Fatsia: caring for a Japanese beauty at home

Indoor plants in a Japanese interior

Japan is a country of mysteries, an amazing culture, closed to the West for a long time.
The development of Japan proceeded completely independently and parallel to the development of European civilization. And only in the 19th century did the Meiji era begin, which marked the abandonment of self-isolation and the openness of the Land of the Rising Sun to the outside world. It was then that mass interest arose, even a fashion among Europeans for everything Japanese. Japanese painting gave impetus and determined a special direction in the development of Western art. The paintings of many impressionists and post-impressionists were created under the influence of famous Japanese prints. The Art Nouveau style, which spread in Europe, also borrowed many details from the unique Japanese culture. For people who want to bring beauty into their existence, the Japanese view of the world should be relatable and interesting. For the Japanese, in principle, an aesthetic approach to the surrounding reality plays a huge role in life. They know how to admire the rising sun, fallen snow, and cherry blossoms. Unhurried contemplation of the fleeting beauty of the transitory world is one of the favorite pastimes of the inhabitants of the Japanese islands, which is reflected in their amazing poetry - haiku. However, the style of Japanese interiors remained incomprehensible to Europeans for a very long time; its elements were not very widely used in design. Only since minimalist design became widespread and recognized have many decorators adopted the techniques used in Japanese interiors.

The fact is that the main thing in arranging a home for a Japanese is amazing brevity. Those. There is practically no furniture in the room, wardrobes, carpets, sofas - all this is unacceptable for a Japanese-style interior. A single-standing bed is a tatami, like all furniture must be low. The materials used for decoration are exclusively natural: wood, stone, cotton and hemp. Bright colors are also unacceptable, clean lines, natural colors - this is what the interior in this style is based on. Screens illustrated with Japanese-style engravings are widely used. Japanese interior design is characterized by symmetry, the use of calligraphy, simple, elegant forms and soothing tones of the color palette.

Reasoning soberly, obviously, not every European will like empty rooms and bare walls. Of course, there are lovers of minimalism who readily reproduce the features of a Japanese home in their apartment. But for most of us, the oddities of Japanese interiors will remain incomprehensible, because we expect, first of all, comfort from our home. And to find it in a huge, unstructured space, you have to be Japanese. After all, even various accessories, little things and trinkets that bring individuality and warmth to a European home are unacceptable for a Japanese interior. However, a huge number of lovers of Japanese culture are very happy to use individual elements of a Japanese home in their design. After all, you can create an interior stylized as Japanese, which will be cozy in a European way, but with all its details reminiscent of the culture of the Land of the Rising Sun.

Such interior elements will be Japanese prints - either reproductions of works by great masters (for example, Katsushika Hokusai, etc.), or simply pictures drawn in the Japanese style. A branch of cherry blossoms, like nothing else, will remind you of distant Japan in the harsh Moscow winter. You can place an image of sakura on the wall or use flowering plants that resemble cherry blossoms in flowerpots. To give your interior a Japanese spirit, you can use colors characteristic of Japanese design: dark but not massive furniture, doors reminiscent of the doors of a Japanese home. However, one of the most important details with which you can bring the spirit of Japan into your apartment, of course, will be indoor plants.

In fact, Japanese-style indoor plants are not widely used. But if we create a stylization for a Japanese interior, it is home flowers that will most remind us of the nature of the Land of the Rising Sun.

Naturally, the most logical way to decorate a Japanese interior would be to use plants grown using the magnificent Japanese technique of bonsai. They can be placed on separate Japanese-style stands on a table in the center of the room. The easiest option would be to purchase ready-made plants grown in flower farms. But if you have time, and, most importantly, enthusiasm, it is quite possible to grow your own tree.

Of course, those plants that grow in Southeast Asia are very appropriate in a Japanese interior. And the most beautiful and fashionable among them, undoubtedly, can be called everyone’s favorite phalaenopsis. Caring for this plant is easy; it can be placed even in the back of a bright room. No less suitable, but more difficult to care for, are other orchids, for example, Vanda, Cambria, etc.

The indoor reed plant Pogonatherium is very suitable for a Japanese-style interior, which will allow you to reproduce in reality the bamboo branches often found in Japanese prints. Even more reminiscent of bamboo is the now very common Dracaena Sander, which is sometimes called the bamboo of luck. Perhaps you will purchase it in the form of spirally curved stems with leaves at the top or in the form of intricate pyramids. Either way, this plant is extremely hardy and will bring the most Japanese atmosphere into your home.

Fatsia will fit perfectly into Japanese design; its specific name clearly speaks of its Japanese origin. In addition, the carved leaves of Fatsia are very reminiscent of the leaves of the Japanese maple, often found in the engravings of Japanese masters. In this sense, indoor abutilone would be quite suitable, because its resemblance to maple is no less.

Due to the fact that the area of ​​origin of Anglaonema is Southeast Asia, its use for decorating an interior stylized in the Japanese style is quite appropriate. From this point of view, a wonderful shade-tolerant and unpretentious plant - Japanese aucuba - can be called suitable for such a design. The beauties camellia and gardenia also originate from the Land of the Rising Sun, so they may well decorate the window of a Japanese interior. Small serissa can resemble sakura, and dizygoteca, with its sophistication and grace, is comparable to the sophistication of plants in Japanese prints. Finally, one cannot help but recall the increasingly popular ficus microcarpa. It can be grown in the style of a bonsai plant. But even if you bought it from a store with funny thickened roots at the base, it will still fit perfectly into your Japanese-inspired interior.

