With the forest goat's beard you get a very grateful plant in the garden, which can reach heights of growth of up to 2 meters in the right location.
As the name already tells us, this goat's beard is a former forest dweller. The bushy perennial with its eye-catching panicles of flowers is now widespread in Europe and also adorns many perennial gardens. The forest goat's beard (bot. Aruncus dioicus) is an uncomplicated plant, which can reach heights of growth of up to two meters in the right location. If you would like to enhance your garden with this stately plant, you will now receive interesting planting tips.
Small description of plants
The forest goat's beard is a perennial plant whose pride and joy is the flower panicles, which can be up to half a meter long. The upright plant stems grow from an underground rhizome. The stems are often slightly woody at the bottom. The leaves can grow up to a meter long.
Visually, the forest goat's beard is similar to the much smaller but similarly flowering astilbes. However, the gallbladder is not related to the goat's beard and belongs to the saxifrage family. The wood goat's beard itself is a rose family and probably most similar to the meadowsweet in the same plant family.
| Goat's Beard (Aruncus dioicus) | |
|---|---|
| Growth: | 180 - 200 cm a year |
| Growth form: | horstig |
| Flower: | June to July, creamy white |
| Foliage: | green, large jagged leaves |
| Location: | partial shade to sun |
| Floor: | permeable soil |
Blossom of the Forest Goat's Beard
The flowers of the forest goat's beard are real eye-catchers and an ornament for every garden. The flowering period begins in early summer. The first clusters of flowers usually appear in early June. Until the end of July you will be able to enjoy the flowers and at the same time be able to tell whether you are dealing with a female or a male plant. The male plants have the more beautiful and showy flowers. theInflorescences stand out easily. Female plants, on the other hand, have denser flowers, which appear yellowish and often greenish. Male inflorescences also retain their beauty even after flowering and can serve well as cut flowers.
The flowers are relatively small and are held together in tight panicles. A flower is no larger than three millimeters. An inflorescence can have up to 10,000 individual flowers. Twisted follicles develop from the flowers, which can contain up to five winged seeds. These are very light and only about two millimeters in size and fall to the ground when the fruit has dried out. The wind or the water, if there is a stream nearby, spread the seeds.
Tip: If you only have one plant, seed formation will not occur. However, if there is another specimen on the property, there will be numerous seedlings in the house.
Home of the Forest Goosebeard
The forest goat's beard has spread over a large area in the northern hemisphere. Occurrences can be found in almost all of Europe, in southern Russia or in northern America. There the plant is found preferably on shady banks or in damp mountain forests.
Tip: In the Allgäu Alps, the plants can be found growing up to 1,500 meters tall.
In the north of Germany there were no natural occurrences of the forest goat's beard just a few decades ago. Today, numerous “garden refugees” are also at home in the wild. The plants prefer moist and rather shady locations in maple, beech or fir forests.
Suitable location for the forest goat's beard
The forest goat's beard is not particularly demanding when it comes to choosing a location. The plants feel most comfortable in a shady to half-shady location. During planting, it is also important to ensure that the lushly growing perennial is given the necessary space. A stand-alone setting will bring out the best in the plant. In the perennial bed, sufficient distance to the neighboring plants should be maintained. The perennials can quickly grow a meter or more in width.
Tip: Astilbes, bluebells or grasses are welcome planting neighbors of the forest goat's beard.
Coming soon:
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- shady to semi-shady
- detached
- moist
Ideal soil for the goat's beard
You can do the forest goat's beardplant in any conventional garden soil. However, the plant will only reach impressive growth heights of more than two meters in nutrient-rich, loamy and rather moist soil.
Tip: Dry soils that are poor in nutrients result in rather poor growth.
If you provide moist and humus-rich soil, the forest goat's beard will also do well in a sunny spot. By adding mature compost, you can improve the nutrient content of the soil. Since the plants do not tolerate waterlogging, you should also loosen the soil well before planting so that it remains more permeable. Soil permeability can also be improved with the help of sand or potsherds.
Coming soon:
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- nutrient rich
- moist
- humos
- loamy
Planting goat's beard - step by step
1. Determine planting time
2. Select location
3. Prepare soil
4. Dig planting hole
5. Water plant
6. Insert plant7. Fill up the substrate
8. Press the soil well
9. Water the plant
The ideal time to plant the forest goat's beard is autumn. When choosing a location, it is particularly important to keep an eye on the later dimensions of the plant. Expect a height of two meters and a girth of about one meter before deciding on a location.
Preparation of the soil is also particularly important. The first step is to free the substrate from stones, roots and weeds. Before planting, you can mix the substrate with mature compost. This provides a long-term fertilizer that will get the plant through the winter months. When the growth phase begins in spring, another application of fertilizer can follow.
The forest goat's beard has a rather shallow root system. Dig a sufficiently wide planting hole twice the circumference of the root ball and loosen the bottom of the planting hole well so that the irrigation water can drain off easily and does not accumulate. During soil preparation, the forest goat's beard is allowed to take a bath in a bucket of water. Once the roots have sufficiently soaked up moisture, they grow better.
Tip: The root ball is sufficiently moistened when no more air bubbles rise from the container.
When planting the plant in the ground, be careful not to damage the root ball. Firmly tread down the filled soil. Then waterthe forest goat's beard.
Note: You should not place more than two plants per square meter and ensure that the plants are at least one meter apart.
The most important planting tips for fast readers
| Activity | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Set Location | • The forest goat's beard grows in any location. • The plant grows particularly luxuriantly in shady to partially shaded locations. • The plant needs sufficient space. • A planting distance of at least one meter must be maintained. |
| Prepare the ground | • The substrate should be nutritious and humus-rich. • Moist soil is also an advantage. |
| Plant goat's beard | • Autumn is the best time to plant. • Make sure there is sufficient planting distance. • The planting hole should be dug twice the size of the root ball. • After planting the forest goat's beard is to be watered sufficiently. |