The grate is a perennial grass that adorns the front garden with beautiful, feathery bushes. Not everyone can immediately understand the beauty of this plant, but without it a complex flower arrangement may not be complete.

Botanical description

Kolosnyak has taken root in the prairies and in the arid territories of North America and Eurasia. Some of its varieties live in the desert of Argentina. Feels good from the subtropics to the tundra. Among gardeners, many of its other names are common: elimus, couch grass, vostrets, vlosnets. The genus belongs to the grass family.

The underground part of the plant is very developed, it consists of powerful, horizontally growing roots. Growth buds develop on underground shoots. The stem of the grate is dense, erect. At different varieties Vegetation height ranges from 20 cm to 1.5 m.

Thin, stiff leaves are arranged in dense bunches closer to the ground. The foliage is elongated, in the form of ribbons, with a pointed edge, 2-15 mm wide. The lower surface is smooth, the upper surface may be rough or covered with hairs. The color of the ground part is dark green or gray-gray with a silvery sheen. In autumn, the stems and leaves turn yellow or brown.

In June-July, inflorescences appear in the form of dense spikes. The height of the inflorescences is 7-30 cm. They consist of many short, perpendicular spikelets.

Popular varieties

Widespread across the North American prairies. The height of the perennial is 30-120 cm. It grows in dense bunches, gradually capturing large areas. Propagation occurs by self-sowing, since the variety does not have creeping roots. The leaves are dark green, 2-6 mm thick. In the middle of summer, large ears of 8-20 cm long appear.

This herbaceous perennial 60-120 cm high is found in the cold regions of the temperate zone of Eurasia. The territory is covered with compact green bunches connected underground by a common root system. The foliage is dense, gray or dark green with a blue tint. The width of the leaves is 0.8-2 cm, and the length is 50-60 cm. The inflorescences are large, lush, their length is 15-30 cm, and the width is about 2.5 cm. It blooms all summer. The species is frost-resistant, withstands temperatures down to -23 ° C.

Found in Japan, China and North America prefers coastal sandstones. Forms green, very dense bunches 50-100 cm high. They are at some distance from each other, although they are connected by creeping roots. In one turf there are several shortened shoots, densely covered with foliage. The leaves are hard, rough, 15 mm wide. During the flowering period, dense spikes up to 25 cm long are formed. It blooms from June to July. Withstands frost down to -34°C.

Distributed in North America and Eurasia. The plant reaches a height of 50-120 cm. In the lower part, dense bushes are formed from shortened stems, densely covered with foliage at the base. Broad leaves (1.5-2 cm) are about 30-50 cm long. The roots are creeping, strong. During the flowering period, it produces long, thick stems. Absolutely naked and very stable shoots rise above the foliage. They are crowned with magnificent ears of corn. The length of the inflorescence is 15-35 cm, with a width of about 2 cm. It blooms from June to August, resistant to frost down to -25 ° C.

Prefers steppes and salt licks of Eurasia, found from Siberia to Ciscaucasia. Forms compact bushes 35-80 cm high. Bare, rough stems strongly branched at the base. Leaf rosettes are formed closer to the ground and consist of gray or bluish narrow leaves. Not very long foliage, 3-5 mm wide, covered with sparse hairs on top. The inflorescence in the form of a lush spike 6-8 cm long is formed in June and blooms for a month. From August comes the period of seed ripening.

It lives in semi-deserts, sandy steppes and on roadside embankments in the southern and central parts of Eurasia. A plant 40-130 cm high is a dense turf of shortened shoots, densely covered with foliage. The leaves are soft, longer than the stems, fluttering freely in the wind and curving towards the ground. The width of the leaves is 0.4-1.5 cm. The peduncle is very thick, strong, densely covered with villi. The length of a dense spike is 10-35 cm, and the width is 1.5-3.5 cm. The plant blooms already in May, and begins to bear fruit from the end of June.

Reproduction methods

Grasshopper is propagated by vegetative or seed methods. The division of the bush is carried out in spring or in the first half of summer. Young shoots with their own roots are dug up and transplanted in a new place. The plant takes root very well and does not require special care. Side branches quickly form near the rooted stem. Seedlings begin to bloom in the same or next year. Turf grows quickly.

With seed propagation, seedlings are not grown. Seeds are sown immediately in open ground in early spring. In mid-April, the first shoots appear, but in the year of sowing, the plants look very rare and small. The appearance of a lush shock with large ears and high inflorescences, the grate acquires only after 2-3 years.

