Landing rules
To plant an adult stefanandra seedling, the size of the pit should be about 60 cm. A drainage layer (pebbles, crushed stone, brick debris) is laid on its bottom, and then 10 cm of sand is poured.
The soil for planting is prepared in advance. It should be loose and nutritious. The composition of the substrate may include garden soil with the addition of sand and peat. Humus or compost is added to it. When the plant is placed in the hole, the voids are filled with this mixture. Then the soil is slightly compacted and well watered with Stefanandra.
The distance between plantings is about 2 m, but it can also depend on the type of plant. Some stephanders form a wider crown.
Stefanandra's care
Watering
Stefanandra is considered a moisture-loving plant, so you will have to water it quite often. Normally, 1-2 waterings per week will be sufficient, but in hot weather the number of waterings should be increased. If the plant lacks moisture, its branches will begin to go down. The need for moistening can be judged by the top layer of the soil: watering is carried out when it dries up.
Waterlogging affects the condition of the bushes as badly as a long drought. Constant stagnation of moisture can lead to decay of the root system of Stefanandra.
For watering the bushes, rain or properly settled water is used. On especially hot days, you can additionally spray the foliage of Stephanandra. This is done early in the morning or after sunset so that sunburns do not remain on the leaves.
Loosening and weeding
The land near the plantings should be regularly loosened, at the same time removing the emerging weeds. Weeding helps protect young, undersized plants. Mulching can help reduce the need for loosening. A layer of mulch is especially powerful for stefanandras growing in an open sunny area. It will protect the soil from drying out.
Top dressing
Regular feeding allows you to make the crown of Stefanandra more lush, and the flowering - abundant. To do this, in the spring, compositions containing nitrogen are introduced under the bushes. During the development of shoots, you can feed the plantings with organic matter several times - chicken droppings or herbal infusions. To prepare the fertilizer, pour the droppings with water (1:10), insist for about 10 days, then mix and apply in small amounts under each bush. Humus can also be used as an organic additive (1 bucket per bush). It is mixed with the top layer of the soil of the trunk circle, being careful not to damage the roots of the plant.
In autumn, Stephanandra should be fed with specialized formulations aimed at strengthening the bushes before wintering.
Pruning
In the spring, Stephanandra bushes are examined and, if necessary, they are sanitized pruning. Broken, diseased or dry branches, as well as shoots growing inside the bush and contributing to its thickening, are subject to removal. Excessive density of branches not only spoils the appearance of Stefanandra, but also interferes with its full development. Such shoots prevent sufficient penetration of sunlight deep into the crown, because of which the branches in the middle can become bare. At the same time, the bushes can be formed if desired. Sometimes, to rejuvenate the plantings, pruning is carried out after the end of flowering, removing the oldest shoots to the base.
Wintering
Stefanandra bushes have a fairly high degree of frost resistance and calmly tolerate frosts down to -25 degrees.But stronger cold weather can destroy plantings, so in regions with harsh winters, you should take care of shelter in advance.
In late autumn, the shoots must be bent to the ground and covered with dry foliage, branches or spruce branches. This measure will be enough to prevent freezing of plants. In the spring, the shelter is removed. Most of all, young bushes need such protection measures, but in general, frost resistance may depend on the type of stefanandra. Adult bushes, whose shoots bend less well, should be spud in the fall. In the spring, the root collar is released again.
Pests and diseases
Stefanandras are considered resistant to diseases and pests. Proper care of plants, as well as systematic preventive treatments with fungicidal agents, will help to avoid problems. Their implementation will protect the bushes from rust, powdery mildew and other similar diseases.
Due to a lack of moisture, the leaves of the bushes can turn yellow during the summer season. But it is also not worth allowing overflow - the development of rot can destroy the bushes, and the affected specimens will have to be removed from the site. At the first sign of any disease, diseased branches should be cut off, and the rest of the plant should be processed.
Stefanandra breeding methods
For propagation of Stephanandra, you can use the seeds of the bush, its cuttings or layering.
Growing from seeds
Shrub seeds can be harvested by yourself or purchased from a store. Sowing is carried out directly into the ground at the end of spring. The seed does not need stratification. The emerging seedlings are thinned out if necessary. After the seedlings get stronger, they are transferred to a permanent place.
