Nasturtium planting and care outdoors on a trellis

Nasturtium, planting and care in the open field for which is not particularly difficult, is a beautiful garden plant, a native of South and Central America, firmly and reliably settled in our latitudes due to its bright decorative appearance, medicinal properties and unpretentious cultivation.

Description of nasturtium

Belonging to the Nasturtium family, the humble horticultural culture is characterized by a wide variety of reds and yellows. Bright green leaves are arranged alternately, have a rounded, thyroid shape and a shiny, waxy coating.

Simple, semi-double and double flowers are large enough (about 5 cm in diameter), consist of 5 or more petals and a funnel-shaped tube with nectar. Most often, nasturtium in the garden is presented in the form of vines, although there are also semi-shrub species.

Nasturtium as an original element of garden decor

Thanks to the long flowering, beautiful nasturtium (otherwise, capuchin) is able to decorate any corner of the garden, forming chic floral carpets and hanging waterfalls. Creating flower beds, decorating borders, gazebos, arches, masking uneven vertical surfaces - there are a huge number of options for using such an attractive culture as nasturtium in home floriculture. Planting and leaving in the open ground, on a trellis, will be quite justified for foreign nasturtium, which can grow up to 3.5-4 meters. This type of flower with beautiful corrugated leaves and small canary-yellow flowers will easily and quickly decorate a given area and will delight with flowering before the first frost. In plantings with morning glory and blue petunias, curly nasturtium will look very gorgeous.

Planting and care in open ground (see the photo in the article) in cultural floriculture conditions last only one season due to low resistance to cold weather. Under natural conditions, nasturtium grows as a perennial plant.

Soil and lighting requirements

Nasturtium, planting and care in the open field, which even a beginner can do, is unpretentious in cultivation and positively accepts any changes aimed at improving growth and splendor of flowering. An important factor in the quality development of a flower is a moderately fertile soil with a slightly acidic environment and good drainage qualities.Poor lands will negatively affect the flowering of the plant and its decorative effect, the soil with an overabundance of organic matter will cause the active growth of green mass: nasturtium will refuse to bloom in such conditions.

Lighting is an important factor in the quality growth of nasturtium. For a flower culture, it is required to choose places that are well lit by the sun and protected from drafts; in partial shade, abundant flowering will not be observed.

Seed breeding method

Almost all types of nasturtium are propagated by seeds, which are characterized by very high germination and retention of properties for 4 years. Sowing in open ground is carried out at the end of May, after the end of spring frosts; for regions with a cool climate - in the first days of summer. Keeping sowing deadlines will have a positive effect on such a humble and beautiful plant like nasturtium. Planting and care in open ground in spring is recommended with the use of a covering material, since the culture is thermophilic and quite susceptible to cold weather. Watering is desirable with warm water.

You can collect seeds yourself: for this it is important to control the condition of the fruits formed on the flowers, which become whitish as they ripen. It is important to be in time with the collection before the moment they are thrown to the ground by nasturtium.

Planting and care in open ground with seeds consists in preliminary immersion of the latter in hot water for a quarter of an hour and subsequent soaking in water at room temperature for a day. The seeding depth is 2 cm, the gap between the holes is 25-30 cm; the number in the hole is 3-4 seedlings. Seedlings will appear in half a month. This option is most practiced in home floriculture, as it produces plants that are adapted to natural conditions and resistant to various kinds of diseases. True, nasturtiums planted by seed will begin to bloom an order of magnitude later than those grown from seedlings.

Growing nasturtium by seedling method

With the seedling method, which ensures early flowering of nasturtium, seedlings are planted at the end of April-May in peat cups of 2-3 pieces and kept at home at a temperature of + 20 ... + 22 ° C. Young plants appear in 2 weeks. Due to the weak root system, in order to avoid injury, nasturtium seedlings should not be dived; young plants are recommended to be immediately planted in a permanent place of growth together with an earthen clod or peat cups. It is recommended to harden pre-young plants: with the onset of warm weather, it is recommended to take them out for several hours. Nasturtium will begin to bloom in 4-6 weeks.

New or double nasturtium varieties can be propagated by cuttings, which should be rooted in wet sand or water. This method allows you to preserve the species characteristics of the variety as accurately as possible.

