Beard flower – care, propagation, cutting and varieties

The best possible time to plant the ornamental shrub is in May, when there are no more frosts to fear after the ice saints. The adult shrubs are – depending on the variety – largely hardy. The experienced hobby gardener does not expose a young plant to this stress. A bright location is preferred because the bearded flower loves full sunshine. The potting soil should be loose and permeable. The bearded flower has no objection to slightly calcareous soil; however, if the earth is too heavy, some sand or gravel is added to it. If the location and soil quality are correct, only a few care instructions need to be observed:

• Cover potting soil with bark mulch;
• apply rose fertilizer once a month;
• Beard flower does not tolerate fresh manure;
• water more often when it is dry;
• Avoid waterlogging;
• radical pruning in spring;
• Plant spacing between 50 cm and 100 cm.

From the end of August the decorative blue flowers appear, which, with good care, will not only please garden enthusiasts until the end of October, but also serve as an almost inexhaustible source of nectar for the bees and bumblebees. If you leave the blooming branches on the bush, you will get an attractive winter decoration, especially if it is covered with hoarfrost and snow.

To cut

An essential part of the care is the regular pruning of the beard flower in spring. Since the flowers of this ornamental shrub grow on the annual wood, the pruning ensures that abundant inflorescences are preserved. With a sharp knife or secateurs, all shoots are shortened to at least a third of their length. In addition, the dense shrub should be thinned out and any shoots that may have frozen back should be removed. In warm regions, the beard flower is cut back to 5 cm above the ground in spring, which leads to faster and more compact growth. Hobby gardeners, who want the ornamental shrub to grow as naturally as possible, do the pruning after flowering. In this case they deprive themselves of the winter decorations in their garden, give the plant more resistance to the cold of winter. Regardless of when the cut is carried out, the beard flower immediately receives a good dose of rose fertilizer for even more energy.

Multiply

The beard flower can be propagated by cuttings and by sowing seeds. Experienced hobby gardeners advocate propagation of cuttings because this requires less effort and has a higher chance of success. Since the shoots of the beard flower grow rather herbaceous and only lignify later, the ornamental shrub provides the necessary semi-lignified cuttings in June and July. These annual shoots are already slightly lignified in the lower part and green and not lignified in the upper part. They are cut off below a leaf knot with a sharp knife and placed in a pot with a suitable growing medium, where they will form their roots over the next 1 to 2 years. It is important to keep the soil slightly moist at all times and to put it in a frost-free room during the winter. It may be necessary During this time, to transplant the cuttings into a larger pot, the previous growing container should be completely rooted. Depending on the growth progress of the cuttings, they can be planted outdoors after one or at the latest after two years.

