Stranger cleoma in the garden
Cleoma in the garden is a real decoration of the site. It is impossible to describe in words all the excellence of such a plant. It is better to appreciate its appearance and characteristics from the photographs that are given in the material below. Cleoma is more often an annual culture that designers are happy to use when decorating plots.
Plant features
Huge inflorescences of cleoma reach a length of 20 cm.With careful care, the bush will become a highlight of the garden, especially if grown together with lavater or scented tobacco... These plants will only emphasize all the beauty of the majestic cleoma. It works well as a hedge. Tall and lush bushes make a great background for a large flower bed.
Florists have about 170 varieties of this culture. Botanists claim that the plant has more than 200 varieties.
The most popular varieties of prickly cleoma:
- Cherry Queen aka Cherry Queen. The most favorite variety among landscape designers. You can see how the cherry queen cleoma looks in the photo below. The flowers of this plant have a specific shape and an extraordinary aroma. The bushes grow to a height of 60 cm. This variety, like many others, can be grown from seeds without undue effort and then transplanted to the site.
- Cleoma the White Queen. A more graceful variety. The snow-white flower petals are very harmoniously combined with the dark green foliage of the plant, complementing them with long thin stamens.
- Splashes of champagne. This is one of the varieties of Hassler's cleoma. The plant forms very tall bushes - up to 1.2 meters. A huge inflorescence in the form of a ball of brushes has a diameter of about 20 cm. Large buds 3-4 cm each have a milky or pinkish tint. They delight their owners from July until the very frost.
- Cleoma Colored fountain. This is a mix of colorful plants. He is very popular. The pistil and stamens of the opened buds are like the spray of a fountain.
The Queen series is unique in that it combines flowers of various colors. The variety names correspond to the color: Pink, Purple Queen. The Pin Queen and Cleoma Lace varieties will delight flower growers with petals of various shades of pink.
Growing from seeds
The composition of the soil is an important condition for the successful cultivation of cleoma from seeds. Moreover, both when cultivating seedlings in pots in a house or apartment, and when sowing directly into open ground. The land must have high fertility and nutritional value. Stagnation of water should be avoided in those areas where the flower will live. A prerequisite is the introduction of compost, as well as complex mineral fertilizers.
To get abundant and early flowering, you need to know when to sow glue. Plants are introduced into open ground in April or at the end of autumn. This method of cultivation has one drawback: the bushes will begin to bloom quite late. Therefore, it is better to germinate seeds and get seedlings in advance in a greenhouse or in a house. For this, sowing is carried out at the end of February or in the first half of March. Ordinary flower pots can be used. Although it is preferable to get seedlings in wooden boxes.
Optimal soil composition for germinating cleoma seeds:
- 20% - river sand;
- 40% - humus;
- 40% - land from the garden.
The pedicel height can reach 100 cm.
The planting material is planted in shallow pits (up to 1 cm), after which they are covered with a small layer of earth. You can use compost for these purposes, it will serve not only as protection, but also as an additional fertilizer. The sprouts appear after three weeks. To speed up this process, the seeds should be treated with a growth promoter before planting. Then they will sprout for two weeks. Better to use Epin or Zircon... The seeds are soaked in the prepared mixture for 12 hours.
The plant needs to be watered moderately and provided with sufficient light. Cleoma loves well-lit places, so in the evening it is necessary to turn on the lamp for seedlings.
For the prevention of diseases of the root system, you can pour a solution of potassium permanganate once. After the first full leaves appear, each copy should be transplanted into a separate peat container. It is convenient in that it is buried in the ground together with the plant, therefore, when planting, the roots are not injured and the earthen lump of the usual composition is not destroyed.
Planting seedlings in open ground
The first thing to do is to choose a suitable place for planting the cleoma. It must be protected from drafts and gusts of wind. Seedlings are planted in a garden or on a plot only when the threat of frost has completely passed. This is usually late May or early June.
Cleoma is unpretentious to the composition of the soil, but grows worse on poor soil. Therefore, to create optimal conditions, it is better to add a little compost and fertilizer for flowers before digging.
Since cleoma is a rather large bush that is actively growing, young specimens should be planted at a distance of at least half a meter from each other. Better yet, leave gaps of 70 cm. If you plant the glue more densely, then its bushes will not be so lush, it will bloom poorly. Due to the dense planting, the plant is poorly ventilated, which can lead to the spread of rot.
Outdoor care
Cleoma is a rather unpretentious plant. But despite this, some care rules are required.
In order for the flower to have beautiful buds, you can use additional feeding in the form of ash.
Watering. Watering flowers is necessary only in hot and dry weather. The plant does not tolerate frequent watering, so it is better to do it less often, but abundantly. Excess moisture is detrimental to the bushes; cleome overflows can die.
Fertilizer. Every 14 days, the bushes are fed with mineral fertilizers of a complex composition. Plants with damage, as well as those affected by diseases, are best sprayed with mixtures, and not introduced into the soil.
Pests. Cleoma prickly is quite disease resistant. Her main enemy is too much water. Therefore, it is necessary to periodically loosen the soil near the bushes. The bright and specific scent of flowers drives away insect pests.
Seed collection. The grains of the plant are rather large, round, brown or yellow in color. After flowering ends, they should be harvested in order to get seedlings for the next year. Seed collection should be carried out from specimens that have bloomed first. In order not to miss the moment of opening the pods and not to lose grains, they can be tied with gauze. On the remaining stems, withered flowers are cut off even before they begin to form pods. This will prevent self-seeding of the cleoma.
Preparing for the winter. With the first frost, the shoots of this annual plant are cut off and disposed of. In late November or early December, you can sow the collected seeds to a depth of about 1.5 cm. The garden bed is covered with spruce branches. With the arrival of spring, the grains hatch and then the shelter is removed.
The spider is a very beautiful garden plant with unique inflorescences. This annual is easy to grow from seed. Planting and caring for cleoma in the open field is not difficult, but it requires some rules. If you follow the advice, the garden will be the best place to relax.