Nasturtium: planting and care in the open field

The temperature for the active development of nasturtium should not fall below 16 ° C. Caring for a garden beauty consists in stable watering and periodic weeding, required to provide air access to the roots of the plant and retain moisture in the soil. If you do not want or it is impossible to carry out weeding, you can apply soil mulching.

During the period of active growth of nasturtium, abundant watering should be provided, which should be reduced as soon as the plant enters the flowering phase. Moisture should be supplied only as the soil dries up; with constantly wet soil, the plant will only grow green mass.

To stimulate flowering and give the plant a neat, well-groomed appearance, it is recommended to remove wilted flowers in a timely manner.

Feeding activities

Before flowering, nasturtium should be fed every week with potassium-phosphorus fertilizers. It is not recommended to use preparations containing nitrogen for an ornamental plant such as nasturtium.Planting and care in open ground in the fall consists in deep digging of the soil and burning the tops of the plant.

Diseases and pests of nasturtium

Nasturtium is an amazing plant that is not interested in such omnivorous pests as Colorado beetles, whiteflies, aphids, and cabbage. Therefore, such a useful crop is recommended to be planted between the beds with potatoes, cabbage, eggplant, pepper. This will significantly reduce the number of dacha pests and save the harvest of vegetables.

From diseases, the plant can be affected by bacterial wilting, characterized by the weakening of the lower leaves and the gradual death of the entire plant. Gray rot appears with brown dry spots on the leaf plates of the flower, and rust appears with black stains. Plants affected by such diseases are recommended to be removed and burned, and healthy specimens should be treated with insecticides.

Medicinal properties of the plant

Nasturtium, planting and care in the open field, which brings real pleasure to true flower growers, has long been valued as a medicinal plant and is used to stimulate hair growth, in the treatment of skin rashes, kidney stones, anemia, vitamin deficiency.

Helps cope with depression, irritability and stress. The high content of vitamin C makes it possible to successfully use nasturtium in the fight against scurvy, and the phytoncides and provitamin A present in the composition help with atherosclerosis and restore metabolism. The essential oil of the plant is effective in vascular diseases.

Cooking applications

Nasturtium, planting and care in the open field, which consists in weeding and regular watering, is successfully used in cooking: for decorating dishes, as a component for salads and soups. Dried and crushed seeds can successfully replace ground black pepper. Pickled nasturtium fruits taste very similar to capers. Moreover, they are prepared quite simply: you need to cut off unripe buds from a plant, wash, dry, arrange in sterilized glass jars, pour hot marinade (the same as for cucumbers). Close tightly. Use as a seasoning for fish and meat dishes, add to soups and hodgepodge.

To prepare an original light salad, young nasturtium leaves are required to rinse well, cut, combine with herbs, lemon juice. Salt, season with berry vinegar or sour cream.

In the warm climate of South America, where nasturtium comes from, these plants are more often grown as perennials, producing lush flower caps almost all year round. But neither powerful stems nor fleshy roots can survive the Russian winters.

Therefore, the culture is well known to domestic gardeners as a spectacular annual that delights with flowering almost throughout the summer. The first buds on nasturtium, the planting of which with seeds or seedlings is not so difficult even for a beginner grower, appear in mid-June or July, and the last flowers under a wave of autumn frosts.

In order for the plant to give green mass earlier and enter the flowering time, it is necessary:

• choose a proper planting site for nasturtium;
• provide seedlings with proper care, including watering and feeding;
• protect stems, flowers and leaves from pests and diseases.

Much also depends on the planting material.

Common types of nasturtium are propagated by seeds that mature in temperate climates and can be used for sowing next season.

Planting nasturtium in the garden

Both bushy and climbing forms of nasturtium prefer light, well-aerated soils with moderate nutrient content and low acidity. Garden nasturtium, planted in depleted soils, is easily distinguished by its elongated internodes, small leaves and flower corollas.

The high density of organic-rich soil can play a bad joke with the grower.Not only will the seeds have serious difficulties with germination, so the young plant will begin to "fatten", giving a lot of foliage, not flowers. If the soil with a high clay content or black soil is also excessively wetted, the roots of the nasturtium quickly rot and the plant dies.

The best choice of a site for planting nasturtium is sandy loam or loam with good drainage, regular watering and top dressing, if necessary.

There is a well-known saying about “feet warm and head cold”. The opposite is true for nasturtium. With all the love of this culture for warmth and light, it is important to choose a place so that the roots of the plant are shaded. But foliage and flowers in the sun will be able to show themselves in full force, especially if you protect them from the wind and possible frost.

