Many city dwellers are looking forward to the first warm days after winter. And interestingly, their plans do not at all have a vacation on the coast of a reservoir or a trip to a southern resort, but work to improve their summer cottage and grow various crops. At the same time, nature lovers are not particularly eager to get a rich harvest of fruits and vegetables. Often their main purpose is decoration and landscaping. Therefore, plants that are unusual in appearance have recently become especially popular. Among them, not the last place is occupied by columnar trees. Consider how they differ from ordinary ones and for what purposes they land. In addition, the article will provide useful information on caring for these plants.
Modern Landscaping Decoration
Often, design solutions are truly surprising with unusualness and extravagance. Do you want to impress others with new forms, reliefs and at the same timea harmonious combination of both? Then you should pay attention not only to the use of artificial structures in landscape design (reservoirs, flower beds, paths, fences, light elements, etc.). It is much easier to try natural solutions. One of these modern options is living plantings. And in the event that you use columnar fruit trees for decorating the site, you can achieve several goals at the same time:
- make a more modern design;
- significantly save space for planting;
- get natural fruit harvest;
- grow low maintenance trees.
Features of the appearance of plants
What are the main distinguishing features of columnar trees? Firstly, their crown is similar in shape to a cylinder, which is adjacent to the trunk at about the same distance from it along the entire length. Secondly, fruit shoots grow directly from the main stem in the form of short branches without additional branches. It is thanks to these special external characteristics that trees with columnar crowns are often used to decorate the landscape of the site. Of course, in order to obtain ideal strict forms, it will be necessary to make a slight adjustment (in the first years of cultivation - without fail). But, despite this, nevertheless, the main outlines of the crown of trees are natural and created by nature itself through selective breeding of new varieties.
History of Appearance
Unusual in appearance, columnar trees have appeared relatively recently. To be more precise, in 1964, one of the Canadian farmers noticed a rather strange branch on one of the varietal apple trees in his garden. It, like the neighboring ones, grew from the main trunk, but had some distinctive features:
- there were no side shoots on the branch, but at the same time it was literally hung with fruit shoots with apples showing off on them;
- the wood flooring was quite dense and resilient.
The surprised gardener showed the tree to a familiar breeder, who then began to experiment with the plant. So the first variety was bred under the name "Vazhel", which means a long stick for transporting hay. Later, columnar trees came from Canada to Europe, where breeders continued to work on them.
Tree varieties
Considering the whole variety of unusual trees, three main groups can be distinguished. Below is an overview of each:
- Conifers. The most unpretentious and for the most part do not require special pruning to form the correct crown shape. Used to decorate areas with classical architectural landscapes (official buildings, parks, alleys, etc.). They look great when framing the entrance and for getting hedges. Combine with any plants and artificial compositions. The most popular are thuja and juniper.
- Decided. They are used for the same purposes as conifers. The main difference from them is the need to control the preservation of the plant's shape.
- Fruit. They are used not only for decorating a summer cottage, but in order to solve the problem of limited space. Neat neat trees with an abundance of bright fruits, which are in plain sight among the scanty foliage, will surely become the main decoration of the site.
Should I plant columnar fruit trees in my yard?
This question is of particular concern to those who have a rather limited summer cottage space, where you can’t really roam. After all, I want to reasonably distribute the land for all vegetable, berry and fruit crops. Perhaps you still doubt whether it is worth planting columnar trees on your site. Reviews of most gardeners will help you make the right choice. They will only once again confirm a number of advantages of using these particular plant varieties both for decoration and for obtaining a good harvest from small land areas. After all, an unusual in shape and a small crown will minimally obscure the plot and at the same time bear fruit well.
The order of planting seedlings
Columnar fruit trees will bear fruit well only if the cultivation work is carried out correctly at all stages. The first and, perhaps, the main thing is the organization of planting. It is best to place seedlings of columnar fruit trees in the ground in a permanent place in the fall. Then until springthe root system will be strengthened, and the plants will give good new stem shoots. When marking, it is most practical to plant young trees in rows. Then, instead of separately located holes, shallow ditches can be dug. The distance from one row to another should not be less than 1 m, and between seedlings - 40 cm. After planting, it is necessary to compact the places near the root necks of plants well to avoid the formation of air voids, and then water abundantly (at least 2 liters under each root).
Caring for columnar trees: feeding, watering, weeding
Because the plants bear fruit profusely, the soil they sit on is often quickly depleted. Therefore, mini-trees need mandatory feeding. But too zealous with fertilizers is also not worth it. Use natural remedies, such as manure and urea, whenever possible. In addition to fertilizing the soil, organize regular watering, especially in the first two years after planting, until the plants gain strength. And in order to strengthen the root system even better, you need to follow the elimination of the fruit set in the first season. Although the plant may be literally strewn with many flowers, they will need to be completely removed. Only in the second year can they be left on the tree in limited quantities. Watch for timely and regular watering, as well as weeding. After all, weeds absorb nutrients from the soil. Below is a description of the features of near-stem soil cultivation.
Features of mechanical tillage
Due to the fact that columnar fruit trees have a root system close to the surface, be especially careful when weeding. This is best done by hand, as mechanical processing with choppers and shovels can damage the roots. To reduce weeds, sprinkle the ground between the plants with sawdust or sow with cereals. Holes can be topped with straw to retain moisture.
Decorate your yard with these unusual trees to delight your loved ones, as well as your neighbors!
