Types and varieties of sunflower
There are not so many types of heliantemum grown in culture, but we will introduce you to some of them.
Helianthemum mutabile
Perennial sunflower wintering without shelter with rising stems up to 25 cm high, lanceolate leaves, pubescent only from below, and curled white-pink flowers up to 2 cm in diameter, blooming in May-June.
Photo: Helianthemum mutabile
Alpine sunflower (Helianthemum alpestre = Helianthemum oelandicum ssp. Alpestre)
A winter-hardy, but requiring shelter, a species up to 10 cm high, growing in the alpine belt from the Balkans to the Pyrenees and forming low dense evergreen rugs up to 30 cm in diameter, decorated with yellow flowers.
In the photo: Alpine sunflower (Helianthemum alpestre)
Apennine sunflower (Helianthemum apenninum)
A perennial shrub, 20-25 cm high, wintering without shelter, native to Asia Minor and from the south-west of Europe. Its leaves are lanceolate, pubescent only on the underside. Pale pink flowers about 2 cm in diameter are collected in racemose inflorescences.
In the photo: Apennine sunflower (Helianthemum apenninum)
Monet Sunflower (Helianthemum nummularium)
A branchy shrub up to 40 cm high, wildly growing in Central Europe and the Mediterranean. Its stems are strongly pubescent, ascending or outstretched. Leaves are oval or lanceolate, green on top and grayish-tomentose on the underside. Yellow flowers up to 2.5 cm in diameter form beautiful curls.
In the photo: Monet Sunflower (Helianthemum nummularium)
Arctic sunflower (Helianthemum arcticum)
An endangered endemic from the Murmansk region of the Russian Federation, represented by perennial shrubs from 10 to 40 cm in height with numerous stems and bright yellow flowers up to 2.5 cm in diameter, collected in inflorescences of 3-6 pieces.
In the photo: Hybrid sunflower (Helianthemum x hybridum)
Hybrid sunflower (Helianthemum x hybridum)
It unites all garden varieties and forms that were obtained by crossing the Apennine and monetary sunflowers. Among them are plants with white, pink, orange and red flowers.
Runny: properties and contraindications, types of Weeds and ways to combat them
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Some Tips for Torenia Cultivation
Lighting and location for the flower. The plant is very light-requiring, and for the brightness of the colors of flowers, it is necessary to select places with sufficient illumination, but with shading from the scorching sunlight. In indoor conditions, windows of an east or west orientation are suitable. If the plant is placed on the window of the northern location, there will not be enough illumination and the shoots will be strongly stretched, on the south side you will have to hang tulle or curtains, glue tracing paper or paper on the glass. However, if there is increased heat or prolonged rains, then this will inevitably destroy the delicate flower. It is necessary to protect the variegated beauty in the premises from the slightest effect of drafts.
Content temperature. For torsion, room heat indicators are most acceptable when the temperature does not drop below 16-18 degrees. Therefore, seedlings are planted in the garden on a flower bed only when night frosts are not expected. But with the arrival of autumn, 6–8 weeks before the “matinees” begin, it is necessary to bring the flower pot into a room where a good level of illumination is maintained and heat indicators fluctuate between 16–17 degrees. However, after the flowering process ends, the toria dies off.
The air humidity when growing the "queen of bells" must be high enough. If the heat indicators exceed the permissible threshold, then spraying of torenia bushes is carried out
It is important to ensure that drops of moisture do not fall on the delicate buds of the plant - this will ruin them. It is only necessary to wet the sheet plates
Watering for toria. Moisturization of the soil for the flower should be regular and abundant - both for potted crops and for planted outdoors.The signal for watering the plant is the drying of the top layer of the soil. But nevertheless, swamping does not tolerate torenia and various rot can affect it, and slugs attack it in flower beds. The plant will not survive either with constant overdrying of an earthen coma, or with heavy, long rains.
Fertilizer. In order for the "queen of bells" to please the eye with flowering and its duration, it is necessary to introduce regular fertilizing with complex mineral solutions. And when flowering begins, you will have to fertilize with dressings for flowering plants. Fertilizers are applied every 2 weeks. The dosage should be reduced by almost two times from that indicated by the manufacturer.
Flower care must be carried out regularly. At the beginning of growth, it is necessary to pinch the tops of the shoots in order to achieve the branching of the bush, and then it is worth removing the wilted buds, since the torment itself does not discard them, and they significantly spoil the decorative appearance of the plant.
