Types and description of santolina, its use in landscape design: Review + Video

Brief description of Santolina

Depending on the variety, santolina flowers can be either rich yellow or light sand.

This Mediterranean evergreen branching perennial plant is a low shrub or subshrub with fragrant tubular flowers collected in small spherical baskets. Its leaves, similar to cypress branches, are silver-gray. Their scent is reminiscent of wormwood. The height of the bushes is half a meter. Santolina grows best in sunny, dry places without stagnant water, and prefers light, sandy or rocky soil with coarse sand or small stones for drainage.

Spring pinching gives the bush splendor and decorativeness, this allows the development of numerous side shoots.

In its homeland, in a mild climate, it is an evergreen perennial, but in the middle zone it is grown as an annual.

The openwork dissected young leaves are painted in a light green shade, and then a silvery fluff appears on them. Flowering under favorable conditions is observed from June to September. Many insect pests, especially moths, do not like the spicy smell of yellow buds. The inflorescences are located on a thin stem up to 25 cm long.

The special attractiveness of santolina is not in its button flowers, but in the unusual shape of the leaves. Their decorativeness depends on the growing conditions; when there is insufficient lighting, the shoots become very elongated and the bush falls apart, acquiring an unkempt appearance.

Diseases and pests

Santolina is highly resistant to pests and diseases. If you care for it properly, problems rarely arise.

Too much drought has a bad effect on it, which can lead not only to wilting, but also to the appearance of spider mites. Stagnation of water in the soil causes rot, and when grown in the shade, the plant loses its decorative effect.

When sucking pests such as aphids and mites appear, the foliage begins to dry out and curl. To combat them, use soapy water, a light infusion of garlic or onion peel. If there are a lot of pests or this does not help, then they resort to insecticidal preparations, for example Actellik, Fitoverm.

With a lack of phosphorus and potassium, as well as with excess moisture, anthracnose may appear. This disease manifests itself in the form of brown spots on shoots, leaves and in the lethargy of the plant as a whole. Diseased areas should be trimmed and treated with fungicides, such as copper sulfate.

Evergreen santolina bushes are a real find for gardeners and landscape designers. They are compact, incredibly decorative and can decorate any flower garden or local area. They prefer the mild Mediterranean climate, but with proper care can grow in temperate gardens. Read below in the article about how to plant and care for santolina in open ground and what a flower is.

Santolina varieties: photo

Several varieties of this shrub are common in gardening.

Cypress

Externally, the bush resembles a cypress, hence the name

A shrub no more than 60 cm high with arched shoots, pinnate, strongly dissected leaves about 3 cm long with a bright aroma and felt-like pubescence. Long, single yellow flowers appear in June-August.

Cirrus

The only one of its kind that boasts white inflorescences

The plant is up to 60 cm high with narrow leaves up to 4 cm long. It has a wormwood aroma; in June, white flowers appear on long stems.

Neapolitan

This variety is prone to diseases when there is excess moisture and shady planting.

The tallest species, can rise a meter from the ground. Its leaves are green and its inflorescences are yellow.

Greenish

The plant looks fluffy and spreading, universal in landscape design

A rounded bush with green leaves, it blooms creamy all summer, it is considered the most winter-hardy crop, because it can withstand light frosts.

Graceful

For the winter, the perennial moves into the room

A heat-loving crop, in the middle zone it can only grow in an alpine greenhouse.

Rosemary leaf

Some leaves of this plant are only 1 mm in size

Low bushes with narrow green leaves, grown as a spice, used in pickling olives.

Santa

Santa Santa Bright sunny balls serve as a good decoration for front gardens

An elegant bush up to 40 cm high with white-silver succulent leaves, as if strung on twigs, and delicate yellow flowers.

Varieties and varieties

Cypress santolina

The most popular type among gardeners. Reaches 0.6 cm in height. Produces arched shoots with fragrant leaves. Over time, green leaves become covered with silvery fluff. Yellow fragrant buds bloom throughout the summer months.

Greenish santolina

Has bright green cut foliage. Thin stems up to half a meter high with small cream flowers.

Cirrus santolina

Grows up to 05 cm. The stems have narrow leaves. White openwork wicker flowers sit on flexible stems.

Graceful

Slender compact bush. Yellow inflorescences, collected in a dense basket, grow on almost bare thin peduncles. Narrow small leaf blades are located sparsely on the stem and at the base of the bush. This variety grows only in warm conditions. Suitable for growing indoors or in greenhouses.

Neopolitan

The tallest shrub. Grows up to 1 m. The inflorescences are round in shape and yellow in color. The leaves are small, separated. This variety can also be found in the form of miniature bushes, growing only 15-16 cm.

Step-by-step instructions for propagation by seeds and cuttings

When propagating shrubs by seeds, the seedling method is used. Frost-resistant species are planted in the ground so that a powerful root system can form before wintering.

