Proper cultivation of Nolana
Some plants are not yet well known among amateur gardeners. But their beauty, I think, will soon make them one of the most demanded and loved ones. For example, growing nolana is a pleasure both from an aesthetic point of view and from a practical point of view.
Content:
Nolana and her features
Nolana is originally from Chile. Large areas were discovered there, as if covered with a green carpet with amazing sky-blue flowers. At home, this flower is a perennial. But in European countries where it is actively cultivated, and in our country, nolana is used as an annual plant.
Breeders, based on a natural wild-growing flower, have bred several varieties that differ from each other in some features of their appearance. But the basic characteristics of Nolana are preserved. She is absolutely unpretentious.
One plant, which has sufficiently branched stems, can cover an area of up to 70 square centimeters, and this, you see, is a lot. The height of nolan reaches 15-25 centimeters. Nolana leaves are dark green in color and heart-shaped, collected in a basal rosette. The bell-shaped flowers are located in the leaf axils and have a diameter of about 4 centimeters. The color is blue, lilac, blue or white, the bottom of the flower is yellow-cream.
As for the decorative properties of this beauty, Nolana is grown as a ground cover or ampel plant. Nolana will look good on a rocky hill, a flower bed and in a flower garden with other representatives of the flora, for example with nasturtium, petunia, marigolds or calibrachoa... In addition, this flower can be used as a low curb due to its property to grow as a dense floral carpet. And, of course, Nolana will look good on balconies and verandas, as it looks great in a vase or flowerpot.
Raising nolana
In order to get a strong and beautifully flowering plant, nolana is planted with seeds in February in small containers. Land bought in a store is suitable for balcony or indoor flowers. The temperature should be around + 20 + 22 degrees. The place where the containers with seeds will be located should be sufficiently lit. A month later, young plants dive, and after another couple of weeks they pinch.
Nolana is planted in a permanent place when the frost subsides. The optimum distance between plants is 25 centimeters. The plant will bloom in June, and after another 1.5 months, Nolana will become a real lushly blooming carpet. Nolan will bloom until September.
If nolana is intended to decorate balcony boxes, then it should be planted along the front edge so that later it hangs down.
Conditions for growing nolana
- Lighting and location.
The best place would be an open area, as Nolana loves sunlight, but she also tolerates shade well.
- The soil.
Prefers Nolana on light, fertile and well-drained soil.
- Watering.
Although this plant is a drought-resistant plant, watering should be made more intense in the hot and dry period of the year. Also, an important condition is soil loosening, which is done after each watering.
- Fertilizers.
Nolana's food is always helpful.So during the whole season, you can feed the plant two or three times with the help of mineral fertilizers. It is advisable to do this even before the flowering period.
- Pruning.
Withered Nolana flowers must be cut off in time to prolong the flowering period of the plant. In addition, if you want to make the plant more dense, the tops of its shoots can be pinch.
- Pest control.
One of the possible problems is the defeat of aphids. In this case, you must first try to simply remove the pest yourself with a jet of water. But this method is likely to be ineffective. You can also use soapy water (2 teaspoons of soap in 2 cups of water) along with vegetable oil (1 cup). This mixture should be sprayed on the affected areas of the plant. An infusion of garlic has also proven its effectiveness (chopped garlic - about 5 cloves, mixed with water - 0.5 liters, liquid soap - 1 teaspoon and vegetable oil - 2 teaspoons).
In addition, you can get rid of these pests with the help of other aphid-eating insects. For example, ladybugs, lacewings, and some wasp species will be delighted with such a treat. To invite them to your garden, you need to plant spicy fragrant herbs, siderata and nettles in it.
It is a fact that nolana is not a well-known plant yet. But without a doubt, this flower is amazing both for its beauty and for how easy it is to grow it. So if you want to have a really beautiful flower garden, do not disregard Nolana.
Good luck in growing!