Plant liverworts in the garden

Content

• Plant liverworts in the garden
• Where do you get suitable plants for the garden?
• Which location is optimal for the liverwort?
• When are liverworts planted?
• How are liverworts multiplied?
• What should be the ideal substrate for liverwort?
• Tips & Tricks

Liverwort should be planted in a shady spot

Plant liverworts in the garden

In the wild, liverworts prefer to grow on calcareous soils in sparse deciduous forests, where they can form entire carpets over the decades. If you want to enjoy the bluish-purple flowers in your own garden, you should emulate the natural locations as closely as possible.

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Where do you get suitable plants for the garden?

Since liverworts are sensitive to disturbances and are very slow in growth and reproduction, they are protected in Germany. However, many perennial nurseries offer offspring of the bluish-violet wild variety and also other color variants. When growing from seeds, it should be noted that liver flowers are light and cold germs. If first plants have already grown well in the garden, division of the sensitive plants is preferable to propagation by self-sowing. This is usually supported by the myrmecochory called spreading work of ants.

Which location is optimal for the liverwort?

For even moisture without dehydration of the top layer of soil liverwort should also be planted in the garden half shady to shady if possible. In addition, the slow-growing liverworts are less affected by competing plants. Sites under deciduous trees should be preferred to sites under coniferous trees, as the latter can change a garden soil over time to an acidic pH.

When are liverworts planted?

A gentle transplanting of liverwort is possible in the fall, as the sensitive roots dry out so less. If liverworts are transplanted during the flowering period, the flowers should be removed in favor of the energy balance of the plants.

How are liverworts multiplied?

Since it takes quite a long time after division of older liverwort plants until they have recovered from this intervention, an increase by self-sowing is preferable. In an appropriate location ants provide for a suitable spread, because the seeds are attractive because of their nature for the ants as food.

What should be the ideal substrate for liverwort?

Hepatica prefers a humus-rich and evenly moist but not stunned substrate. Heavy and loamy soil can be softened with compost. Instead of fertilizer, you can use garden lime to create optimal conditions for the frugal and calf-loving liverwort.

Tips & Tricks

Children should not touch or pick the flowers of the liverworts as they are poisonous as well as the leaves. The contained protoanemonin can cause the following effects in humans:

Properly dosed components of liverwort are used as brew, tincture or wine against impairments of liver, bile and kidneys.