A fragrant and blooming area around the house, in the garden or in the country is everyone's dream. It is doubly pleasant when plants perform not only a decorative function, but are also useful. Leadership in terms of multifunctionality belongs to spicy herbs. They not only benefit, but also decorate the garden with their original look and rich aroma. Among these is the herb hyssop. Planting and care, growing from seeds and other features of breeding the named plant - all this will be discussed later in the article.
Distribution and ecology
Hyssop combines a whole genus of semi-shrubs and herbs with a strong aroma from the Lamiaceae family. They are characterized by a small height (up to 50-60 cm) and leaves of an oblong or linear shape, almost sessile on the stem.
Hyssop grows inAsia, the Mediterranean, Russia (in its European part, in the Caucasus and in western Siberia). Prefers rocky slopes, steppes and dry hills, as well as loose soil. This is a beautiful honey plant.
The medicinal properties of hyssop have been known since ancient times, the first written mention of the herb is found in the Bible. Hyssop officinalis is the most common in horticultural crops.
Botanical description
Hyssop officinalis (planting, care will be discussed later) is widespread in Africa and Eurasia. The plant is a shrub growing from 20 to 80 cm. It has a woody, taproot-like root. Numerous lignified stems of a tetrahedral shape depart from it, slightly pubescent, or almost bare.
Leaves, located opposite and practically sessile on the stem, have a lanceolate shape, their edges are slightly turned down. At the same time, the lower leaves are slightly larger than the apical ones.
Elongated spiky inflorescences look decorative. The corolla of flowers is most often blue or purple, less often white or pink.
The fruit has a complex structure. The cenobium consists of four equivalent nut-shaped fruitlets that have a trihedral-ovoid shape. Flowering is long - from July to September.
The spicy aroma of mixed type (camphor with turpentine), tart taste and amazing medicinal properties are what hyssop is valued for. Planting and care in the open field, as a rule, does not cause difficulties, so grow a small, but veryeveryone can use a shrub on their site.
Types and varieties
In addition to medicinal hyssop, Cretaceous and aniseed are also known in the culture. It is easy enough for an uninformed person to confuse them:
- Hyssop Cretaceous is a rare and protected species listed in the Red Book of Ukraine and Russia. The name speaks for itself - it is the first of all plants to appear on chalky soils.
- Anise hyssop has a characteristic smell that increases when rubbed and lavender-like flowers.
Planting and caring for all three species are fundamentally the same.
Breeders have bred various varieties that differ mainly in the color of the flowers. Let's name the most famous:
- "Accord" - medicinal, with a strong aroma, drought-resistant and winter-hardy. The plant forms high bushes up to 80 cm, the number of shoots is up to 25 pieces. Flowers pink, small.
- "Pink fog" - medium ripening, intended for use in cooking and canning. The plant reaches a height of up to 50 cm, the shoots are thin, but elastic, small flowers are painted in a pale pink color. It is highly resistant to various environmental conditions. It is drought tolerant, heat and cold resistant hyssop (growing, planting and care are standard).
- "Nikitsky white" (shown in the photo below) - medium-sized variety (up to 55 cm), the plant forms compact bushes, flowering is long (75-80 days).
- "Hoarfrost" - shrub height from 40 to 70 cm withupright shoots, compact bush. Greens have a rich aroma, reminiscent of the smell of wild rosemary. The variety is characterized by a high yield of green mass, the flowers are small, pale purple.
Place on the plot and soil
Hyssop, although it has long adapted to our climatic conditions, is still a native of the warm climate of the Mediterranean, which leaves a corresponding imprint on the characteristics of its cultivation. The plant prefers sunny areas on a small hill.
Hyssop is not particularly sensitive to soils, the main requirements are lightness, air and moisture permeability, the reaction of the medium is from neutral to slightly alkaline. It is not advisable to plant the plant in places where cold winds and drafts, stagnant water and waterlogging are observed.
Medicinal hyssop: planting and caring for seedlings
Seeds of the described plant retain their germination capacity for a long time and are suitable for planting within 3-4 years after harvest. To obtain hyssop, two methods are used - seedling and seedless. Sowing dates are the first half of March and April-May, respectively.
In the case of growing seedlings, it is first necessary to prepare the soil. It is best to use ready-made, light and nutritious. Pour it evenly into shallow boxes, make grooves 1-1.5 cm deep and evenly distribute the seeds. After a few true leaves appear, it is necessary to dive hyssop. Landing and care in the future are elementary.
Disembarked inseparate peat-humus pots or plastic cups of the plant must be watered regularly. Place them in a sunny and warm place. Before planting, you can carry out one top dressing with complex mineral fertilizer. Seedlings are planted in the ground after 45-60 days, at the stage of 5-7 leaves.
It is necessary to follow the scheme to avoid thickening. In the first summer, a small number of peduncles will appear, but starting from the second, flowering will be plentiful and massive. Bushes age with age, and this causes their leaves and flowers to shrink, so it is recommended to replace plants with new ones after 4-5 years.
Hyssop seeds are sown directly into the ground in late April-early May, when the soil warms up enough. Planting depth - 0.5-0.7 cm, distance between rows - 50-60 cm. Shoots appear after 1-2 weeks. When the plants have six true leaves, they must be thinned out, leaving a distance of about 20 cm between individual specimens.
Features of cultivation
One of the unpretentious aromatic herbs in the garden is hyssop. Planting and caring for him, as you have seen, are elementary. During the growing season, it is enough to weed the bed from weeds, to loosen the soil.
Irrigation should not be abused. Enough 2-3 times for the whole season, the norm per 1 square. m. - 15-20 liters. For abundant flowering, autumn pruning is necessary. Form a hemispherical bush, leaving shoots 12-15 cm high. If several varieties of hyssop grow on the site, then they are requiredisolate from each other, as the plants pollinate very quickly.