In conclusion, I would like to add that an abundance of plants, as well as an excessive amount of furniture and accessories, is still inappropriate for a room in which we want to see the trend of Japanese style. Simplicity and laconism are an invariable attribute of the room, the design of which is inspired by the culture of Japan.

How does the indoor flower Fatsia japonica reproduce?

There are three ways. Each of them is convenient in its own way and has disadvantages and advantages.

Propagation from seeds

Since it is very difficult to collect Fatsia seeds on your own, freshly purchased, purchased seeds are planted.

A special soil is taken for seedlings:

1. Spray the soil, sprinkle some seeds on top and lay a layer of soil about 1 cm deep.
2. Place the glass on top and place it in a lighted and insulated place. Remove the glass when shoots appear.
3. When two true leaves appear, plant them in small plastic cups or directly into pots.

Germination of seeds

The main condition for the implementation of this propagation method is the integrity and safety of the seeds. They must have good germination.

First you need to choose the right substrate. To do this, take part of the soil, part of the sand and part of the turf. This will be the nutrient substrate for fatsia. It needs to be placed in containers and well moistened.

Fatsia is easy to propagate

The seeds are taken large, whole. They are sown sparsely and then covered with a thin layer of leaf soil. The containers are left in a warm place, covered with film (you can use glass).

When the plants sprout and 2-3 leaves appear on them, begin the picking process. The next stage is planting the plant separately in a pot.

Rooting cuttings

Of the vegetative propagation methods, the most common is using cuttings. The top part of the plant is cut off in the spring. The cuttings should still have swollen buds, preferably in the amount of 3. For speed, you can treat them with a special growth accelerator.

A mixture of peat and soil is placed in the container. You can also add a little sand there. The finished cutting is strengthened in this soil, preferably 2 cm deep. The optimum temperature is +26 degrees.

Attention! To create a greenhouse effect, the container with the cuttings is covered with a jar.

When the shoot takes root, you can plant a new plant in a separate pot.

Air layering

Growing using the following method takes longer and is more difficult. But at the same time, it is profitable and effective.

First you need to find two neighboring nodes closer to the top. A shallow vertically oriented cut is made on the stem.

It needs to be wrapped in wet moss. It is better if it is moistened with phytohormones or other growth stimulants. You can secure the moss to the trunk with foil. An alternative option is cling film.

The main condition is not to let the moss dry out. After about 30-60 days, roots appear at the site of the incision. After 30 days, you can cut the plant below the root level and replant. This way the Fatsia plant rejuvenates.

Plants in Japanese style. Indoor plants in a Japanese interior

Japanese name Ajisai
.
Most types of hydrangea are shrubs 1-3 m high. The flowers are collected at the end of the stem in spherical inflorescences. The most popular large-leaf hydrangea (more than 600 varieties) has flowers that can be white, blue, lilac, pink, red (depending on the acidity of the soil). In Japan, the peak flowering time for hydrangeas is the rainy season (mid-June). Around many temples and shrines there are many hydrangea bushes (sometimes up to 150 thousand): Meigetsu-in in Kamakura, Fujimori Jinja, Tofukuji in. , Hydrangea Festivals (Ajisai Matsuri) are held in shrines and parks in Japan

Licorice / Higanbana

Licorice is blooming - and it is impossible to die at such a time. (c) Taneda Santoka

Licorice ( Higanbana

), the Latin name is Lycoris radiata (a bulbous plant of the amaryllis family).
It originates from Greek mythology - the Nereid Lycoris was famous for her beauty. In English, the names Red Spider Lily
and
Hurricane Lily
because they bloom before the hurricane season.
In Japanese, the main name of this flower is Higanbana
.
It blooms in September - just in time for the autumn equinox - Higana (Aki no Higan)
. But besides this, lycoris has many more names: shibito-bana - “flower of the dead”, yuurei-bana - “flower of ghosts”, tengai-bana - “flower that looks like tengai” (decoration of the dome of a Buddhist temple), yome no kanzashi - “a flower that looks like the (traditional hairpin) of the bride”, doku-bana - “poisonous flower”, manjushage (in Sanskrit - “manjusaka”) - “heavenly flower” (in Buddhist sutras there is a mention of red flowers falling from the sky, bringing joy), jigoku-bana – “hell flower”, kamisori-bana – “razor flower”, kizune-bana – “fox flower”. So mysterious and ambiguous. And everything would be fine, and the flowers in the photo are beautiful, but lycoris is not planted near houses - it is a flower dedicated to the dead. He loves to grow up on the battlefields where the blood of warriors was shed. Traditionally, lycoris is planted in cemeteries (not only as decoration, but also for protection from animals due to its toxicity). It is believed that if you bring flowers into your home, it may cause a fire. But the Japanese specifically planted lycoris on the borders of rice fields. Firstly, the bulbs strengthened the soil, preventing it from weathering and being washed away by water. In addition, poisonous plants protected crops from rodents. And finally, during crop failure, the bulbs and stems were eaten (the poison could be washed out with plenty of water). Lycoris stems emerge from the ground in autumn and bear bright red flowers. Then the flowers fade and leaves appear, which remain until the beginning of summer. So flowers and leaves can never be seen together. In Korea, lycoris was given the name “san cho” - “flowers miss leaves, and leaves miss flowers.”

