Growing Incarvelia from seeds is an easy way to get gorgeous flowers with interesting coloring

Tell us how the growing of Incarvillea from seeds is carried out. I dreamed about this flower for a long time, and now, finally, one acquaintance collected seeds from her beauty and shared with me. Is it possible to sow them immediately in the garden or is it better for seedlings first?

Under the mysterious word "incarvillea" hides garden gloxinia - a beautiful bush with large bright flowers. Actually, it was called gloxinia for the similarity of the buds. Growing an Incarvillea from seed is one of the available methods of plant propagation. It is not always possible to buy seedlings or adult tubers, since this flower is not yet very popular. But getting seeds through online shopping will not be a problem. They sprout well, although unevenly. The resulting number of bushes will cost much less than buying them ready-made.

True, seed reproduction has one drawback. This is the loss of varietal traits of gloxinia - the parent. But, on the other hand, you have a great opportunity to get a new variety with an interesting color.

Growing incarvillea from seed - sowing methods

There are almost 1.5 dozen species of Incarvillea, among which there are both perennials and annuals. Most of them are herbaceous, but there are also small shrubs. All species are characterized by a root system in the form of a thickened rhizome resembling dahlia tubers. The leaves are large, can be whole or feathery, like a fern, but with larger feathers. The stem is straight, in some varieties it branches, with a height of 30 to 100 cm. The main advantage of Incarvillea is flowering. A flower stem with large bells rises above the bush. They can be white or different shades of pink and even almost purple.

At the end of flowering, in place of the buds, seeds ripen in long pods. The seeds are quite large, it is a pleasure to plant them. This can be done in two ways: for seedlings or directly into open ground.

Sowing seeds for seedlings

You can grow seedlings in a universal substrate, and you can start sowing seeds in March. The procedure is simple and no different from the cultivation of other flower crops:

1. For preventive treatment and protection of future gloxinias from diseases, pre-soak the seeds in a solution of potassium permanganate. Enough 10 minutes.
2. Spread the seeds over the soil surface.
3. Cover with a thin layer of soil.
4. Spray well.
5. Cover the container with plastic wrap and place it on a light windowsill.

The first shoots may appear within a week, but do not rush to remove the shelter. Seeds germinate unevenly, up to 2-3 weeks. After the seedlings form a pair of true leaves, they need to be dived into separate cups. It will not be possible to plant in a permanent place in the garden until the end of April. It is better to do both transplants by the transshipment method, so as not to break fragile roots. Seedling bushes will bloom a couple of weeks earlier.

Sowing seeds in open ground

If there is no room for seedlings in the house, you can wait until the end of April and sow the seeds directly into the flower bed. It is more convenient to do this while the ground is still wet. It is necessary to put the seeds in a groove with a distance of up to 8 cm and cover with earth.Then you can do without watering, which will avoid the formation of a crust.

To keep the moisture longer, it is advisable to mulch the garden with a thin layer humus... He will protect from weeds and serve as top dressing.

After germination, the Incarvillea should be thinned out, leaving at least 20 cm between the bushes. If a tall variety is sown, then the distance should be 50 cm altogether.

How to grow Incarvillea in the garden - video