Transplanting and soil selection for plants grown in pots and outdoors. Torenia is a plant with very delicate leaves and flowers. She feels comfortable on loose and nutritious soils. The acidity of the substrate that will suit her can have different indicators - both pH 5.6 (slightly alkaline) and pH 7.5 (acidic). But it is best to pick up a neutral soil mixture. You can mix light loam into its composition, which is distinguished by its ability to retain moisture. Also, for planting in pots, ordinary purchased land for indoor plants is used and river sand or crushed charcoal is added to it.
You can compose a soil mixture yourself, based on the following components:
- leafy soil, humus soil, coarse sand (all parts are equal),
garden soil, peat, humus soil, river sand (in proportions 2: 2: 2: 1).
Dates of planting calendula seeds
You can grow calendula from seeds by sowing in open ground or for seedlings. In the second case, it will bloom earlier. Seeds of marigolds are sown in open ground in two periods: in spring, when the soil thaws and dries up, and in autumn, before the onset of stable frosts.
In the middle lane, the optimal dates for spring planting are the second and third decades of April. The soil is considered ready if the thrown clod of earth crumbles.
Autumn planting of calendula in the ground is carried out when night frosts become regular, the soil has not yet frozen, but warm days are no longer expected.
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The timing of planting calendula for outdoor cultivation may vary from region to region. An inexperienced gardener can check them with neighbors in a summer cottage.
Marigolds are sown on seedlings from late February to early April. After planting, the containers are watered with settled water and covered so that the earth does not dry out. Several times a day, the shelter is removed to ventilate. After the emergence of shoots, the shelter is removed. Seedlings require bright lighting and moderate watering. A few days before planting in open ground, the seedlings begin to harden - they are taken out into the street at a temperature of 12-16 degrees. Despite the fact that the plant is cold-resistant, hardened seedlings will grow faster and will hurt less after transplanting.
How to grow at home and on the site?
Marigolds have a short growing season and can begin flowering as early as the second month after sowing seeds. Due to the fact that the plant is unpretentious to weather conditions and tolerates small spring frosts, it does not need a covering material when sowing seeds directly in open ground or in boxes on the balcony.
It is necessary to plant marigold seeds at a time when a stable temperature of +5 is established outside. Planting dates directly depend on weather conditions, if in regions with a warm climate it is possible to sow seeds in the ground already in April, then in the middle lane it will be the end of May. Flowering, respectively, occurs at the end of June at the beginning of July.
If you want marigolds to start flowering earlier, then you should use a seedling planting method.Seedlings are grown at home, and when warm weather sets in, an adult, ready-to-bloom plant is planted in a permanent place.
Learn more about the features of growing marigolds here.
Growing conditions torenia
Torenia can shed greens under the influence of direct sunlight, active drafts, gusty winds, from getting wet in the rain, it is the leaves that play a role in the choice of conditions, since the flowers are low capricious.
Moderate lighting is necessary: diffused light is needed, partial shade - in direct sunlight, the plant will not withstand even 30 minutes. Be sure to protect from precipitation, drafts and wind.
The soil should be fertile, well-drained, with a loose texture, sufficient water and air permeability. At your choice - use a solid garden soil, flavored with organic matter, or a ready-made substrate for decorative flowering plants.
Overview of species and varieties
Many varieties and hybrids of an exotic plant have been bred by gardeners. In backyard flower beds and in parklands, yellow or dark purple torenia, as well as Fournier, are most often used. It is difficult to determine the flower according to the species characteristic; usually, when choosing, they are guided by the color of the bushes.
Gardeners distinguish 3 main plant varieties.
- Torenia is yellow. The inflorescences of the plant are colored yellow, the middle is purple, and the lower part has a darker stripe that looks like a tongue.
- Torenia is dark purple. Small flowers of a tubular type are colored purple. The arrangement of flowers is single. The opposite leaves are pointed towards the end, and their edges resemble a Christmas tree. The shoots of the bushes are elongated.
- Torenia Fournier. This variety is considered the most popular. Bushes have branching shoots. Long ovoid leaves. Lips and petals are often paired with vibrant blues and purples. Fournier is suitable both for growing on a personal plot and in the house.
The latter variety of torenia includes many subspecies that are often used in landscaping or grown indoors.
- Quai Burgundy. These annuals are very compact in shape: they grow up to 25 centimeters in height. The leaves of the bushes are lush, and flowering lasts quite a long time. Inflorescences have a peculiar shape and color scheme. It tolerates high temperatures and drought well.
- "Cauai Mix". This variety is early flowering. A large number of flexible branches form lush compact bushes up to 20 centimeters high. Due to its decorative properties, it often decorates balconies, usually grown in pots. Flowering continues for a long period of time. The ejection of buds is wavy.
