Elecampane

Family Asteraceae. The origin of the name is unknown, however these plants have been used as medicinal since ancient times.

Description: About 200 species are known, occurring in Europe, Asia, and Africa. Perennial, rhizomatous, less often annual and biennial herbaceous plants, sometimes subshrubs. Stems erect, sparsely branched, smooth or pubescent. Leaves large, cordate, oblong or lanceolate, with entire margins or unevenly toothed. Inflorescences - capitula (flower heads), solitary at the ends of stems or in turn arranged in corymbiform or paniculate inflorescences. Involucral bracts green, lanceolate. Ray flowers ligulate, yellow or yellowish-green, twice as long as the involucral bracts, rarely filiform; disc flowers tubular. Achenes cylindrical, ribbed, naked or with hairs.

Elecampanes have long been cultivated; some of them are medicinal plants, for example tall elecampane. More recently, as gardeners have become fond of cultivating species from wild flora, elecampanes have begun to be grown in flower borders in Europe, Asia, and America. True, no cultivars have been recorded so far. In English there is not even a special name for this plant; the Germans call it Alant.

Location: all elecampanes prefer sunny sites. They are notable for high drought tolerance and winter hardiness.

Soil: rich soils are required, deeply worked before planting, and sufficiently moist. Exception - mecholistny elecampane, which is planted on dry, well-drained alkaline soils; acidic soils must be limed before planting.

Care: elecampanes grow slowly, so they do not require frequent division or transplanting. Elecampanes respond well to the application of organic fertilizers, especially manure. To retain moisture in the soil, mulching is recommended. It is best to use wood chips, but shavings or mown grass can be used. Magnificent elecampane needs staking, as its heavy, flower-covered shoots bend to the ground. Mecholistny elecampane requires constant weeding, since this low plant can be quickly overgrown by weeds. After flowering, it is recommended to cut the shoots, as they dry out quickly and spoil the plant's appearance.

Propagation: by division of the clump and by seed. Sow seeds in spring or autumn. Division and transplanting of plants are carried out in spring during leaf growth. A division unit is a part of the rhizome with a renewal bud. Planting in August is possible after flowering. In this case, for large elecampanes it is necessary to cut the basal leaves and stems to a height of 10-15 cm above ground level. Before dividing the elecampane rhizome, it should be washed.

Uses: they look good in solitary or group plantings, on a lawn or on the edge of a pond. It looks excellent in solitary plantings among groundcover plants. In group plantings it forms a backdrop for lower plants - astilbe, hosta, hellebores, woodland geraniums, Solomon's seal. It is a very original and interesting plant. It is undeservedly rarely used by gardeners, although it is long-lived and easy to grow. Mecholistny elecampane can survive in rock gardens and is also suitable for borders.