What Flowers are Suitable for Xining
In the northeast of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Xining nurtures a unique plant community with its distinct cold climate. This city, located at an altitude of 2261 meters, has an average annual temperature of less than 8°C, which provides a natural greenhouse for numerous cold-resistant plants. How to create an ideal garden under the plateau climate conditions? Let's explore the answer through specific plant species and maintenance practices.
Plateau Climate and Plant Selection
Unique Environmental Characteristics of Xining
The intense sunlight for an average of 1939 hours and nearly 200 frost-free days, combined with a day-night temperature difference of 15°C, create a typical highland plant growth environment. The requirement for plants to have strong cold resistance during the 5-month low-temperature period in winter, while the average temperature of 18°C in summer necessitates considering the cold and drought tolerance of plants.
Outdoor Garden Preferred Varieties
Field cultivation has verified that highland native flowers such as Gesanghua and Marigold perform exceptionally well. Lilac bushes can form a natural barrier up to 3 meters high, and Ulmaceae梅花 can withstand -10°C low temperature when blooming in April. Ground cover, as a vertical greening expert, can survive under the frozen soil layer.
Indoor and Outdoor Plant Maintenance Solutions
Key Points for Balcony Potted Plant Management
Choose a heat-storing flower box with a depth of over 30cm, combined with a cultivation matrix where Perlite accounts for 40%. Southern flowers like蟹爪兰 need to be set with double-glazed insulation, and the window should be opened for ventilation for no more than 2 hours at noon in winter. Watering frequency for Triangle梅花 should be controlled to once a week, complemented by foliar application of Potassium Dihydrogen Phosphate.
Cultivation Techniques for the City Flower, Lilac
Purple lilacs are best planted in calcareous soil with a pH of 6.5-7.2 and pruned back before germination in early spring. Remove the residual inflorescences promptly after flowering, retaining 5-7 main branches per plant. Using drip irrigation to maintain soil moisture at around 60% can extend the flowering period to 45 days.