Diseases, pests, preventive measures and treatment methods (table)

Wisteria / Wisteria / Fuji

The Japanese name Fuji
is a genus of deciduous vines. They grow naturally in China, Korea and Japan, as well as in the southeastern regions of the United States. The most famous are Chinese and lush-flowering (or Japanese) wisteria. The liana can climb up to 20 meters, twisting around the trunk of a supporting tree or artificial support. Wisteria blooms in spring or in the first half of summer (depending on the species). Inflorescences of fragrant flowers of lilac, white, pink, blue can be up to 1 meter in length. Wisteria is used in landscape design. At festivals, it is often used to decorate floats or “flower umbrellas.”

Camellia / Camellia / Tsubaki

Japanese name Tsubaki

.
Belongs to the tea family. In Japan (and beyond), the most famous is the Japanese Camellia (Camellia japonica)
, which originates from Southwestern China. Wild camellia is an evergreen shrub 6-9 meters high with red flowers 5-8 cm in diameter, having five to six petals and dense stamens. Many hybrids of red, pink, cream and other colors have also been bred. Some of them are double, similar to roses or peonies. One of the names of camellia is “winter rose”. In areas with a mild climate, it can bloom in the middle of winter; the flowering period is 4-5 months. Camellia is widely used for landscaping parks, gardens and indoors.

Variety of flowers in Japan and their characteristics

The following flowers are traditionally Japanese:

Chrysanthemum

Chrysanthemums in Japan

Few people know that the well-known chrysanthemum comes from this country. Many people repeat the mistake of believing that sakura is considered the symbol of Japan. But the imperial plant, like the sun, a symbol and amulet, is the chrysanthemum. In its homeland, it blooms already at the beginning of spring, even roses are sometimes inferior to it in unusual beauty. In addition, the Japanese add the petals of this plant to tea and various dishes. In the fall, exhibitions are held where instead of fabric the sculptures wear floral outfits, all made from chrysanthemum flowers.

For your information! One of the varieties of chrysanthemum is benibana - a Japanese scarlet flower. Blooms in summer with a bright orange color mixed with crimson.

Sakura

The second most popular tree in Japan is sakura - the serrated cherry. The tree can grow up to 25 m in height, each raceme has up to 8 flowers. In Japan, entire parks are planted with different types of sakura. Flowering occurs from March to June with predominantly pink flowers. In spring, tourists from all over the world come here to enjoy the contemplation of its beautiful flowers. At night, picnics are organized under the cherry trees, the flowers of which are softly illuminated by small lanterns made of rice paper.

Wisteria

Those who want to enjoy the splendor of wisteria (wisteria) blooms should visit Ashikaga Park, where the plants are planted very densely, creating whimsical compositions and being a real decoration. Wisteria is a vine that twines around a support (another tree, pole, gazebo). It blooms in large hanging clusters, spreading a sweet aroma around itself that attracts bees.

Note! What Europeans call wisteria is called “fuji” in Japanese.

Hinanbana

There are many legends about hinanbana, a Japanese red flower (spider lily), or lycoris, which the Japanese associate with the kingdom of the dead. This fiery red lily has narrow petals tightly curled downwards with long stamens resembling a tongue of flame. The blooming of red Japanese flowers coincides with the celebration of the Higan autumn equinox. Because of its toxicity, the flower is planted on graves to prevent wild animals from digging up the dead, and also along the perimeter of fields to protect against erosion of the earth and rodent attacks.

Camellia japonica

Belongs to the Camellia genus of the Tea family. Grows in the wild in Japan, China, South Korea. It is a shrub or tree up to 9 m high with gray-brown shoots. The flowers reach up to 8 cm in diameter and contain 5-6 petals. Currently, more than 10 thousand hybrids of camellias of pink, red, and cream colors are known. Some hybrids have double flowers, which makes them look like peonies and roses, so it’s not for nothing that one of the names of camellia is winter rose. The leaves are dense, dark green, simple oval in shape with smooth or finely jagged edges. It blooms from the beginning of winter until April with single or paired flowers. Camellia japonica is a flower that produces fruits with large seeds in late summer.

Japanese umbrella

The Japanese umbrella, or amorphophallus konjac, grows in the wild in Japan, Thailand, China, and the Philippines. There are both small specimens and giants. They grow from tubers weighing about 5 kg, resembling a potato in appearance. The tuber produces only one leaf, which can grow up to several meters in height. During the dormant period it dies, and the next year it grows even higher.

The plant usually blooms after 5 years, the buds begin to bloom in the new growing season. Flowering lasts about 2 weeks. During this time, the tuber decreases in size due to the consumption of nutrients. A distinctive feature of the flower is the smell of rotting protein, especially during flowering. This scent attracts insects for pollination. The fruits are round berries with seeds.

Note! On plantations in Asian and Eastern countries, the Japanese flower amorphophallus is cultivated as a food crop. Its tubers taste similar to sweet potatoes. They are collected, dried, ground, used to make noodles, and also as ingredients for adding to traditional dishes. Can serve as a raw material when preparing food for diabetics.

Fatsia japonica

The Fatsia japonica flower belongs to the Araliaceae family. It got its name from the number 8, which means “fatsi” in old Japanese. The leathery, densely green petal is dissected into 8 lobes. In nature, fatsia is an evergreen shrub and grows up to 3 m. It blooms with an umbrella, which includes smaller inflorescences. The fruit is a bone ball with seeds.

Hosts

Hostas grow in Japan, Korea, China, and can be found in the south of the Far East. In Japan, they are considered sacred plants, decorating Buddha statues with them, and some parts of the plants are used for cooking. For a very long time, hosta could not get to Europe due to the ban of the Chinese and Japanese from exporting it outside their countries. The leaves of the hosta are located on petioles and can be narrow and long, as well as heart-shaped and almost round with longitudinal stripes. The colors are yellow, green, blue with shades.

