The best types and varieties of almonds to grow. Decorative almonds: planting and care Technology and timing of pruning

Almonds are a bright and unusual plant, quite adapted for growing in the climatic conditions of the North-West. I would especially like to highlight two of its types - ledebur almonds and low almonds or bean almonds.

The almond genus is a small deciduous tree or shrub widely distributed in Europe from the Mediterranean to Central Asia and America. About 40 species and garden varieties (both decorative and food) are known.

The leaves are simple, alternately arranged, and on short shoots are brought together into a bunch. The flowers are solitary, on short stalks or sessile. The petals are pink or white and bloom before the leaves appear or at the same time.

Plants bloom from late April to mid-May, depending on the time the snow melts and warm weather sets in. Flowering continues in some species for up to 5 weeks. The fruit is a drupe with a dry, pubescent pericarp. It is most decorative during the flowering period. During the growing season it stands out with beautiful shiny lanceolate leaves.

Almonds are not very demanding when it comes to soil and additional watering, although they are responsive to various agrotechnical practices - weeding, application of mineral and organic fertilizers (if there is an excess of nitrogen, they freeze strongly), and respond well to watering and spraying in hot weather. Soils should not be very acidic.

Almonds are quite drought-resistant and sun-loving, which must be taken into account when choosing a place to grow almonds. But not all types and garden varieties of almonds are winter-hardy. In the northern regions of the country, it is advisable to cover them for the winter.

It is best to grow almonds from seeds collected in the fall and sown before winter, or from root shoots (easily separated in spring or early autumn), cuttings are possible. The bush can easily be divided and replanted only in early spring, before the buds awaken, or in early autumn, but no later than mid-October.

Almonds in garden plantings are one of the beautiful early spring garden plants. Group plantings on rockeries fit perfectly and are harmonious in “Japanese” gardens. Spectacular during the flowering period against a dark background of conifers, among large stones.

A shrub up to 1-2 m tall, producing abundant root shoots up to 2-5 m in height. The leaves are lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, reaching a length of up to 7 cm. It often freezes heavily in winters with little snow, but is restored due to the active growth of root shoots. Suffers from recurring frosts during the flowering period, which often occurs in late April or early May. The most important point in growing almonds is to limit the growth of its underground shoots; during the season, the bush can produce underground shoots up to 1 m.

Low, steppe or bean almonds. Shrub with protruding branches and red-gray bark, from 0.5-0.8, rarely up to 1.3-1.5 m in height. The leaves are lanceolate or oval, collected in bunches. The flowers are large, single, their petals are bright pink or pink, with a subtle delicate aroma. Flowering is abundant, up to 2 weeks, beginning in late April or early May. The fruits are densely and rigidly felted, ovoid. The bones are compressed laterally. It blooms simultaneously with the leaves blooming. Propagates well by seeds.

Anyone who has visited the south in spring will never forget this enchanting sight: decorative almond trees, gardens and streets blazing with pink and white! Involuntarily, I want to give spring in my land a small piece of a distant country where I once visited!

Almond, which usually blooms in 4-5 years, is either a small tree or a shrub with leathery, dense, dark green leaves, lanceolate in shape with a sawtooth edge, that fall in the fall. Together with a huge mass of thin branches, they create a compact, spherical crown. The decoration of the plant is the abundance of round-shaped fruits with a stone that is easily separated from the “suede” three-lobed pericarp.

But before the fruits set, they must first be the ovaries of flowers, abundant in petals and stamens. They are very beautiful, large, often pink, less often white, simple or double, floating in the spring air like a “fluffy” cloud for 2 to 3 weeks. It is for their sake that almonds are planted - the fruits of decorative forms of almonds are inedible. The plant usually becomes covered with leaves after flowering.

This unpretentious species of plants from the plum genus feels equally good both in the country and in the city. He is heat-loving and light-loving too. It is also resistant to drought (due to the good development of the root system) and can live up to 130 years. Valuable honey plant.

Common almond

Long-lived, decorating the nature of Afghanistan, Iran, and the Caucasus. A tree from 3 to 8 m tall, similar to a cherry, with reddish coloring of branches or a shrub, after shedding the petals of flowers with pink or red corollas, it becomes covered with oblong-shaped leaves.

Georgian almonds

Fruiting from the age of 7, this shrub is quite stable within Moscow. Reaches a height of about 1 meter, bright, large pink flowers turn into ripe bristly fruits with the onset of September days, surrounded by leaves up to 9 cm long. The shoots, which become lignified before winter, are calm about frosts.

