Bobovnik - “golden shower” in your garden: planting in open ground, care, possible diseases, use in landscape design (55 Photos & Videos) + Reviews

Home » Landscape design » Lianas, Bushes and Trees

Vladimir 03/16/2020

11510 Views

In May - June, a very ornamental plant with beautiful foliage, called bean, blooms. This shrub is not as widespread in our gardens and parks as lilac, viburnum or spirea, but it undoubtedly deserves much more attention. We will tell you about planting beans and caring for this incredibly ornamental plant in our article.

Description

Bobovnik is a genus of deciduous shrubs or small, low-branched trees that belongs to the Legume family. The second name of this plant is laburnum. The genus Bobovnik contains 4 species, found in their natural habitat in Asia Minor, as well as southern and central Europe.

In culture, the boundaries of the shrub's distribution have expanded significantly: it is grown in many regions with warm climates. Moreover, they have been doing this for a long time, since 1560.

Bobovnik, aka “Golden Rain”

A perennial plant with trifoliate leaves and a cascade of spectacular racemes consisting of golden-yellow flowers, can be found in the Caucasus, Crimea, Central Asian countries and Ukraine. The ornamental shrub has been successfully acclimatized in the Southern Hemisphere, namely in Australia and New Zealand, where it grows and blooms well in garden areas.

This plant came to Russia at the beginning of the 19th century. Initially, the perennial shrub began to be grown in the Caucasus, and from there it spread further, gradually moving to more northern regions.

Today, the beautifully flowering plant can be found in parks and botanical gardens over a vast territory: from Sakhalin in the east to Kaliningrad in the west, and in the north of the country to St. Petersburg.

Plant leaves

The leaves of Bobovnik are decorative, and the bush can be used to create a hedge. However, the bean tree becomes most attractive during flowering, when small yellow flowers, similar in shape to moths, appear in abundance on its flexible branches.

Flowers collected in lush brushes up to 40 cm long, seem to flow between the branches of the plant, creating the impression of golden rain. Because of this attractive feature, the shrub has been given the name “golden shower”, and most often in everyday life many amateur gardeners call it that way.

bean flowers

In the wild, bean grows as a tree up to 10 meters high or a bush with straight main trunks and flexible hanging shoots. In the middle zone, the height of the bush is much lower: the bean grows up to 3 meters.

The bark of the plant trunks has a grayish-green or light brown tint. Young shoots of the bush are pubescent. The leaves are small, up to 5-7 cm long. They are smooth on the upper side, and pubescent below and have a silver-green color.

Small yellow flowers with a diameter of 2 cm are collected in gracefully hanging racemes.

The flowering period coincides with the appearance of leaves and lasts 15-20 days. After flowering, fruits ripen on the branches of the bush, having the appearance of pubescent beans up to 8 cm long with two valves and a pointed tip.

3.Varieties:

3.1.Laburnum anagyroides

A very beautiful, spreading tree, native to Central and South-Eastern Europe. In its natural habitat it reaches a height of 7 m. During the flowering period, it covers you with abundant and large racemes, consisting of drooping racemes with white or yellow flowers and resembles wisteria. The leaves are green, compound, and consist of three oblong-lanceolate leaflets, each of which reaches a length of 7 cm. The lower surface of the leaf blades may have slight silvery pubescence. All parts of the plant are poisonous.

↑ Up,

Precautionary measures

All parts of the bean plant are poisonous because they contain the alkaloids laburnine and cytisine in high concentrations. The seeds of the plant are the most poisonous.

For this reason, the bush is dangerous to humans. Poisoning by the plant entails a disorder of the central nervous system, impaired breathing, heart function, nausea, convulsions and other serious consequences for the body, including a threat to life.

Behind the external beauty of the bean tree lies a danger - the plant is poisonous

Just two eaten seeds can lead to this result. Therefore, if this shrub grows on your site, it is necessary to limit access to the plant for children and pets. Any work with beans, including cuttings and transplanting young seedlings, should be carried out exclusively with gardening gloves.

Despite the fact that the bean plant is poisonous, it is successfully pollinated by insects. Moreover, this shrub is a good honey plant. The lifespan of the plant is about 20 years. Bobovnik is quite resistant to air pollution and can grow in unfavorable conditions and with little smoke.

