Wonderful chamomile garden nivyanik - decoration of your site
Not quite a chamomile, but not a chrysanthemum either - today we will talk about a popular plant, better known as garden chamomile. Outwardly, the flowers are indeed very similar to chamomile, but from a botanical point of view, they are not. Moreover, earlier they generally belonged to the genus chrysanthemum. And only over time, after carefully studying the characteristic features of the plant, it was taken out into a separate genus. What is this mysterious daisy and is it difficult to grow it in the garden? Let's figure it out.
Chamomile garden nivyanik - plant description
On the other hand, large inflorescences with a yellow core and narrow white petals seem to indicate that we have chamomile in front of us. Indeed, both plants have a lot in common, take at least the shape of the flowers. This united them into one family, but still each of the flowers is a separate genus.
It is easy to distinguish the daisy from chamomile by the leaves. If in chamomile they are feathery, openwork, then in the daisy the leaf plate is solid, but with a carved edge.
Depending on the species, the leaves can grow either from the root or on the stem. It is straight, from 30 to 120 cm high, again depending on the type of plant. The daisy blooms with good care twice, in late spring and late summer. The flowers are formed at the tips of the stems, they are large, 8 to 12 cm in diameter, in the form of a chamomile. The center of the inflorescence is made up of tubular yellow petals surrounded by white or yellowish reed petals.
Popular varieties of daisy
Garden daisies are represented by more than 70 varieties, among which such gorgeous species should be noted:
- Nivyanik Grand Illusion. Competent planting and caring for this perennial will allow you to grow a branchy bush up to 1 m high. The inflorescences are large, 10-12 cm in diameter, white.
- Crazy Daisy daisy variety. Bush up to 70 cm high with small, maximum 8 cm in diameter, baskets. But they are terry, with thin petals.
- Large-flowered cornflower Giant. One of the largest daisies. Bush up to 80 cm high with strong stems and large baskets up to 12 cm in diameter.
- Nivyanik variety excellent Broadway Lights. A short bush up to 50 cm tall with delicate yellow daisies.
- Nivyanik gorgeous Fiona Goghill. The bush is 60 cm high, the inflorescences are densely double, with a filled core. In this case, the petals become longer and longer closer to the edge of the basket.
Timing and methods of planting a nivyanik
Garden daisies are grown using seeds. The timing of when to plant the daisy depends on the planting method.
It can be carried out:
- sowing seeds in open ground.
- planting seeds for seedlings.
How and when to sow a cornflower in open ground
Regarding when to plant garden daisies in a seedless way, then this can be done in two ways:
- Spring sowing. Seeds are sown on a flower bed at the end of April, when the soil warms up and the frosts go away. It is convenient to sow them in grooves with a row spacing of at least 20 cm.If the soil is dry, the beds need to be shed, and after sowing, mulched with peat. The grown seedlings need thinning, and if necessary, the daisy can be planted in early autumn. The first year the plants form a rosette and a root system. They will bloom only next spring, in the second year of life.
- Winter sowing. It is better to sow seeds in early October, dry without pretreatment. After overwintering in the soil, in spring they will give amicable shoots. In May, the bushes can be planted, and they will bloom already in the current season.
Growing a daisy through seedlings
The advantage of the seedling method is that the daisy can give the first trial flowering already in the year of sowing. Seeds for seedlings should be sown at the end of February in light nutritious soil.
A universal substrate is suitable or you can prepare a soil mixture by mixing:
- deciduous humus;
- sand;
- high peat.
To avoid picking, seeds can be sown directly into separate containers. These can be plastic cups, special cassettes or peat pots. It is not necessary to pre-soak the seeds, they themselves sprout well, if you do not "bury" much. It is enough to lightly sprinkle the crops with a thin layer of soil. For germination, they need warmth and moisture, so it is advisable to keep crops under a film until germination. Only periodically you need to ventilate so as not to get moldy.
When the seedlings appear, it is better to move the seedlings to a cooler room so that they do not stretch out. For early sowing, it is good to install additional lighting lamps. Then the bushes will be stronger and more developed. If the sowing was carried out in a general container, when 3 leaves are formed, the seedlings must be dived by the transfer method. You need to add a little to the ground humus... A week before the pick and a week after it, it will be good to feed the plants with organic fertilizer twice.
At the beginning of May, the seedlings of the daisy should be hardened, preparing for transplantation to a permanent place. It can be planted on a flowerbed from mid-May, leaving about 40 cm between the bushes, depending on the variety. Low-growing species can be planted denser, while it is worth making sure that the root collar does not deepen.
If there is no way to find a place in the house for the seedlings of the daisy, you can cultivate chamomile in a greenhouse.
For this, the seeds are sown in spring on seedling beds, deepening them by 2 cm. After germination, the seedlings must be thinned out and left for growing. The bushes can be transplanted to a permanent place at the end of spring, and it is better to leave them until the beginning of autumn.
Nivyanik: planting and care in the open field
It is better to give the Nivyanik a cozy and bright corner. In order for the stems to be strong and straight, and the inflorescences to be large, chamomiles need good lighting. The lack of wind is especially important for tall varieties, because it can break shoots. If you plant a daisy in a shady place, this will lead to crushing of the inflorescences and curvature of the shoots.
No less important in the question of where to plant daisies in the country is soil preparation. In heavy and waterlogged soil, the cornflower will not grow, however, and sandy soil is not very suitable for it. Powerful bushes with strong stems and large gorgeous flowering can only be grown in fertile loose soil with neutral acidity. Before planting, you should dig up the area with the introduction of humus.
In lowlands, where water often accumulates, it is impossible to plant a daisy, especially perennials. From excess moisture, the bushes will begin to hurt, rot and die within a year.
Caring for a cornflower in a flower bed is generally not particularly troublesome and consists of the following procedures:
- Watering. Adult plants will not die from missed watering, but growing bushes need moisture constantly. Regular watering is also important during the period of bud formation. And to prevent the rapid drying of the soil will help mulching.
- Top dressing.Perennial varieties should be fertilized in early spring by sprinkling urea between the plants. In early May, all types of daisy can be fed with nitrophos and mullein solution with a week break. Repeat this feeding 2 more times - in July and October (for perennials).
- Pruning. As the flowers fade, it is better to cut them off so that they do not spoil the appearance of the plant and do not take away strength. If seeds are to be obtained, a few of the largest flowers are left on each plant. It is advisable to cut perennials for the winter "on a stump" and add soil so that they do not freeze out.
Large-flowered and terry varieties for the winter must be covered with leaves or spruce branches. In general, the daisy winters well.
In conclusion, I would like to note that the garden chamomile nivyanik will not cause much trouble. It is easy to grow it, the plant does not require special care.