How to plant?
Liatris bulbs are planted to a depth of 10-15 cm, the interval between the holes is kept at the level of 20-25 cm.You can buy planting material in any specialized trading enterprise, the tubers are not particularly susceptible to drying out, therefore, in any case, they will sprout and, most likely, give flowers already in the current season
Important: only the bulbs of the current season are suitable for planting.
In Siberian regions, gardeners are often used for planting seedlings in open ground. The fact is that the spring period begins there much later than in the middle lane, so the seedling method will significantly speed up the process of growing a crop. To do this, at the end of winter, plant the seeds in small pots, while it is better to deepen them by no more than 1 cm, and moisten the soil from a spray bottle. In order for the plants to germinate as quickly as possible, they must be placed in a warm, bright room in the house and watered as the substrate dries. As soon as the seedlings get stronger, they can be hardened. To do this, they are taken out into the street in the daytime. Keep in mind that this can only be done under favorable weather conditions. At the end of May, when the weather will be more or less settled, the plants can be moved into open ground using the transfer method so as not to violate the integrity of the roots.
Description of the plant
This plant is attractive to flower growers for its beautiful and original appearance and exquisite aroma. The blooming candles give off a pleasant smell of vanilla and hay. The substance coumarin determines the smell. People enjoy the scent, but the moth hates it. This feature of the plant is used in everyday life as a remedy for moths, placing several branches of the dried liatris plant in wardrobes with clothes.
Unpretentious flowers Liatrice - video
Delicate summer flowers!Calibrachoa Aquilegia
Liatris looks great in a single planting and in a group with neighbors such as phlox, brunner, verbena, rudbeckia or armeria. Even in cut, these plants are beautiful and are able to delight with their appearance for 20 days.
1.Description - how it looks
Liatris is a flowering herbaceous perennial with a small brownish underground tuber and long, thin roots. The larger the tuber, the more magnificent and colorful the flowering will be. Tubers of adult plants reach 8-10 cm in diameter.
In spring, an erect, strong shoot with long, alternately arranged green leaves appears from the underground tuber. In some species, the shoots can be branched, and the leaves can be collected in whorls.
Leaf blades are green, entire, linear, sessile with a pronounced central vein. Interestingly, the higher the leaves are on the stem, the smaller they are.
During the flowering period, a paniculate or candle-shaped inflorescence with white, lilac or pink flowers is formed at the top of the shoot. In length, inflorescences can reach 50 - 60 cm. The buds are tubular, open sequentially - from the top to the base of the peduncle, extending the total flowering time.
During flowering, Liatris bushes resemble sparklers and often give off a pleasant aroma reminiscent of a mixture of sweet notes of vanilla and hay.
In the autumn months, the color of the leaves can change to a bronze tint. After flowering, fluffy brown achenes appear on the shoots, which become an additional decoration of the garden.
The genus includes 37 herbaceous perennials. About 13 species are grown as garden flowers, but only 3 species are most widespread - liatris spikelet, scarious and rough.
The unusual attractive bloom was noticed by people and they gave the flower a second name - "flaming star".
Height. Depending on the variety and external conditions, the height of the plants can be from 60 to 120 cm.Some dwarf varieties can reach only 30 cm in height, while the tallest plants easily exceed the 1 m mark.
Cultivation and reproduction of the Liatris flower
Liatris flowers can appear from corms, rhizomes or elongated root crowns. You can get them from nurseries or specialized gardening stores, where you can't do without them.
Growing a liatris flower begins with the selection and preparation of high-quality planting material.
The plus of this plant is that they begin to bloom in the year of planting, that is, you do not have to wait long and painfully for several years until the flowers fully mature and produce high-quality seeds, beautiful and bright flowers, as well as healthy, shiny foliage.
You can also easily grow liatris yourself from seeds. Start by placing them indoors or plant them directly in your garden in early spring.
It usually takes two weeks to a month and a half for the seeds to germinate.
You can improve their germination by yourself if you store the seeds for 1-1.5 months in a humid and cold place. Gardeners often achieve a similar effect by planting them outdoors in the fall or early winter.