Beneficial properties of bean leaf

For medicinal purposes, young shoots, bean leaves, and its seeds at full maturity are used. The plant contains many useful substances for the human body: amino acids, the alkaloid cytisine, oil, sulfur, pectin, copper, phosphorus and others.

It is important to remember that the plant is poisonous. Therefore, all actions aimed at improving the health of the body must be agreed with a doctor. An infusion or decoction of bean helps to get rid of many pathologies of the body.

• The plant extract is used for eye diseases, pain in the heart muscle, collapse, headaches, and tuberculosis. Its action is shown and justified in medical practice for low blood pressure, shock, and angina.
• Bobovnik helps to increase blood circulation and stimulate breathing.
• In official medicine, the alkaloid cytisine, which is contained in this plant, has a stimulating effect on the respiratory center, activates the cardiovascular system, thereby increasing blood pressure on the walls of blood vessels.
• And yet, the alkaloid cytisine is dangerous for humans; in large dosages it can cause paralysis of the nervous system, respiratory arrest and death.

The drug Cititon based on bean extract is used as an effective anesthetic agent. It is successfully used for severe intoxication of the body, asphyxia, injuries and in stressful situations. Tabex tablets contain 0.0015 grams of cytisine. This pharmacological drug is successfully used as a means to combat the bad habit of smoking.

Article on the topic: Meadow geranium - beneficial properties, description

Medicines Cititon and Tabex are contraindicated for atherosclerosis, hypertension, peptic ulcers, internal bleeding, and pulmonary edema.

Types and forms of beans

The most widespread plant in cultivation is the anagyroid bean (or anagyrofolia). At least ten varieties of this ornamental shrub are known. This type of bean prefers regions with a temperate climate, although it can also grow in the subtropical zone.

Bobovnik anagyrofolia

Alpine bean is also grown in cultivation. It is less common than anagyroid, although it is superior to this species in terms of winter hardiness. A hybrid of alpine bean and anagyrofolia is also cultivated.

All these types of shrubs differ from each other in the length of the inflorescences and the density of the flowers collected in the brush. However, the golden yellow color and shape of the flowers remains the same for all varieties.

Anagyrofolia has several forms:

• Weeping . This form is characterized by flexible drooping branches
• Golden . The young leaves of these shrubs are golden in color, but become green over time.
• Autumn . Plants belonging to this form will delight you with secondary autumn flowering
• Oakleaf . This form of bean has cut lobed leaves reminiscent of oak leaves.

Appearance

The plant is interesting with its trifoliate leaves and multi-flowered golden-yellow inflorescences. The plant begins to bloom in May and, depending on the weather, blooms for 15-20 days.

A flowering tree looks great and gives the surroundings a feeling of celebration - a real golden shower. By the way, this is its second name. Hanging long (up to 15cm) brushes are very beautiful. Numerous flowers have a pleasant smell.

Features of the growing season

Bobovnik is a fast-growing plant. When choosing the right site for planting and creating favorable conditions, the shrub grows quickly and enters the fruiting season quite early.

The bean tree begins to bloom and bear fruit at the age of three. The plant is quite thermophilic, but can withstand temperatures dropping to -20-25°C.

In harsh winters the plant may freeze

The bean growing season begins in April and ends in mid-October. Often, shoots, especially after the wet summer months, do not completely become lignified, and for this reason they may freeze a little.

But this has practically no effect on the decorativeness of the shrub, since its crown is restored quite quickly due to its high growth rate, which is up to 25 cm per year.

During severe winters with prolonged low temperatures, the bean tree can freeze out right down to the root collar. This often happens not only in the Leningrad region, but also in Moscow and in regions located to the south.

However, in the years following freezing, the bush is able to fully recover. The most frost-resistant forms are plants grown from seeds of their own reproduction: as a rule, they do not suffer from frost.

Use of beans in medicine

A medicinal decoction is prepared from the young branches and leaves of the bean plant anagyrofolia for the treatment of angina pectoris, collapse, low blood pressure, and eye ailments. You need to take one teaspoon of crushed leaves, or seeds, and pour 400 ml of boiled hot water. The healing potion is infused for at least 2 hours, then it is recommended to strain it. Take 1 teaspoon of the decoction five to six times a day until the condition improves.