A trellis, a garden fence or a wall of a backyard building perfectly cope with the role of a support for climbing and climbing species of nasturtium. Bush forms are good in flower beds, and ampelous ones - in hanging pots or decorative flowerpots.

Planting methods for nasturtium

There are three main ways to plant and grow nasturtium:

• Obtaining nasturtium from seeds simplifies the process of plant acclimatization, seedlings take root without problems in the heated soil and grow actively.
• The seedling method of planting a crop allows you to bring flowering closer and make it longer, but there is a risk of losing seedlings after transfer to the soil.
• With the help of cuttings, which quickly grow roots in wet sand or water and are ready for planting in a permanent place in the garden. This method is indispensable when it is not possible to obtain seeds of an exotic species or a new variety.

In addition, some types of nasturtium form tubers suitable for winter storage at temperatures close to zero and spring planting in the ground.

Growing nasturtium from seeds

Most types of cultivated nasturtium can be grown from seed, bypassing the seedling stage. This method saves a lot of time and effort. Nasturtium, the cultivation and care of which begins with seeds, initially develops in the open field and does not get sick. The only negative is that you can see blooming nasturtium in the garden only by the middle of summer.

And sometimes gardeners complain that the seeds do not want to hatch at all. This can happen due to:

• poor quality or immaturity of the seeds themselves;
• too cold soil during planting of nasturtium;
• excess moisture in the soil;
• strong burial of seeds;
• high soil density at the site selected for nasturtium.

In order not to face these troubles, before sowing, the seeds are immersed in water from 40 to 50 ° C for a quarter of an hour and then soaked for another day. This activates the sprout and softens the dense surface skin.

Planting of nasturtium is carried out in May, only in sufficiently warm soil. In holes located at a distance of 20-30 cm, two or three seeds are lowered to a depth of 2 cm.

Seedlings of nasturtium do not tolerate cold snaps and during frosts need to be protected with shelters made of film or non-woven material. The same technique, like watering with warm water, will make the plants grow faster.

Planting nasturtium seedlings for early flowering

The main danger of the seedling method of growing nasturtium is the risk of damage to the sufficiently succulent and brittle roots of the plant, so the seeds are sown in separate containers to avoid picking and transfer into the ground along with an earthen clod.

It is even better if peat tablets or pots are used for planting nasturtium.

• Sowing in April or early May is carried out to a depth of not only 2 cm, 2-3 seeds per well.
• Landings need to provide an air temperature of about +22 ° C.
• When shoots appear in two weeks, the temperature slightly, up to +18 ° C, reduces and organizes good lighting for the shoots.

You can transfer plants to the garden if the threat of frost has passed. Most often this happens by mid-May, less often in June.If bad weather or cool nights awaits after planting nasturtium, it is better to protect the plantation with covering material.

And the gardener can take the first photos of nasturtium flowers in a month or a month and a half after planting the seedlings in the ground. Flowering will end only with the onset of stable cold weather.

Growing and caring for nasturtium during the summer

Taking care of nasturtium during the summer months is a snap. The plant requires only regular but moderate watering and weeding in the root zone. If you take care of mulching the loosened soil in advance, then both mandatory measures are greatly simplified and required less often.

The mode and method of watering for nasturtium is chosen so that moisture does not stagnate and does not remain on the greenery during hot times of the day. Otherwise, instead of being useful, watering can lead to rotting of the roots and sunburn of foliage and flowers.

Lack of water during cultivation and care of nasturtium causes disproportionate elongation and weakening of stems, crushing and yellowing of leaves, massive shedding of flowers and buds. A weakened plant can be supported by mineral feeding, as well as by regular pruning of old and dry stems, removal of withered leaves and corollas.

If signs of disease or traces of pests are found on the nasturtium, the damaged parts of the plant are removed and destroyed, and the crown is treated with insecticides or other drugs.

Collecting nasturtium seeds in the garden

Many types of nasturtium widespread in Russia, in addition to foreign ones, give seeds suitable for planting. It is not difficult to collect the fruit with three seeds under the thick folded skin that forms on the spot of the flower calyx.

If you look at nasturtium and a photo of flowers, you can see how, increasing in size, the fruits change color from bright green to pale. This is the ripening process, and then the seeds, ready for germination, with dried skin fall off and remain viable for at least four years.