Cuttings
Stefanandras use 1 or 2-year-old shoots as cuttings. Their lower cuts are made at an angle, and then kept in a solution of a root stimulator for about 7 hours. Then the prepared segments are planted in pots with soil, each deepening by about 3 cm. After watering, the seedlings are covered with transparent caps. Every day, the shelter is opened briefly to ventilate the plants and check the moisture content of the soil. The roots of cuttings form quite quickly, but such plants can be transplanted outside only next year.
Reproduction by layering
Due to the fact that an adult Stephanandra does not tolerate a transplant, usually the plant is simply rejuvenated, separating the shoots from it in the form of layers and transferring them to the right place.
For the formation of a layer on the bush, a one-year-old shoot is chosen, located near the edge of the bush. It is bent to the ground, placed in a previously prepared groove and a small incision is made on it at the point of contact with the soil. In this position, the branch is fixed with a bracket, and then covered with earth so that the upper part of the shoot remains on the surface. The cuttings are watered regularly. It will soon begin to form its own root system. After that, the plant can be separated from the old bush and transplanted to a new location.
If necessary, you can transplant the mother bush itself. Stefanandra perceives the change of habitat most easily at the age of up to 4 years. Transplants are carried out in the first half of spring. Such measures will allow the plant to take root before the fall frost. Older bushes are much more difficult to take root in a new place. To facilitate the adaptation process, such stephanders are watered especially abundantly during the first months after transplantation.
Types and varieties of Stefanandra with photos and names
Of the four Stefanandra species in mid-latitudes, only two are most often grown - notched-leaved and Tanaki, as well as hybrids obtained on their basis.
Stephanandra incisa
Shrub with low growth rates. Stephanandra incisa reaches 2 m both in height and in width, but it can reach this size only after 25-30 years of cultivation. The attractive appearance of the bush is preserved both in summer and autumn.Its flowering begins in June and lasts until August, and in September its delicate foliage begins to change color to golden.
Before the onset of frost, you should take care of the shelter. If the bush is not completely covered with snow, the open areas of the shoots will freeze. In the spring, the plant will recover quickly enough, but such freezing can significantly affect flowering.
This type of stefanandra has a dwarf form - Crisp. In height, its bushes reach only 60 cm, but the width is about 2 m. In appearance, such a shrub resembles a neat fluffy pillow. The expansion of the bush is facilitated by the gradual declination of its numerous shoots. On wet soil, they root without assistance as layers, spreading to the sides of the mother bush.
Stephanandra Tanakae
Such a shrub is quite large. The height of Stephanandra tanakae reaches 2 m with a diameter of up to 4 m. The leaf blades are bright green, and their length is about 10 cm. Tanaka flowers have a greenish tint. Flowering is slightly shorter: it begins in mid-summer and lasts until September. With the arrival of autumn, the foliage changes color to yellow or reddish-burgundy and remains on the bushes for a long time.
The species is less frost-resistant, so more than others it needs sufficient shelter.
Stefanandra in landscape design
Thanks to long flowering and beautiful foliage, which retains a bright color both in summer and in autumn, Stephanandra becomes a real decoration of the garden. Its bushes look especially decorative next to conifers. Against their background, both summer green and red-yellow autumn leaves of bushes will look advantageous.
Stephananders do not like strong winds, so they are often placed next to larger trees or bushes. Against the background of large plantings, the bushes will look no less impressive. You can also use Stephanandra to place it in the center of garden compositions, decorate it with bushes on the slopes or coastal areas of water bodies. The roots of the bushes will help to strengthen the soil, and the shoots will bend beautifully, forming a kind of green pillow. Alpine slides will also be a suitable place for shrubs. Most often, dwarf plant forms are grown on them. They are widely used as ground covers: numerous shoots of low-growing bushes densely cover the area allotted for them, interfering with the growth of weeds.
Due to the fact that stefanandras have a sufficiently large crown diameter, they can be used to create hedges or framing garden areas. In addition, these bushes are perfect for decorating oriental-style gardens.
