How to grow Shabo carnations in the garden - secrets of long flowering

Please teach a novice grower how to grow Shabo carnations in the garden. In the spring, by pure chance, I managed to buy a small deal. I stuck it in the corner of the front garden and forgot it. Surprisingly, it took root and even bloomed. There were not many white flowers, but they are very fragrant. Only the bush grows poorly. Maybe he is missing something or the place is not suitable?

The correct shapes and strict beauty of garden carnations make them one of the most popular plants. And if you want to enjoy blooming all summer long, plant a Shabo carnation. There are no particular difficulties in how to grow Shabo carnations in the garden. It is quite unpretentious in care, but it develops for quite a long time if you use the seed reproduction method. And although you will have to wait six months from the moment of sowing to the first buds, it is worth it.

Characteristic features of the plant

Compact bushes about 60 cm high will delight with gray - green linear foliage and gorgeous flowers. They are not as large as in varietal "cut" hybrids, only up to 6 cm in diameter, but they are also suitable for the formation of bouquets. And the variety of colors will allow even the most fastidious lover to choose a flower to his taste. They can be semi-double or densely stuffed terry, with wavy or jagged petals. It is noteworthy that the buds emit a sweet aroma, especially the white-flowered varieties. Carnation blooms from early summer to the very frost.

Many new varieties have been bred by breeders, but the classic hybrids remain the most beloved:

• cherry red Lejeen D'Oner;
• orange Fire King;
• lemon Marie Shabo;
• red - black Nero;
• white Mont Blanc;
• golden Champagne;
• pink La France;
• lilac Mikado;
• purple Girofle.

How to grow Shabo carnations in the garden - choosing a planting site

Most often, flowers are planted with seeds, sown on seedlings in January or immediately in open ground in the month of May. Give your carnation a well-lit flower bed with light, nutritious soil and neutral acidity. It cannot grow in clay and sand, so prepare the soil in advance if necessary. The plant will thrive on organic soil (except fresh manure) and mineral fertilizers.

Shabo is a perennial variety of garden carnations, but in our climate it grows like an annual. She will not survive the Russian winters in the open ground, except in the south, and even then, subject to careful shelter. But if you dig out a bush, plant it in a pot and bring it into the house for the winter, it will remain until next spring.

Shabo carnation care secrets

Unpretentious bushes can grow and even bloom without your participation. But to get really large, abundant and long flowering, give them a little attention:

• water regularly, not allowing the beds to dry completely;
• mulch the flower bed so that moisture does not evaporate so quickly;
• loosen the soil after rains and watering, breaking the crust, which blocks the access of oxygen to the roots;
• feed the bushes at least twice a season (in spring and when buds begin to form);
• if you have tall varieties, tie them up so that they do not break.

Carnation flower stalks have lateral shoots with buds that form a kind of twig with flowers. If you cut them, you will get only one flower per stem, but larger.

As already mentioned, Shabo usually does not winter in the garden with us, but you can try to save the plants in the southern strip by cutting and covering them. There is another option: transplant the bush into a pot and put it in a cool room for the winter. In the spring, cut the cuttings from it and root.

Planting carnation seedlings and caring for it - video