The many-sided liverwort: planting and caring for a gentle and bright harbinger of the coming spring

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The unpretentious liverwort, planting and caring for which is not difficult even for inexperienced gardeners, has captivated people with its delicate beauty for many centuries. Coppice, hepatica, blue snowdrop, curl, pure anemone, womb, anemone - such a huge number of names have been given to a flower from the Ranunculaceae family. It was called a coppice by the ancient Slavs, who saw this flower in the forests, in its natural habitat. The plant received its unusual name liverwort for the similarity of its three-lobed, dense, leathery leaf blades to the human liver. It is also credited with special medicinal properties, with the help of which you can improve the liver and cure some of its ailments, such as hepatitis and inflammation. Hepatica is an early flower. Its bright sky blue or white inflorescences appear in forests immediately after the snow melts. Against the backdrop of last year’s withered foliage, winter-darkened and still bare trees and shrubs, a delicate plant flaunts and delights the eye with its bright appearance. This is a real decoration of a gloomy forest in early spring and a harbinger of the imminent onset of cheerful sunny spring days.

Varieties of liverwort and photos

Hepatica is a delicate spring primrose. It can be found mainly in forests; it prefers shade and moderately moist soil. In some European countries, such as Germany and Austria, this plant is protected. In the middle latitudes of Russia, the only species that has taken root is the noble liverwort.

1. Noble liverwort - a perennial plant, one of the few species that has taken root in the natural area of ​​our country. It has a bright blue or dark blue color and small leaves. The most famous varieties of liverwort are “Pink Terry” and “Blue Terry”. The size of their flowers is much larger than that of ordinary species. The average flower height is about 20 cm.

   Noble liverwort

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2. Transylvanian liverwort - an unpretentious species, common in the Carpathian forests in Romania. Frost-resistant and shade-tolerant. Flowering begins in April and lasts for about half a month. The flowers are lilac in color, less often white or pink. Loamy soil is the best option for this species. The plant does not self-sow. Its most famous variety is “Blue Jewel”.

   Transylvanian liverwort

3. Asian liverwort - a perennial plant native to the Far Eastern forests, Korea, Japan and China. The flowers of the plant are predominantly white and purple. The Asian species sheds its leaves in winter. Flowering does not occur annually. Recently, varieties of this species have appeared from foreign countries: “White Forest”, “Pink Forest”, “RedForest”. Their shades are snow-white, pink and bright red. Experts recommend purchasing these specimens in bloom.

   Asian liverwort

4. American liverwort - a representative of a perennial plant from North America. Its leaves consist of five lobes, the leaves are rounded. In appearance, its leaves seem half-open.

   American liverwort

5. Acute-lobed - a forest perennial with three-lobed leaves. The flowers are blue-white with a greenish center and large stamens.

   Acute liverwort

Breeding methods

Planting work is carried out:

• in spring after flowering is complete;
• at the end of summer - beginning of autumn (until mid-September).

If necessary, replanting can be done in the summer by transferring the plants along with the earthen ball. To increase their decorative value, bushes are planted in groups of at least 5 specimens in one. The plant is perennial and can grow in one place for a long time.

Liverwort breeding is carried out in several ways:

• seeds (in the ground or for seedlings);
• dividing the bush;
• rooting the rosette;
• forcing.

In nature, the crop reproduces mainly by self-seeding. In floriculture, sowing seeds is practically not used, since they take a long time to germinate (up to several years) and not all at the same time.

Sowing seeds in the ground

In nature, flowering of young plants begins at least in the fifth year of life. In culture - after about 3-4 years. In place of the flowers, fruits are formed in the form of nuts with seeds, which ripen in the first half of summer. At this time, they are collected and immediately sown in a permanent place.

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If you plan to independently harvest seeds, then pollination of plants must be done manually with a cotton swab or soft brush. One pollinated flower can produce 20–50 seeds.

Double varieties do not have seeds, but their pollen can be used to pollinate non-double varieties. The result will be an interesting hybrid. Despite the duration of such cultivation, specimens sprouted from seeds are better adapted to the local climate and soil composition.

When sowing in the ground, the following rules must be observed:

• It is best to sow seeds immediately after collection - in the first half of summer, but if there is a drought, then the event is postponed to the third ten days of August;
• the germination capacity of planting material is lost very quickly - storage for no more than 6 months in slightly moistened sphagnum or agroperlite is allowed;
• due to the long germination period, seeds sown in the ground are often taken away by insects, so it is better to sow in containers and then plant the seedlings in a permanent place;
• The seeds are sown on the surface of the ground without deepening, lightly sprinkled with sand, watered and covered with film.

