Mirabilis: the correct cultivation of a night beauty

Every year, a large number of decorative flowering plants of the same year are planted in summer cottages and near houses. Every day, buds of all kinds of flowers bloom and decorate the territory. Mirabilis night beauty, bloom it begins in the evening and continues throughout the night.

Content:

• General information about the flower
• Mirabilis varieties
• Plant care
• Breeding secrets
• Diseases and pests
• Application

General information about the flower

Mirabilis is a herbaceous perennial, which belongs to the family Nicholas. Represents bush, the height of which can reach 1 meter. This plant comes from the American continent. Stems are thick, strong, fleshy, highly branched.

Leaves are oblong oval with a sharp end, smooth, colored in a green tone, mostly densely located on the upper part of the branches. The flowers are single, large, solid, funnel-shaped, with a diameter of not more than 2.5 cm. Their color depends on the type of plant. When flowering in the evening, they emit a pleasant aroma.

A feature of this plant is that flowers with different colors can appear on one bush.

The flowering period lasts several months starting in mid-summer. The buds open after 4 pm and close only at sunrise, and flowering can also begin earlier in cloudy weather.

Mirabilis varieties

• Mirabilis Iolanta. A small rounded bush up to 50 cm high. The stems are thick, strong, nodular, strongly branching in the upper part. The flowers are medium-sized, funnel-shaped, brightly colored with dashed stripes all over the flower. Blooms in late June and blooms until frost.
• Mirabilis Red lollipop. A large, wide, rounded bush, the height of which reaches 90 cm. The stems are thick, smooth, light green in color, strongly branching in the upper part. Leaves are simple, oval-oblong, tinted green. The flowers are large, up to 6 cm in diameter, funnel-shaped, wavy at the edges. Painted in a bright red tone. The variety in care is not whimsical and resistant to diseases.
• Mirabilis Elvira. The bush is medium in size, round and dense. Stems are strong, smooth, strongly branching, their height does not exceed 60 cm. The leaves are colored in a dark green tone, oblong, pointed at the end. Flowers reach 3.5 cm in diameter, have a bright color.
• Mirabilis Tea Time Red. The bush is medium in size, globular, dense. Stems are light green, smooth, knotty, strongly branching in the upper part. Leaves are oval-oblong, smooth, dark green in color. The flowers are medium-sized, funnel-shaped, painted in a rich pink tone. The variety is most common in cold regions. Resistant to disease. The flowering period is from mid-summer to the first frost.
• Mirabilis Tea Time Formula Mixture. The bush is globular, wide, of medium size. The height of the branches reaches 70-90 cm. The leaves are simple, oblong, pointed at the end, densely located on the upper part of the branches. Stems are highly branched, smooth, glabrous from the bottom. Flowers 2.5 cm in diameter, funnel-shaped, smooth, wavy at the edges, have a variegated color.

Plant care

It is recommended to select a place for mirabilis that is well lit with clay soil.In shaded areas, the bush develops slowly, bloom later, the flowers themselves are smaller and dull in color. Also, the plant does not tolerate drafts.

The plant is unpretentious for watering and it is not necessary to monitor soil moisture. But in hot and dry periods, it is recommended to water the mirabilis abundantly. If there is not enough water for the bush, then the leaves will begin to wither and turn yellow, and the growth of the stems will stop. After watering, it is recommended to regularly loosen the soil and remove weeds... Thus, additional air will flow. root system, and the plantings will not thicken.

The bushes of mirabilis do not need pruning, the highly branching stems create a wide spherical shape in a natural way.

To preserve decorativeness, it is recommended to carefully remove wilted flowers and, if necessary, leaves. For good development of the bush and abundant flowering, it is recommended to add organic or mineral fertilizers together with watering under the bush. If the night beauty mirabilis was planted in a previously prepared or fertilized soil, then fertilizing can be done less often or removed altogether.

Street varieties die off for the winter, their tubers can be saved for next year by placing them in a container with peat. They are stored in a cool place where the ambient temperature is approximately 5 degrees. For varieties intended for cultivation on the balcony, the tubers can be left in the pot. The upper part of the plant is completely cut off, and all containers are transferred to the basement. Every 1.5-2 months it is necessary to water the plant, otherwise the tubers may dry out until spring.

Breeding secrets

Reproduction of mirabilis is carried out using seed, cuttings and dividing the bush. Mirabilis seeds are harvested from bushes. They form in the axils of each flower, and after the flower withers and falls off, the seed begins to ripen. It has a round shape and the size of a pea, when mature it turns black and is easily accessible. Since the flowering of the plant lasts almost all summers, the harvesting period is extended over the same period.

In warm regions, seeds are sown in open ground in the month of April, when stable warm weather has established, and the ground has warmed up a few centimeters.

In cold regions they cook seedlings... To do this, in March, each seed is planted in a separate tall peat cup. The seeds can be pre-soaked in warm water for a day. Place the cups with crops in a warm and well-lit place. The first shoots should appear in a few days.

Caring for them is simple: timely watering and light loosening of the soil. In open ground seedlings are planted in May, preferably in the evening, to protect from the daytime sun.

Propagation using cuttings:

• Cuttings are prepared from woody branches. They are cut, the cut site is dried, the cuttings are soaked in a stimulating solution for several hours.
• Small stems with several nodes are well rooted in peat with river sand mixed in equal proportions.
• The cuttings are buried, a greenhouse is made on top with the help of a film, or simply covered with a glass jar.
• Seedlings must be regularly watered and ventilated.
• Successful rooting will be seen by the newly appeared leaves on the stems.
• After a while, the plants can be planted in separate containers.

By dividing the bush mainly dwarf varieties are propagated, which are grown for landscaping balconies, terraces and winter gardens. Initially, a young plant is planted in a deep pot. In adulthood, for the cold period, the tubers are removed from the pots and placed in peat or wet sand. The container with tubers is transferred to a cool room. From November to March, the mirabilis has a period of rest. During spring planting, the tubers are removed and separated. Can be planted one at a time in a separate pot.

Such bushes grow and develop faster, and the flowering period begins earlier.

The most common method is seed propagation. During the warm summer, they have time to ripen well and remain viable for 3 years. Therefore, other breeding methods are rarely used.

Diseases and pests

The plant is resistant to diseases... Periodically, aphids may appear on the branches, which most likely have passed from a neighboring plant. It is removed with soapy water, which is washed bush... Such cleaning is carried out 2-3 times, if necessary, until the parasite is completely removed.

Rust may appear on the bushes.

Such diseases are treated with the help of special products that can be bought at gardening stores. In this case, not only diseased plants are processed, but also all neighboring ones. It is advisable to process the entire area.

Application

Mirabilis night beauty is mainly used as ornamental plant to decorate a site near a house or summer cottage. Some varieties are grown on balconies and in conservatories. All types of this plant are unpretentious in care, therefore they are widely popular and are often found.

It goes well and grows with other plants and in single compositions.

Tall varieties are often used as hedges, dwarf varieties are planted at the edges flower beds like edging.

Some types of mirabilis are eaten. In cooking, tubers and the green part of the bush are used. Such varieties are found only in warm regions where the ambient temperature in winter does not drop below 15 degrees. Also, some types are used in cosmetology and perfumery.

Growing mirabilis at home or in the country is a simple task. This lush blooming bush will decorate the territory all summer and give a pleasant aroma during flowering every evening.

More information can be found in the video.