Lavatera is a perennial plant with a wide color palette. The distribution area covers not only the European continent, but also Australia and North America. The flower is unpretentious to care for, it has good decorative properties. Let's take a closer look at this plant, talk about the features of planting and growing.
Botanical description
Lavatera Thuringian is a perennial herb from the Malvovy genus. It has powerful stems up to 2 meters high. The leaves are pubescent, grayish-green in color, they can be round or heart-shaped in shape. The flowers are pink, up to 10 cm in diameter, the corolla is five-leafed. Lavatera has a large rhizome that goes into the ground up to one and a half meters.
The flowering period of the Thuringian Lavatera is from July to autumn. The plant propagates by seeds. Distributed in Ukraine, Siberia, the Caucasus, throughout Central and Eastern Asia, Australia, North America and Europe.
Characteristic
An annual plant. The flowers are simple, large, funnel-shaped, with contrasting venation. They can be white, pink, purple.
Lavater leaves are dark green, carved, pubescent, retain their decorative effect for a long time.
A bush of tall flowers reaches 1 meter, often needs support. Low-growing varieties have a height of no more than 50 cm, form a compact bush.
Flowers die at a temperature of -5 degrees.
Popular varieties
The perennial lavatera has been known to the world since the 16th century. This initially nondescript flower was not ignored by breeders - interesting and even spectacular varieties appeared. Some of the most popular:
- "Lilac Lady", the flowers of which have a lilac color and rarely located petals.
- "Ai Catcher" with a pink color, has a very attractive and delicate look.
- "Barnsley Baby" is perhaps the most refined and delicate of the entire list of varieties. The petals are barely covered with pink.
- "Mystic Merlin" has bright purple flowers. Such a lavater will delight the eye with its bright and bold beauty.
A scattering of varieties
In horticultural culture today, hybrid forms of the three-month annual lavater, originating from the Mediterranean region, are mainly used. The most popular and demanded varieties include:
- Pink Beauty. Tall plants, bush-shaped, reaching a height of 90 cm. They have large flowers. The color of the petals is pale pink, with dark veins.
Pink Beauty
- Mont Blanc. They grow up to 75 cm. A distinctive feature is the large crystal white flowers.
Mont Blanc
- Silver Cap. The height of the bush is up to 70 cm. The flowers are bright pink, decorated with veins of a dark red shade on the petals.
Silver Cap
- Parade. The maximum height is up to 75 cm. The flowers are white, white-pink, dark-pink and red-pink in color.
Parade
- Twins Hot Pink. Miniature plants, up to 40 cm high, with flowers of a rich pink hue.
Twins Hot Pink
- Tanagra. Another variety with a compact crown. The growth of an adult plant is up to 50 cm. The color of the inflorescences is bright red.
Tanagra
- Beautiful girl. They can grow up to 60-70 cm in height. Flowering is very abundant, color options: white, pink and red.The lower leaves are heart-shaped, the upper ones resemble ivy foliage.
Landing features
In order for the plant to grow healthy and beautiful, as well as in order not to plant flowers too close or very rarely, you just need to adhere to some tips and rules.
If you want to plant a lavatera using seedlings, then in time you need to focus on the end of April and the beginning of May.
Site for a long-term lavater
For planting, it is best to choose a sunny area, on which you can put supports and place the desired number of flowers at a distance of 20-30 cm from each other. The lavater will perfectly fit both in the garden and in the areas in front of the yard.
Soil for planting
The plant is planted in well-drained soil. It should be loose and light. Pre-fertilize the soil well with phosphate and potash fertilizers. After planting and establishing a support, Lavatera needs care after it gets stronger in the open field - then it will be necessary to clear the soil of weeds and apply fertilizers again so that your beauties grow the same as in the photo on the Internet.
Use in landscape design
The flower is great for single planting and creating compositions. Lavatera can be used in mixborders. The plant goes well with iris, verbena and sage. On lawns, such a flower can be a bright accent.
Lavatera looks good both in single landings and in group
Tall varieties of Lavatera are often used to decorate the trunk of a tree. Live screens look spectacular, they help to hide outbuildings or simply unattractive parts of the garden. Due to the wide range of colors, the perennial lavater will make the flower bed more contrasting.
Lavatera will adorn any flower bed
It is enough to plant a mix of different varieties to get an interesting and bright composition. White lavatera goes well with purple petunia or ageratum. Pink flowers - with iris, verbena or sage.
Perennial lavatera has not only good decorative properties, but can also be used as a medicinal plant. The flower is unpretentious to care for, even a novice gardener can handle it.