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Given the duration of germination, the first seedlings with true leaves usually appear only in the second year. In another year they should be planted, and over the next 4–7 years flowering will begin.

Planting seedlings

Purchased or properly stored liverwort seeds can be sown for seedlings. It is best to do this in late winter - early spring, but it is also possible in April. The substrate is prepared from peat, garden soil and sand (2:2:1). It is poured into a seedling container and sowed according to the following scheme:

• seeds are scattered sparsely over the surface, sprinkled with a small layer of soil mixture;
• water moderately from a spray bottle;
• cover with a film, which is then periodically removed for ventilation and watering, and finally after germination;
• If necessary, seedlings are thinned out, leaving gaps of 7–8 cm so that they do not stretch out and grow strong.

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Care consists of watering, which is carried out as the soil dries until it is moderately moist (about once a week). Fertilize with a solution of complex fertilizer (according to the instructions) at the same frequency.

20–25 days before transferring to a permanent place, the seedlings are hardened off. To do this, they begin to take the containers outside first for 30–40 minutes and gradually increase the time to the whole day. Transplantation into open ground is performed after the formation of 4–5 leaves.

Dividing the bush

As the liverwort grows, it thickens and after about 4 years shoots stop appearing on it. Therefore, division is used not only for reproduction, but also for the purpose of improving the health of the bush. It is carried out in the second half of summer according to the following scheme:

• the whole plant is dug up;
• the roots are divided into parts with 2–3 buds;
• each is planted separately, leaving these buds on the surface;
• watered and shaded.

Next spring, the transplanted cuttings should bloom.

Reproduction by dividing the bush is optimal for terry coppice, which does not have seeds. Although this method is necessary for any variety at least every 4 years.

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Rooting a rosette

This method of propagating the liverwort is used when there is no need to plant the entire bush, but only need to increase the number of specimens. For this:

• on one side, rake the soil and cut off a side rosette with 2-3 buds or a cutting with a pair of leaves;
• the lower part is moistened in a root formation stimulator;
• planted in a container with the same soil mixture as for seedlings;
• cover with a cut plastic bottle.

During the rooting process, maintain the substrate in a constantly moist state. After 2 months they are transplanted into open ground.

Forcing

Forcing is used for indoor cultivation of liverwort. It is carried out in August–September according to the following algorithm:

• prepare a container with drainage placed at the bottom;
• dig up a bush with an earthen lump and transfer it to a pot without affecting the root system;
• the container is lowered into the hole where the bush used to grow, expanding it slightly;
• with the onset of cold weather, the container is dug out and stored at 0⁰С…+5⁰С (best in the basement), ensuring moderate watering as the soil surface dries;
• after a month or by the desired date, transfer it to the room on the windowsill.

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The plant will begin to bloom in about 20 days. You can time this to coincide with the New Year or any other holiday/event.

Further care consists only of timely moisturizing. In the spring, after the snow melts and the soil warms up, the coppice is planted back into open ground. It is not recommended to carry out repeated forcing for the same plant; it is better to take another specimen.

Planting liverwort

The liverwort is undemanding to its habitat. But still, it is better to grow this perennial under the canopy of trees or partial shade in open ground.

Advice. Direct sunlight and lack of watering are detrimental to the coppice.

In order for planting to give a positive result, it is necessary to first prepare the soil. The liverwort feels excellent in loose and acidic soil. Therefore, you need to dig a hole and pour brown peat and rotten pine needles into it.

Spring and autumn are the best times to plant liverworts. It is worth waiting until the hepatica has completely faded in the spring or start planting in late autumn.

To make the liverwort feel good, plant it in shady places

The right location is the key to success in growing liverworts. If it grows poorly and blooms little, then you should transplant it to another place in open ground.

It is better to plant the plant in open ground in groups, so it will look more impressive. Typically, hepatica is planted in bushes of 5 pieces. And in one place without replanting, the plant can grow for as long as 20 years.

5.Healing properties

Currently, official medicine does not use this plant as a medicinal plant, although previously it was believed that it could have a beneficial effect on the condition of the liver, and the plant was also used to treat gallbladder diseases. In folk medicine, it was believed that the branches have anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and choleretic effects. An infusion of coppice leaves was used for skin diseases, cystitis, diseases of the upper respiratory tract, rheumatism and gout. Infusions were also used to disinfect wounds.