Do not forget to consult a doctor before taking bean decoction to avoid health problems. If there are no contraindications to the use of drugs based on this plant, you can use the recipe given here for treatment at home.

Reproduction

Bean seeds

Bobovnik can be propagated in different ways:

• seeds
• layering
• vaccinations
• dividing the bush

When propagated by seeds, young plants are more resilient than seedlings obtained by other methods. The bean fruits ripen from September to October. The seeds obtained are sown in the spring. Their viability is 85%, and soil germination is very low - only 8%, since the seeds have a dense shell.

To increase germination and speed up the germination process, bean seeds must first be stratified.

To increase germination, fairly radical methods are used:

• scalding with boiling water
• stratification in a cellar or refrigerator in wet sand for 1.5-2 months or sowing seeds in open ground before winter
• treatment for 30-60 minutes with concentrated sulfuric acid (this method gives the best results)
• scarification - mechanical damage to the integrity of the seed shell (in this case, the beans must be rubbed with sandpaper)

Bean seeds can also be sown in containers with loose substrate that does not contain organic matter. Planting is done to a depth of 0.5-1 cm. As a rule, seedlings appear within a month, and young plants develop quite quickly.

In the spring they are transplanted into the ground to a permanent place. In the Caucasus and Crimea, bean can reproduce well even by self-sowing. Such plants grown from seeds bloom in 5-6 years.

When propagating by layering, it is necessary to fix one of the lower shoots to the surface of the ground and sprinkle it with soil. It will take about one month for the cuttings to root, and in the fall it will have its own root system. However, it will be possible to separate the young plant from the mother bush and replant it only in the spring, before the leaves appear.

When propagated by cuttings, the number of rooted cuttings is 63%. This applies mainly only to summer cuttings, which give such a high percentage of rooting. Before the roots appear, it is better to cover them with film. After rooting, the cuttings are planted in a permanent place, and this should also be done in the spring.

Grafting method Suitable for propagation of hybrid bean varieties. The cuttings used for grafting must have at least three buds. The grafted plants are planted in greenhouses in light soil and grown for a year, after which the young bushes are ready to be transplanted to a permanent place.

Growing beans from seeds

How to grow beans from seeds photo seeds

The bean plant can reproduce by seeds and vegetatively. The seeds are viable for about three years, but it is better to use fresh ones.

• The seeds do not need to be treated before sowing, but it is better to stratify them (keep them in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks before sowing, preferably mixed with damp soil or in damp gauze, wrapped in a bag).
• Sow in loose, fertile soil.
• You can sow laburum before winter, or immediately after a thaw in the spring.
• The seeding depth is 1-2 cm, the distance between seeds is 10-15 cm.

Bobovnik laburum from seeds photo shoots

• The seedlings will not require special care and will develop well.
• You can grow boletus from seedlings on a windowsill by sowing in February. Seedlings will need good lighting and moderate watering.
• Carefully dig up the grown trees with a large ball of earth (or free them from seedling pots) and transplant them to a permanent place of growth.
• Bean plants grown from seeds will begin to bloom in 4-5 years.

Landing area

In order for the bean plant to develop quickly and delight with lush flowering, you need to choose a suitable place for planting it. The plot in the garden where the shrub is planted is more than 50% the key to lush flowering, for which this ornamental plant is valued.

For planting shrubs, a sunny place in an open area, protected from wind and drafts, is best suited.

Bobovnik loves sunny places without strong winds and drafts

Semi-shaded areas on the south side of buildings are also suitable for bean plants. It is the lack of lighting that negatively affects the flowering of the plant. In the shade, the bean will develop slowly, produce weak growth and bloom poorly. In shady places with low light, the plant may even lose its leaves.

Possible difficulties

Gusts of wind are contraindicated for Bobovnik. Under the influence of air currents, it loses leaves and flowering becomes scarce. It is necessary to select a suitable place in the shelter for the plant before planting, since it is difficult to tolerate transplantation/handling.

The frost resistance of young Bobovnikov leaves much to be desired. In snowless regions, they require a shelter made of non-woven materials to prevent the shoots from freezing.