Reproduction methods
As already mentioned, Lavater propagates by seeds. But when it comes to planting, a choice arises: plant the lavender by direct sowing or grow (or maybe buy) seedlings. Consider how and when to plant the Thuringian Lavatera in both ways.
Seeds (direct sowing)
Seeds usually begin to be harvested with the onset of autumn. Then the boxes on the flowers change color to brown. To make sure that the seeds are ripe, you need to open one of the boxes and look at the color: if the seeds are grayish brown, then you can start collecting.
The box must be carefully cut, the seeds must be dried and stored in a dry place in paper or a bag made of linen.
Lavater can also be grown by seeds, according to the same principle as by seedlings - when the cold weather has definitely gone (starting from the end of April), then it can be planted. If you are going to grow lavatera with seeds, then the area where the flowers will be planted should be fertilized. Fertilize with compost, humus, while adding nitrophosphate (2 tablespoons per compost bucket).
Next, the ground needs to be leveled and grooves made approximately 1 cm deep. The beds must be watered with water (it is important that the water is warm). The seeds are covered with dry. From above, the beds are covered with garden soil mixed with humus. The last step is to cover the bed with plastic wrap.
The first shoots will appear in a week, and when they grow up to 5 cm, the film can be removed. After the film has been removed, the earth must be carefully loosened.
First you need to get a seedling box and special soil.At the bottom of the box with a drainage stele, pour the soil on top. The earth needs to be watered with warm water. Levatera seeds must be dry. We immerse them in the ground by about a centimeter.
Seedlings should be placed in a sunny place and covered with foil (you can use glass). Condensation should be removed periodically. The soil should always be slightly damp. When the seeds germinate, remove the film.
It is very simple to care for seedlings - you just need to periodically water the soil. It is helpful to rotate the box occasionally to keep the plants growing evenly. Timing is also important: if you want to plant lavatera in open ground in May, then the seedlings need to be prepared in March.
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Pre-landing rules
The main advantage of the "wild rose", which until recently was one of the "main" flowering plants that adorned the front gardens in village houses and flower beds located in the courtyards of high-rise buildings, can be called its unpretentious care. Indeed, this flower is absolutely not picky about the composition and quality of the soil, but on a balanced and loose soil with good nutrition it feels much better. That is, it blooms longer and more abundantly.
One-year-old lavender is grown from seeds, sowing them in open ground after persistent spring warming and passing the threat of frost. To speed up the flowering time, seedlings are used, for which the seed is planted in prepared boxes or other containers with soil in late February - early March.
Seeds are prepared a day before planting. They must be immersed in a saline solution in order to determine their viability. Quality seeds will drown, and empty ones will float to the surface. Then they are kept in a solution of pale pink potassium permanganate. This will stimulate faster growth and development.
In order for future plants to take root well in their permanent place of residence, preparatory measures are also carried out there. First of all, they choose a place convenient for planting. The main requirements for it: sufficient illumination and drainage.
Keep in mind: excessive waterlogging "wild rose" does not tolerate well.
Before planting, the selected area is dug up and enriched with compost or humus. On average, you need to add up to 5 kg per 1 square meter. Additionally, mineral components are introduced into the soil in the form of urea, superphosphate and potassium sulfate, after which the bed is leveled. Then you can start planting seeds or seedlings.
Introduction of humus into the soil
Features of the care of the Thuringian Lavater
Lavatera is absolutely unpretentious, so even a beginner in gardening can cope with caring for it. It grows well both in the sun and in the shade, tolerates cold and a long absence of moisture. But if you want the plant to be strong, then in the absence of rain for a long time, it is better to water the lavater. One watering a week will be enough for this beauty.
The flowers of the Thuringian Lavatera are tall, so they require care immediately after planting. Make supports for the plant (see photo) so that the stems do not break. It won't take long, but it will definitely be beneficial.
Before flowering, it is useful to provide fertilizing with mineral fertilizers. Also, the soil needs to be loosened periodically. Do not forget to remove affected leaves or flowers sagging after rain in time.
Lavatera after flowering
The annual lavater is removed from the flower bed in the fall. If the seeds woke up to the ground, then the next year the flowers will grow on their own. They will need to be torn apart or transplanted to the planned location.
A perennial plant requires more attention. The stems of the flower are bent to the ground and fixed. To prevent the lavater from freezing, it is covered with spruce branches or fallen leaves. If there is no such natural material on the site, you can use spunbond. But, in no case should the plants be covered with a film for the winter.
Diseases and pests
With all the simplicity of caring for the lavater, this plant can get into trouble, although this happens extremely rarely. This is one of the few flowers that can get infected with rust. In this case, the leaves are covered with characteristic brownish spots.
