Iberis umbrella: two methods of growing from seeds
Iberis umbrella is an excellent choice for creating borders and mixborders, but even in a single planting, these compact lush bushes look very beautiful. The height of the plant does not exceed 25 cm, but their main advantage is manifested in the middle of summer, when the entire bush is covered with rather large inflorescences in the form of umbrellas, consisting of small flowers with four petals. The color of the inflorescences can be different: most often there are white varieties, but among them there are pink, lilac and even purple species.
Iberis bloom is not only abundant, but also fragrant and long lasting. Provided that faded inflorescences are trimmed, new ones appear on the bush until September.
Annual varieties of Iberis are propagated by seed, and this method also gives good results when propagating perennial Iberis. Cultivation of umbelliferae from seeds can be done in two ways:
- sowing in open ground;
- growing seedlings.
When to sow seeds in the garden?
In order to bloom the Iberis umbrella in July, it is necessary to start sowing seeds at the end of April. In regions with late spring, it is better to postpone sowing until May, when stable temperature values are established. But sowing seeds before winter allows you to see flowering in the month of May. It should be sown in a groove, leaving a distance of at least 5 cm between the seeds, since the seedlings grow rapidly up to 25 cm in diameter. If necessary, crops are thinned out if they are too thick.
Iberis reproduces well by self-seeding, if you do not cut the bush. However, it should be borne in mind that the inflorescences of such plants become smaller and bloom mostly white, even if the purchased seeds in the first year were of a different color.
How to grow seedlings of Iberis umbrella?
Seeds for seedlings can be sown earlier, already in the month of March. For this, it is better to use peat tablets rather than a common container. They must first be soaked and put one seed in each. For seedlings to appear faster and more amicably, you need to build a mini-greenhouse.
Iberis umbrella does not tolerate transplantation, therefore, it is necessary to plant seedlings on the garden bed by the transfer method, and in the case of using tablets - together with the latter, having previously cut the protective shell so that it does not restrict the roots.
Relocate seedlings flowers on a flower bed can be already in the month of May, and planting in two approaches (in May and in July) will allow you to prolong flowering.