Often, under the weight of snow, the fragile branches of a plant break. Therefore, the snow must be carefully shaken off.

Gray plaque on leaf blades is the first sign of powdery mildew.
The website presents modern drugs that can cure the plant. Editorial team LePlants.ru

Planting beans

1 When purchasing seedlings in stores and garden centers, you must pay special attention to the country of origin. This is important, since planting material selected from different countries differs significantly in terms of winter hardiness.

For example, seedlings brought from Belgium, the Netherlands or Italy are suitable for planting in the southern regions, but in the middle zone they will not be resistant. Plants grown in Hungary, Germany or the Czech Republic, on the contrary, winter quite well in the European part of Russia.

Planting is done in spring

2 Plant beans in open ground in the spring, even if you bought the plant in a container. It is better to buy young bushes, since large specimens take root less well after planting in a new place, even if they are replanted along with a lump of earth. Seedlings need to be planted before the buds “wake up” and the plants begin to grow.

It is not recommended to plant plants with blossoming leaves, since such seedlings will have a very difficult time taking root. The bush needs strength to take root in a new place and develop a root system, and the blossoming leaves will require nutrition. As a result, all parts of the plant will be deprived, and successful rooting of the shrub cannot be guaranteed.

In this case, it is better to postpone planting until autumn, when in October the seedling will shed its leaves and “freeze” for several months. A young plant planted at this time will have the opportunity to adapt to a new place and take root before the onset of cold weather. The bean plant needs to be provided with shelter for the winter, then it will successfully survive the winter, begin to grow in the spring and develop well.

3 To plant a bean plant, you should prepare a hole, the volume of which should be at least twice the size of the seedling’s clod of soil. You need to place drainage at the bottom of the planting hole, pour a heap of soil mixed with lime and humus, and place a support for the tree. After planting, the soil is carefully compacted so as not to damage the root system of the young plant. Then the bean tree needs to be watered, tied to a support and the tree trunk circle mulched.

Chemical composition and properties

Anagyroid bean contains: alkaloids cytisine, sparteine, lupanine and others, glycosides, carotenoids, as well as pectin, proteins and fatty oil. The content of cytisine is especially high in the spring, at the beginning of the growing season. The most valuable medicinal properties of beanweed are: stimulation of respiration and increased blood circulation. In medicine, bean anagyroid is used for:

• tuberculosis;
• headache;
• dizziness;
• hypotension;
• dropsy of the head;
• collapse;

• angina pectoris;
• heartache;
• shocked;
• convulsions;
• eye diseases.

The alkaloid cytisine, extracted from the anagyroid bean plant, is used to prepare drugs in official medicine used for poisoning, respiratory arrest, shock, trauma, and also as anesthesia (“Cititon”). There is also a drug called Tabex with cytisine that helps you quit smoking.

Article on the topic: Amaranth spicata (thrown back, bent) - beneficial properties, description

Infusion (general recipe):

• 1 tsp crushed bean leaves or seeds;
• 400 ml boiling water.

Pour boiling water over the beans and let it brew for 2 hours. Strain. Take 1 teaspoon 5-6 times a day until recovery.

Growing conditions

As we have already noted, the bean plant is light-loving and develops well only in areas with sufficient sunlight. The plant tolerates urban conditions well: the bush is resistant to smoke and air pollution. However, it will bloom colorfully only when favorable conditions are created.

Bobovnik is well adapted to the urban environment

The bean plant develops best in rich, well-drained, loose soils containing lime. This shrub is calciphylic. In other words, it refers to plants that grow best in soils rich in calcium compounds (limestone, chalk and other sedimentary rocks).

Bobovnik does not tolerate soil compaction very well. The soil for planting the plant must be of high quality, permeable, not prone to moisture accumulation and not acidic. Only well-calmed soils create favorable conditions for the growth, development and flowering of plants. For this reason, you need to constantly ensure that the soil mixture in which the bean plant grows does not have high acidity.

By layering

Young shoots in early spring are pressed to. To form roots, before burying a branch, you need to cut off the bark or make cuts on it. The use of growth stimulants will speed up the process of root formation. Next spring, vertical shoots will appear on the rooted branch. The daughter plant is separated from the mother plant in a place with soil, trying not to damage the roots.