Features of plant care

Elimus grows very well in open sun, on light soils. Suitable for growing on sandy, sandy, pebbly or rocky soils. Prefers neutral or alkaline substrates with the addition of lime. It is even resistant to severe drought, therefore it rarely needs watering, it is content with natural precipitation. It does not tolerate flooding and stagnant water, especially during the snowmelt period. Fertility is not demanding. Does without fertilizers or is content with rare organic dressings.

The grate grows very quickly in favorable conditions, therefore it is perceived by many as a weed. In a small garden or flower garden, the question of limiting vegetation may arise. It is convenient to plant a plant in a large tub with dense walls that the rhizome cannot penetrate.

The container is buried in the ground, leaving some of the sides above the surface. This will protect against the random spread of vegetation. For the same purpose, it is recommended to cut the spikelets before they are fully ripe in order to prevent self-seeding. The plant keeps attractive for a long time. appearance and does not need periodic rejuvenation and transplants. It does not suffer from pests and diseases.

The grate is resistant to severe frosts and does not need shelter. In the area where it falls a large number of snow, you can use a film to protect against excess moisture during the snowmelt period.

Application in the garden

Compact grate bushes in the form of bluish fountains will decorate any flower bed. Preferably use in rockeries or on stone masonry. Looks good in mixborders, retains its shape, does not spread. Can be used on high sandy shores or hills. Roots effectively anchor sand mounds.

Bright blooming letniki look good in decorative plantings with grate.

The vegetation is used as a fodder crop.

Large ears are highly decorative and are used in dry flower arrangements. They are harvested in mid-summer, before the seeds begin to ripen. Cut inflorescences are collected in small bunches up to 15 pieces and hung down with a spikelet in a shaded, well-ventilated place.

Sandy grate, or blue, is one of the most beautiful cereals used in decorative floriculture. Botanists classify grate as an herb with combined type root system. The plant is able to grow a bush, increasing the number of growth buds in one rhizome node, and at the same time form powerful underground stolons, "scattering" along the radius from the mother bush. The grate bush up to 1 m high is very beautiful. The color of powerful hard leaves with sharp ends 1-1.2 cm wide is blue. In July, peduncles with dense spikelets 7-8 cm long rise above the leaves, but they do not determine the beauty of this plant, the main thing here is the leaves. The blue color of the leaves is very stable, it remains so throughout the season - from spring to snow.
GROWING
Sandy grate has long been introduced into the culture of ornamental gardening. The plant is very unpretentious and in large gardens can be used to create blue thickets in a specific place for it. In small gardens or gardens with regular flower beds, the grate is planted in containers with a volume of at least 10 liters, dug into the ground “up to the shoulders”. In containers, grate feels great, forming beautiful blue bushes. They are so beautiful that they can be used not only in any mixborders, but also act as tapeworms among lawns or ground cover plants.
It's hard to list everything successful combinations grate with other plants. These are red roses, blue, blue and purple delphiniums, wrestlers, white leucanthemums, daylilies of different colors, phloxes, etc. It is beautiful against the background of a carpet of purple or almost black tenacious, bright carnation grass, ground cover stonecrops. The plant does not require highly fertile soil, as evidenced by its species name. The grate is able to grow even on clean sand.
LOCATION
The plant is planted in an open sunny place. It can also grow in partial shade. In the shade, the sandy grate is less beautiful.
TEMPERATURE
Winter-hardy, does not require shelter for the winter. Returning spring frosts are not damaged.
WATERING
At the beginning of the season, during the period of leaf growth, watering is desirable. In the second half of the growing season, watering is not required, the plant is drought-resistant.
LANDING
The best planting time is the first half of the growing season. It is possible to board at a later time. True, after planting in August-September at the beginning of the next season, the plant will not acquire decorative look, because it adapts to new conditions, especially if it was planted in a container. When planting a grate in the ground, you can not worry about the fertility of the soil, it will grow on any soil. When planting in a container, it is filled with any soil with the addition of 10-15 g of complete mineral fertilizer. In subsequent years, the plant is fed 1-2 times a season with a standard dose of complete mineral fertilizer. When planted in open ground, the plant may show aggression, going beyond the allotted territory. In this case, underground stolons are cut off and excess parts are dug up. At; once planted in a container, the grate can live quite a long time without a transplant, especially if you do not forget about the annual top dressing. However, after a few years, a transplant is inevitable. Its term depends on the volume of the container and the conditions of detention. If the grate leaves are crushed and top dressing does not improve the appearance, it is necessary to remove the plant from the container, separate part of the shoots and, filling the container with fresh soil, plant the grate again.
BREEDING
Vegetatively - by separating a part of a plant or by separating offspring.
Diseases and pests are practically absent.