Ledebour almond

A nursery of the Altai foothill valleys with large leaves of a dark green tone, blooming pink for 2 weeks and starting to bear fruit at the age of 10 years.

Almond (bean) low

Grows in Asia (in Siberia) and in Europe in the lowlands. The spherical crown of a deciduous bush is formed by straight gray and red branches with leaves abundantly covering them, narrow and appearing simultaneously with flowers of a bright pink tone, abundantly showering the bush for a week.

Low-demanding to soil, resistant to winter cold and drought, light-loving plant, easily tolerates pruning. For propagation, both root suckers and layering, and seeds are used, or grafting is done.

This abundantly flowering and fruit-bearing decorative almond is grown by gardeners in the middle zone and forest-steppes of Siberia in the form of two forms: white-flowered and Hessler, which has large pink flowers.

Due to their high decorativeness, hardiness and long flowering, garden hydrangeas in landscape design…

Almond Petunnikova

Places of growth - mountain slopes with stones, on which it forms dense thickets of bushes 1 m in height, having straight or splayed branches with many very shortened branches. The light fawn color of the bare shoots turns into a gray-brown color of the bark of the branches.

Single-growing pink flowers are replaced by linear leaves with pointed tops and a sharp or blunt serrated edge. A winter-hardy and drought-resistant plant, decorative both during the flowering period and with the onset of fruiting.

Triloba almond (Louisiania)

The bush has a spreading crown, fruitful dark gray shoots are covered with leaves, growing in tufts, densely hairy after deployment and bare subsequently.

Flowers of simple structure, 1.5 cm in diameter, colors from dark pink to red and crimson, growing on shoots in pairs. They appear on the bushes from the beginning of May and last for about 17 days, after which it is time for the leaves to unfurl.

Forms for decorating the garden:

"Captivity." A 2-meter-high shrub with a wide crown bearing pink double flowers with more than 40 petals and a calyx of 10 sepals with a peduncle 10 mm long. Flowering in May lasts about 10 days and follows the unfolding of leaves.
"Kyiv". A profusely flowering bush or tree up to 3 m high with pink double flowers of a subtle pleasant aroma, covering it for 7 days at the end of April until the leaves unfold.
Flower growers almost never plant Louiseania triloba with a simple flower shape; it is a nursery of arboretums.

Plant almonds - it's not difficult

Time and place of landing

Decorative almonds are lovers of sun and air. Therefore, plant it in the southern part of the site, in a sunny place, or at least in partial shade. It is better that he does not fall into the shade of trees growing nearby for more than 2 hours a day. You also need to choose a place protected from winds and especially from drafts.

Evergreen, unpretentious and spectacular coniferous plants are an excellent way to give the territory a unique image...

It is necessary to plant in the spring with the establishment of stable heat, so that the beginning of the growing season does not coincide with the time of the last spring frost.

Prepare the pit

Almonds will not grow on acidic and saline soils, with close groundwater levels. It is necessary to clear the place where planting is planned from tall plants that can immerse the seedling in their shadow.

Holes are dug for planting several bushes or trees - a lonely tree will have no one to pollinate and there will be no fruit on it. Plants are pollinated by insects, so an apiary would be a good neighbor for an almond orchard.

But you shouldn’t be afraid of stones on the site, because in natural conditions almonds grow on rocky mountain slopes strewn with rubble.

Features of the landing process

Almonds are planted either late in the fall or on the first fine days of spring, as annual seedlings (this is easier) or as seeds. You should not plant almond seeds in the fall - mice will chew them off.

Seedlings should be planted in holes:

• according to the 7x4 or 7x5 pattern (at least 3 m between the pits);
• depth of at least 30 cm;
• with sand and crushed stone poured onto the bottom.

Support for the seedling is placed immediately: until the few but strong almond roots have established themselves in the soil, it is necessary.

Almonds should not be planted in heavy clay soil - loam is more suitable. It is necessary to add lime and compost (humus), sand and leaf soil to the soil for planting.

You can grow almonds by grafting them onto peach, cherry plum, plum, sloe, and bird cherry.

Propagation of decorative almonds

It is quite easy to propagate almonds using seeds, layering, root suckers, and stump shoots. But the easiest way to do this is using cuttings.