As a rule, plants grown from seeds do not flower until two years old. Reproduction of a liatris flower by a seed method does not always guarantee the preservation of genetic traits, this is especially pronounced when growing hybrids.
The division of tubers is carried out when the plant is already quite adult and the roots have become very large - the procedure is carried out in the spring, when the first leaves appear.
Individual corms or tuberous roots are cut with a sharp knife or scissors (sometimes a shovel is used), keeping at least one soil for each detached sprout.
6 home care - forcing liatris
Liatris is easy to use for distillation - getting a flowering bush by any desired date. Distillation is carried out at home. Depending on the varieties from planting tubers 70 to 90 days pass before the first buds appear.
For growing a flower, small flower pots with drainage holes are selected. A layer of expanded clay or broken brick is placed on the bottom of the pots to drain moisture.
Fill the pots up to a third of the height with flower soil and place the tuber flat side up on the surface. There should be about 2 - 3 cm of free space between the tuber and the walls of the pot.
Fill the pot with the substrate, tamping it lightly. The surface of the ground should be 1 - 2 cm below the level of the pot. Place the pot in a warm and well-lit place. For permanent cultivation of a flower, southwestern or southeastern window sills are suitable.
After planting, water the plants limitedly, waiting for the first signs of growth to appear. As the green mass develops, the frequency of watering is increased, drying the ground by 1 - 2 cm in depth between waterings. For irrigation, use well-settled water at room temperature, and the excess moisture that appears in the pan is drained immediately after watering.
In order for the plants to remain strong and healthy and have lush flowering, 2 - 3 times a month they need to be fed with mineral potassium - phosphorus compounds. Fertilizing is carried out immediately after watering, applying fertilizers to wet soil.
The first feeding is done when young shoots appear from the ground, fertilization is stopped after flowering.
Since in the process of forcing the plants will still suffer from a lack of nutrients, it will be advisable to plant the tubers in open ground in the second year. it will be possible to use them for distillation a second time after 2 - 3 years.
Pruning Liatris
Some varieties of culture can grow up to 1 m, which requires mandatory tying. Strong sticks are driven in next to the bush and a dense rope or wire is pulled. Shoots are tied to the resulting structure. If the procedure is not carried out, then under adverse weather conditions or under the weight of its own mass, the shoots may break, and the bush may die.
Pruning is recommended after the end of flowering of individual inflorescences. This approach will improve the appearance of the entire bush, helping the foliage to acquire a brighter color. After the growing season is over, many gardeners choose to do a complete crop pruning.
Description of Liatris: varieties and varieties
Liatris perennial flower came to gardens in the 18th century. Its leaves are collected in a rosette, from which hard shoots come out with inflorescences growing from 0.6 to 1 m. The foliage of a culture with a dark green color, dense. The individual leaves are narrow. He does not belong to the evergreen subspecies, which does not prevent him from being popular with gardeners. Flowers are collected in spikelets, 15 to 30 cm long.
What does lyatrice look like
There are several common subspecies of culture.
Liatris spikelet
Decorates flower beds with its flowers during June-July. Their color depends on the variety and is pinkish, white, purple, lilac, lilac, azure shades. The peduncle resembles a tube, along its entire length it is covered with small flowers. Stems grow up to 80 cm, completely covered with foliage. Paniculate inflorescences of liatris spikelet reach 25 cm in length.
The known subspecies of the spiky variety, developed on the basis of the Liatris Spicata variety, include:
- Floristan Violett - with petals painted in a different shade of blue-lilac;
- Florian Weiss - the stems of the culture reach 90 cm, large inflorescences resemble snow-white candles;
- Liatris Kobold (kobold or cobalt) - has flowers of a lilac-pinkish color, located on stems with a length of 40 cm.
It's important to know! Liatris spikelet Alba has an unusual snow-white shade of flowers and a height of 50 to 80 cm
Liatris crayfish
It has large and wide leaves, pedicels are fluffy and whitish. Inflorescences in appearance resemble balls, consisting of minimal flowers of lilac and pink tones. Filmy varieties are preferred to be used in landscape design, when creating alpine slides or single flower beds.
