Planting methods and secrets of caring for a refined gravilat
In landscape design, a modest, but at the same time refined gravilat is widely used. This amazing perennial is used to decorate stone rockeries, alpine hills, as well as flower beds of various shapes, including rabatki. In the front garden, he gets along well with carnations, peonies and bells. Velvet inflorescences of fiery red and yellow-orange color stand out in contrast against the background of dark greenery. Growing this flower does not require academic knowledge. It is important for the gardener to understand the nature of the plant in order to make friends with him.
Landing nuances
At the dacha, you should find a well-lit area that is warmed up by the sun for more than 8-10 hours a day. They are thermophilic crops and cannot tolerate heavy shade. The basic principles of planting a gravilat and caring for it (photos and descriptions of varieties are given below) include the following:
- Correctly selected soil. Damp areas must be dried using special methods. Some recommend making a mound garden or buying varieties that love moisture. In the hole, it is imperative to make drainage from stones or expanded clay. When digging up a plot, the earth should be mixed with sand.
- Distance between bushes. It should be between 15 and 20 cm for the leafy rosette to develop freely.
- Maximum remoteness of roots from groundwater. In overly moist soil, the root system begins to rot, and gray mold also appears.
Diseases and pests generally do not affect this representative of the Pink family. Moreover, the bushes are very easy to propagate in your backyard. It is enough to sow seeds in a container in spring (March), and in the last days of April, transplant seedlings into open ground. It should be borne in mind that the threat of frost still remains, so the sprouts need to be covered. For these purposes use
- agrofiber;
- film;
- plastic bottles.
However, the young will only throw out the color next year. The second breeding method is by dividing the bushes. In spring or early fall, you need to dig up the bush and carefully divide it into two parts. Before planting in the hole, pour water to prevent the roots from wilting.
It is important to reduce the acidity of the soil if necessary. To do this, add several parts of wood ash to it.
Care features
Although gravilat cannot be called a capricious plant, it still needs to be regularly fed with mineral and organic fertilizers... You can add potassium phosphate substrates, peat, manure or deciduous humus, as well as nitrophosphate (three in one - nitrogen, potassium and sodium). In addition, it is important to provide the flower with favorable conditions:
- water as the earth dries up;
- loosen the soil, removing weeds;
- to clear the bush of dried leaves and peduncles.
However, much depends on the type of culture. There are varieties that are resistant to frost. Other species thrive in lightly shaded gardens. For others, river valleys are a favorite place. Therefore, you need to get to know each of them personally.
For the winter period, the greens must be cut at the root, and the garden bed covered with mulch. Dried leaves, as well as pine or Christmas tree needles (layer up to 10 cm) will provide reliable protection from severe frosts.
Rod Gravilath
In total, there are about fifty species of this exquisite flower on the globe.And only 20 varieties of gravilata are classified as herbaceous plants that are used for planting in open ground. Of these, only 7 can be found on the territory of Russia, which are adapted for growing in temperate and cold latitudes. The European climate is also suitable for some varieties of this genus.
Urban
In many countries it is called St. Benedict's herb. The flowering period of the urban gravilata lasts about four months - from May to August. Miniature flowers, 2 cm in diameter, thanks to 5 bright yellow petals, resemble the sun. The terry center is the same shade, but in some specimens it has a brown edging made of small stamens. The entire stem is covered with delicate villi. The leaves are collected in a triple rosette, which is planted on long roots.
The height of a wild plant varies from 40 to 80 cm, which makes it possible to use urban gravilat to decorate rectangular flower beds. Here are the main points in growing:
- Frost and drought resistant.
- Do not tolerate too moist (waterlogged) soils with a high salt content.
- Planting is carried out by seeds in early spring.
- The width between the beds should be more than half a meter.
It has been scientifically proven that the roots of the plant have medicinal and antidote properties. Moreover, many housewives add it as a spice to soups and alcoholic beverages (wine or ale).
Do not bury the seeds deeply in the ground, it is enough to deepen them by 1.5-2 cm. Then the seedlings will appear earlier, after 2-3 weeks.
River
Unlike most of its "relatives", the river gravilat gets along well in humid and slightly shaded areas. These can mainly be:
- damp banks of ponds, swamps and rivers;
- clay, sandy or silty soils;
- fields or meadows with nutritious soil;
- shrubs and forests.