When to collect nasturtium seeds to prevent spontaneous sowing? Indeed, unlike stems and leaves, nasturtium seeds are not afraid of frost and will certainly start growing even in autumn, but the sprouts will not be able to overwinter.

The average ripening period of fruits on cultivated species is 40 days after the appearance of the flower. When collecting, they are guided by this period. If the coming frosts force you to pluck still green seeds, they can be made to ripen by drying and stirring at room temperature for 1-2 months.

Amazing nasturtium flower - video

It is impossible not to love nasturtium. The flower blows with a positive, eyes rest on this optimistic plant. It is especially good in the second half of summer and autumn, when the juicy shoots are all strewn with cheerful yellow-orange flowers. They look especially bright against the background of fleshy pale green leaves. In this article, we will talk about when to plant seeds and what kind of cultivation is needed.

Description of curly nasturtium

Cultivated nasturtium (Tropaeolum cultorum hort) - a special botanical species, many varieties of which are hybrids of large nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus L) and shield-bearing. Large nasturtium grows in natural conditions in South America (Peru), and the shield-bearing one is native to Ecuador. Other species also found their niche in floriculture: foreign and small.

At home, these are perennials, in our country they are cultivated as annual herbaceous plants. The whole variety of varieties can be divided into two groups:

• bush;
• lianas.

Growing nasturtium on the balcony

The height of bush forms is up to 35 cm, lianas lianas can reach 3 meters in length over the summer.

Shoots are smooth, succulent, creeping, covered with round thyroid leaves, sitting on long petioles. The color of the leaf plates is from light green to dark green.

The size is different. On one bush there can be both small, located closer to the top, and rather large leaves growing at the base of the vine. The edges of the leaves are solid, wavy.Light veins are clearly visible, diverging from the center to the edge of the plate.

Long bloom: from mid-summer to the first autumn frosts. The fruits have time to ripen, you can use them for planting.

Long peduncles are located singly in the leaf axils. The flowers, formed by five petals, are similar in shape to a gramophone. The color depends on the variety: orange, scarlet, raspberry, pink, yellow. The aroma is strong and pleasant.

Blooming nasturtium flower

How to grow a flower from seeds?

The question of whether it is possible to grow nasturtium from seeds should not arise. Without a doubt, even an inexperienced amateur florist can handle this.... The main problem is the quality of the seeds. There are many complaints about germination.

There are two landing options:

• seedling;
• seeds into the ground.

The second option is 100% easier. Less fiddling and the plants are strong, as they do not get sick during transplantation.

Plus the seedling method - flowering begins earlier.

The five most popular varieties

The offer of varieties is large, we will consider only five of them:

1. Scarlett O'Hara.
2. Nymph (mixture of colors).
3. Alaska.
4. Summer breeze.
5. zebra

Scarlett O'Hara variety amazingly beautiful with its scarlet double flowers (6 cm) and powerful, curly shoots (1.5 m) with bright green leaves. The flowering period is from June to the end of September.

Nymph (mix of colors) - ideal for vertical landscaping of a small garden. It blooms for a long time and abundantly, the lashes release powerful ones up to 2 m. The color of the flowers is varied: from light yellow to maroon. There may be two colors.

Alaska. A low-growing plant (40 cm) with original light green leaves, decorated with a marble pattern. Blooms profusely, looks good in flower beds.

Summer breeze - dwarf variety (30 cm). An excellent solution for flower beds and flower beds. Until autumn decorates the garden with a mixture of bright flowers (5 cm) and bright green foliage.

Zebra. Climbing plant (2 m) with marble leaves and bright, large flowers (5 cm). Decorative in vertical solutions and in ampelous version. Blooms until late autumn.

How to plant outdoors?

We will not consider the seedling method. Let's dwell on the second option - direct sowing of seeds into the ground. Accelerates germination by pre-soaking the seeds for a day with warm water. Before planting, drain the water and blot the seeds with a paper towel.

It is believed that any soil is suitable for nasturtium, but in practice it grows best on loose, humus-fertilized soil. The looser the soil, the faster the seeds germinate, the number of shoots is greater and the buds form earlier. Seed planting pattern - 15 cm * 30 cm.Seeding depth - 2 cm.

