Of course, growing three-bladed almonds on your site, you will not be able to feast on nuts – the fruits of this shrub are practically not tied, and if this happens in rare years, then they are completely inedible. But the decorativeness of this plant is beyond praise: having a three-lobed almond in your garden, you can enjoy the exuberant pink color and pleasant fragrance for two weeks.
Three-lobed almond for single and group plantings
The three-lobed almond (luiseania three-lobed), or prunus triloba (three-lobed plum) from the Rosaceae family, was found in the gardens of northern China at the beginning of the XNUMXth century and was initially attributed to one of the almond species.
Tall, spreading shrub or small tree, reaching a height of 2-3 m. The bark is brownish-brown, annual shoots are slightly pubescent.
Leaves are rounded-oblong with finely serrated edges, light green, grayish below, persist throughout the growing season. Flowering in early May before leaves appear.
As you can see in the photo, the flowers of the three-lobed almond are strongly double with a diameter of 3-5 cm, paired, densely located along the entire length of last year’s shoots:
In buds and at the beginning of flowering, they are dark pink, later brighten. Charming “roses” keep on the shoots for a long time – 12-15 days. Fruits are globular with a dry velvety pericarp.
When planting and caring for three-lobed almonds, remember that this plant is very light-requiring. Soils can be any, but it is better sandy loam or loamy with a sufficient humus content. The plant is highly winter-hardy, tolerates temperature drops below -40 ° C. It is not affected by pests and diseases.
Caring for three-lobed almonds is simple and comes down mainly to the destruction of shoots, loosening the soil during the growing season. Timely pruning of the bush is very important. Faded shoots are cut immediately after flowering, this allows young shoots to grow and mature, which will ensure lush flowering next year. Top dressing when caring for three-lobed almonds is carried out in July with superphosphate (30 g per bush), which contributes to the better formation of flower buds and the maturation of wood.
Shrub propagation is carried out by dividing the bush, root shoots, layering, green cuttings, as well as budding on plum, cherry plum, bird cherry, almonds. The optimal time for budding is the first half of August. Cuttings are carried out in July, rooted in special boxes.
The bushes are transplanted after the leaves have fallen, in the second half of October. Pits for planting three-bladed almonds are prepared 80 x 80 x 80 cm in size, add 2-3 buckets of compost, a glass of complete mineral fertilizer and ash.
Use luizeania for single and group landings. The standard form looks spectacular against the background of a green lawn. Applied in cut. Shoots are cut when the lower flowers are fully open and the buds at the top are colored.