If you notice such spots on the plant, then the affected leaves should be removed as soon as possible. If the infection is deep, then the plant is completely removed, and nothing can be planted in its place for some time.
Lavatera can also suffer from aphid infestation. In this case, it is worth treating the plants with special preparations, for example, "Aktara" or "Biotlin".
Care
Caring for an adult lavater consists of watering if necessary, weeding and fertilizing.
Watering the lavater should be done carefully, even in the heat it is enough to water it once a week. The top layer of the soil must necessarily dry out between waterings.
Weed the lavater if necessary. To avoid this unpleasant procedure, the soil between the lavater bushes can be covered with a layer of mulching material. A coating that allows air to pass through is required. The following materials are recommended:
- Black agrofibre;
- Chopped hay;
- Humus;
- Sawdust;
- Mown grass.
It is undesirable to use a black film for mulching a garden rose, the soil under it dries poorly, the roots of the lavater can rot.
Fertilization for growing a garden rose is necessary only for very depleted soils, as a rule, the nutrients introduced to the plant when planting flowers are enough for the entire season. If fertilizers were not applied when planting a garden rose, you can add complex water-soluble fertilizers when watering.
Advice! Florists in the reviews recommend adding long-acting potash and phosphorus fertilizers when planting the lavater. They stimulate the abundant flowering and color intensity of the garden rose.
An adult lavatera is very rarely affected by fungal or bacterial diseases. But occasionally, planting a garden rose can become infected with rust. To cure the flowers, it is necessary to remove the affected leaves and treat the flowers with fungicides.
Useful composition and use of the plant
In folk medicine, Lavatera plays an important role. It contains a lot of vitamin C, and a decoction from the root helps with lung diseases and colds, as well as disorders of the gastrointestinal tract.
Lavatera root tincture treats various skin lesions. Dry leaves are used to fight rheumatism. Collect the roots and leaves at different periods. It is believed that during flowering, the leaves contain the largest amount of nutrients. And the roots are harvested in the fall.
Lavatera is an easy-care, beautiful and healthy plant. If you decide to plant it in your garden, then you will not regret it for a minute, and if not yet, then you should think about it.
Growing seedlings of lavatera
It is recommended to grow lavater through seedlings in the case when there is a desire to bring the flowering time closer. If the planting of seedlings is planned for May, then it is recommended to sow seeds in the first days of March. For sowing, boxes should be prepared, at the bottom of which a good drainage layer must be made, and they must be filled with purchased soil mixture for seedlings. After that, the substrate is spilled with lukewarm water and dry seeds are planted to a depth of no more than 10 mm. The containers must be covered with foil or glass. Do not forget to remove condensate from the shelter in a timely manner and water the crops. After about 15 days, you can see the first shoots. They need very good lighting or backlighting, since when there is a lack of light, the plants become excessively stretched and become thin. After the seedlings grow a little, you will need to remove the shelter. Seedling care is reduced to systematic watering and regular rotation of the box around its axis, this will help the seedlings develop evenly.
Long-term lavatera: planting and care in the open field + photo
A bushy tall plant called lavatera adorns flower beds and does not need special care. This is how it gained popularity among gardeners. There are different types of this flower: annual, biennial and perennial. The former are much more common.
What makes perennial varieties different? How to plant and care for a plant? Are lavater bushes affected by pests and diseases?
Description
Three-month Lavatera, or, as it is also called, a garden rose, is used to decorate any areas, including shaded ones. Small lavater bushes look very impressive in a composition with tall plants, for example, with gladioli or park roses. Lavatera is often used to create country-style flower beds.
The main advantages of the Lavater:
- High decorativeness;
- Abundant and long-lasting flowering;
- Resistant to weather conditions;
- Undemanding to the soil;
- Shade tolerance;
- Drought resistance;
- Resistance to fungal diseases.
Lavatera blooms profusely from early summer until frost. Lavatera flowers are most decorative in August; in hot weather, their color becomes more intense.
Description and varieties
In nature, the lavatera (belongs to the Malvov family), which has been growing for more than one year, has been known since the 16th century. It is found more in the southern regions of Russia, in North American meadows and in Mediterranean countries. It is also taken on a hill, growing at an altitude of 2 kilometers above sea level.
The origin of the name is associated with the Latin "lavatum" - to wash. Indeed, the flower baskets have a clean, unclouded color.
Large flowers (7-10 centimeters) covering the plant, as well as 3-5 lobed rounded leaves are the main attractions of the bush. The leaf plates are rough, dark green in color. The color of flowers is often pink, it can be yellow, white and purple, lilac and two-color.
The inflorescences are located on elongated peduncles, at the ends there are deep notches in the form of a corner. Lavatera is a honey plant during flowering from July to October.