Armpit cuttings take root better

As experience shows, the cuttings of the bearded flower succeed faster and more effectively if a piece of the main shoot still remains on the half-woody shoots. The axillary cuttings are separated from the main shoot in such a way that an attachment remains. Either the shoot is simply torn off or cut off in a targeted manner. Since this creates a larger wound on the main shoot, it is advisable to close it with tree wax so that no fungi or pests can nestle. From above, the shoots are then shortened to a length of 5 cm to 7.5 cm and placed in a special growing substrate. Conventional potting soil is not suitable for this. The chances of successful propagation are increased if several cuttings are grown at the same time. Into a 7, For example, 5 cuttings will fit in a 5 cm pot. If you want to be absolutely sure, plant 10 cuttings in a 12 cm pot. The suitable substrate can be purchased from specialist retailers or prepared by yourself by mixing 2/3 peat and 1/3 sand. The substrate becomes germ-free when it is placed in the oven for 20 minutes at 200 °. If the cuttings are kept slightly moist from this point on at a temperature of 16 ° to 18 ° Celsius, nothing should stand in the way of successful propagation. Lower temperatures slow down the entire process, but do not have any further negative consequences as long as the cuttings are not exposed to frost. Covering the pots with foil supports the formation of a warm, humid climate, which in turn encourages the formation of roots. If you want to be absolutely sure, plant 10 cuttings in a 12 cm pot. The suitable substrate can be purchased from specialist retailers or prepared by yourself by mixing 2/3 peat and 1/3 sand. The substrate becomes germ-free when it is placed in the oven for 20 minutes at 200 °. If the cuttings are kept slightly moist from this point on at a temperature of 16 ° to 18 ° Celsius, nothing should stand in the way of successful propagation. Lower temperatures slow down the entire process, but do not have any further negative consequences as long as the cuttings are not exposed to frost. Covering the pots with foil supports the formation of a warm, humid climate, which in turn encourages the formation of roots. If you want to be absolutely sure, plant 10 cuttings in a 12 cm pot. The suitable substrate can be purchased from specialist retailers or prepared by yourself by mixing 2/3 peat and 1/3 sand. The substrate becomes germ-free when it is placed in the oven for 20 minutes at 200 °. If the cuttings are kept slightly moist from this point on at a temperature of 16 ° to 18 ° Celsius, nothing should stand in the way of successful propagation. Lower temperatures slow down the entire process, but do not have any further negative consequences as long as the cuttings are not exposed to frost. Covering the pots with foil supports the formation of a warm, humid climate, which in turn encourages the formation of roots. The suitable substrate can be purchased from specialist retailers or prepared by yourself by mixing 2/3 peat and 1/3 sand. The substrate becomes germ-free when it is placed in the oven for 20 minutes at 200 °. If the cuttings are kept slightly moist from this point on at a temperature of 16 ° to 18 ° Celsius, nothing should stand in the way of successful propagation. Lower temperatures slow down the entire process, but do not have any further negative consequences as long as the cuttings are not exposed to frost. Covering the pots with foil supports the formation of a warm, humid climate, which in turn encourages the formation of roots. The suitable substrate can be purchased from specialist retailers or prepared by yourself by mixing 2/3 peat and 1/3 sand. The substrate becomes germ-free when it is placed in the oven for 20 minutes at 200 °. If the cuttings are kept slightly moist from this point on at a temperature of 16 ° to 18 ° Celsius, nothing should stand in the way of successful propagation. Lower temperatures slow down the entire process, but do not have any further negative consequences as long as the cuttings are not exposed to frost. Covering the pots with foil supports the formation of a warm, humid climate, which in turn encourages the formation of roots. The substrate becomes germ-free when it is placed in the oven for 20 minutes at 200 °. If the cuttings are kept slightly moist from this point on at a temperature of 16 ° to 18 ° Celsius, nothing should stand in the way of successful propagation. Lower temperatures slow down the entire process, but do not have any further negative consequences as long as the cuttings are not exposed to frost. Covering the pots with foil supports the formation of a warm, humid climate, which in turn encourages the formation of roots. The substrate becomes germ-free when it is placed in the oven for 20 minutes at 200 °. If the cuttings are kept slightly moist from this point on at a temperature of 16 ° to 18 ° Celsius, nothing should stand in the way of successful propagation. Lower temperatures slow down the entire process, but do not have any further negative consequences as long as the cuttings are not exposed to frost. Covering the pots with foil supports the formation of a warm, humid climate, which in turn encourages the formation of roots. Lower temperatures slow down the entire process, but do not have any further negative consequences as long as the cuttings are not exposed to frost. Covering the pots with foil supports the formation of a warm, humid climate, which in turn encourages the formation of roots. Lower temperatures slow down the entire process, but do not have any further negative consequences as long as the cuttings are not exposed to frost. Covering the pots with foil supports the formation of a warm, humid climate, which in turn encourages the formation of roots.

Leaf cuttings with rooting powder

If there is only one mother plant available from which as many new beard flowers as possible are to be grown, propagation by leaf cuttings, which are treated with rooting powder, is an option. This powder is usually a natural seaweed extract that is available from specialist retailers at a reasonable price. Leaf cuttings are taken from the shrub in summer, have several leaves and a bud in each leaf axil. The shoots are divided with a sharp knife 2 cm above and below a leaf knot. The upper cut is made straight and the lower cut at a slight angle. The beveled ends are dipped into the rooting powder and then placed in a suitable growing medium. Only the buds should then still be visible. An average of 12 leaf cuttings fit into a 18 cm pot. Then proceed in exactly the same way as with the half-woody shoots or the axillary cuttings.