Sections of stems harvested in July, having 2-3 nodes, are immersed for rooting in a mixture of 1 part sand and 2 parts wet peat; When landing, one node remains on the surface. Then the rooted cuttings are transplanted into nutrient soil.

Almond care

Watering

Watering according to the principle of necessary sufficiency: a bucket of water under the root, not allowing the soil to dry out - if it is “overwatered,” the root collar of the plant will rot, and “underwatered” will not bloom for so long.

Top dressing

In the spring, you can mulch the plant with manure, feed it with ammonium nitrate or other nitrogen fertilizers. In the fall, double superphosphate and potassium sulfate are applied (nitrogen-rich fertilizers are stopped around July).

Trimming

Sanitary pruning is required - removal of dead and diseased branches. Pruning, which almonds tolerate well, is needed to form a bush. It is usually carried out after flowering.

Old almond stems, which die off by the 7th year, must be removed; they will be replaced by root shoots that appear after 3 years of the plant’s life.

Wintering

One-year-old seedlings are covered for the winter with lutrasil or straw (dry leaves) to a height of 15 cm. In cold winters, the flower buds of almonds freeze at the ends of the shoots. If there is excess snow, the root collar may dry out.

Pests and diseases

The main pests are caterpillars of the leaf roller and plum moth, as well as aphids; the former eat the leaves, the latter suck the juices out of them and prevent the buds from developing. Ladybugs will help you deal with aphids; it is better to collect caterpillars by hand or use pesticides.

Also, do not forget about, which does not disdain any of the plants. To combat it, Antikhrushch and other insecticides are suitable.

Almonds can also be affected by diseases: moniliosis (spraying with Bordeaux mixture helps) and gray rot (the affected branches need to be pruned before the spore pads form).

Landscape design with almonds

Common almond (Amygdalus communis) is a tree or tall bush (4-8 m) with an openwork crown. Grows in Central Asia, Iran, Afghanistan, Asia Minor. Lives up to 130 years. Flowering begins in late winter, before the leaves appear, and lasts two to three weeks. The flowers are large, white-pink, leaves are lanceolate. The fruits are flattened drupes with a velvety drying pericarp, with a large stone inside. The kernel is edible. There are three varieties of ordinary almonds: bitter, sweet and brittle. The most famous varieties in our country are Anyuta, White Sail, Pink Fog.

Almonds low (Amygdalus nana), or steppe (bean) - grows in the southern forest-steppe and steppe zone of Russia - in the European part, in Siberia, in Central Asia. A small deciduous shrub 0.5-1.5 m tall. The crown is dense, spherical. The leaves are dark green above, light green below, up to 6 cm long. Flowers up to 3 cm in diameter, bright pink, solitary, bloom simultaneously with the leaves. It blooms in May, very luxuriantly, for two to three weeks. Gives. Photophilous, drought-resistant, winter-hardy. Lives 60-80 years. There are two decorative forms of this species - white-flowered (albiflora) And Gessler (gessleriana), with large bright pink flowers.

Almond Petunnikova (Amygdalus petunnikowii) - originally from the Western Tien Shan. Shrub up to 1 m high. Crown diameter 0.8 m. Pink flowers open in May, flowering duration is twelve days. It blooms from the age of three, bears fruit from the age of five. The fruits are reddish, densely pubescent. In winter, the ends of annual shoots freeze slightly.

Amygdalus, Almond, bean. Small deciduous trees and shrubs, highly decorative, especially during the flowering period.

Etymology

In ancient Greece, almonds were called Amygdale or amygdalea. This is where the Latin name of the genus comes from. M. steppe was previously popularly called “wild peach.”

Types and varieties of almonds

Almond culture has been known since the 4th millennium BC. There are only 40 species in the genus, three grow in Russia, the rest - in Europe, Asia and North America. Popular types: steppe almond (Amygdalus nana) And Ledebour almond (Amygdalus ledebouriana).

Foreign botanists do not separately distinguish the genus Almond (as well as the genera Cherry, Bird Cherry and Apricot) from the genus Plum, and therefore species and varieties coming from abroad are sold under the general name Prunus.

Steppe almond (Amygdalus nana)

Steppe almond, or low almond, is a shrub up to 1 m tall; in nature it forms thickets in the steppe zone of the European part, where it grows in open spaces. The crown is broadly ovoid. The flowers are bright pink, solitary. Blooms at the end of May for 10-12 days. The fruits are round, up to 2 cm in diameter, and ripen in September. The kernel is inedible. The leaves are narrow, up to 6 cm long and no more than 2 cm wide, light green. Tolerates pruning well. Introduced into culture in the 17th century. Blooms best in sunny places. This species is one of the most winter-hardy.