Contents

Bean or laburnum (Laburnum) is a tall deciduous shrub or small tree from the Legume family. The genus of culture has only 2 species and one interspecific hybrid. Plants can be found in nature in Central and Southern Europe, the Caucasus and Asia.

The popularity of the culture is due to its impressive flowering. Thanks to the magnificent flower cascades of long yellow inflorescences, the culture received a second unofficial name - golden rain bean.

Caring for the ornamental bean shrub is not difficult, the main thing is to choose a suitable place for planting and follow the growing rules.

Care

When loosening the soil around the tree trunk, you need to be especially careful

In addition to choosing the right place to plant the bean tree and providing the plant with suitable soil for it, there are several more conditions that must be met in order for the shrub to delight you with the “golden shower” of its flowers:

1 Watering . The bean plant has enough moisture, which it receives in the form of precipitation. The shrub tolerates dry periods well and only needs to be watered during particularly dry months.

2 Nutrition . The bean plant should be fertilized twice a year. In the spring, nitrogen fertilizers are best suited for this, necessary for better growth and development. In autumn, phosphorus-potassium fertilizers should be applied, which are needed for better wintering of the shrub. Organic fertilizers for fertilizing bean plants must be diluted so as not to burn the root system, which lies shallow. Feeding is carried out starting from the second year of growth.

3 Mulching . Bobovnik can withstand relatively dry periods without any problems, but the tree trunk must be mulched. Compost is suitable for this purpose. It performs several functions at once:

• retains moisture in the soil
• saturates the soil with nutrients
• promotes good growth of the root system.

When loosening the tree trunk, weeding and removing weeds, it is necessary to remember that the root system of the bean plant is close to the soil surface. All work should be carried out carefully so as not to touch or damage the roots of the plant.

Pruning and crown formation

If we are talking about formative pruning , the shrub practically does not need this operation. The plant has an excellent crown, which is formed naturally. Radical pruning can harm the bean plant. However, if the shoots are damaged or freeze, there is a need for sanitary pruning .

Bobovnik practically does not need formative pruning

During this operation, all diseased and damaged shoots, as well as old, weak branches that thicken the crown and interfere with them, are carefully cut out.

When sanitary pruning, you must follow the following rules:

• Pruning should be done in the spring, before sap flow begins.
• there is no need to remove the dead shoot to live wood, so as not to injure the plant
• Small pruning of young bushes enhances their branching and stimulates flowering
• adult plants tolerate pruning very hard, so it is done in exceptional cases
• the formation of the crown of young plants should be completed before the seedlings are three years old and reach a height of 1.5 meters

Removing large branches on mature plants should not be done, as this can lead to the formation of hollows. Rejuvenating old specimens also does not lead to positive results. In this case, it is recommended to replace old plants with young seedlings.

Winter care

Young plants need shelter for the winter at least in the first 2-3 years of life. To do this, you should use covering material folded in several layers. As additional protection, sprinkle the root system with compost.

Mature bean bushes do not need shelter, but during the winter months it is necessary to shake off snow from their branches so that they do not break under its weight.

How to propagate bean grass vegetatively

Propagation of beanweed by cuttings photo

Vegetative methods of propagation are the most successful. Varietal plants are recommended to be propagated vegetatively in order to preserve their unique differences. You can use the following methods:

• Cuttings: in July-August, cut young shoots, root in loose soil in partial shade. Cover the cuttings with a cap until roots form and water carefully. Such plants will need shelter for the winter in the first year of life.
• Grafting: varietal cuttings must be grafted onto a specific rootstock. Place the grafting site almost close to the ground.
• Layerings: bend the lower shoot to the ground and cover with soil. In the place where the roots should appear, it is recommended to make several cuts on the bark. After about a month, roots will appear; the shoot can be cut off and planted separately.

Diseases and pests

Powdery mildew on leaves

The fact that the bean plant is poisonous benefits this plant, since it is practically not damaged by pests. The only trouble that can happen to this shrub is powdery mildew.

It can occur if the weather is humid and warm for a long time. For treatment, it is necessary to treat not only the leaves of the plant, but also the soil with a systemic fungicide, in the dosage specified by the manufacturer.