Sakura / Sakura

(Japanese - Sakura

) – .
Wild sakura
grows in China, Korea and Japan, but in Japan new varieties have been bred for a long time (there are several hundred of them).
The most popular type of sakura is Somei Yoshino
.
Its petals are pure white, only slightly pinkish at the base of the flower. Fuyuzakura
- winter sakura begins to bloom in the fall, and sometimes also in winter.
Yaezakura
has large flowers with dark pink petals.
Shidarezakura (weeping cherry)
has long branches hanging down with a cascade of pink flowers. Small sakura fruits are not eaten. In cooking, salted or pickled flowers are used (to add flavor to dishes), as well as leaves in which sakura-mochi, sweet rice balls with sweet bean paste, are wrapped.

Tokkobana - kamikaze flower / Ookinkeigiku / Tokkobana

Coreopsis. The Japanese call this flower Ookinkeigiku

, which means chicken chrysanthemum. Coreopsis belongs to the Asteraceae family; its relatives are the well-known chamomile, dandelion, aster and sunflower. This is a perennial herbaceous plant, branched stems up to 60 cm tall. The leaves are petiolate, lanceolate or almost linear, and disappear as they climb up the stem. The reed flowers range from golden yellow to dark yellow and bloom very beautifully from July for about two months. The plant loves sunlight, and in Japan it can often be seen along airfield runways. In the Land of the Rising Sun there is a second name for this flower; the Japanese call it Tokkobana, which means “kamikaze flower”.

This flower growing is called tokkobana in Japanese. Tokkobana

literally means "special attack flower", but the word can also be translated as "kamikaze flower". According to legend, they appeared here because these flowers were dropped from their planes as they flew over Mount Kaimon over the southernmost point of mainland Japan on their way to Okinawa. In addition, yellow tokkobana blooms profusely in May and June near the runway of Kanoya Air Base, which served as the base for the largest number of suicide pilots during the war. When these flowers appeared in Japan remains a mystery. There are several assumptions. The most plausible theory is that planes returned to base during World War II and carried flower seeds on their wheels. Others believe that the pilots, who were 18-20 years old, still children by and large, loved the beauty of nature and brought the flowers themselves.

Tokkobana flowers play a central role in the television film A Moon Twenty-six Days Old by Y. Mairi. Three young kamikaze pilots check into a small hotel on the eve of their flight and become friends with an eight-year-old girl at the inn. When they leave in the morning, the girl gives each of them a bouquet of yellow tokkobana flowers, which the three pilots drop on the lower slopes of Mount Kaimon, where today there is a huge field of these flowers.

Plants for the Japanese garden

do not necessarily have to be of Japanese origin, especially since the vast majority of these island sissies simply will not survive in our climate.

But many of our plants are perfect for the Japanese garden, and the style of the latter will not cause any doubt.

Its skeleton, like many other gardens, is made up of trees and shrubs. Among them, maples, small-leaved rhododendrons and numerous forms of conifers are undoubtedly in the forefront.

The main mass will be herbaceous perennials.

, many of which are so strongly associated with the Japanese garden that it is inconceivable to imagine that there would not be room for at least some of them in the newly created Japanese garden.

First of all, these are, of course, irises

.

All types of irises are suitable for the Japanese garden, but first of all we are usually talking about large-flowered species of irises, for example, xiphoid iris, its other name is Kaempfer's iris (Iris ensata, Iris kaempferi).

They prefer moist, slightly acidic soil and thrive well along the banks of natural and artificial reservoirs, and they can be safely planted so that the rhizome is located below the water level.

Description

Camellia is admired for its perfection. Mention of it was made by Japanese chroniclers at the beginning of the first century. In Europe, the flower appeared in the middle of the 17th century and was named after a monk with the surname Camellus, who studied the plant in detail and gave its description. In Japan, exotic culture grows in the south of the country. It is also common in China, South Korea, and Taiwan.

The beautiful double flowers of Japonica belong to the tea family. The plant can be found in nature in the form of a tree reaching a height of 10–11 meters or a shrub reaching up to 150 cm. In our country, a flower with decorative leaves is grown mainly at home. An adult houseplant or greenhouse specimen stops growing at 2 meters.

Its leaves are dark green, can be from 8 to 10 cm in length, and reach 50 millimeters in width. They are very dense in structure. The branches of Japanese camellia are dark gray, and young annual shoots have a brownish tint. The basis of the plant is a flower that is not inferior in beauty to pink buds. It may have a red, pink or white tone.

Breeders managed to obtain a large number of varieties of spectacular flowers, growing in diameter from 40 to 150 mm. In structure, it can be single or in the form of a brush, it can consist of the usual 5 petals with yellow stamens surrounding it, or it can be a fluffy terry inflorescence endowed with more than 20 petals. There are semi-double samples. This wonderful plant blooms both in winter and spring. It does not tolerate cold weather at all, so in our country it can be found in houses, greenhouses, and winter gardens.

Important! Growing japonica indoors is not entirely easy; you need to know the intricacies of its maintenance conditions.

There are more than 250 different varieties of camellias in the world. Gardeners are accustomed to seeing Japanese camellia in the form of a lush shrub with numerous flowers. Its flowering lasts almost six months and occurs in the time interval from November to May inclusive. In Eastern medicine, it is used as a remedy to fight cancer. The most popular types of Japanese camellia are considered to be “Alba”, which has simple five-petaled white flowers, as well as a plant called “Winter Rose”. It is decorated with snow-white or pink large buds, which are terry in structure.