Ledebour almond (Amygdalus ledebouriana)

Ledebur almond is a shrub up to 1.5-2 m high, found in nature in the foothills of southwestern Altai. The crown is broadly ovoid. The flowers are bright pink, solitary. Blooms at the end of May for 2-3 weeks. M. ledebur is more often considered a variety of M. steppe, and its popular variety ‘ Fire Hill’ is distinguished by beautiful bright pink flowering, flowers up to 3 cm in diameter, it comes to Russia with the specific name Prunus tenella.

Almond care

Almonds are light-loving and drought-resistant. It has little demands on soil fertility, but blooms better on fertile soils containing lime.

Young almond plants must be planted in places protected from strong winds, the distance between plants is 0.5-1.5 m. The soil mixture is made up of leaf soil, humus and sand (3: 2: 1). Add a glass of wood ash or dolomite flour to it and mix. When planting, the root collar (or grafting site) is located just above the soil level. Fresh plantings are watered regularly, rooted plants only during long dry periods.

Almonds respond well to fertilizing and tolerate pruning (pruning of dry and diseased shoots is mandatory).

Almond propagation

Species are propagated by seeds, varieties by grafting, green and root cuttings, suckers and layering.

Almond is a shrub or small tree of the Plum genus of the Rosaceae family. Its largest plantings are located in the state of California, in the Mediterranean region (Portugal, Italy, Spain), as well as in Australia, Afghanistan and Iran. It grows on gravelly and rocky slopes and loves soil rich in calcium. Almonds grow in small groups. This plant is valued not only for its fruits, but also for its very beautiful leaves and flowers. Ornamental almonds grown in the garden are often used to create low and high hedges. In addition, it looks effective in single plantings.

Show all

Description

The almond tree reaches a height of 2.5–3 meters and can be easily grown even by an inexperienced gardener. The powerful root system significantly exceeds the size of its crown. The bark is brown; on young stems it is reddish. The trunk branches abundantly, the lanceolate leaves have a pointed tip.

Single flowers, light pink or white, bloom before the foliage emerges. The fruit is an oval drupe with an inedible leathery pericarp. The kernels of the seeds are eaten, so they are classified as nuts. Almonds bloom from February to April.

Types and varieties

The following types and varieties of decorative almonds are grown in open ground:

View	Description	Varieties
Low almond (bean, steppe)	It grows in height up to one and a half meters. The crown is dense, forming a ball, the branches are dense and straight. Gray bark with a reddish tint. The leaves are oblong, dense, fleshy, lanceolate in shape. The upper leaf blade is dark green, and the lower one is lighter. Flowers white and pink	White sail - blooms with snow-white flowers. Anyuta - begins to bloom in early April with bright pink flowers. Dream - prefers to grow in well-lit areas. Blooms with delicate pink flowers. Pink flamingo - blooms a week earlier than other varieties. The flowers are small, double, pink. Pink mist - blooms luxuriantly in sunlight, and longer in the shade. Bright pink flowers
Georgian almonds	The plant has a small number of branches, but many root shoots. The leaves are oblong and wide. Blooms in May with large pink flowers. The fruits are green with a gray tint
Ledebour almond	This is a light-loving, frost-resistant, profusely flowering plant. The leaves are large, dark green in color. Blooms with pink flowers	The most popular variety is Fire Hill. A plant with red-pink flowers
Almond Petunnikova	Erect branches form a spherical crown. The bark of the branches is gray with a yellowish or brown tint. The lanceolate leaves have smooth serrations along the edge. Blooms pink
Trilobed almond	Tall shrub with a spreading crown. The shape of the leaves resembles blade-plates. The underside of the leaf blade is covered with pile, and along the edge it is bordered by denticles. Flowers of different shades, arranged in pairs	Captivity - grows up to 3 meters in height. Double pink flowers. Kyiv is a lush flowering shrub with pink double flowers. Pink Foam - This plant has beautiful double flowers in purple, crimson or pink. The root system is highly branched

Varietal almonds are propagated by layering, cuttings and grafting, and species almonds are also propagated by seeds.



