Goryanka is a herbaceous perennial from the Barberry family. It is also known as the epimedium or elven flower. The plant lives in the foothills and forest glades of the Caucasus, Turkey, the Alps and East Asia. A groundcover with beautiful foliage is quite popular in Western Europe, but in Russian gardens it is still a rare guest. Being not only a decoration of the garden, but also an effective medicinal plant, goryanka deserves an honorable place in the flower garden. Moreover, to master the care of her is very simple.
Botanical Description
Goryanka is a perennial groundcover with a strong, branched rhizome. The height of the shoots with flowers is 15-75 cm. The bush quickly grows in breadth, but the core gradually dies. In the genus Goryanka there are evergreen and deciduous species. On thin branched shoots covered with a smooth reddish-brown bark, the leaves are located quite close. The distance between them is 1-7 cm. The closer the leaves are attached, the thicker the curtain forms.
Petioles bright green leaves have a heart-shaped, lanceolate or elliptical shape. Double and triple-leafed foliage has smooth or serrated edges and a pointed end. Sometimes purple veins are visible on a thick leathery sheet.
In May, friable racemose blossoms bloom over the curtain. Corollas with a diameter of 5-20 mm have an unusual shape. They consist of two rows of petals, 4 in each. In some species, thick hooked spurs are present on the petals.
After pollination, dry achenes mature on goryanka. The growth on the seeds contains nutrients that attract ants. It is these insects that spread goryanka seeds over long distances.
Types of bitterness
The genus Goryanka has about 50 basic species and several decorative varieties.
Goryanka is large-flowered (grandiflorum). The plant has become the basis for many hybrids and decorative varieties. It is found in Japanese mountain forests. The height of the evergreen curtain is 20-30 cm. Dense leaves of a heart-shaped form have a complex green-bronze pattern on the surface. Lilac flowers are collected in brushes of 4-15 pieces. They are used in medicine to maintain male health and are often called "green Viagra." Varieties:
- Lilacinum - dissolves beautiful corollas with white-purple petals;
- The White Queen - differs in large snow-white flowers;
- Pink Queen - carries inflorescences with bright pink buds.
Goryanka red. The plant consists of many upright stems up to 40 cm high. Weaky shoots end with small inflorescences. Buds with a diameter of up to 1.5 cm consist of red-yellow petals and a thickened column in the center.
Goryanka arrowhead. The plant is open relatively recently. It forms a curtain 25-30 cm high. A dense crown consists of many elongated, pointed leaves. At the ends of the shoots, flowered brushes with small corollas bloom.
Goryanka Chinese or Korean. Deciduous perennial up to 15 cm high is covered with monophonic bright green leaves. In spring, large lilac-white flowers bloom over the curtain. The variety is distinguished by shade tolerance and frost resistance, however, it grows slowly.
Growing Features
For the reproduction of goryanka, 2 main methods are used:
- sowing seeds;
- division of the bush.
Seed propagation is more time-consuming, as it requires two-stage stratification and growing seedlings. First, the seeds are kept at room temperature for about 3 weeks, and then placed in the refrigerator for a month, then the procedure is repeated. And only after taking seeds for the second time from the refrigerator, they are planted in sand and peat soil. Crops are covered with a film and kept at a temperature of + 15 ... + 20 ° C. Shoots appear within 1-2 weeks. Seedlings are developing rapidly and are suitable for transplanting into open ground at the end of May. Flowering is expected in 3-4 years.
A large bush can be divided into several parts and transplanted. The procedure is carried out in early September. It is necessary to completely dig out the plant, free it from most of the earth and cut the root with a knife into several parts. Each dividend should have 3 kidneys. The resulting plants are planted in a new place, in holes 4-6 cm deep. Seedlings are moderately watered and covered with foliage.
When planting bushes of goryanka, it is necessary to maintain a distance of 30-40 cm between them. The soil for the plant must be nutritious and well moistened. Loose, light soils with a high content of lime are suitable.
Plant care
Caring for a goryanka is quite simple. This unpretentious plant develops equally well in the shade, or in the open sun. Most varieties are resistant to temperature fluctuations, but can freeze in severe frosts.
Goryanka tolerates summer heat well, but needs more abundant and frequent watering. The plant likes regular hydration. It will be necessary to water a goryanka quite often. However, the roots are sensitive to rot when water stagnates.
To better penetrate the air to the rhizome, it is recommended to mulch the soil or weed it regularly. In winter, the rhizome is mulched with compost. If severe frosts are expected, then the plant is additionally covered with leaves and spruce branches. Evergreen varieties need additional shelter anyway. After the snow melts, you need to remove the old foliage and remove the mulch. Soon young, colorful leaves will grow.
Goryanka does not need regular feeding. If the soil is fertile enough, you can do without them at all. If necessary, the bushes are fed with compost and mineral complexes 1-2 times per season.
Goryanka is resistant to most diseases and parasites. Most often, shoots damage slugs and field mice. Traps or other repellent devices are installed from pests.
Healing properties
All parts of the goryanka contain alkaloids, saponins, steroids, glycosides and flavonoids. The plant has long been known in oriental and folk medicine. It is used as a tonic, choleretic, diuretic, stimulant or restorative. For several centuries, preparations based on bitterness have been used for:
- treatment and prevention of male sexual disorders;
- strengthening immunity;
- fight against chronic fatigue and stress;
- improve blood circulation and fight against hypertension;
- cleansing the body of toxins after prolonged use of drugs and stimulants.
With the help of bitterness, you can not only defeat the disease, but also rejuvenate the body, but the plant is contraindicated in women during pregnancy and lactation, children and people with thyroid diseases.
Goryanka in landscape design
Goryanka quickly covers the ground with a continuous green carpet, therefore it is widely used for landscaping the garden, as well as areas under trees. In rock gardens, rockeries or mixborders thick curtains will surely attract attention. In spring, when there are not so many flowering plants, the horny woman captivates with delicate inflorescences. The best neighbors for her will be hosts, primrose, tiarella, medunica or fern. You can also plant goryanka near cereals or small bulb plants.