The spreading bush has strong erect stems, from 0.6 to 2 meters high. The light-loving flowering bush has a powerful, long rhizome, so it is not afraid of dry weather.
Other names for this plant: dog rose, hatyma. The most famous perennial species is the Thuringian.
The varieties of the Thuringian beauty have been bred:
Lilac Lady
The flowers are painted in lilac color with veins of dark lilac, a bush of medium height.
Barnsley Baby
Height up to one and a half meters, branched and tall plant. Pinkish flowers turn dark pink in the middle. During summer-autumn flowering, shrubs are densely covered.
Burgundy Wine
The corresponding name follows from the rich wine-purple color. Veins of contrasting color give bulk and nobility to the plant.
Brandon Springs
The plant is tall, up to one and a half to two meters. Raspberry, deep pink flowers, up to seven centimeters in coverage.
Description of the Lavatera flower
Anyone who has ever seen how the lavater blooms will not be surprised at the popularity of this plant among flower growers. A hautma or a wild rose can decorate not only a garden, flower bed or loggia, but also a house. It grows equally well in indoor flower pots.
Lavatera is a bush that can grow up to 150 cm in height. Breeders have also bred undersized varieties. Their maximum height is 50-60 cm.
Lavatera flowers are large enough. They are funnel-shaped. Single inflorescences are 6-10 cm in diameter. The wild rose blooms from July to September. Flowers can be white, yellow, crimson, pink, or bright red.
The plant is quite unpretentious. Thanks to its developed root system, which penetrates to a depth of 1.5 meters, it easily tolerates drought and windy weather.
Lavatera flowers can be used to create bouquets, as they stay fresh for a long time and do not fade.
The wonderful plant Lavatera is a delightful representative of the flora, which can become the pride of every grower. Due to its unpretentiousness, the hautma will not cause trouble even for novice flower lovers.
Outdoor cultivation, how to plant
The cultivation of lavaters of different species does not differ. Both annual plants and those growing for several years are propagated by seeds. This procedure can have a different sequence.
We plant with seeds in open ground in spring
The frost has passed, so it's time to sow. Usually this is the end of April - May. Humus is introduced into the dug up bed. The seeds are buried in holes 1-1.5 centimeters deep. Sprinkle with earth, water and preferably cover with a film for better germination. Shoots will hatch in 8-12 days.
The plant is sprawling enough and in order for the bushes to stand upright, they are sometimes tied up. In order for the bushes to hold on to each other, 2-3 plants are sown in one hole. If necessary, plantings are thinned out.
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Seedling method
With this method of planting, flowering is observed earlier, and the bush will be stronger and taller. Sowing is done in mid-March.
- Drainage is poured into the container, and holes are required in the bottom part;
- Seeds are planted in a mixture of sod land and humus, slightly deepening and sprinkling with earth;
- Drizzle with a spray bottle and cover with glass or foil;
- The emerging seedlings (4-5 centimeters) dive, seating in separate cups;
Landing in the ground, on the street, is carried out when a positive temperature is established. The beds are prepared, and the seedlings are planted at a distance of 25-30 centimeters.
Lavatera perennial varieties
Perennial Lavatera (Thuringian). Shrub up to 2 m in height grows upright branched shoots, covered with cordate or rounded foliage. On the leaves and stems there is a hard grayish pile. Loose racemose inflorescences bloom from the leaf axils in mid-June. The diameter of the tubular corolla is 1.5-7 cm. The leaves of this species have medicinal properties. Varieties:
- Mystic Marilyn - a bush up to 180 cm high covered with purple or violet flowers;
- Bregon Springs - pink flowers with crimson stripes bloom on powerful shoots 1.3 m high;
- Barnsley Baby is a medium-sized bush covered with white and pink buds.
What kind of care is needed
The advantages of this culture, in addition to its decorativeness, are many.
- Unpretentiousness and easy care allow novice amateurs to grow a flower.
- A lover of sunny, open places, grows well in partial shade. Then she will not have very abundant flowering.
- It is desirable that the soil on the ridge be loose and fertile, but development on depleted soil is also possible.
- The culture is drought and frost-resistant.
- It only requires support and can be planted near stationary hedges and fences.
- Weeds are removed during the initial growth phase of the seedlings. When the lavatera gains strength, there will be no place for weeds under its branches and dense foliage.
- Perennial does not require pruning, only dry, damaged branches and inflorescences are removed.
- Watering is necessary in dry weather when the seeds are germinating and during the rooting of seedlings.
They are needed if the soil is acidic and hard. You can fertilize twice a season: at the beginning of growth with nitrogen solutions (urea + nitroammophoska), the second time during budding and peduncle development - with a complex, potassium-phosphorus fertilizer.