- Lemon Lollipop. Lush leaves are attached to the even stem of the bush. The plant is covered with a huge number of flowers. The size of such a torsion is very compact. Tropical flower blooms for a long time. The petals are white and stained with lemon shades.
- Lemon Drop. This annual has a spectacular appearance. Lush foliage and branched shoots form a compact, globular bush. The height of an adult plant is 20 centimeters. The flowers are painted in a delicate white color and are decorated with a rich lemon spot. Such flowers are grown both in indoor pots and in garden beds. The plant is often used for group planting.
- "Duchess". The plant is a fast-growing plant, reaching a height of 20 centimeters. The small bush has lush foliage, the flowering period begins early and lasts quite a long time. The flowers have a tubular shape, are painted blue with a lilac tint, a spot is observed on the lower "lip".
Types and varieties of evening primrose
The species of primrose grown in garden culture are divided into biennial and perennial. Biennials include the following:
Oenothera drummondii
A semi-shrub with a height of 30 to 80 cm with a powerful, highly branched stem, opposite dark green, solid, pointed to the top with elongated lanceolate leaves and four-petalled fragrant yellow flowers up to 7 cm in diameter.
In the photo: Oenothera drummondii
Evening primrose (Oenothera versicolor)
Biennial up to 120 cm high with orange flowers. Most often, a variety of this species is grown in gardens called Sunset Boulevard: a bush with brick-orange flowers reaches 35-45 in height, and 15-25 cm in diameter.
In the photo: Oenothera versicolor
Biennial evening primrose (Oenothera biennis)
Or evening evening primrose, or evening evening primrose - a plant with erect stems up to 120 cm high, covered with short hairs. Lanceolate, whole, sparsely toothed, almost whole-edged leaves can reach a length of 20 cm.It is yellow evening primrose: its regular flowers are up to 5 cm in diameter, collected in terminal racemose inflorescences, are colored lemon-yellow and open only in the evening or in cloudy weather. The most famous variety of the species: Evening dawn is a plant about 1 m high with fragrant golden flowers with a red tint.
In the photo: Biennial Enotera (Oenothera biennis)
Evening primrose (Oenothera speciosa)
Juvenile up to 40 cm high with oblong, sparsely toothed leaves along the edge and pink or white fragrant cupped flowers molds up to 5 cm in diametercollected in an apical spike-shaped inflorescence with few flowers.
In the photo: Enotera beautiful (Oenothera speciosa)
Evening primrose (Oenothera erythrosepala)
Or the evening primrose Lamarck - a biennial plant of unknown origin, but it is likely that it appeared in the Old World as a result of a mutation. It is an erect densely branching bush up to 1 m high with smooth light green oval-lanceolate leaves and yellow flowers forming dense brushes. The plant has been cultivated since the 19th century.
In the photo: Enotera erythrosepala (Oenothera erythrosepala)
Of the perennial evening primrose species in garden culture, the following are grown:
Evening primrose (Oenothera missouriensis)
Or large-fruited evening primrose, originating from the south central North America... Its ascending stems reach a height of 30-40 cm. Dense leaves can be oval or narrow-lanceolate. Fragrant single golden-yellow flowers up to 10 cm in diameter practically lie on the ground. This spectacular primrose has been cultivated since 1811.
In the photo: Oenothera missouriensis
Evening primrose (Oenothera perennis = Oenothera pumila)
Originally from the east of North America. This is a stunted plant up to 25 cm tall with narrow-lanceolate leaves up to 1.5 cm wide and yellow flowers about 1.5 cm in diameter, collected in an ear. In culture, the species has been since 1757.
In the photo: Oenothera perennial (Oenothera perennis = Oenothera pumila)
Evening primrose (Oenothera tetragona)
Or evening primrose Fraser - a view from the east of North America. Bushes up to 70 cm high with oval blue-green leaves, which acquire a reddish tint in autumn, adorn corymbose inflorescences of yellow fragrant flowers. The most famous varieties are Sonnenwende (golden yellow flowers), Friverkeri (golden yellow flowers, red stems and buds), Hoes Licht (canary yellow flowers).
In the photo: Oenothera tetragona
Common evening primrose (Oenothera fruticosa)
Originally from the east coast of North America. It is a semi-shrub species up to 120 cm high with dark green elongated oval leaves and fragrant yellow flowers up to 5 cm in diameter. This plant has been cultivated since 1737.
In the photo: Enotera shrub (Oenothera fruticosa)