Known types of Japanese camellia are the following:

• Adolphe Audusson - distinguished by large (up to 12–13 cm) red double flowers; red camellia blooms in spring;

• Pink Perfection - large double flowers, reaching 7–8 cm in diameter, they have a delicate pink tone; the flowering period occurs in spring;

• Japonica Purity - this plant has large (up to 80 mm in diameter) white flowers, is a perennial specimen and also blooms with the arrival of spring;

• William S. Hastie - is a bush with large (up to 5 cm in radius) crimson flowers, has lush and double buds; flowers appear in spring;

• Chandlers Red is a solid red camellia with large, dense flowers.

Conditions for fatsia: how to properly care for it (table)

Fatsia and florariums

Plants that require growing conditions can be grown in a home greenhouse - a florarium. There it is easy to create a humid atmosphere and a microclimate with a constant temperature. Compact bushes of Fatsia Moseri are suitable for an open florarium. This could be a transparent container, such as an aquarium. But flowers with the same needs should be placed next to it so that there are no difficulties in caring for it.

Fatsia grows too quickly, so it is inconvenient to grow it in florariums

Large Fatsia specimens cannot be placed in a small aquarium garden. For them, a so-called green showcase or window would be more appropriate. The transparent “aviary” filled with green inhabitants looks very original and decorative. But such a structure is not easy to make. You will need equipment for watering, ventilation, lighting and bottom heating. And in a green display case, a rapidly growing Fatsia will not be very comfortable; it needs a lot of space to develop. It is much easier to provide the plant with the necessary conditions in the wild.

Conditions of detention

Japonica is a plant that very sensitively senses the slightest changes in its environment. In indoor conditions, camellia can grow, but it will not bloom. In order for the plant to form flower buds, it must be in a room where the temperature can be maintained at a level of -15 degrees to +6 degrees Celsius. The best place for a flower would be an insulated veranda, a greenhouse or any room in which the air does not warm up above these limits. In summer, japonica should be taken out into the garden or placed on a darkened balcony. If your flower spends a lot of time in a room with high temperatures above zero, it will certainly begin to bloom.

Important! The plant should be kept in a lighted place all year round. Special lighting is provided in greenhouses. Camellia likes light diffused rather than focused on the bush.

Diseases and pests of Japanese flowers

Canna flowers: growing in the garden

The main pests of Japanese flowers are:

• Spider mites and scale insects are combated by wiping plants with soapy water. To prevent spider mites, the Japanese umbrella is irrigated daily with a spray bottle to increase humidity.
• Root or gray rot. Replacing the soil, pruning diseased roots and treating them with potassium permanganate helps here.
• Fungal diseases. Treatment with fungicides helps against them.

If you really want to, you can create a little Japan at home by growing flowers and enjoying their beauty. But in order for everything to go without a hitch, you should keep in mind the features of cultivation and care described above.

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How to care?

A growing Japanese camellia should be watered thoroughly, but not overwatered. After the bush has bloomed and enters a state of rest and dormancy, watering at home should be done less frequently, the main thing is that the substrate does not become completely dry in the flower pot. The soil in which japonica will grow must be acidic, so there is no point in planting it in ordinary soil from your garden. Usually, specialized stores sell universal soil, and if it is not available, then you should purchase a substrate for azaleas.

You can prepare the soil composition yourself at home if you take drainage, which is then placed at the bottom of the pot. After this, mix the four indicators. Sand must be combined with turf and leaf soil, as well as peat. Turf and sand are taken in the amount of one portion, and two compositions of peat and leaf soil are added to them. You can also use the bark of coniferous trees.

Important! Once a month it is necessary to feed the japonica by adding fertilizers used for azaleas to the soil. If the flower has buds, then the number of feedings can be increased to 2-3 within 30 days.

The plant must be pruned once every 2 years. This procedure promotes the formation of a lush crown of the bush and the removal of weak shoots. Pruning should be done starting from the inside, thereby leaving large inflorescences located at the tips of the branches of the bush to grow. The procedure is performed during the autumn months such as October and November. In the southern regions of the country, where in winter the air temperature does not drop below +20 degrees, growing Japanese camellia is possible not only at home, but also in gardens. To make it easier to care for the shrub, it is planted in late autumn or early spring, at a time when very active growth of shoots has not yet occurred.

The hole for planting camellias is made large. It should be 2 times the size of the earthen coma around the seedling itself. The soil can be additionally acidified with spruce or pine bark. A drainage is placed at the bottom of the hole, and a lump with the roots of the seedling is placed on it. It is necessary to ensure that the root collar is not covered with soil. Afterwards, the trunk is filled up and the soil is mulched with sawdust, conifer bark or shavings. During cold weather, the mulch layer is increased.

The flower bush should grow in places where there are no drafts, as well as direct exposure to sunlight. From May to July, mineral supplements are applied. For the winter, it is advisable to cover the crown and trunk, which can be done using spruce branches or material.

Caring for Fatsia at home

Fatsia is considered an unpretentious plant. We will tell you about the rules for caring for this shrub at home, and you will see for yourself that it is not difficult.

Purchase and first steps

In the store, choose a small, still young plant that has not had time to grow much. Pay attention to its appearance - the leaves should be healthy, shiny, without visible damage and insects. If the leaves are drooping and drooping, then this is a sign that the plant is unhealthy or is poorly cared for. Returning them to a normal horizontal or elevated position will most likely be difficult or even impossible. Therefore, do not buy such a plant.