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Caring for the liverwort

Caring for a perennial plant is not difficult, but with proper care, this primrose will cover your lawn with an unusually beautiful carpet of flowers.

Spring frosts and winter colds are not scary for the liverwort, so there is no need to shelter or insulate the plant for the winter.

The plant tolerates frost well

Hepatica is a plant that loves moisture very much. It can easily tolerate drought, but leaves may fall off.

Attention! The liverwort grows only in places where it is comfortable. And it can disappear where there are no suitable conditions for its cultivation.

Where to plant liverworts in the garden

When looking for a place for liverwort in the garden, do not forget that its leaves do not die off in the summer, like bulbous ones, they grow throughout the season. This means that it should not be covered by large leaves of still dormant perennials.

These flowers look great in clumps of 10-15 plants. Plant Transylvanian corydalis and Siberian candyk next to the liverwort, you will get a cheerful, bright company that will enliven the awakening garden. After flowering, corydalis and kandyki will fall asleep until next spring, and the curtain will be decorated with liverwort leaves.

The noble liverwort opens its flowers a little later, when the oak anemone and buttercup anemone, as well as the European anemone and marigold, are already blooming. Dwarf conifers and mountain weeds will benefit from the proximity to the bright flowers of the liverwort, and hostas, sedges, and ferns can be planted in the background.

Liverworts are forest plants, so it is appropriate to plant them under trees. They love partial shade or even shade and loose, slightly acidic soils with a lot of leaf humus.

Liverworts will be grateful to their owners for mulch made from pine needles, wood chips, fine bark or leaf litter. These forest plants do not like bare soil, which dries out quickly and becomes compacted easily.

These flowers do not like excess moisture, so they only need to be watered during drought, although they can tolerate a couple of weeks of spring waterlogging, but no more.

For liverworts, you can make a raised flower bed under the trees, since their roots go shallow into the ground, only up to 30 cm.

Fertilizing and feeding the plant

The plant can do without the use of fertilizers. But their use will have a positive effect on the cultivation of liverworts.

The liverwort develops well even without fertilization

After the snow melts, bone meal powder can be added to the soil. After flowering, fertilizers containing nitrogen are used. And in the last summer months - fertilizer with phosphorus and potassium.

Habitat

Liverwort is a plant widely distributed in the European part of Russia, as well as in Primorye. Resistance to cold became a determining factor in the spread of the species to the north of Europe (Finland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden). In addition, liverwort is common in the central (Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Switzerland, Poland) and southern (Bulgaria, Albania, Italy, France, Romania, Spain) parts of the continent. In Asia, the species is found in China, about. Honshu (Japan) and Korea.

Currently, the plant has a vulnerable status in Russia. The noble liverwort is included in the Red Book in the Lipetsk, Kaluga, and Moscow regions. The limiting factor is the low efficiency of seed propagation. A threat is also created by soil compaction when driving livestock or cutting down forests, or collecting plants in bouquets.

Liverwort reproduction

This long-lived perennial plant is propagated in three ways.

1. Seeds. This option is quite difficult. The percentage of plant shoots that emerge is very small. Seeds may fall off or not set at all. But with a successful combination of circumstances, seedlings will appear the next year, and after 2–4 years the seedlings will begin to bloom.

   Liverwort can be propagated in any way

2. By dividing the curtain. With this method of propagation you can get a lot of material for planting. The leaves of the liverwort should be trimmed first. On top of the open ground after the plant has been buried, you need to lay mulch (chips, pine needles and dry herbs).
3. Side sockets. The reproduction method is suitable for all types of hepatitis. A small cutting is cut from the bush, preserving the root system, and dug into the ground in an area in the shade.

Selecting location and soil

Despite the fact that the plant has a reputation for being quite unpretentious, three important conditions must be met for it to settle in the garden for a long time:

1. A shady place where it is always cool in hot weather. Liverwort is considered one of the most shade-tolerant crops.
2. The soil is rich in humus, calcareous, neutral or slightly acidic, moist and well-drained.
3. Mulching of plantings.

Tree trunk circles are ideal - the flower has a shallow root system, so there will be no competition for food.

Some soil recommendations for certain types of coppice.

Liverwort: combination with other colors

The delicate floral arrangements of liverwort look very beautiful. By arranging them with other plants, you can achieve high aesthetic compositions.

Liverwort and scillas

Crocuses, adonis, daffodils are a wonderful choice for combination with a sandbox. Miniature primroses and sanguinaria will harmonize perfectly with hepatica.