Contraindications

Bobovnik anagyriformis is contraindicated for:

• childhood;
• pregnancy and breastfeeding;
• hypertension;
• atherosclerosis;
• pulmonary edema;
• impaired or weakened respiratory function;
• stomach and intestinal ulcers;
• internal bleeding.

Attention! Bobovnik is a very poisonous plant. Treatment with beans should be carried out only after consultation and under the supervision of a doctor. Poisoning with this poisonous plant leads to the following side effects: disruption of the respiratory muscles, heart, sweating, salivation, nausea, abdominal pain, convulsions, paralysis of the nervous system, respiratory arrest and death.

Use in landscape design and economic purposes

“Living” bean alley

A plant with golden clusters of flowers looks great in single plantings and in sparse groups . If the plantings are too dense, the bean stalks may become excessively elongated, becoming exposed at the bottom. In such conditions, the bush blooms much worse. If the stems of a plant become bare over time, perennial or annual flowers can be planted next to it.

During the flowering of the bean tree, the garden area is simply transformed! A plant with a “golden shower” of inflorescences twining from its branches on long peduncles looks impressive against the backdrop of dark green coniferous plantings and the bright greenery of decorative deciduous shrubs.

It is usually planted next to magnificent wisteria, fragrant jasmine, healing hawthorn and beautifully flowering rhododendron.

The hard wood of the bean tree lends itself well to polishing. It is used to make tools, small crafts and furniture. This shrub is also used as a rootstock for other leguminous plants.

Ornamental shrubs that bloom all summer

Bobovnik - “golden shower” in your garden: planting in open ground, care, possible diseases, use in landscape design (55 Photos & Videos) + Reviews

Comments (9)

• Emma

  10/04/2017 at 00:07 |
  A very beautiful plant, and the color is simply magnificent, so sunny and warm. But care, it turns out, is not so simple; there are many difficulties and nuances. But for the sake of such beauty, you can try.

  Answer

  Yulia Expert Plodogorod

  10/27/2018 at 5:46 pm |

  Hello Emma! Like any plant, the bean requires care and attention, but if you set up the process and follow the tips, it will look good and bloom profusely. Before watering, remove several layers of soil, even with your hands. When it is also dry under the top layer, it is time to water your pet.

  The shrub loves sunny areas, as well as warmth, so take this into account when choosing a site for planting. These plants like to grow in groups. This way they can withstand the winter cold more easily and will bloom more profusely. In winter, you need to not only cover the bean tree, but also remove snow from the branches, otherwise they will begin to break due to its weight.

  Answer

Secrets of success

The bean plant is light-loving, but can also grow in partial shade. It is recommended to grow it in group, but not thickened plantings. Wisteria, Hawthorn, and Chubushnik are considered good neighbors for it. The bare lower part of the trunk can be camouflaged with ground cover plants, for example, Sedum.

This representative of the flora tolerates pruning relatively easily only at a young age. Adult plants recover with difficulty after such a procedure. It is recommended to cut frozen branches in the spring to no more than a third of the total length. Damaged shoots are removed after flowering. In any case, the “wounds” should be carefully treated.

If the owner is not interested in receiving seeds, it is advisable to remove the fruits without waiting for ripening. In this way, the Bobovnik will retain the strength it needs for full flowering next spring.

Caring for beans - golden shower

The shrub tolerates drought well, but young seedlings need to be watered once a week and even more often in dry summers. Watering adult large plants is carried out only during a long absence of rain.

Despite their resistance to frost, young 2-3 year old plants can freeze, especially in severe frosts. It is recommended to insulate the Waterer hybrid with agrofibre. Due to the sloping shape, snow accumulates on the branches of the bush, which must be shaken off so that it does not break the shoots.

The ornamental bean shrub does not tolerate pruning, after which it weakens and slowly recovers. However, if it is necessary to remove damaged or dry branches, this should be done in early spring. If there is a need to shorten a living branch, be sure to cover the cut with garden varnish, which will protect the plant from infections.

Caring for the bean plant includes spring feeding, which is dug up with soil around the bush. To prevent the ripening of numerous fruits from weakening the crop, it is better to remove them immediately.