Many houses, or rather, fences and hedges in the Kuban, are decorated with a beautiful liana - campsis. Planting and caring for it are not difficult, which may be why it is widespread with us. Campsis (lat. Campsis) feels great in open ground. I will share my growing experience in which there were positive and negative points.
Liana campsis, my failures in growing
The first time I saw this plant (though I didn’t know its name back then) in my distant childhood in Aller, where my sisters and my parents took me every year in the summer to gain health and relax. Gorgeous bushes with bright reddish-orange clusters of flowers were amazing. Since then, when I see the blooming campsis, I remember the sea. For many years I did not live in the Kuban. Now I don’t remember what year I suddenly saw a blossoming vine in the courtyard of the house where my parents lived.
Since then, I decided that in my garden at the dacha, the campis will grow and bloom. Of course, he appeared with me. But the first experience of planting a portion of the root from a large creeper bush was unsuccessful. He did not begin. Apparently, I took too much layering from the campsite root for planting. I decided that this is precisely the reason for the failure. But she did not back down. I planted a small sprout 15 cm high in the fall in September in the ground. I know that the liana carries Kuban frosts without problems, but just in case, she covered it with fallen leaves for the winter.
In the spring, the liana turned green. And a year later, the first, one only bright red flower appeared on my campsite.
Last summer, the campsis threw a lot of green branches, and there weren’t any flowers, although it should have been blooming since mid-June. I found out the peculiarities of growing and caring for the campis - side shoots at the base should be cut so that they do not interfere with the development of the central part of the vine. Flowers are formed on the processes of the current year, growing from perennial stems. In general, I peeled off my vine "like sticky", leaving only at the top a few lush branches. And it turned out that she had done the right thing - in August, finally, my handsome campids bloomed.
The conclusion is that the campsis must be correctly trimmed to form a beautiful bush: two or four main (“skeletal”) branches should be the backbone, which, when flowering, will bear the main load.
Liana is thermophilic, but in our region (in the Kuban), she does not need to be covered for the winter. Campsis can withstand a short-term drop in temperature to -20ºС.
Campsis propagation
This is a simple process - it is best to propagate it by root shoots, cuttings or layering. Around my campis creeper a young shoot has already appeared in some places from the earth. In spring, I can cut the shoot along with a piece of root and share with one of the neighbors. Or you can pin the green shoots located below all on the trunk to the ground, they will take root over the summer, and in the spring they will only have to be separated from the mother's root and planted in a permanent place.
Liana campsisa is very decorative, is used for landscaping fences and facades of houses, while it is resistant to urban conditions (smoke and gas resistant). Well, how not to admire the magnificent brushes of 10-15 flowers ?! At the same time, the length of the campsite bud reaches 10 centimeters, with a diameter of 5 cm, opening in turn until the end of September.
Campsis, photo:
And all you need for successful cultivation: a sunny location, stable watering, pruning of side shoots, and nitrogen-phosphorus top dressing will not hinder to increase the flowering time.
Campids are known not only in different colors, but also in shades: reddish, yellow, pale or densely orange, coral, all can not be listed. Look at the beauty in the photo below!
P.S. Remember, at the beginning of the article I wrote that my first attempt to plant the campsis in the open ground was unsuccessful, did not appear sprouts from too large a root, separated from the main plant? Surprisingly, I saw the sprouts of campsis, or rather, the shoots in this place only in the third spring after planting! Still, the root has not died! It was hard for him, probably, to keep himself alive. But the thirst for life has triumphed! Now I have two creepers at different ends of the cottage!