Interesting! If the leaves of the plant have become lighter, it lacks elements such as nitrogen and phosphorus. The leaves, if they lack phosphorus, can also curl upward.
Protection from pests and diseases
The shrub is less resistant to disease than annual cousins. However, aphids and leaf rust (virus) may appear. In this case, insecticides (aktara) and fungicides (biotlin) will help. The affected parts are cut off and burned.
Care activities
Looking at photos of the beautiful and luxurious flowers of the lavater, it seems that in order to grow them to such a state, it takes a lot of time and effort. In fact, not so. With a minimum of care and maintenance, this wonderful flower will respond with gratitude, giving its magnificent flowering, which lasts all summer and almost all autumn. The main thing that you need to worry about when growing a "wild rose" in your flower garden is its timely and competent watering and balanced feeding.
Since this flower has a high level of drought tolerance, in good summer weather, with regular and short rains, it will not need artificial watering. In this case, the plant will have enough moisture, given to it by nature. However, with the onset of a hot, dry period, the lavater must be watered twice a week. You can use a regular garden hose with a splitter for this.
Another important point in caring for a flower: feeding it. The first time it should be 1 tbsp. nitrophosphate with urea, diluted in 10 liters of water. They are brought in before flowering. The second time lavaters "feed" after they have faded, using a complex fertilizer for flowering plants with the addition of potassium sulfate.
When growing tall varieties, they must be tied to supports. It is best to use stakes and sticks about 80 cm high for this purpose.
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Further care
When caring for the lavater, whether it be annual or perennial varieties, there is not much difference, but there are nuances that should be taken into account.
For annual flowers
Flowers tolerate drought well, but they still need watering, although not as regularly as some crops. In a hot summer, it is worth watering the plantings once every seven days, spending two buckets of water on a powerful bush. If there is no excessive drought, you can moisten the soil as needed.
Loosening of the soil is carried out only when the bush has not yet grown to a height of 100 cm, so as not to harm the root system, which is located superficially.
To stimulate the formation of new buds, you need to cut off those that have already faded.
If fertilizers were not applied during planting, then the first feeding is done using Nitrophoska and Urea (a tablespoon), which are diluted in a ten-liter bucket of water. The second feeding is carried out before the formation of buds with sodium and potassium sulfate (in a tablespoon), diluted in 10 liters of liquid.
After flowering, the top of the plant can be cut off.
For perennial flowers
Loosening, watering and feeding perennial lavater is carried out similarly to annual flowers.
Sometimes mature shrubs may need to create supports, this usually happens when the plant grows about 1.5 meters in height.
It is not necessary to prune the bushes of perennial lavater, but it is practiced to remove dry or damaged branches in order to prevent diseases, which, by the way, the plant is rarely affected by. But still, if aphids attack the bushes, they should be treated with drugs such as Aktara, Aktellik, Akarin or Biotlin according to the instructions.
It is necessary to collect the seeds of the lavater after the flowers have fallen, in the place of which there are capsules that ripen for some time, until they become dry, acquire a brown tint. Opening one, pay attention to the color of the seeds, if they are gray-brown, then the collection can be continued.After the end of the procedure, the seeds are usually dried and stored in a linen bag or paper.
Gardeners reviews
Florists are unanimous in their assessment of the plant. According to Lavater's reviews, the garden rose is one of the longest flowering and unpretentious annual plants.
Raisa Petrovna, 70 years old, Krasnoyarsk Territory
“Our dacha is far away, we visit only on weekends. There is no time to take care of flower beds, but you want it to be beautiful on the site! Lavatera is a wonderful plant for us. I sow this garden flower at the end of March for seedlings, I plant the plants in the ground at the beginning of June. The plant blooms from the beginning of July, and sometimes from the second half of June. I do not fertilize, I water it occasionally (the soil and climate allow it). At first glance, Lavatera is a simple plant, but it's so beautiful! "
Julia, 44 years old, Poltava
“I buy Lavatera seeds every year, several varieties, different“ growth ”. I sow to Lavater in the spring, straight to the flower garden. I thin out the seedlings of plants. I do not fertilize (on our land!), I water the flower once a week. The plant blooms with large flowers, continuously, almost until winter. I'm happy! "
Anna Kuznetsova, 38 years old, Yaroslavl
“I am a beginner summer resident. Lavatera is a real salvation and pleasure for me! The plant is absolutely undemanding, does not get sick, while the garden rose blooms from the end of July to the end of September, when the night frosts are already in full force. All this time, the joyful bushes of the plant bloom continuously. For 4 years now this flower - garden Lavatera - is the main flowering annual plant in my country house! "
Transformation of a nondescript flower
The plant was named on the initiative of Carl Linnaeus in honor of the Lavater brothers, famous scientists from Switzerland in the 18th century. In the wild, it is found in Asia, North America, Australia and even Europe. But earlier the flowers were quite unsightly and did not cause much delight. No one imagined that breeders would work hard on the modest lavater and, as a result, about 25 beautiful species would appear.
