Today we come to talk about a type of shrub that is perfect for warm areas. If the place where you live has generally high temperatures, do not doubt that the labiérnago it is a good choice for your garden. Its scientific name is Phillyrea angustifolia and if your care is correct, you can have beautiful hedges in your garden that provide a good decoration.
In this article we will discuss all the care it needs to grow and stay healthy while describing its main characteristics. Do you want to know more about the labiérnago? Keep reading
Key features
When we live in warmer areas it is important to adapt the plants to the climate so as not to have to overprotect them. In this way we will not have to modify the irrigation patterns, fertilizer, locations, etc. If the plant tolerates warm environments, we can rest easy giving it the basic care it needs.
For this type of situation, the labiernago is a large shrub It will grant us good properties without having too much care to attend to. It is a species native to the Mediterranean and, therefore, it has the ability to adapt to warm environments. We can find it in the Western Mediterranean area. Being shrubs capable of reaching heights of between two and five meters, we can find them in our country mixed with holm oaks, cork oaks and kermes oak.
Among their common names we find ladierna, lentisquilla, olivillo and labiérnigo. It is a highly branched shrub, giving it a rather beautiful shape. The leaves are lanceolate, fairly simple, evergreen, and dark green. They measure about 5 centimeters long. The flowers are white and consist of four sepals and four petals. The fruit is a fleshy drupe similar in appearance to an olive, hence its common name, "olivillo."
Its consistency is woody. As we have mentioned before, it is very good tolerating the highest temperatures typical of the Mediterranean climate. However, it does not tolerate severe cold well. Therefore, its distribution is limited to places at medium and low altitudes, as it cannot tolerate the cold as altitude increases.
Detailed description
When this shrub is used in gardens, what is sought is to increase the ornamental level of the area. It is known that this type of shrub does not need much care and, therefore, it is a good option to place in parks and gardens. Although it is not very strict with the needs, it is true that it needs some care like all plants.
Moving on to its more detailed description, we can say that the leaves have a leathery appearance and that they are distributed in an opposite way between the large branches that it has. On the upper side of the leaf we can see a dark green color, while on the underside it becomes lighter. The edges of the sheets are serrated.
The flowers can be both white and yellowish in color and give off a characteristic aroma. It is not a very intoxicating scent, but it can make you recognize the bush just by smelling the flowers. It also has another characteristic and that is that the flowers come together to form axillary inflorescences. It is as if they form a kind of cluster. Thanks to their high content of put, they are able to attract bees. Thus, This plant is widely used in the world of beekeeping.
Among the main uses that we find of the labiérnago we have as ornamentation in parks and gardens, as medicinal use using astringent and for beekeeping attracting bees. The fruits serve to help in cases of ulcers in the oral cavity since it helps to dry the tissues and to improve little by little.
Necessary requirements of the labiérnago
It is a fairly drought resistant plant. Even if it does not rain or water for a long time, it is able to endure healthy. When it comes to locating it, it needs to be in full sunlight. The more hours of sunlight you have, the better. In economic terms, its wood is used as fuel for biomass boilers and since the wood has a lot of tannins, It is used in the industry to tan leather.
For poor soils, these shrubs are ideal. While we're utilizing land that's no longer useful because it's nutrient-poor and can't support more vegetation, we'll be maintaining a shrub that requires little maintenance. So, I invite you to learn more about the Phillyrea angustifolia larch care.
Prefers full sun exposure, as we mentioned before, but it can also live in semi-shade. It is not the most convenient for him, but if you do not have places in full sun in your home, he could survive well. It tolerates temperatures down to -8 degrees, but very little time. If the frosts become something more frequent and lasting it will die.
It is capable of developing well in poor soils, be they of any type, sandy, saline, calcareous and clayey. This offers great versatility when it comes to being distributed and being able to spread over different terrains.
Regarding irrigation, you have to wait until the soil is completely dry to be able to water again. Overwatering can cause root rot. It's vitally important not to overwater the shrub when watering. The privet (Phillyrea angustifolia) doesn't require any special fertilizer, although a light application of compost in early spring is very welcome. This time of year is chosen because it is when they flower and require the greatest amount of nutrients.
Maintenance and reproduction
These plants grow quite quickly. If we want to accelerate their growth even further, we can perform a training pruning. It is quite resistant to both pests and diseases. Therefore, it is not a factor that we should worry about.
If we want to multiply it, the fastest way is from semi-woody cuttings. At the end of summer they must be planted in moist soil so that it can develop well. It can also reproduce from seeds, although it is a slower process.
I hope that with these tips you can enjoy your labiérnago in good conditions.