Each climatic region has its own planting dates. Sow after the threat of return frost has passed. For the middle zone and the South of Siberia, this is the second half of May.

It is necessary to plant in open ground correctly:

• make grooves;
• spill them with water;
• arrange the seeds according to the scheme;
• cover with humus and do not water.

Edible nasturtium.

Flower care

After emergence, care is simple:

• weeding;
• watering;
• feeding.

To water the first two weeks often and little by little, and after the plant gains strength, less often, but more abundantly.

Weed ridges regularly. Decorative mulch helps to get rid of this unpleasant activity. It can be of several types:

• Marble chips.
• The bark of coniferous trees.
• Chips from deciduous trees.

The complex mineral fertilizer from the company "Aelita" - "Aelita-flower", has proven itself well. The trace elements that make up the composition contribute to long flowering and rapid growth of green mass.

Top dressing is especially important if the soil is loamy. Ready-made liquid fertilizers for flowering plants are convenient to use. They are balanced in composition and easy to use. It is enough to read the instructions and adhere to them to prepare the solution.

Pests and diseases

Design solution with nasturtium flower

The pungent smell of nasturtium repels pests. You should not be afraid of them. Possible diseases:

• mosaic;
• ring spot.

Symptoms:

• light mosaic pattern;
• spots are light brown;
• developmental delay.

Landscape design

The main purpose of nasturtium is garden decoration. Plants with which it works best:

• aggregatum;
• delphinium;
• bell.

Climbing types of nasturtium look better on a trellis or planted next to a gazebo or other vertical support. Dwarf varieties decorate flower beds, rabatki, mixborders.

It is worth planting nasturtium once and it will become your favorite flower for years to come. The care is minimal, and the pleasure is for the whole summer. In autumn, nasturtium comes to the fore and becomes the main decoration of the garden. As you can see, growing flowers is not difficult at all.

Nasturtium (Tropaeolum), also called capuchin, is a member of the Nasturtium family. This genus is represented by herbaceous plants, it unites about 90 species. The homeland of nasturtium is Central and South America, however, it has been grown in mid-latitudes for a very long time, and it is quite popular. This plant is unpretentious to growing conditions, and it also possesses demanded taste characteristics and medicinal properties. And also during flowering, nasturtium looks extremely impressive, and can become a decoration of any garden plot. This plant was brought to Russia from Holland, and at first they began to call it capuchin there, which is associated with the shape of the flower, which looks like a hood. However, over time, this plant increasingly began to be called nasturtium. The scientific Latin name "Tropaeolum" was given to the flower by Carl Linnaeus.

Features of nasturtium

Nasturtium is a perennial or annual plant. Often it is a liana with succulent shoots, less often dwarf shrubs. Often, the leaf plates are alternately lobed, whole-edged, thyroid or palmate-divided. Fragrant flowers can be double, simple or semi-double. They are zygamorphic, irregular, axillary and bisexual. They include 5 petals (in some cases more), the same number of sepals, and a funnel-shaped tube with nectar inside. The flowers are most often colored yellow or red. The fruit consists of 3 kidney-shaped wrinkled lobes, and in each of them round-kidney-shaped seeds ripen.

The shoots and flowers of this plant are distinguished by medicinal properties, and they are also used in the preparation of various culinary dishes.

Growing nasturtium from seeds

Sowing

For reproduction of nasturtium, the generative (seed) method is used. It is relatively easy to grow such a plant from seeds. The seeds of nasturtium are large enough. They are sown directly into open soil in the second half of May, while return frosts should be left behind. Make shallow (about 20 mm) holes, between which a distance of 0.25–0.3 m should be maintained. Seeds are sown in a nesting way, with 3 or 4 seeds placed in 1 hole. If it is still cold at night, then the area with crops is covered with any covering material (for example, plastic wrap). Crops should be watered only with lukewarm water. The first seedlings will appear after 7-15 days.

Seedling care

You can also grow nasturtium through seedlings, in which case flowering will occur earlier than when sowing seeds in open soil. For sowing, you need to use cups with a retractable bottom or peat. Seeds are sown in April or May, they are buried in the substrate by 20 mm, while 2 or 3 seeds are placed in 1 cup. Then the cups are rearranged in a cool (from 20 to 22 degrees) place. The first seedlings will appear after about 15 days.The emerging plants should be provided with good lighting so that they do not stretch, otherwise, after transplanting into open ground, they will hurt for a long time and not bloom. Since the root system of nasturtium is rather fragile and weak, and the leaf surface is large, the seedlings are not picked, and the seedlings are planted in open soil directly in cups, without violating the integrity of the earthen coma.