Most of the modern members of the family are tall varieties, the stems can reach 130 centimeters. Their root system is well developed, the foliage is usually thick, the flowers are large, up to 10 centimeters, pink, red, white, purple shades. True, there are small lavaters and species that grow in spreading bushes.
Today, in ornamental gardening, the love for lavater is reviving again, the three-month (annual) and Thuringian (perennial) plant are especially popular.
It is the Thuringian Lavatera that is distinguished by its impressive growth, straight stems, generously decorated with spikelets-inflorescences, sometimes reaching 2 meters.
Combination with other plants
Lavatera can be combined with a wide variety of other plants that grow in traditional flower gardens. Lavatera with pink flowers looks good in combination with crops that bloom with blue and purple flowers:
- sage;
- verbena;
Lavatera on a personal plot
- brachycoma;
- iris;
- delphinium.
White varieties of Lavater are versatile and suitable for almost any color, but look especially good with lilac petunia and blue ageratum. But with the lanster, the lavater variety "Ruby Carpet" looks great
End of flowering, collection of seeds
After the end of flowering, in the place of wilted inflorescences, you can see round green boxes. To collect the seeds, you must wait until they are fully ripe. If the goal is to exclude self-seeding, they must be cut off immediately after flowering. A sign of seed maturity is the brown color of the fruit capsule, while the seeds from it easily spill out. Harvesting them for future use requires good drying.
The germination capacity of the harvested seeds of lavater lasts up to 5 years.
Varieties of lavater with a photo
The plant is represented by 25 species that grow in the wild mainly in the Mediterranean and East Asia. Some of them are from the Australian continent.In the climatic conditions of middle latitudes, only three varieties are cultivated, which are represented by annual, biennial and perennial lavater. Three more species can grow in gardens in more southern latitudes. The rest in the European territory in open ground are not grown.
Lavatera three months
One of the representatives of the annual culture. It grows quickly, reaching 1.2-1.5 m in height during the season. The lower leaves have a serrated edge and an oval-heart-shaped shape. The upper ones are smaller, carved, 3 or 5-bladed. The funnel-shaped corollas of the inflorescences reach 10 cm in diameter and are formed from the leaf sinuses. In the lower part of the stem, they are solitary, then, as they approach the apex, they become smaller and sit more often. Coloring of buds in pink-carmine tones.
The best varieties of three-month lavater:
- Silver Cup. The buds are pink with a silvery sheen and well-defined burgundy veins. Stems up to 0.7 m.
- Mont Blanc. A low-rise variety with white flowers patterned with dark veins.
- "Ruby Queen". A strong, highly branched plant, reaching a meter in height. Blooms in a bright carmine palette.
- "Beautiful girl". Forms a powerful vigorous bush with large shiny flowers of white, pink, salmon color.
- "Goddess of the Sun". It is a mixture of tall varieties with medium-sized inflorescences of different colors.
- "Novella". Dwarf varietal variety, not exceeding 20 cm. Great for home container growing, landscaping balconies, etc. When planted in open ground, its stems grow slightly higher. The flowers are pink in color.
- White Sherub. Another undersized compact variety up to 35 cm, suitable for growing from seed as a pot crop. The buds are white.
For the early flowering of the annual lavater, the seedling growing method is recommended. Seed planting and seedling care are standard for all species.
Lavatera Thuringian
The popular name is dog rose. It is a representative of perennial varieties, which are characterized by the growth of the bush and the large size of the flower corollas. It can reach 2 or more meters. The best varietal lines:
- Lilac Lady is a lilac variety.
- "I Catcher" - the buds are painted in a deep pink palette.
- "Burgundy Vine" - a pattern of dark purple veins is clearly printed on the pink background of the petals.
- "Burgundy Baby" - blooms in delicate white and pink tones.
- "Bregon Springs" is not the tallest, about 1.3 m, but strongly branched bush with a lush crown, decorated with lilac-pink buds. It is valued for its particularly high drought resistance and long flowering, however, it does not have the best frost resistance. One of the few varieties of Lavatera that requires light shelter in winter.