Planting shrubs in a checkerboard pattern is a good design solution

Sowing seeds in a permanent open place is carried out at the beginning of summer, when the soil is well warmed up. And they are sown for seedlings at the end of winter. Before sowing, the seeds are stratified in the refrigerator, keeping them in a damp cloth for a month. The process of sowing them is carried out in the following sequence:

Ready seeds are placed in wide and shallow containers filled with equal parts of turf soil and sand. The seeds are deepened into the soil a couple of centimeters, and the containers with them are placed in a bright and warm place where the temperature is 18–20 degrees.
In such conditions, sprouts appear in 2–3 weeks.
When 2-3 true leaves form, the seedlings are planted in separate pots, and they are transplanted to a permanent place in late spring - early summer.

When rooting cuttings, observe the following rules:

Only green shoots of the current year are suitable for propagation; lignified cuttings do not form a root system. The length of the cuttings is 8–15 cm. Cutting is practiced in late winter or early spring.
Young branches are cut off from the part of the trunk on which they grow.
They are treated with the stimulant Kornevin.
Then they are planted in a mixture of sand and leaf soil in proportions of 2 to 1.
Cover with a transparent container, lifted daily for ventilation.
They are watered regularly, avoiding flooding.
Rooted plants are planted in groups of three in individual pots. At the same time, for better branching, the crown is pinched.
They are transplanted to a permanent place in June.

From the pot you have to plant the bushes into the garden bed

When planting seedlings in spring, dig up the soil to the depth of a spade bayonet. Sand is added to heavy soil. Landing is carried out as follows:

The earth is dug up to a depth of a third of a meter.
The Mediterranean guest is removed from the pot, straightening the roots, and placed in trenches, maintaining an interval between neighbors of 10–30 cm, and for tall species - half as often.
They are covered with soil, then compacted in the root circle and watered abundantly for 3–4 days.
Watering is reduced after seedlings take root.

Conditions for successful bush growth

In order for the ornamental shrub to grow well, choose a warm, well-lit place. The soil should have good drainage, and subsurface water should not come close to the surface. The seedlings should not have damaged leaves.

On damp, clayey soils it dies, on fertilized soils it grows well, and poor soils stimulate its flowering. It is better to choose dry soil with good water and breathability.

Conditions for growing santolina

Santolina in the garden should be allocated the sunniest driest place possible . In partial shade, santolina stretches out, the bush loses its shape, becomes untidy and loose. Only in a sunny place do santolins form a dense bush; the leaves are covered with silvery pubescence, causing the entire bush to become silver-gray.

It is good if this area is protected from the constant prevailing cold winds. Although, this is only required for young Santolina seedlings of the first year of life. Subsequently, when the shoots of santolina become woody, the winds are no longer afraid of it.

Poor rocky or sandy loam soils are suitable for Santolina. Of course, the soil on our plots does not always meet certain requirements of various plants, so any well-drained and permeable soil . If there is a high level of groundwater in the area, then you need to take care of good drainage. Water in the soil should not stagnate, otherwise the santolina will simply die.

Flower care after planting

Plant care includes weeding, loosening the soil, fertilizing and watering.

Watering

You need to be sensitive to any changes in the appearance of the bush - they may indicate a lack or excess of moisture

During the growing season, regular but moderate watering is practiced. It requires a reasonable balance: the soil should not be allowed to dry out, but excess moisture leads to rotting of the roots. When the shoots turn yellow, stop watering for a while.

Top dressing

Fertilizing the plant begins in the spring and stops in August. It is enough to stimulate the spring growth of shoots and the above-ground part of the plant by feeding it with nitrogen fertilizer. To do this, half a kilogram of cow or chicken droppings is diluted in a bucket of water with the addition of 50 grams of mineral nitrogen fertilizers. The resulting substrate is thoroughly mixed, left for a day, then after mixing it is watered at the rate of half a liter for each bush.

A month later, re-feeding is carried out, but with potassium-phosphorus, to stimulate flowering. In this case, add 50 grams of potassium-phosphorus fertilizers and a handful of wood ash to a bucket of water with half a kilogram of manure. Pour a liter of the mixture under each bush.

Pruning in spring and autumn

If you radically prune the plant at the beginning of the season, there will be no flowering this year.

The following types of pruning are practiced:

After flowering, the plant is cut back by 2/3 to form a bush that should not grow in width. But excessive pruning can lead to the plant not being able to bloom the next year.
Before wintering frost-resistant varieties, lignified shoots are cut off.
In the spring, sanitary pruning is done, in which diseased and dry leaves are removed. After a cold winter, it is recommended to prune in early spring.
In summer, you can trim only overgrown shoots to preserve the spherical shape of the bush.
Border species are trimmed, but at the same time some foliage is left on the shoots.