Propagate by sowing

The seeds of the selected beard flower variety can be sown under glass from March to April or directly in the garden bed in June. The soil should be enriched beforehand with potting soil, to which a little sand is added. Then the seeds are lightly covered with sieved earth and sprayed with water. At a temperature of 20 ° Celsius, it takes about 2 weeks for germination. During this time, the potting soil must be kept slightly moist at all times. From a size of 5 cm to 8 cm, the seedlings are pricked out. The cultivation of the beard flower from seeds requires a lot of patience, because the seedlings bloom at the earliest three years after sowing. During this time, they require constant attention and must be protected from frost, especially in winter.

Common varieties

The bearded flower genus comes from numerous attractive varieties:

Clandon Bartblume

• the classic variety
• azure flowers August to October
• Maximum height of 100 cm
• rich bee and bumblebee pasture
• hardy to – 15 ° Celsius

Arthur Simmonds

• silvery foliage
• spreading growth
• lavender flowers
• fits well in Mediterranean gardens
• needs winter protection

Kew Blue

• very old variety
• strong, dark blue flowers
• not very vigorous
• only partially resistant to cold

Worcester Gold

• forms yellow foliage
• does not grow particularly compact
• becomes 100 cm high and 70 cm wide
• conditionally hardy from the 2nd year

Blue sparrow

• deep blue flowers
• particularly rich inflorescences
• Growth height up to 70 cm
• tolerates slight minus temperatures

Blue Balloon

• new variety
• very late flowering
• grows balloon-shaped
• silvery green foliage
• Growth height up to 130 cm

Big Blue

• flowers especially long
• protected variety
• deep blue flowers
• Growth height up to 100 cm

Summer Sorbet

• foliage spotted yellow in summer
• deep blue flowers in autumn
• a rarity
• winter protection required in the 1st year

Heavenly Blue

• Height of growth 40 cm to 80 cm
• forms a particularly large number of shoots
• conditionally hardy from the 2nd year

Dark Night

• bright blue flowers
• green-gray leaves
• conditionally hardy
• grows to a height of 100 cm

White Surprise

• white-rimmed deciduous foliage
• Leaves give off a fine mint odor
• beautiful contrast of blue flowers and leaves
• conditionally hardy

Ferndown

• Gentian blue, brilliant flowers
• particularly dense growth
• grows to a height of 100 cm
• hardy

Autumn Pink

• first beard flower with pink flowers
• Flowering period July to September
• grows spherical to semicircular
• Growth height up to 100 cm
• needs winter protection

Not all beard flowers are hardy

The winter hardiness of the beard flower depends on the variety planted. In principle, all young beard flowers need winter protection in the form of leaves or straw covering the roots and a jute sack or foil for the branches in the first year that they spend outdoors. Adult plants of the hardy varieties should receive protection of the roots by means of leaf mulch or straw each year. If some shoots freeze back during the winter, they are removed as part of the pruning in spring. The ornamental shrub will still sprout lush again. Beard flowers that are cultivated in pots spend the winter in a frost-free room to be on the safe side. Hobby gardeners who do not have enough space for this place the buckets on the south wall of the house and put a jute sack or a garden fleece over them.

Conclusion
As a densely growing ornamental plant with bright blue flowers, the bearded flower is an insider tip par excellence among hobby gardeners. From August to October, its densely overgrown panicles of flowers dominate the appearance in flower beds, in rock gardens, on terraces and balconies. With a maximum height of 100 cm, it is not particularly large, but charms the viewer with its elegant, round shape. In order to maintain this attractive appearance for years, a targeted pruning is required every spring. Otherwise, the beard flower does not have high demands and would like to be pampered with a little rose fertilizer every now and then during the summer. When it freezes and snows, the experienced hobby gardener spreads winter protection over the roots.