Tree lavatera
It is the only representative of the two-year-old species introduced into culture. It has a well-defined powerful central trunk growing on nutrient soil up to 2 m. The lower leaves are oval, very large, up to 20 cm in length. The flowers are purple-pink with a dark color of the throat; among the varieties of tree-like lavater, there are also variegated colors. The best varieties are Rosea with dense pink corollas of buds and Candy Floss, which blooms in a pale pink color.
The next three species are grown in regions with mild winters or require extensive shelter during the cold season.
Lavatera Primorskaya
Another name is Bicolor, which was given to her for the two-color color of the petals strongly narrowed to the base. Usually it is a deep lilac color, which, with a transition to the edge, acquires a pale pink color.
Lavatera Cretan
Mediterranean decorative tall species with upright powerful stems with a slight tomentose pubescence. The same hairiness is inherent in sheet plates serrated along the edge, most pronounced in the lower tier.The flowers are relatively small, lilac-purple in color, in one inflorescence they can be collected up to 8 pieces.
Lavatera Mauritanian
Medium-sized bushes with branched erect shoots with tomentose pubescence. The leaves are pointed, the flowers are small relative to other varieties, no more than 3 cm. They have 5 petals in a pink-lilac, sometimes contrasting two-color color.
We plant seeds in the ground
Lavater can be grown by sowing directly into the ground. To start work, you should wait for the onset of May, with established warm days. At the site, grooves are prepared in which the seeds are placed.
the depth of the embedment is about 1 cm. The grooves are filled with dry humus or its mixture with soil. The ground is watered and covered with a film with high light penetration.
The film is removed when the seedlings become 5 cm. At this time, the first mineral fertilizing is carried out with loosening.
In order for the plants to have enough light and nutrients, the crops should not be allowed to thicken. In the growth phase of the second pair of leaves, the plants are thinned out. The distance between them should be at least 20 cm. Excess seedlings are planted in another flower bed.
Pink beauty
Watering is carried out as the soil dries up. Flowering will begin in a month, as the seedlings appeared.
How to collect seeds
Over time, all varieties of Lavatera begin to fade: dry leaves fall off, and bolls remain in their place. They contain seeds. At the beginning, they have a light green tint, a signal for collection can be considered a change in the color of the capsule to brown-brown. To collect the seeds of the Lavater, you need to cut off the capsule and pour all the seeds onto a white sheet of paper.
Important! If harvesting is done at the right time, it will be very easy to retrieve the seed.
Seeds are dried in a room with good ventilation. Their normal color is brownish brown. You can store them in a paper bag or box. The shelf life is not limited in time, if the collection procedure and packaging rules have been carried out correctly.
Description of the plant
Perennial or annual lavatera grows in the vastness of southern Europe and the African continent. In addition to the basic species, a huge number of wonderful varieties of lavater with a wide variety of petal colors are cultivated. A completely undemanding plant forms dense thickets, densely showered with voluminous, gramophone-like flowers. The popular name of the Lavatera is "hautma" or "wild rose". Lavatera bushes look amazing and natural on the garden plot and in the home greenhouse on the windowsill.
Lavatera has a powerful branched rhizome. Shoots are straight, spreading, up to 150 cm high, lined with velvety bark of a dark olive shade. Large branches are dotted with lobed leaves. Between the veins, the dark olive leaf plate is rather soft, rough or covered with tiny villi. The upper leaves are much smaller than the basal leaves, growing opposite each other along the entire length of the stem.
Lavatera is popular for its long, generous, wondrous bloom that lasts from June to October. The corolla, shaped like a funnel, up to 10 cm long, is formed by five volumetric petals. The petals are painted either in one color, or endowed with a smooth transition of color from one shade to another. The petal closer to the center becomes narrower and has a grooved surface. Bisexual flowers, in the axils of the leaves and at the top of the stem, are collected in fleshy inflorescences, similar in shape to the brush. Inflorescences bloom in several copies and successively replace each other. In the center of the flower there is a short, rather dense column covered with long filament-like stamens and an ovary. Flowering is accompanied by a sweet tart aroma that attracts insects. The lavater flower is an excellent honey plant.
After the transfer of pollen from the stamens of the flower to the stigma of the pistil, fertilization occurs, then flat, cylinder-like seed pods ripen. Inside are elongated gray-resinous seeds, which, when shaken, thunder, hitting the walls of the box. Ripe seeds are gray-brown in color, they do not stick to the walls of the capsule, but are easily shaken out of it. The time for the ripening of wild rose seeds falls on the beginning of autumn.
In order to collect the seeds of the lavater, you need to carefully cut the capsules, sprinkle the seeds on a surface covered with paper, then dry them in a well-ventilated room. Lavater seeds are stored in a canvas bag or paper bag.
The wild rose is used to decorate lighted and shaded garden areas. Miniature lavater bushes look very picturesque together with tall plants, for example, gladioli or park roses.
