Heliotrope, landing and care for it - the topic of our conversation. You look at a photo of this magnificent flower below. The rich color palette of the heliotrope varies in lilac, snow-white, blue, blue inflorescences. This plant is loved by many gardeners and gardeners. I am sure many of you will be “infected” with the desire to decorate your garden and vegetable garden with this plant. Perhaps not all gardeners know the botanical name. People call this plant lichen grass, litmus dyeing, cherry pie. The latter name is associated with a pleasant vanilla smell during flowering. Fragrant, bright heliotrope is considered to be a real decoration of the site. It smells good in the evenings, especially if it was a sunny day.
A notable feature of this plant is its long flowering. With its help, flowerbeds, borders, paths, trees on the stem are made out. Bright colors, colorful leaves and inflorescences, harmonious compatibility with other representatives of the flower world allows you to create amazing compositions. It looks equally appropriate in the open ground, as well as a pot culture on a windowsill or balcony.
Heliotrope, photo and description
What does the heliotrope flower look like?
Heliotrope, photo:
This herbaceous perennial belongs to the Borax family, its homeland is South America. He was introduced to European countries a very long time ago, which allowed him to adapt, take root in the local climate, where he is now grown as an annual plant. Lush flowering pleases the eyes from the beginning of summer until the onset of frost.
To date, breeders have bred many species of this plant. The most famous and popular types of heliotrope are: Peruvian, Kurasavsky, corymbose, stem-bearing and European.
The flower of the European heliotrope (Heliotropium europaeum) has a vanilla bewitching aroma, due to which it is grown to produce essential oil, which is actively used to create perfume compositions. Perhaps the European heliotrope is the most ordinary-looking of all species of this plant, but also the most fragrant. In the southern regions, it can often be found as a weed plant.
In floriculture, the heliotrope Peruvian (Peruvian) or tree-like (Heliotropium peruvianum) is more often used. The Peruvian variety reaches half a meter in height, has wide wrinkled leaves. Currently, breeders have bred hybrids of the Peruvian heliotrope with white, pink and purple colors.
The corymbose (thyroid) type of inflorescence is larger, the leaves are in the shape of a boat, their upper part is darker than the lower.
As mentioned above, in open ground conditions, this honey plant is grown as an annual.
Heliotrope flower cultivation
This process is not too complicated, but also not very simple. Like every plant, it has its own characteristics, requires an individual approach. Initially, you need to decide on the choice of a place on the site (open, with access to sunlight), the soil should be fertile, loose, with good moisture permeability. It is advisable to add humus to the pits for the seedling bushes; after planting, the earth should be compacted, well watered. If you cover the earth with a layer of mulch, it will allow you to push it much less often, and weeds will not occupy the territory so actively.
In order for the heliotrope to develop better and bloom more magnificent, it is recommended to pinch the bushes during growth. This plant responds very well to fertilizer application. Complex mineral compounds can be used twice a month - the result will not be long in coming.
The heliotrope can be propagated by cuttings, but this method is troublesome and takes a lot of time. To do this, the plant needs to be dug up and transferred to the room for the cold season, and all winter months it must be provided with appropriate care.
Reproduction by seeds takes a lot of time due to the long period of vegetation, weak seedlings, small inflorescences in the end. If you get high-quality seeds in a good store, then this business may well be crowned with success - 15 weeks after the seeds sprout up, you can enjoy the bloom of the heliotrope.
Of course, if you are fascinated by the breeding process, you can wait for the flower to wither, and after it dries, remove the seeds. Fine seed should be thoroughly dried, it is better to use a paper bag for storage.
Heliotrope flower growing from seed when planted
For the germination of seeds, the beginning of March is chosen, the peat-sand mixture is steamed for reliability (against fungus), placed in a suitable container, and then slightly tamped. Seeds are scattered on the surface of the soil and sprinkled on top with the same soil composition (about 2 mm layer). You can sow seeds in the snow, so it will be better to see how to distribute them more evenly on the surface.
After that, the container is covered with plastic wrap and cleaned in a room where there is an air temperature of approximately + 20 ° C. When the shoots hatch, the greenhouse should be removed and put the pot in a place lit by the sun (for example, on the windowsill), where the temperature will not be below + 20 ° C (you can slightly higher).
Sometimes in gardening forums one can read disputes as to whether it is worth sprinkling soil with heliotrope seeds. In fact, as practice shows, seeds germinate equally comfortably with or without a layer of soil.
The first sprouts appear in one to two weeks, if more time has passed, but the results are not visible, you can re-sow the seeds in the same soil.
After the appearance of two leaves in seedlings, proceed to a pick. For this case, disposable plastic cups or special small pots (9 × 9 cm) are suitable for you. You can use the same soil (as for seedlings), gently transplant the plants, water them, and after 14 days, start applying fertilizing.
You can use the so-called fertilizer stick, from which the useful components are slowly removed and enter the soil. Such a stick is able to provide plant nutrition over the whole season.
Heliotrope at home, how to care
Heliotrope in a room pot, photo:
Plant care is simple, taking into account the preferences of the heliotrope, you need to provide it with good lighting, since in the shady place the flowers will be small in size. If the plant is grown indoors, it is necessary to regularly give it access to fresh air - ventilate. The comfortable temperature for the heliotrope is +20 .. + 22 ° C, in winter it can be lowered to + 6 ° C. This flower should not be abundantly filled with water if room content is provided for it. With the onset of summer, spray irrigation is the best procedure; in winter, humidification should be minimized.
Heliotrope, landing and care in the open ground
Heliotrope Seedling, photo:
When a young heliotrope gathers strength, you can plant it in open ground. After transplanting to a permanent place of residence, this plant actively takes root, grows stronger and gives flowers by the end of summer. It is best to start transplanting at the very beginning of summer, when sudden frosts are not guaranteed to occur.
The heliotrope looks very harmonious with other flowers and plants, they complement each other's beauty. Petunias, cineraria, begonias, salvia, coleus, coreopsis, rudbeckia will make an excellent decorative neighborhood for a bright and lush annual.
Heliotrope surrounded by petunias, photo:
Heliotrope in the garden, how to care
A plant growing in open ground should be watered as needed. Overmoistening can lead to the appearance of a rather dangerous disease - gray rot. The use of fungicide helps get rid of the disease at its early manifestation.
With the onset of autumn, the heliotrope is removed from the site, but if you want to enjoy its wonderful aroma during the winter, dig a flower, transplant it into a suitable container and take it home. In order for the plant to bloom and smell, you will have to take care of additional lighting and temperature conditions. Temperature +16 .. + 18 ° C is optimal for the well-being of a flower in winter. With the onset of spring, it will be possible to take cuttings from the plant and give life to a new livestock of heliotropes.
Now you know how to settle a heliotrope on your site or at home. Landing and care, photos and recommendations, I hope, will help you in this informative business. This flower will perfectly fit into any landscape composition of your site, will delight at home on the windowsill, give a magical aroma and positive emotions.