Unusual marigolds
If you take a closer look at the most common marigolds, you can admire the harmony of their velvety double flowers, deep saturated color and exquisite curves of the petals.
Marigolds "Cupid". Lyudmila Svetlitskaya
But, alas, the beauty of these flowers, popular in gardening, has become so commonplace that no one is already enthusiastic. High vitality, ease of cultivation, availability of seeds and a long flowering period also played a cruel joke with these flowers, and the ubiquitous marigolds became boring very quickly. Nevertheless, modern marigolds have something to surprise flower growers, and new varieties and hybrids amaze with the extraordinary color of the flower and the shape of the inflorescences.
Unusual low-growing varieties of marigolds
Among the stunted marigolds rejected, a unique variety "Strawberry Blonde" stands out - a novelty of recent years. These chameleon marigolds amaze with an unprecedented color transition as the flower dissolves - from dark red, red to crimson pink through peach and lemon yellow.
Thus, flowers of several colors can be observed simultaneously on one plant. With their abundant flowering and compact, well-branching bushes, these marigolds are an excellent choice for hanging baskets, flower beds and balcony boxes.
Original varieties of tall marigolds
Among the tall, erect marigolds, there are also specimens that can amaze not only with a unique color, but also with an incredible flower shape. It is very difficult to recognize the usual marigolds in the unusual truly fantastic inflorescences of the Fantastic Orange and Gilbert Stein tagetes, because the flowers of this variety are almost identical to chrysanthemums.
A similar similarity was achieved due to the fact that the narrow ligulate flowers are twisted to the center of the inflorescences and form a rounded cap. Inflorescences of the Cupid series have a similar shape, in which, in addition to bright orange, there are also lemon-yellow and pale orange colors.
Marigolds "Vanilla". Lyudmila Svetlitskaya
Almost white marigolds
Such varieties of upright marigolds as "Vanilla", "Eskimo" and "Beatles White-moon" are distinguished by a very rare, almost white with a slight lemon shade. Most often, these cultivars are hybrids and do not pass on their unique coloration to the next generation.
Reproduction
You can breed tagetes yourself. There are two ways to propagate this type of plant: sowing seeds in open ground and sowing seedlings.
Sowing seeds in open ground
This method is practiced in the southern regions of Russia, since the soil has already warmed up enough, and the probability of frost is zero. The best time for sowing is early May. The planting process is as follows:
- first, you should properly prepare the soil;
- after that, you can sow the seeds, but usually they also undergo some preparation - three days before planting, the seeds are placed in a small container, covered with a damp cloth and wrapped in plastic material, the container should be placed in a warm place, and after the procedure is completed, the seeds are ready for sowing;
- the holes should not be too deep (up to 5 centimeters);
- for normal development, you need to keep a distance between the pits;
- after sowing, the holes covered with earth must be watered with a small amount of water;
- when seedlings sprout from the seeds, the site should be thinned out, leaving only strong seedlings.
Planting seedlings
The seeds are sown in the first month of spring.In this case, already in the middle of summer you will get full-fledged bushes with abundant color. The process of planting seedlings is as follows:
- for planting, it is recommended to prepare a special mixture saturated with nutrients; peat and sand are perfect, and turf soil can be used as an additional component;
- drainage is laid out in a small layer on the bottom of the container; small pebbles are well suited for this purpose;
- prepared soil is poured over the drainage;
- make small holes for seeds;
- for the best effect, the seeds are processed with potassium permanganate;
- deepen the seeds by no more than 3 cm; the optimal distance between sowing is 2 cm;
- after which the seedlings are sprinkled with a small amount of earth;
- then the seeds need moderate watering;
- put in a warm and well-lit place, the first shoots should appear in about three days;
- be sure to ventilate and moisturize the seedlings regularly;
- three leaves on seedlings signal a transplant into open ground;
- seedlings are usually planted in late spring.
Chinese cabbage - variety of varieties
For myself, I conditionally divided it into groups.
First group: collard greens. I have never seen leafy cabbage on the shelves of outlets, although there are also such varieties. They are beneficial for early spring cultivation.
Why are these leaves needed? So after all, at this time there is no longer fresh cabbage stored in the cellars, they ate everything. There is still sauerkraut, but for some reason there is no appetite for it. Wait for early ripe white cabbage for a long time, and I really, really want to get fresh vitamin delicacies from my garden. For example, the 'Vesnyanka' variety is leafy, it makes no sense to wait for the heads of cabbage, but, like a radish, it is ready for harvesting 35 days after germination.
Where else can you find such an early vegetable? 'Vesnyanka' is good in salads, in spring cabbage soup. There is also the ‘Lenok’ variety. The good news is that it puts up with the short-lived lack of sunlight when the sky is covered with clouds.
Peking cabbage, it looks like an elongated head of cabbage in a section
It is often written that the 'Khibiny' cabbage is also a leafy cabbage. They lie, this is a semi-cabbage variety.
Now I will share my culinary know-how: Peking cabbage leaves, radish leaves and roots, green onions dressed with vegetable oil and apple cider vinegar will give a salad that is unique in taste and usefulness!