If you make a purchase in winter, then do not forget that Fatsia is originally from the tropics, do not freeze it on the way home. We advise you to wrap the pot in several layers of polyethylene in a warm room so that the resulting “bag” is filled with warm air. After arriving at the place, do not remove the film for 2-3 hours - let the flower adapt to the new conditions. Then once again carefully inspect all its leaves for the presence of pests, and at the slightest suspicion, wash them with warm soapy water. One and a half to two weeks after purchase, transplant Fatsia into a new, slightly larger pot.

We advise you not to simply transfer the flower to another pot with a lump of earth, but to completely clean the roots from the transport substrate. At the same time, check the condition of the root system and remove broken and rotten roots, if any.

Soil and pot

The plant is suitable for soil rich in nutrients. But it must be loose, light and water-permeable. A ready-made universal substrate from the store for decorative foliage plants is suitable.

You can also prepare the substrate yourself. To do this, take 2 parts of turf soil and 1 part each of leaf humus, peat and sand. Acidity should be slightly acidic or normal (pH from 5.0 to 7.0).

Choose a clay or ceramic pot, which is more stable for a large plant, with drainage holes in the bottom. For a young flower, the pot should be deep, but not very wide, 2–3 cm wider than the root system. At the bottom of the pot there should be a layer of drainage made of large pieces of expanded clay, brick or pebbles, occupying 1/3 of the height of the pot.

Support

In the wild, Fatsia grows without support. But at home he often needs support. The trunk of the plant is quite thin and is not always able to support a massive crown. You will have to take care of support in advance before the flower bends to one side. Then it will be difficult to correct the situation. Fatsia's shoots are not so elastic, and if you notice that the stem begins to deviate from the vertical, take immediate action. The support for the flower can be bamboo sticks or posts wrapped in coconut fiber. You can buy them in flower shops or make them yourself. The main thing is that this support is stable and does not interfere with the growth of leaves.

Fatsia transplant

Since the plant develops and grows quite quickly, especially at a young age, it should be transplanted annually, in the spring, into a new, slightly larger pot. Adult specimens need to be replanted less frequently, once every two to three years, and then only on the condition that its roots have begun to peek out of the drainage holes. In the intervals between transplants, we advise you to simply replace the top layer of soil in the pot with fresh substrate in the spring. Choose a pot 3–5 cm wider and deeper than the old one. Transplantation is carried out by transferring the plant along with a lump of earth into a new pot, prepared according to all the rules. Then carefully remove the top part of the soil, and pour new substrate in its place and in all free spaces on the sides of the pot. Then water.

If you are transplanting a diseased flower in order to remove rotten roots, then the soil from the roots should be carefully shaken off, rotten, dry or broken roots should be cut off. Sprinkle the cut areas with crushed coal. Only then can the plant be placed in a new pot and covered with fresh substrate.

Top dressing

From early spring to October, during the period of active growth of Fatsia, it needs to be regularly fed with fertilizers with a high nitrogen content. Complex fertilizers for decorative foliage plants in liquid form are suitable. Apply one dose of fertilizer during or after regular watering every 10-12 days. In winter, Fatsia should not be fed, even if the plant is in an active state and winters in a warm room.

Lighting

As we wrote earlier, the indoor flower Fatsia is able to adapt to any lighting. It can even grow with great success under artificial light. Just try to keep the lighting more or less stable throughout the year. Then, having adapted to a certain lighting intensity, the flower will grow and develop normally. This gives it a significant advantage among similar indoor plants. It will grow quickly in any location and retain the attractive shiny color of its leaves.

Variegated forms and Fatsia varieties need stronger lighting. The bright sun will not burn Fatsia's dense leaves, but extreme heat can cause them to become lethargic. It is better to stick to diffused lighting or openwork partial shade.

But we recommend placing adult plants of impressive size in the shade - their attractiveness will remain, but growth will noticeably slow down

Temperature

Fatsia does not have any special requirements for ambient temperature. It is suitable for a wide range of temperatures, from 18 to 25 degrees. Higher temperatures will not harm the flower if it is shaded from direct sunlight and properly watered. But it will be better if the ambient temperature is moderate, then the flower will look gorgeous.

In winter, if you send a flower to forced rest, the temperature can be reduced to 15 degrees. heat (variegated varieties up to 18 degrees). But hibernation is not vital for a flower; some gardeners just don’t want the extra hassle of providing the flower with additional lighting. When wintering under normal indoor conditions, Fatsia will have to be placed closer to the south window and turn on a fluorescent lamp or phytolamp in the evening for two to four hours after it gets dark outside the window.

Fatsia loves fresh air and is not at all afraid of drafts in the summer. Therefore, you can take it out to the balcony or veranda all summer long with shelter from precipitation and direct sunlight.

Watering

The watering regime for Fatsia japonica is the most important point in the rules for caring for the plant. The flower loves abundant watering and moist soil. If you do not water its substrate in time and discover this when its leaves droop and droop, most likely, abundant watering may not bring them back to life. At the very least, you will have to install a support for its drooping leaves in order to somehow give them a horizontal position.

However, the flower also reacts negatively to excessive watering - the shoots will begin to turn yellow, the leaves will become soft and fall off, and the roots will rot. This is why it is so important to keep soil moisture stable.

In the spring-summer period of the year, water when the top layer of soil dries a couple of cm deep. In autumn, gradually reduce the volume of water, but it is strictly forbidden to allow the earthen clod to dry out completely.

This may be interesting: Peperomia - secrets of growing at home

Water the flower only with settled water at room temperature until water appears from the drainage holes of the pot. After some time, be sure to remove excess water from the pan.