Is liverwort a medicinal plant?

The question mark is not accidental. I have already written above about the “beneficial” effect of liverwort on the liver (based on the fact that its leaves resemble the liver!). So, despite numerous “recipes”, it is unlikely to cure the liver. But it is quite possible to harm your body by following them.

All buttercups are poisonous plants. The very Russian name for buttercup, which gave its name to the whole family, comes from the word “fierce” - i.e. cruel. Camphor anemonal, which is part of the juice of anemones, liverworts and other buttercups, when dried turns into the substance anemonin, which is dangerous not only for digestion, but also for the normal functioning of the heart.

By the way, pets act wiser than humans! A cow will not eat any buttercup (including liverwort) not only fresh, but even dried. She throws buttercups out of the hay. And the “king of nature” collects, dries and drinks “healing” tea! So, ladies and gentlemen, don't tempt fate. Moreover, during “treatment” we often don’t know the secret...

Liverwort in landscape design

Growing and propagating the plant is widely used in landscape design. Decorating flower beds, alpine slides, and decorating rocky surfaces is a good way to improve city lawns or your own garden plot. The carpet of flowers that appears during the flowering of a perennial looks original and unusual.

The liverwort will decorate any spring flower bed

Liverwort is a perennial. An unpretentious plant that does not require special attention and care. Its flowering period will not leave anyone indifferent. Pale blue, lilac, snow-white and pink flowers, smooth-leaved or double buds - the spring primrose combines all this.

How to plant and care

Liverworts are planted in the shade. At the same time, plants need normal moisture. Primroses tolerate drought calmly, but they can lose all their leaves. Another important condition is mulch. Since in nature plants are constantly covered with pine needles and leaves that have fallen from trees, they will need the same in the garden. Oak litter, wood chips or spruce bark are suitable for mulching. Weed mulch, which you can easily collect from your site, will also work.

If we talk about the soil, it should be moisture-absorbing. It doesn’t matter what kind of soil is in front of you - sand or loam.

Planting is done in spring or autumn. It should be planted in such a way that the buds are on the surface of the soil. It is allowed to divide the bushes into small rosettes with roots. Add a little fertilizer or compost to the holes before planting.

How to properly care? If the primrose described in this article is satisfied with the place you have chosen, it will grow without problems. At the same time, in sunny areas, the leaves of the plant may turn black. The most amazing thing is that this will not affect plant life in any way. They will sprout again in the spring.

Varieties and types of liverwort: photo

Botanical features of the plant

According to the botanical description, the plant belongs to the Buttercup family. It is a perennial herbaceous plant. The height of the flower is no more than 15 centimeters. Long petioles are complemented by leaves of 3 lobes. Young plants have a small fluff. However, over time it disappears.

Brown scales are visible on the upper part of the root system. New arrow-shaped stems emerge from the axils of last year's leaves.

The plant begins to bloom in early spring. Flowers appear directly from under the snow cover. Each bud forms 3-6 flowers. Their diameter is no more than 1.5 centimeters. The color scheme varies - blue or lilac. In more rare cases, pink and white flowers are found.

In spring, the plant awakens very quickly. In just 2 days the bush increases 3 times. At the same time, the culture blooms for only 2 weeks. It is worth considering that all elements of the plant have toxic properties. Therefore, when coming into contact with a bush, it is recommended to wash your hands well.

Expert opinion

Zarechny Maxim Valerievich

Agronomist with 12 years of experience. Our best country expert.

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An unusual reaction to lighting is considered a feature of the culture. When the sun rises, the petals open. They close during sunset.

How to recognize a liverwort flower?

The noble liverwort blooms in mid-April, almost simultaneously with the coltsfoot. There may still be snow on the ground in places. Overgrown clumps of blooming primroses with soft blue and blue flowers look like beautiful carpets. Don't miss this fabulous spectacle. Just be sure to take high rubber boots with you. I was lucky enough to visit places where the liverwort bloomed everywhere: under trees in the forest, on the edges and banks overgrown with bushes. We had to check every step, because flowering bushes grew on old fireplaces and paths. It was then that I was able to see how diverse the liverwort flowers are. First of all, these are numerous variations of flower color shades: sky blue, blue, turquoise, pink and almost white. There were single and semi-double liverwort flowers with an increased number of petals. Very little time will pass, its flowers will fade, and the bushes with three-lobed leaves will turn green. Try not to step on this wonderful plant with such a silent name. By the way, people also call it praleska, or coppice.