Planting nasturtium in open ground

What time to plant

Planting nasturtium seedlings in open soil is carried out in the first decade of June. For landing, you need to choose a sunny area that has reliable protection from cold winds. If this flower crop is grown in a shaded place, then its flowering will not be so lush and spectacular. The soil needs a light nutritious, slightly acidic, and well-drained. If there is too much organic matter in the soil, then the greens near the bushes will grow very intensively, but they will not bloom. When growing nasturtium on overly depleted soil, its leaf plates become small, which makes the shoots look naked, and the flowering loses its high decorative effect. If you choose stagnant wet soil for planting, then the plant will rot.

Landing features

As mentioned above, seedlings are planted in open soil in the first days of June. The plants are planted together with peat cups or with a lump of earth, while you should be extremely careful, because the root system of the seedling can be easily injured. The distance between plants directly depends on their variety and type, and it can vary from 0.2 to 0.4 m. At first, the planted plants will need to be covered overnight. Flowering will begin after 4-6 weeks.

Caring for nasturtium

It is very easy to care for nasturtiums. They need to be watered and weeded in a timely manner. If, after the seedlings were planted on the site, you covered its surface with a layer of mulch, then this will avoid the exhausting fight against weeds. At the very beginning of active growth, special attention should be paid to systematic watering, which should be abundant. After flowering begins, watering should be arranged only when the soil dries up, but if it is constantly moistened, this will negatively affect the splendor of the flowering, but the greenery will grow violently. It is also very important to cut off flowers that have begun to fade in time. If you want to collect seeds, then leave only a few ovaries for this.

Before flowering, this plant is regularly fed with phosphorus-potassium fertilizer, often once every 7 days. This crop is not fed with nitrogen-containing fertilizers.

Reproduction of nasturtium

How to grow nasturtium from seeds is described above. Cuttings are also used for reproduction. For rooting cuttings, use well-moistened sand or water. This method of propagation, as a rule, is used for terry varieties or for very rare ones, the seeds of which are difficult to buy. When propagated by cuttings, all varietal and specific characteristics of the mother plant are fully preserved.

Diseases and pests

This plant is very beautiful and incredibly useful. In addition, it repels whiteflies, cabbage, Colorado beetles, aphids and other pests.

However, nasturtium can still get sick. For example, it is affected by bacterial wilting. In the affected specimen, the lower leaf plates first weaken, and then the entire bush begins to fade. She can also get sick with gray rot, due to which dry specks of brown color are formed on the leaf plates. Also, on the surface of the foliage, you can sometimes see variegated mosaic stains or black or brown specks of rust. If symptoms of these diseases occur, the affected bushes must be dug up and destroyed.In this case, the remaining healthy flowers are sprayed with a special agent that can exterminate pathogens.

How to collect nasturtium seeds

If you want to feel like a breeder, then you will need to collect nasturtium seeds from your site. Seed ripening occurs at the same time that the flower wilts. Only the seeds of foreign nasturtium do not have time to ripen before frost, and this must be taken into account. Ripe seeds change their green color to whitish, they are easily separated from the peduncle and fall to the surface of the site. In this regard, you should not delay the collection of seeds, because they can crumble. For storage, the seeds are placed in cardboard boxes. The collected unripe seeds of foreign nasturtium should be ripened in room conditions.

Nasturtium after flowering

When flowering is over, the bushes should be watered less and less each time until they stop. In middle latitudes, as a rule, this plant is cultivated as an annual, therefore, in autumn, it should be treated as an annual. Or rather, clean the area of ​​plant debris, which must be destroyed. The site itself should be dug up. Remember to collect the seeds first, if needed.

Types and varieties of nasturtium with photos and names

Naturally growing nasturtium is a perennial plant. However, in mid-latitude gardens, this flower can only be grown as an annual because it cannot survive the winter outdoors. The most popular among gardeners are the cultivated types of nasturtium, which will be described below.

Foreign nasturtium, or Canary

The homeland of this vine is South America. The length of greenish shoots can reach 3.5 m, while they braid trellises and arbors relatively quickly. Flowering begins in mid-summer and ends with the onset of frost. Small flowers of deep yellow color have corrugated petals, as well as green spurs. Small leaf plates can be five- or seven-part. In middle latitudes, the seeds do not have time to ripen.