If the flower is not sent to rest in a cooler room in winter, then each subsequent watering should be only after the soil in the pot has dried almost half. Water generously until water appears in the pan. Drain off excess water. If the room is cool, then it is better to slightly warm up the water for irrigation.

Humidity and spraying

Fatsia has rather large leaves that actively evaporate moisture. Therefore, the flower does not like too dry air. The humidity in the room should be normal or slightly higher. Otherwise, the tips of the leaves may dry out, which will spoil the appearance of the flower. It is not necessary to install air humidifiers or place the pot in a tray with wet expanded clay. Regular ventilation of the room and regular spraying of the surrounding air and leaves are sufficient.

Fatsia likes her leaves to be sprayed daily with soft water at room temperature. Even in winter, if the room is hot, spray the flower at least a couple of times a week. But you should not spray in a cool room.

Bathing

In the hot summer, the flower loves to take a shower. Place the pot in the bathroom, cover the soil with film. Wash the leaves well with cool shower water.

The rest of the time, dust from Fatsia leaves should be removed using a damp cloth, soft cloth or sponge. The cleanliness of the leaves not only gives beauty to its crown, but also provides the plant with breathing and nutrition, and prevents the appearance of parasitic insects.

Crown formation

Fatsia is reluctant to branch on its own, and if left undisturbed, it will grow in the form of a stem with long petioles and large leaves. Over time, the lower ones will inevitably age and die, and the trunk will become bare. You will get a crown on top, like a palm tree. But if you regularly carry out the formation by pinching the tops of the shoots, the lateral buds will begin to develop. They will give new branches, and Fatsia will become a fluffy bush. Pinch back the tops throughout the year. On the eve of spring awakening, perform sanitary pruning, remove weak shoots that have lost their decorative appearance. The flower tolerates this procedure well. Just do it better in the morning so that the sap flow stops in the evening.

Fatsia flowering

Fatsia is grown as an ornamental foliage plant, although it can bloom indoors. Some flower growers believe that its flowering is completely unremarkable, that it only weakens the strength of the flower and spoils its attractive appearance. But others consider Fatsia's flowering to be original.

Fatsia begins to bloom somewhere in mid-autumn, when other indoor plants are already preparing for winter. A complex umbrella inflorescence grows in the center of the bush. It grows up to 30 cm in diameter and consists of smaller, ball-like, white or greenish-cream inflorescences in the form of umbrellas, up to four cm in diameter. Small bisexual flowers consist of an ovary and 5 long stamens. The petals are weakly defined and look like a short wavy border around the core. Against the background of large shiny foliage, the flowers seem airy, lacy, a little like dandelion flowers.

Fatsia berries

After pollination, a fruit is formed in the lower ovary in the form of a small round drupe, half a cm in diameter. These berries, black or dark purple in color, are similar to rowan berries. So the fruits of Fatsia look no less decorative than the leaves. Seeds, however, do not always ripen in them and quickly lose their viability.

Plants in Japanese style. Indoor plants in a Japanese interior

Japanese name Ajisai
.
Most types of hydrangea are shrubs 1-3 m high. The flowers are collected at the end of the stem in spherical inflorescences. The most popular large-leaf hydrangea (more than 600 varieties) has flowers that can be white, blue, lilac, pink, red (depending on the acidity of the soil). In Japan, the peak flowering time for hydrangeas is the rainy season (mid-June). Around many temples and shrines there are many hydrangea bushes (sometimes up to 150 thousand): Meigetsu-in in Kamakura, Fujimori Jinja, Tofukuji in. , Hydrangea Festivals (Ajisai Matsuri) are held in shrines and parks in Japan

Licorice / Higanbana

Licorice is blooming - and it is impossible to die at such a time. (c) Taneda Santoka

Licorice ( Higanbana

), the Latin name is Lycoris radiata (a bulbous plant of the amaryllis family).
It originates from Greek mythology - the Nereid Lycoris was famous for her beauty. In English, the names Red Spider Lily
and
Hurricane Lily
because they bloom before the hurricane season.
In Japanese, the main name of this flower is Higanbana
.
It blooms in September - just in time for the autumn equinox - Higana (Aki no Higan)
. But besides this, lycoris has many more names: shibito-bana - “flower of the dead”, yuurei-bana - “flower of ghosts”, tengai-bana - “flower that looks like tengai” (decoration of the dome of a Buddhist temple), yome no kanzashi - “a flower that looks like the (traditional hairpin) of the bride”, doku-bana - “poisonous flower”, manjushage (in Sanskrit - “manjusaka”) - “heavenly flower” (in Buddhist sutras there is a mention of red flowers falling from the sky, bringing joy), jigoku-bana – “hell flower”, kamisori-bana – “razor flower”, kizune-bana – “fox flower”. So mysterious and ambiguous. And everything would be fine, and the flowers in the photo are beautiful, but lycoris is not planted near houses - it is a flower dedicated to the dead. He loves to grow up on the battlefields where the blood of warriors was shed. Traditionally, lycoris is planted in cemeteries (not only as decoration, but also for protection from animals due to its toxicity). It is believed that if you bring flowers into your home, it may cause a fire. But the Japanese specifically planted lycoris on the borders of rice fields. Firstly, the bulbs strengthened the soil, preventing it from weathering and being washed away by water. In addition, poisonous plants protected crops from rodents. And finally, during crop failure, the bulbs and stems were eaten (the poison could be washed out with plenty of water). Lycoris stems emerge from the ground in autumn and bear bright red flowers. Then the flowers fade and leaves appear, which remain until the beginning of summer. So flowers and leaves can never be seen together. In Korea, lycoris was given the name “san cho” - “flowers miss leaves, and leaves miss flowers.”