In most cases, it can withstand acidic as well as limestone areas. It is one of the few varieties that adapts perfectly in the most adverse conditions. Starting from the May holidays and ending with September weekdays, purple avens (as Americans call it) pleases gardeners with its carmine red bloom.
Leaves in neutral and slightly acidic soils begin to change their color. Purple streaks protrude on them. This can be used when creating an original landscape design.
Such herbaceous plants for open ground grow up to one meter, while the river gravilat is able to independently fertilize the soil around itself. Ripe stamens serve as a kind of organic food for him.
Chilean
The name eloquently suggests where this variety comes from. Thanks to the Chilean gravilat, breeders have bred many other varieties of culture, among which are popular:
- Goldball (huge yellow inflorescences);
- Mr. Bradshaw (scarlet);
- Lady Stratheden (lush flower 3-4 cm in diameter with acid yellow petals);
- Fireball (in orange palette);
- Mrs J. Bradshaw.
These cute flowers will be decorating the garden for about one or two months. The buds begin to bloom on the 15th of May. By mid-July, fruits are formed on 60 centimeter pedicels. A favorable temperature for seed germination is 15 degrees. The seedlings in the box must be thinned out to make the flower larger.
As soon as the temperature outside drops to + 6 ° C, the front garden must be covered with agrofibre.
Tamed
At one time, botanical scientists crossed the Chilean and scarlet gravilat, and they got a tame variety. Its flowers are like bells bent downward, as if from hard work. The coloring of this variety will appeal to many lovers of burgundy tones, because it is in this shade that the stems of the culture are made. They are elegantly decorated with yellow petals with a double center.In other varieties, there are pink, and even white inflorescences that have a paniculate or corymbose shape. Dense leaves imitate dissected feathers or lobes. The tame gravel reaches a height of 0.7 m, so this variety of herbaceous plants is most suitable for open ground.
Luxurious flowering will turn out only if the bush is in an open area. During the flowering season, it needs a lot of sunlight. However, on hot days, only the root should be watered abundantly, and not the entire area, so as not to create a greenhouse effect. It is advisable to cut the bush, then it can grow in width. Such curly exhibits will become an original decoration rockeries.
It is desirable to add peat, wood ash, dolomite flour, sand and vegetable humus to the soil. Experts recommend treating the soil with fungicidal preparations before planting.
Hybrid
Inflorescences reach 3 cm in diameter. They are often yellow, red and orange. At the same time, the stamens of each type are similar to placers of amber jewelry. The leaves, located on long stems, have a wrinkled structure and are covered with almost invisible hairs. On each of them contrasting streaks are clearly distinguished. The leaves are luxurious with a jagged and slightly wavy edge. At the roots, they are collected in a compact but relatively dense rosette. Hybrid gravilat has many bred varieties, among which are popular:
- Princess Juliana;
- Prince of Orange;
- Gladis Perry;
- Dolly North;
- J. Bradshaw;
- Ruby.
You can admire these terry blooms on dense pedicels for almost two months: May and June. If the weather is warm in September, the bush will again throw out a batch of young buds. The cultivation and care of the hybrid gravilat is no different from the Chilean, since it is derived from it.
Autumn planting should be done long before frost. The seedling should get strong and take root well so as not to freeze when the temperature drops.
Fire ball
The Fireball differs from the rest of the Pink family with a pungent red tint. Although there are varieties and acid orange color. Large double flowers perfectly decorate the unsightly borders of the front gardens. Diving plays an important role in cultivar calibration. After sowing the seeds into the container, you need to wait for several leaves to appear, and then separate them and transplant them into a new container.
The division of the bushes should be done 1-2 times every four years. They should be planted 20 cm apart. If possible, trim the stems to give the bush more volume.
Terry
Its official name is Red Dragon. This variety of terry gravilata is a favorite of many summer residents, because the flower has a volumetric shape. The petals are arranged in several rows, which gives the plant a chic look. An unusually flashy shade of red flowers looks great on the alpine slides. Taking care of the crop, you should enrich the soil with humus. To prevent the soil from being too wet, the flower bed can be raised a couple of centimeters above ground level. Among other things, you need to apply the basic guidelines for this kind.
The conclusion follows from this. An outwardly unattractive gravilat flower, if properly cared for, can become an amazing exhibit of a modern garden.