Large nasturtium

Fragile bare shoots are strongly branched, they can have a length of about 2.5 m. There are not creeping, but erect varieties, in this case, the height of the shoots can reach 0.7 m. Abundant flowering begins in June, and ends with the onset of frost in the fall. This species reproduces well by self-seeding. The seeds remain viable for 4 years. Large, asymmetrical leaf plates are rounded and thyroid. Their front surface is greenish, and the seamy side is gray. They have long petioles, and the leaves reach 80 mm in diameter. This species has many varieties, among which there are also compact bush forms, for example:

• King Theodore - the color of the flowers is deep red;
• Peach Melba - there are red spots in the center of cream flowers;
• Salmon Baby - semi-double flowers have a salmon color;
• ladybug - there are burgundy specks in the middle of the apricot flower.

Cultural nasturtium

This species has combined hybrids of nasturtium large and shield-bearing nasturtium. Densely leafy shoots. The thyroid leaf plates are purple or green in color. In this type, varieties differ in height and shape:

• compact varieties up to half a meter high;
• creeping varieties, the stems of which reach 4 meters in length;
• dwarf varieties, the height of which does not exceed 15–20 centimeters.

Varieties:

• Gleming Mahagani - the height of the bush is about 37 centimeters, red double flowers;
• Golden Globe - a spherical bush in height reaches 0.25 m, and in width - 0.4 m, leaf plates are round greenish, double large (about 65 mm in diameter) flowers are painted in yellow-golden color;
• Moonlight - the length of the shoots of this climbing plant is about 2 m, the color of the flowers is yellowish.

Small nasturtium

Thin, branched, grooved shoots are about 0.35 m high. Small thyroid leaf plates are rounded, petioles are thin and very long. Small yellow flowers reach 30 mm in diameter, there are dark spots on the surface, 3 upper petals are velvety and have a sharp edge along the edge, curved spurs have a cylindrical shape. Flowering is observed in June – October. Varieties:

• Cherry rose - the height of the bush is about 0.3 m, the double flowers have a deep red color;
• Black Velvet - the bush reaches a height of 0.3 m, the color of simple flowers is maroon, almost black, they reach 60 mm in diameter, and this variety is sometimes called "Black Lady".

Shield-bearing nasturtium

This species is represented by creeping dwarf shrubs. Fragile juicy stems are colored dark green, they reach 4 meters in length. The thyroid leaf plates are dark green in color. The color of the flowers is intense dark red. Flowering is observed in June-October, the seeds have time to ripen. The most popular variety is Lucifer: the height of erect bushes is about 0.25 m, the color of the stems is greenish, large leaf plates of a dark green color have a dark red tint. Simple orange-red flowers reach 60 mm in diameter.

Also, ornamental types of nasturtium are azure, ciliate, multi-leaved, beautiful, tricolor, but they are rarely grown in middle latitudes.

Useful properties of nasturtium

The very beautiful flower of nasturtium has medicinal properties and can also be eaten. Flowers and foliage of young plants are added to soups, salads and sandwiches, and they are also used to decorate various dishes. Pickled fruits of such a flower taste similar to expensive capers. If the seeds are well dried and ground, they will create a creamy seasoning that can be used in place of black pepper. By the way, a similar seasoning was widely used during the Second World War. You can eat all parts of this culture, but not the roots.

The fact that nasturtium has healing properties has been known for a long time. It is used to stimulate hair growth, in the treatment of skin rashes, as well as vitamin deficiency, anemia and kidney stones. It is also recommended to use nasturtium for scurvy, because its vitamin C content is quite high (10 times more than in lettuce foliage).

In addition, this plant contains substances with antibacterial properties, namely: provitamin A and phytoncides. Dishes that are prepared using this plant are included in the therapeutic diet for atherosclerosis, as well as metabolic disorders in elderly people. The rhizomes contain substances that can reduce the level of testosterone in the blood.

Scientists have proven that this plant has the following medicinal properties: laxative, diuretic, antibiotic, uroseptic, anti-inflammatory, diuretic, antiseptic, antiscorbutic and expectorant.

In case of an overdose with a nasturtium preparation, irritation of the mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract is observed.