Gourmet armeria: planting and care in an open flower bed
All garden flowers add a unique flavor to the summer cottage area. Armeria is especially impressive, planting and caring for which is within the power of even an inexperienced person. Its exquisite buds, heady aroma and splendor of colors are admired by everyone. I just want to touch the delicate petals so that the heart is filled with joy. Let's get acquainted with this miracle of nature.
The unique beauty of the plant
In its natural environment, the perennial is found in the Mediterranean, as well as in the American continent, Mongolia, Eastern Europe and Siberia.
Armeria herbaceous shrub grows up to a maximum of 60 cm. Under the ground, it has a short but strong tap root system. Thanks to her, the flower withstands the vagaries of nature. The lower part of erect shoots is decorated with sessile linear-lanceolate leaf plates. They are collected in a lush outlet.
The surface of the stems is smooth or covered with fine villi. During the flowering period, the shrub puts on capitate inflorescences of white, pink or purple. After pollination, a fruit appears, inside which there is an achene. There are a huge number of types of armeria, but gardeners use only 10 of the most popular. Consider the delights of some of them.
Alpine army
A perennial flower forms dense blankets up to 15 cm high. Each bush occupies an area with a diameter of about 30 cm. The peculiarity of the variety is that the leaf plates retain their appearance in winter.
Popular goindy:
- "Rosea";
- "Alba";
- "Laucheana".
Axillary buds are colored deep pink, white and carmine red. Thanks to the systematic planting and caring for the army, alpine summer residents get spectacular flower beds. After all, the plant begins to bloom in early June, and ends only after a month.
Pseudoarmeria (beautiful)
The spectacular flower grows up to 40 cm in height. Has evergreen basal foliage, which does not lose its decorative effect in winter.
Running differentit is seensti:
- Red Planet;
- "Thift";
- Bees Ruby;
- Joystick White.
An amazing mixture of beautiful colors of Armeria amazes with its magnificence. Exquisite snow-white buds evoke a sense of solemnity. Delicate pink spherical inflorescences give moments of peace. A bright red tone, cheers up.
Primorsky army
The name indicates the growth of the variety in natural conditions. On the seaside, there are really bushes, about 20 cm high. And thanks to the simple scheme of planting and caring for the seaside armeria, many have the opportunity to have such a spectacular flower on the site.
There are several popular options:
- Louisiana;
- Bloodstone;
- Vindictive;
- Dusseldorf Stolz.
In the root area of each subspecies there is a dense rosette consisting of elongated leaf plates. They are colored greenish blue.In May, capitate inflorescences, consisting of small buds, are formed on a herbaceous shrub. It is noteworthy that the petals of Louisiana Armeria are painted in a pale pink color. Against the background of the root rosette, the flower looks simply gorgeous. And in company with other types of culture, the flower bed turns into an exquisite oasis of relaxation.
Juniperus armeria
The highland regions of Spain and Portugal are considered the homeland of the variety. Perennial bushes only grow up to 15 cm in height. The leaf plates are located in the root area. They form a spacious rosette with a diameter of about 20 cm. During flowering, armeria juniper is decorated with bright red or pale pink buds. The edges of the petals are framed by membranous bracts. A feature of the variety is abundant flowering, which lasts about 50 days.
For a flower bed, you can use the terry flower subspecies "Brno" (lilac color of buds) and "Bivene Variety" (pale pink tone).
Bright armeria flower: planting and care
The admiration we get when looking at the multi-colored “carpets” and “cushions” of garden flowers cannot be expressed in words. Anyone who boldly gets down to business can appear such beauty. Consider the rules for growing armeria in a summer cottage.
Sowing options
Gardeners grow crops in two ways. It is sown directly into the soil or containers to get seedlings. In the first case, sowing armeria on a flower bed is carried out in the fall.
First, the soil is prepared by performing a number of works:
- remove weeds or the remains of dried plants;
- loosen the soil;
- level the top layer of the earth;
- apply organic fertilizers (if necessary).
Further, grooves are made on the site at a distance of 30-40 cm from each other. Sow seeds and carefully close up the garden. This approach allows for the natural stratification of the planting material during the winter cold.
In a similar way, Armeria is sown on a flower bed in early March, for additional hardening of the grains.
In regions with a cooler climate, planting of Armeria seeds is carried out at the end of February using containers.
The substrate is usually prepared in the fall or bought in the store. For better germination, seeds are sent to the refrigerator for a week. And the day before sowing, they are soaked in warm water for 8 hours. The finished grains are laid out in cells, slightly moistened and the containers are taken to a warm place. When the seedlings form a pair of true leaf plates, a dive is carried out. Fortified bushes are transferred to a flower bed, where there is an abundance of sunlight.
Landing in open ground
Small holes are made on the prepared site. The main thing is that the rhizome of the plant fits comfortably in them. A little water is poured into the hole, the seedlings are carefully lowered, pressed by hand, and the space is covered with earth. The topsoil is lightly tamped and watered. A simple scheme for planting armeria and caring for it allows you to have a flower on the territory of a country house.
The first buds appear on the crop next season.
Care secrets
The first 3 weeks after planting seedlings in open ground, it is watered abundantly. Fortified plants feed mineral fertilizers... After flowering, wilted buds and empty peduncles are removed. Thanks to this, the plant will receive more strength for systematic development.
During a drought, the armeria needs additional moisture, which is preferably carried out with a spray bottle.
When the flower is about 5-6 years old, the bush is dug up and divided into several parts. Each of them is planted directly in open ground. The procedure is repeated after 3 years.
Having considered the technology of growing crops, we understand the simplicity of the procedure. First of all, experienced color lovers choose a variety. Then the flower bed is prepared. Armeria is sown in autumn or early spring in open ground. If desired, seedlings are grown in containers, following the recommendations of specialists.Let the bright "balls" of Armeria decorate our gardens and flower beds.