Growing from seed

To grow decorative almonds from seeds, they are planted in open ground in spring or autumn. But before this, the seed material is prepared. To do this, it is placed in the refrigerator on the vegetable shelf for 4 months.

To plant seeds, furrows 8–10 cm deep are made in the soil. The distance between the seeds should be 10 cm. When the seedlings appear, they are watered, weeded and the surface of the soil is loosened.



Graft

For propagation by grafting, rootstocks of any type of almond are used, but it is best to take those that are highly frost-resistant. This plant develops well on the rootstocks of plum, thorn, bird cherry, and cherry plum. The scion used for grafting must be straight and have well-developed stems with eyes. All leaves are removed from the cuttings, leaving only short petioles 1 cm long.

The bush can be propagated by grafting only during sap flow. The rootstock, which will grow in open ground, is carefully wiped with a damp cloth, removing dirt and dust. Then a T-shaped cut is made just above the root collar and the cut bark is carefully turned to the side. A shield is cut from the scion, which is a strip of bark with a thin layer of wood and a bud, and placed in the cut made, pressing the edges of the bark. The shield should be secured with tape or tape. The bud with the remainder of the petiole should be open. After half a month, the petiole from the bud should fall off on its own.

Cuttings and layering

For cuttings, planting material is prepared from mid-June. To do this, semi-lignified apical cuttings with two nodes 15–20 cm long are cut. They must be placed in a product that stimulates their growth for 16 hours. Rooting is carried out in a cold greenhouse. For planting, you need to use a soil mixture consisting of sand and peat (1:2). Complete rooting occurs in 20–30 days. After the roots appear, the cuttings are transplanted for growing.

To propagate almonds by layering, flexible stems are bent to the soil surface, secured with metal pins and sprinkled with earth. While the cuttings are forming roots, they need to be watered, weeded and the surface of the soil loosened. The cuttings are separated and transplanted to a permanent place only after 12 months, when the root system is fully formed.

Choosing a place and landing

Ornamental almonds cannot be grown in saline or acidic soil. It is best for him to choose an area with light loamy or sandy loam soil saturated with nutrients. The shrub requires a large amount of sunlight, so it should be planted on the south side of the site.

The depth of the planting hole should be 30 cm. The distance between bushes should be 3–5 meters, and between rows - 4 meters. A layer of drainage is laid at the bottom of the hole using broken brick or crushed stone, and sand is poured on top. A long pole is driven into the middle of the hole, which will serve as a support for the seedling.

Planting shrubs should be done early in the morning or after 16:00. They are lowered into the holes and covered with a soil mixture consisting of humus, sand and the top nutrient layer of soil. The root neck of the flower should rise several centimeters above the surface of the ground. The soil is well compacted and watered. When the moisture is completely absorbed and the earth settles, the bush is tied to a previously prepared support, and the tree trunk circle is covered with a layer of mulch.

Features of care

Caring for decorative almonds in open ground involves:

• timely watering;
• weeding;
• pruning;
• loosening;
• feeding;
• treatment against pests and diseases.

The bush should be watered so that the surface of the trunk circle is constantly wet. But at the same time, water should not stagnate in the soil, as the root collar of the plant begins to rot. Watering is carried out once a week, using 10 liters of water for one bush. After this, the soil surface needs to be loosened and weeded.

In order for decorative almonds to grow and develop well, they should be fed. In the spring, the tree trunk circle is sprinkled with mulch, but instead of peat, manure or mullein is used. After some time, a nutrient solution is poured under the plant. To prepare it, take:

• 20 g ammonium nitrate;
• 10 liters of water;
• 10 g urea.

Ornamental shrubs need to be pruned in a timely manner. In the spring, this is done before the sap begins to flow, and all dried, frozen, injured shoots and branches are removed. When the plant fades, formative pruning is carried out. Thanks to the haircut, the almonds bloom even more luxuriantly.

Bloom

Almond blossoms bring aesthetic pleasure. Its flowers, white, pink, purple or red, are located on the branches in such abundance that the bush itself is not even visible. In regions with warm climates, the plant blooms from late January to March.

• scab;
• gray rot;
• moniliosis;
• Clusterosporiosis.

The plant can be cured by treating the flower with fungicides such as Kuproxat, Fundazol, Skor, Topaz.

Among the pests, the most dangerous are spider mites, leaf rollers, aphids and almond seed eaters. To cope with them, insecticides “Zolon”, “Fufanon”, “Calypso”, “Aktellik” are used.