It is not so easy to see the beauty in a plant devoid of bright flowers and an attractive crown. There is no need for imagination here. However, an ornamental garden is a human fantasy on the theme of an earthly paradise. Elymus, if you meet him on the sea coast, is an ordinary cereal grass, something like a small reed, although with a pleasant blue tint of leaves. In its free state, the elimus spreads out to the sides in the manner of a giant couch grass, popping up here and there, and unceremoniously intruding into neighboring bushes. But an underground restriction gives it a completely different look.

Kolosnyak one of the first to appear in ornamental gardens Europeans long before the fashion for nature-style gardens came. It is unpretentious and frost-resistant, and can grow anywhere in boundless Russia from the subtropics of Sochi to the tundra regions. In a fairly warm climate, elimus acts as a winter-green species gradually changing leaves. AT middle lane Russian leaves of the plant wither for the winter. He is sun-loving, moisture-loving, and at the same time drought-resistant, prefers sandy loamy soils. In the garden, the most favorable conditions for its growth are formed on light, highly fertile, moisture-intensive soils. As an option, we can recommend a mixture composed of soddy soil, peat (or manure humus) and sand, mixed in a ratio of 1:2:2.

To prevent sprawl, the grate is planted in a sufficiently deep - at least 30 cm dish, the edges of which slightly rise above the soil level. The walls must be impenetrable, otherwise the plant will quickly find a gap. Based on design experience, the most suitable vessel diameter is between 10 and 30 cm. Growing, the grate completely fills the volume allotted to it with roots, while it is not oppressed by cramped growth conditions, and can grow without transplantation, fertilizing itself, for as long as you like. Grasshopper care is primarily watering. In early spring last year's leaves are cut short, and a handful of granules of complex (NPK) mineral fertilizer are poured at the foot of the bush, which will gradually dissolve in the soil over the season.

botanical minimum.

Sandy grate or elimus (Elymus arenarius) - refers to long-rhizome cereals. In the wild, it is often found along the sandy shores of the seas and lakes of the European North, where it often forms extensive sparse thickets. Plant height during heading reaches 1 m, ears are thick, straight and strong, up to 20 cm long. Leaves up to 3 cm wide, up to 70 cm long, hard and sharp. The whole plant has a beautiful gray-blue color.

blue fountain garden classic.

Elimus is a vivid example of how an inconspicuous plant in nature, through design tricks, can be turned into the central object of the front part of the garden. An extraordinary impression is made up of the color and texture of grass leaves, complemented by an unusual growth pattern acquired by a cramped landing.

AT decorative design bunches of grate are good for medium or close-ups of a traditional mixborder. To revive the view, it can be planted alone among a flat lawn. A bunch of elimus, planted in a narrow (10 cm in diameter) pipe, can become an allegorical embodiment of a spring gushing from the earth. In this case, it is good to disguise the pipe in a pile of medium-sized boulders, which will look like a stream of water in a rocky placer. Elimus is good in many types of rocky garden: in architectural rock garden; flat rockeries; organic on slope Alpine slide, in its lower part or at the foot.

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Sandy grate or sandy Elymus (Elymus arenarius) is a representative of the cereal family (Roaseae). Elimus sandy is an original and ornamental perennial herbaceous plant.

Absolutely unpretentious plant height up to 100-130cm. The leaves are bluish-blue, hard, flat, pointed, directed vertically upwards.

Landing and care

Elimus is sandy winter-hardy and absolutely undemanding. Grows well on poor loose, sandy soils. Sun-loving and drought-resistant.

The rhizome of Elimus sandy is deep, creeping. Stems bluish thick.

Spikes erect, fluffy, dense, up to 25 cm long, up to 3 cm wide.

Buy Elimus sandy

Buy Elimus for landing in open field possible until November.

Perfect for growing in rock gardens. Elymus sandy, grate, hair.

Rapidly growing in breadth through underground shoots, Elymus sandy capturing more and more new territories. Like all perennial cereals, decorates the landscape all year round, even in winter it looks original under a snow cap.

Conditions: Elimus sandy Elimus arenarius grows remarkably in the coastal zone.

reproduction

Elymus sandy reproduces very quickly: by dividing the bush, by young shoots.

The sandy elimus Elimus arenarius is used because of its spectacular appearance in mixed flower beds and flower beds. Suitable for solitary plantings, for creating small groups against a mowed lawn. We will not replace Elimus sandy for rockeries and rock gardens, as well as for strengthening dry slopes and sandy slopes.