Application in medicine
Traditional healers actively use the beneficial properties of the wild rose, which helps with many ailments. Leaves, roots and flowers are used as medicinal raw materials. The leaves are harvested at the budding stage of the plant. Dried outdoors under a canopy or in a well-ventilated area. The roots are dug up in the fall. Dried in an oven or dryer at a temperature of 50-60 degrees. Leaves and flowers are stored for 2 years in a closed glass container, and the roots are stored in boxes or bags.
Lavater leaves contain vitamin C and are used to treat skin conditions and rashes. A decoction of Lavatera roots helps patients with lung diseases, relieves cold symptoms, and helps to solve problems of the digestive system. The ointment, prepared using dried leaves of lavater, relieves acute pain in diseases of the joints and muscles or damage to peripheral nerves.
How did the khatma become a lavater?
Lavatera is the native sister of the forest mallow, and belongs to the same family. The wild-growing flower came to Southern Europe from Central Asia, where it is called a beautiful female name of Persian origin - Khatyma (Khatima). The European name of the plant is a derivative of the surname Lavater, which was worn by brothers-naturalists from Switzerland, and Karl Linnaeus became the godfather of the flower. Both names are equivalent. Lavater is often called a hautma not only among the people, but also in professional literature.
From a botanical point of view, lavatera is a herb with a powerful rhizome and a fast-growing, highly branched aerial part, reaching a height of one and a half meters. The leaves are large, bright green, three-, sometimes five-lobed with denticles along the edge.
Particularly noteworthy are the bright funnel-shaped flowers, one or more located in the axils of the leaves. They are quite large - 6–10 cm in diameter. But it is not the size or the shape that makes an indelible impression, but the color - mostly white and pink, but of some unusually delicate, refined shade. Due to the slightly darker veins, the petals of the lavatera seem slightly corrugated and so fragile - the photo of the flower perfectly conveys this feeling. But, believe me, it persists in life.
Video. Growing Lavater from seeds
A useful and interesting series of videos from the channel "Garden-vegetable garden in pleasure". You will learn how to grow lavender from seed, when to plant and how to care for a flower. And you can also admire the flowering hautma.
Lavater is appreciated for its decorative properties and unpretentious cultivation. Its powerful bushes do not break from the wind, and its voluminous root system can use moisture that is deep in the ground. Grow the lavender with pleasure, then you will be assured of a lush flowering!
Sources:
- Data are given according to the lunar calendar for 2019 from E. Krasnopevtseva.
Features of the Lavater
As a result of many years of painstaking work of breeders, a large number of herbaceous plants were born, which are annuals and perennials. The height of their bushes can vary from 0.5 to 1.5 m.Plants have a developed root system, powerful branches and a spectacular crown. In most species, alternate leaf plates are lobed, and hairs are on their surface. The diameter of large flowers can be up to 10 centimeters, their color is varied, for example: white, purple, yellow, crimson or pink. The flowers grow singly or in several pieces from the axils of the bracts, while they make up the terminal racemose or spike-shaped inflorescences. Flowering begins in June and lasts until the second half of the autumn period. It is believed that Lavatera is an excellent choice for those who never have enough time for anything or for the lazy, and there is some truth in this statement. Such a plant is undemanding to care for, unpretentious to growing conditions, resistant to drought and withstands strong gusts of wind. Cut flowers look fresh for at least 7 days.
When to plant lavater on seedlings and in the ground
Although the lavatera is a rather unpretentious flower, in regions with a cool climate it is better to grow it through seedlings, and plant it in the ground after the threat of night frosts has passed. Another option is to plant flowers directly in the ground under the film.
In Siberia and the Urals, it is not worth planting a change of lavater for seedlings too early. The best time to plant garden rose seedlings in these regions is late March - early April. They are planted in the ground in early June. In the Moscow region (middle lane), the climate is more favorable; they are planted in the ground at the end of May. For early flowering, seedlings are pre-grown.
In the southern regions, lavatera is planted in open ground at the end of April - beginning of May.
According to the lunar calendar for 2019, the following days are considered the most favorable days for planting seeds for seedlings and in the ground:
- February: 17-28;
- March: 1, 18-30;
- April: 17-29;
- May: 16-28;
- June: 14-27.
Less favorable days for planting flowers in 2019:
- February: 1-14.16;
- March: 3-17;
- April: 1-16;
- May: 1-15, 30, 31;
- June: 1-13, 29, 30.
In 2019, the days on which it is categorically not recommended to plant lavater on seedlings and in the ground are:
- February: 15;
- March: 2, 31;
- April: 30;
- May: 29
- June: 28.