Popular varieties of Liatrice scarious are presented:
- September Glory - growing up to 1 m, with large pinkish flowers;
- Liatris Alba (alba) - the variety is determined by large pearlescent petals and an unobtrusive aroma.
Liatris grungy
It belongs to the tallest, in nature there are options up to 2 m high. The culture has strong shoots and foliage with a green tone. Long pedicels small purple flowers are located. Representatives of the species include Wyat Spire, which has snow-white buds. Of particular interest is the purple variety Picador. Its distinctive feature is considered to be high and bright inflorescences and a love of moderate watering, easy reproduction.
Liatris Kobold
Planting and caring for lyatrix in a garden
Liatris grows best when planted in full sun and well-drained soil. Also, when planting, do not forget to keep the distance between the seedlings - at least 12-15 centimeters. Despite the above characteristics, the flower still tolerates some shade and poor soil.
Planting liatris in a garden can be carried out in the fall or spring. If the events are held in the autumn, then it is necessary to do this 30 days before the installation of permanent snow cover.
It is recommended to plant Liatris bushes in open ground as early as possible - in early spring, immediately after the first frost. But you can also plant them in the summer or early fall, when the lower temperature returns.
Caring for lyatrix in a garden is to keep the soil clear of weeds and water it regularly.
Systematic fertilization is also required. This is done about 12 times a week. Can be combined with watering. Watering at the very beginning of the growing season ensures the formation of a powerful root system in the future.
After the bush has been planted, the liatris becomes sufficiently drought tolerant. But do not overdo it with water - excessive moisture can lead to root rot.
Top dressing is done in the spring with fertilizers, which can be purchased at any specialized store.
Be sure to follow the label to know the amount of fertilizer needed for a particular bush - overly fertile soil can lead to the thorns on the flower falling off.
During the growing season, caring for the liatris plant consists in weeding regularly and removing dried inflorescences. It is not recommended to loosen the soil because of the roots that are very close to the ground. A layer of mulch will not harm the flower in any way, so use it for health!
Do not forget that Liatris flowers need special preparation for the winter period. Typically, gardeners cut off the top of the soil and cover the ground with a layer of mulch made from a mixture of dry leaves, peat and other similar materials that we usually use in such cases.
Liatris tolerates this procedure very well and calmly throughout the growing season.
For example, gardeners very often use the following practice: in the fall, they dig out sufficiently overgrown flowers and transplant them into a pot.
After that, for some time (preferably at least a month), they are kept in a cool (but not at zero temperature) and dark place. After you return them to the room again, in a month and a half, the flowering of liatris will begin again.
It is recommended to replant the Liatris plant in the fall, although you can carry out the procedure even during its flowering.
The following are photos of Liatrix of various varieties that are suitable for growing in a garden in various regions of the country:
Spikelet liatris to attract birds and butterflies
Spikelet liatris (or spikelet) also has such names as "dense sparkling star" and "steppe feather". It is a perennial herb that is native to eastern North America. It grows there in humid steppes and sedge meadows.
Plants have only five or six flowers on their heads and the leaves are more widely spaced on the stems. These differences are especially pronounced when plants are found in dry areas and in coastal habitats.
Liatris spicata is used in many flower gardens around the world for its spectacular purple flowers (sometimes they can be white or pink).
Tall thorns of purple flowers appear in July or August. They prefer to grow and thrive in full sun on regular garden soil.
This variety is great for attracting birds and butterflies.
Liatris spicate white - a perennial herb
One of the varieties of spicate liatris is a perennial herb. Unlike other species, its stem leaves are smaller, although this nuance is fully compensated by their number. Their height can reach 20 centimeters, and small pale white flowers form inflorescences 60 centimeters in size.
The peculiarity of the plant is that it begins to bloom from the top and gradually spreads downward.
Gardeners note that liatris spikelet Alba is a good carrier of honey. The bush blooms for 30-40 days in July-August - at its peak, its width can be 40 centimeters.
The fruits of the flower are ribbed with small hairs on the surface, and the seeds inside them have an oblong shape.
Liatris white easily tolerates cold weather, and does not require additional shelter in winter.