Trimming on video

Pest and disease control

The shrub is resistant to diseases and pests, but some problems arise when growing it, which is caused by improper care:

When the soil is waterlogged, the roots rot.
Lack of watering leads to overheating and drying out of the roots.
Planting in the shade causes elongation of shoots and a complete lack of flowering.
Deficiency of phosphorus and potassium leads to anthracnose.

In case of plant diseases, their watering is normalized and the bushes are sprayed with preparations that include copper - Fitoverm, copper sulfate, Oxychrome, Khom, Bordeaux mixture, Fundazol. Treatment of diseased plants is done according to the instructions supplied with the preparations.

Pests are one of the main reasons for the poor appearance of a plant and even its death.

Garden crops may be threatened by spider mites or aphids. When affected by these pests, it is sprayed with Iskra, Actellik or Aktara.

The ground beetle is very dangerous for the plant, the larvae of which, settling in the soil, gnaw the roots. When there is a mass emergence of beetles, the root collar and trunk are sprayed with Prestige for prevention.

Is a transplant necessary?

Replanting a garden plant is practiced every 5–6 years. Usually it is combined with dividing the bush. House shrubs are replanted annually.

Wintering in the open ground

You can leave the bush outside indoor conditions if the climate in your region is not too cold

The Mediterranean guest tolerates light frosts quite easily, but freezes out in severe winters. In regions with mild winters, it is enough to cover it with spruce branches, straw and leaves. You can sprinkle frost-resistant perennial varieties with sand and wood ash. It is better to cover the top with wooden boxes. It is also practiced to install a wire frame with several layers of covering material over the spruce branches. With the onset of spring, shelters are partially removed to ensure access to air and light, and they are completely removed at the end of March.

In case of severe frosts, the crop is dug up in mid-autumn and placed in dry sand in a dry place. In winter, store it in a dark and cool place. It is important that shrubs are destroyed in winter not so much by frost as by alternating periods of severe cold and thaw. In this case, the wet roots of plants die.

Santolina planting and care in open ground

Caring for Santolina in open ground is not a burdensome task.
The planting area should be well lit. If there is enough sun, the bush will grow quite lush and will not lose the silver tint on the leaves. If there is a lack of light, the stems will begin to stretch upward too much, and the smell will decrease. When growing a crop indoors, try to move it to the balcony or garden so that the flower receives a lot of sun.

Santolina's natural habitat is quite harsh, so it will grow even on poor soils, while growing on nutrient substrates may result in the plant not blooming.

Stony soils or sandy loams with a neutral reaction are best suited, although in general this flower can be grown on any soil, as long as it is loose and there is drainage in the area. The proximity of groundwater is also undesirable.

Asters are also representatives of the Asteraceae family, very beautiful flowers, but they need to follow the rules of maintenance. Recommendations for planting and caring for asters in open ground can be found in this article.

Owner reviews about growing

I think many are familiar with this beautiful flower. The most unpretentious plant that you can plant in your garden and forget about it. In the sense that its care is minimal, and the method of reproduction is incredibly simple. Mostly in the autumn season, you tear off a branch from a santolina bush and plant it in the ground. That's all, the survival rate is excellent, there is no need to cover the bush with anything for the winter - the bush heroically endures any bad weather. And what a smell it gives off - invigoratingly sweet and delicate. I recommend planting this flower in your summer cottage - you won’t regret it.
Olga1987
https://forum.rmnt.ru/threads/santolina.107267/

Santolina cypress is experiencing its fourth winter. It survived last winter perfectly without any shelter, although it did not bloom. And this summer I lost the felt one through my own fault - I looked for a new place for it and decided to replant it in the spring, but it was unsuccessful. precipitation - for example, a piece of plywood to ventilate from below.
Bagheera
https://websad.rf/archdis.php?code=287700

Of the 30 seeds I had, 22 survived until planting in the OG. Then about 15 remained. My dog broke. Over the summer they grew by about 20 cm. They fluffed up. But, to be honest, it reminded me more of wormwood. The color was green at first, then became bluish. But in the fall, I peeled it a lot and cut a whole bunch of cuttings, which I simply stuck into a common bowl and brought into an unheated room, about 70% took root. They still stand that way.
Galina Kuprik
https://forum.bestflowers.ru/t/santolina.33781/

The use of santolina in landscape design

Many varieties and types of santolina are widely used in landscaping gardens and plots. Low-growing plants serve as a good contrasting background in flower beds, alpine slides, and are ideal as borders and hedges for zoning space.

Designers love to combine santolina with catnip, lavender, sage and chamomile. These plants have the same height and allow you to create very beautiful compositions in a natural style. It also looks good in an open space, near a pond or on a lawn surrounded by stones and gravel.

Site design Group planting Checkerboard planting Park decoration Mixed borders Border planting

Growing santolina on the site is a great way to create an evergreen flower garden that will not wither even in winter. By giving the plant different shapes, you can decorate the area, as well as provide yourself with useful spices.

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