Pests and diseases

"Japanese chestnut" is resistant to various pests and diseases. However, improper care can lead to the appearance of a disease such as root rot. The appearance of aphids, scale insects, whiteflies, thrips, spider mites and other pests is possible. Simply treating the plant with soapy water will improve the situation. But in extreme cases, insecticides can be used. Change the soil, replant the plant.

Diseases and pests

For such a capricious plant as Fatsia, constant and thorough care is required at home. Failure to comply may result in various illnesses and problems.

The vulnerable plant is quickly attacked by scale insects. Parasites are very difficult to remove. Externally, these are brownish tubercles on the leaves, closer to the “veins”. They attach to the leaf, feed on juices and infect bacteria. As a result, the leaf first becomes less elastic, then turns yellow and dries. The plant itself stops blooming and begins to hurt. If you do nothing, Fatsia will eventually die.

Spider mites are another pest that can be found on the leaves and stems of fatsia when the air in the house is insufficiently humidified. The leaves are shrouded in white sticky cobwebs - a sure sign of the presence of a parasite. After some time, the leaves turn yellow, dry out and fall off, becoming covered with dark brown spots.

For reference! To combat insects, systemic insecticides are used, which can be found in garden stores.

The leaves are drying. What to do?

There are several reasons for leaves drying out:

• First, there are spots on the leaves, then the leaves begin to wither, dry out and fall off - the plant has become sick with root rot. The cause of the disease is uncontrolled waterlogging of the soil. What to do: You need to reduce watering. Spray the plant with Fundazol: add 2 grams of Fundazol to 1 liter of water. Water the plant with this solution.

• The leaves begin to turn yellow and gradually fall off - the plant is infected with spider mites. The reason is being near infected plant species. What to do: treat with a soap solution, change the soil, treat with a fungicide.

• The leaves have turned pale, drying and curling are observed at the tips. The reason is the room is not ventilated, insufficient watering. What to do: in winter, plants in dry rooms need to be sprayed every day; in summer they require daily watering.

• The leaves dry out and fall off, honeydew appears - damage by whitefly, scale insects or mealybugs. The reason is contact with infected plants when moving Fatsia outdoors. What to do: isolate from sources of infection, wash the leaves with a weak soap solution, replace the soil, you may have to resort to the chemicals “Aktara”, “Aktellik”.

Wisteria / Wisteria / Fuji

The Japanese name Fuji
is a genus of deciduous vines. They grow naturally in China, Korea and Japan, as well as in the southeastern regions of the United States. The most famous are Chinese and lush-flowering (or Japanese) wisteria. The liana can climb up to 20 meters, twisting around the trunk of a supporting tree or artificial support. Wisteria blooms in spring or in the first half of summer (depending on the species). Inflorescences of fragrant flowers of lilac, white, pink, blue can be up to 1 meter in length. Wisteria is used in landscape design. At festivals, it is often used to decorate floats or “flower umbrellas.”

Camellia / Camellia / Tsubaki

Japanese name Tsubaki

.
Belongs to the tea family. In Japan (and beyond), the most famous is the Japanese Camellia (Camellia japonica)
, which originates from Southwestern China. Wild camellia is an evergreen shrub 6-9 meters high with red flowers 5-8 cm in diameter, having five to six petals and dense stamens. Many hybrids of red, pink, cream and other colors have also been bred. Some of them are double, similar to roses or peonies. One of the names of camellia is “winter rose”. In areas with a mild climate, it can bloom in the middle of winter; the flowering period is 4-5 months. Camellia is widely used for landscaping parks, gardens and indoors.

Japanese love for flowers

Having visited Japan, it is quite difficult not to notice the Japanese people’s love for flowers, because they are everywhere in this country, while the locals enjoy floriculture and grow amazing specimens that simply do not grow in other countries. In Japan, there is even such a thing as “flora art,” which is associated with the mystical beliefs of local residents and refers to a cult. The Japanese especially value flowers, snow and the moon as cults.

According to Japanese beliefs, every local resident should look at flowers from time to time and admire them, being delighted and enjoying the natural beauty. This process is called hanami and most often modern Japanese perform this ritual while eating, i.e. The dining table should always be decorated with beautiful flowers, preferably grown in your own garden.

The Japanese love for flowers is also reinforced by the mild local climate, because a sufficient amount of moisture, warmth and plenty of sun contribute to the growth of incredibly beautiful and rare plants. The Japanese not only grow flowers, but also try to give them a special and unique appearance, for example, change the natural shade of the flower itself or make the flowering more lush and voluminous. By the way, the art of ikebana, known to many, also came to us from Japan and is an arrangement of flowers.

Sakura / Sakura

(Japanese - Sakura

) – .
Wild sakura
grows in China, Korea and Japan, but in Japan new varieties have been bred for a long time (there are several hundred of them).
The most popular type of sakura is Somei Yoshino
.
Its petals are pure white, only slightly pinkish at the base of the flower. Fuyuzakura
- winter sakura begins to bloom in the fall, and sometimes also in winter.
Yaezakura
has large flowers with dark pink petals.
Shidarezakura (weeping cherry)
has long branches hanging down with a cascade of pink flowers. Small sakura fruits are not eaten. In cooking, salted or pickled flowers are used (to add flavor to dishes), as well as leaves in which sakura-mochi, sweet rice balls with sweet bean paste, are wrapped.