small tree or shrub with deciduous leaves from the tropical areas of Asia and Australia, in nature it can reach 10-15 meters in height. It has oval, pointed, bright green leaves that turn yellow-orange before falling in autumn; the trunk is brown, very smooth, with patches of lighter and darker color. In summer it produces small pink, purple, white or red flowers, which cover the apexes of the branches, gathered in pyramidal racemes. At the end of summer it bears small rounded fruits. The branches have a sinuous and twisted course, and make the plant very decorative even in the middle of winter. Quite popular as a bonsai plant, it can also be recommended for a beginner.
prune lightly in spring, before the buds appear, drastic pruning should be done in autumn, to favor the production of buds in spring; at the beginning of the vegetative period and in autumn, trim the shoots, leaving 2-3 leaves. The wire is applied before the flowers appear and after flowering, all year round.
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Australian vine, Cisso – Cissus antarctica
Genus to which some dozen species of climbing plants belong, native to Australia, and tropical areas of Asia; some succulent species also belonged to this genus, caudi … -
Australian Vine – Cissus
Also called Australian vines, in fact the cissus belong to the same family of the vine; the most cultivated in the apartment, cissus antartica, comes precisely from Australia, the other species are … -
Wax flower
The common name of this plant, wax flower, due to the waxy appearance of the petals; develops a small shrub, which hardly exceeds 2-3 meters in height if grown in the ground. The name … -
Nothofagus betuloides
Nothofagus betuloides is a genus consisting of about thirty species of medium-sized trees, native to South America, Australia and New Zealand. The species originating from …
Exposure: lagerstroemia is placed in a very bright place, although in summer it is good to shade it on the hottest days. It does not fear the cold, but it is advisable to protect it if the winter frosts are too persistent; avoid excessively shaded locations.
Watering: during the vegetative period, from April to October, provide water often and regularly. In winter, reduce watering. Fertilize in spring and summer every two weeks.
use loose, rich and well-drained soil; You can prepare a suitable substrate for these plants by mixing two parts of compost soil, one part of peat, one part of sand and one part of clay. In general, lagestroemias do not have very rapid growth, but it is still good to repot the young specimens every 2-3 years, at the end of winter.
Multiplication: in spring it is possible to sow lagestroemias in a compound of sand and peat in equal parts, the seedbeds must be kept in a sheltered place, quite bright and humid, until germination has taken place. Towards the end of the summer it is possible to take the semi-woody apexes of the branches to propagate the plant by cutting; Lagestroemia cuttings do not root very easily, therefore it is advisable to use rooting hormone and produce numerous cuttings.
Pests and diseases: these plants are affected by floury cochineal, mites and aphids; sometimes during flowering the racemes become covered with powdery mildew.
Source: www.giardinaggio.it