Kale
To the second group, I include head varieties of Peking cabbage, which can be sown in the ground in spring or grown in seedlings in a greenhouse. These varieties have a peculiarity: they are resistant to flowering and stemming (that is, they are in no hurry to develop a flowering arrow), they can easily tolerate weather changes. For example, the Spring Jade and Spring Beauty hybrids. It is recommended to grow them in greenhouses, as for us, gardeners, no one bothers to set aside a corner in the greenhouse for Peking cabbage. The same hybrids can be grown in home greenhouses in the fall, before the arrival of frost, they will have time to give a crop even under film shelters.
The third group includes varieties and hybrids that are best sown in early August. At this time, the day becomes much shorter, and Chinese cabbage loves a short day. Grown at this time is good for storage. It:
- ‘Autumn beauty’;
- ‘Sentyabrina’;
- 'Wineglass'.
Disease and pest control
Of course, the best prevention of the appearance of signs of disease or infestation by insect pests is the proper care of the plant. However, sometimes negative factors still appear.
First of all, it is worth remembering that special attention should be paid to the soil if you are growing seeds for seedlings in a container. Do not neglect the required soil composition and do not change it
Otherwise, marigolds can become infected with the so-called black leg - a fungus that cannot be treated.
If you find the presence of pests (often these are slugs and snails), then first of all they must be collected and thrown away, and then a small amount of ash must be poured around each flower, which will become a kind of barrier for such pests.
To avoid infestation of marigolds with mites, you need to humidify the air around the plantings (for example, by spraying).
How to choose?
When planning to grow sedums in your garden or in your home, you should familiarize yourself in advance with the characteristics of the most interesting varieties and varieties. One of the important parameters is the height of the plants. So, based on this criterion, the entire variety of representatives of this genus can be divided into the following groups:
Groundcover and undersized sedums are equally well suited for indoor and outdoor cultivation. Experienced gardeners recommend using medium and tall varieties of sedums to decorate flower beds and flower beds.
Another significant characteristic is the shape (directionality) of sedum stems. So, sedums with creeping or creeping stems are best purchased for further cultivation in open ground as ground covers or in pots in the form of ampelous plants. Sedums with erect stems are ideal for single cultivation in flowerpots or flower beds.
The following video will tell you more about stonecrop.
Conditions for growing marigolds
Absolutely all types of marigolds are safely grown at home. But in order to achieve rich and long flowering, lush branching in the bushes, they need proper care.
Since this plant is native to the tropical regions of North America and Mexico, a sunny area is needed to plant it. It is in such a place that marigolds will endow you with exuberant flowering. These flowers require a warm climate. At the first frost, they simply die. At low temperatures, their growth slows down, and the leaves become pale in color.
The successful growth of shrubs occurs on all types of soil. But if they are planted in well-drained and nutritious soil, the plants will respond positively. It is strictly forbidden to plant marigolds on acidic, heavy soils with stagnant water. In such conditions, the root system rots extremely quickly.
Young plants need to be watered frequently to ensure rapid growth and abundant branching. Adult marigolds need moderate watering, as they tolerate drought quite successfully. Only complex substances can be used for fertilization. Nitrogen fertilizers stimulate growth but inhibit flowering. Top dressing is applied 1-2 times a month. Varieties grown in containers need feeding no more than once every two weeks.
Weeding marigolds, removing faded buds on them, as well as harvesting seeds are the most important conditions for caring for them. Seed collection is carried out from well-ripened plants and only in dry weather. It should also be noted that tall species need to form a support so that they do not break. During the period of the first frosts in spring and autumn, the plants must be covered with a covering material. If you want your pets to delight you after the season is over, you can transplant them into containers and flowerpots, bring them indoors and continue growing on the windowsill.
Excessive watering and poor soil can lead to blackleg infestation. For this, the soil must be treated with an antifungal agent. In very dry climates, spider mites can attack the seedlings. Here, it is important to increase the humidity of the air by carrying out regular and frequent spraying. It is also necessary to treat it with hot pepper tincture. The procedure must be done 2-3 times. Very rarely, marigolds can be affected by slugs.
Correctly selected varieties of marigolds will allow you to create a beautiful decoration in the garden, in any flower garden and on the balcony.
Good luck to you!!!
Beautiful examples in landscape design
Erect marigolds are the favorites of landscape designers. They will become the pearl of your site. Their advantage lies in their excellent adaptability in all climatic zones. And also they are completely picky about care and have a huge number of useful properties.
Low-growing plantings can be placed at the very edge of the flower garden or along garden paths. Tall marigolds will look great in the very center of the garden bed.
As for dwarf shrubs, they are ideal for planting in small pots. In the warm season, they can be used to decorate balconies or take them out onto the veranda. You can also make a beautiful garden composition in the form of some figure from marigolds. Erect marigold varieties are an excellent decoration for your home and garden; with proper care, these plants will quickly thank you for their luxurious appearance and wonderful floral scent.
You can get acquainted with some of the secrets of growing marigolds for seedlings in the following video.
