Brescletus forchuna is an evergreen and low-growing shrub that comes from China. The plant belongs to the Beresclaw family and has a huge number of varieties. One of the popular is considered Emerald Gold. What is the peculiarity of its care and how it is properly planted and propagated, this will be told below.
Flower appearance
The very name of the variety – “emerald in gold” speaks volumes about how this plant looks. The description of euonymus fortunei emerald n gold is as follows: a dense shrub with stiff oval leaves of bicolor. In this case, the edges of the leaf are yellow and the middle is green. In winter, the shrub changes its yellowish hue to reddish brown.
The shrub blooms with inconspicuous (sometimes called dead flowers) pale yellow flowers. Afterwards, bright purple or pink fruits appear, which enliven the whole garden in September. Despite its slow growth, the shrub is able to climb up the support to a height of two meters. Thanks to this plant you can create beautiful decorative compositions and decorate any garden.
Planting and care
Taking care of the shrub is not difficult in principle, most importantly, remember some recommendations regarding the quality of the soil and its loosening, watering.
They are as follows:
- Soil. Since the root system is superficial, it is quite sensitive to coarse soil and any damage, so you need to take care of it carefully. For the plant to enjoy early flowering, it is necessary to plant the shrub in loamy soil (not dense). It is also important to regularly loosen the soil, so as to provide oxygen nutrition. This should be done on day 3-4 after moistening the soil. The plant will not survive stagnant water, so it is important to provide quality drainage to further eliminate the possibility of root rotting. To do this, in a hole, before planting, be sure to pour in claydite or pebbles.
- Lighting. The shrub can safely grow both in the sun and in the shade. Optimal is considered the choice of a place where part of the day the sun shines, and the second – there is a penumbra. In this case, the plant will both normally develop, and will not fade the brightness of color. In especially hot regions, it is advisable to create artificially diffused light at noon, so that the leaves do not get burned.
- Watering. Berescloth Fortune Emerald Gold is demanding to moisture. Therefore, the young plant should be watered as often as possible. The adult shrub is not as fastidious, therefore, the frequency of moistening the soil can be slightly reduced. In a hot period, it is recommended to water the plant 2 times a week. The more often the flower will be moistened in the spring, the faster it will wake up from winter frosts.
- Feeding. For quality and prolonged flowering, the birchlet needs to be fertilized. To fertilize in the spring period (April-May) you can use a complex mineral fertilizer. Compost is also suitable. In autumn, fertilizer rich in potassium and phosphorus should be applied to the soil. Thanks to them, the shrub will be nourished and can gain strength during the winter. In addition, it is recommended to mulch the soil with dense thickets of shrubs.
- Overwintering. Emerald Gold refers to frost-resistant plants and can withstand up to -25 degrees Celsius. At the same time, it is better to prepare young flowers for wintering, so that they do not die. To do this, it is enough to cover the vines with dry leaves in a 20-centimeter layer. If desired, you can cover with lapnuts, but for this variety of birchberry, such a procedure is not necessary.
Planting a shrub has the following features:
- The hole is dug twice as big as the root system of the seedling.
- The bottom is laid with pebbles or expanded clay, and the soil itself is mixed with compost.
- The sapling should be lowered into the hole and covered with soil so that the root isthmus remains above the soil surface.
- It is important to form a notch around the plant for watering.
- For nourishment, a mulch of bark or humus can be used.
It is optimal to plant the shrub in the spring, and more precisely, at the end of April.
The plant needs dry or protruding branches trimmed to give it a well-groomed appearance. In addition, it is with the help of pruning to form the desired crown. This is done in early spring or as early as autumn.
Propagation of the birch tree
Birchwood Forschuna Emerald Gold is quite easy to root with summer shoots. It is enough to simply press them to the ground and from the knot will soon appear roots. No less frequent method is cuttings.
For this purpose, cut cuttings 5-10 cm long. It is necessary to take shoots that have not yet hardened. After spraying the cuttings with a special stimulant for root growth, they are planted in a peat-sand mixture and covered with a film. A month later, the root system already appears, after which they should be transplanted to a place where the shoots will spend the whole winter. In the spring, the young plants are planted in the ground.
It is easy to propagate the shrub by ordinary division.
To do this, simply dig up the birchlet and divide the bush into several parts, so that there are separate roots, shoots and growth points. After treating the cuts with charcoal, the shrub is planted in a new place.
Some gardeners grow birchweed from seeds, but this process is quite laborious and time-consuming.
Pests
Birchwood Fortune Esmeralda Gold rarely gets sick, especially with proper care. Most often the plant suffers from attacks of pests such as the scab, spider mite, aphids, apple moth.
If pests are detected, the damaged branches should be cut off, and the rest of the shrub should be treated with special chemical preparations. If aphids or powdery mildew appear, it is recommended to spray the leaves with a soap solution and insecticides. Spider mite is afraid of moisture, so you need to water the plant more often. It is important not to over-water superficially.
