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There are many beautiful flowers and ornamental plants today, but among them there are very few of them that do not need complex care. A plant for the lazy is jokingly called lavatera. This flower is as decorative as it is unpretentious: both a beginner and a very busy florist can grow a beautiful bush covered with large flowers. Lavatera was at its peak of popularity twenty years ago, but today this plant is returning to landscape fashion, increasingly decorating gardens and parks, flower beds and flowerpots.
Growing lavater from seeds, when a flower needs to be planted in the ground and on seedlings, how to do it correctly, will be described in this article. Here will be given photos of flowers and the most popular varieties of lavater will be described.
Description of the species
Flower lavatera grows naturally in Australia, the Mediterranean and East Asia. On the territory of Russia, this fragile plant began to be grown recently - about twenty years ago. Here the flower is better known as the wild rose.
Lavatera belongs to the genus of arborescent, shrub and herbaceous plants from the Malvaceae family. In total, there are about twenty-five types of wild roses, most of which have medicinal properties.
Breeders have long turned their attention to the lavender, and to date, many cultivated species of the flower have already been bred. There are both annual and perennial wild rose varieties.
The characteristics of the lavater are as follows:
- a tall tree-like or herbaceous plant that can grow up to 50-150 cm;
- the root system is very well developed, capable of going 50 or more centimeters underground;
- the crown is dense, the shoots (or branches) are powerful;
- leaves are large, lobed, covered with hard hairs, arranged alternately;
- inflorescences are very large - from 7 to 12 cm in diameter;
- the structure of the flower may differ slightly depending on the variety: bell, gramophone, hibiscus type, and others;
- petals can be articulated in a single inflorescence or be separate;
- flowers can be white, pink, salmon, crimson, purple, yellow or violet;
- inflorescences are found both single and spike-shaped or racemose;
- Lavatera blooms in early summer, continues to bloom until mid-autumn;
- the plant is drought-resistant, loves the sun;
- a strong lavater is not afraid of a strong wind;
- able to grow on any soil composition, but blooms more abundantly on loose and fertile soil;
- wild rose is very unpretentious, rarely affected by diseases or insects.
Flower varieties
At home, flower growers grow several types of lavater, which are better than others adapted to a temperate climate and are more unpretentious. The most popular types of wild roses are:
- Lavatera three-month or one-yearcapable of growing up to 120 cm in height. The most popular varieties: Silver Cap, Mont Blanc, Ruby Queen, Krasotka, Novella.
- Dog Rose or lovatera thuringian - a tree-like perennial plant about two meters high. Favorite varieties in Russia are Lilac Lady, Ay Catcher, Burgundy Vine.
- Biennial tree lavater with a straight slender stem, up to two meters long. Such varieties as Rosea, Candy Floss are known.
- Seaside wild rose grows only in the southern regions of the country. It grows up to two and a half meters, has two-colored inflorescences.
- Cretan Lavater - the most thermophilic species that can only be grown in areas with a subtropical climate. The height of the bush of this wild rose reaches 180 cm, the inflorescences are small (up to 3.5 cm in diameter), but very abundant.
How to grow a wild rose
Lavater is grown only from seeds, and they can be sown directly into the ground or be engaged in planting seedlings. In the climate of Russia, the wild rose reproduces well by seeds, flowers even appear on their own where the seeds were sown last year.
It is recommended to grow seedlings of flowers for an earlier flowering of Lavatera. It is the seedling method that the plant is propagated in nurseries, planted in gardens and parks, and cultivated on an industrial scale.
Sowing in the ground
Nevertheless, it is recommended to sow Lavater seeds directly into the ground only in the southernmost regions of the country. In this case, the grower needs to wait for stable heat, which usually does not occur until the second half of May.
Before sowing, select a suitable site. The most important condition for the abundant flowering of the lavatera is a sufficient amount of sun. The rest of the flowers are unpretentious, but it is better to choose a loose, nutritious soil, take care of drainage.
On the flower bed, markings are made and grooves are prepared with a depth of no more than a centimeter. Lavater seeds are evenly spread into the grooves and sprinkled with a dry mixture of garden soil and humus. Now the plantings need to be watered and, if necessary, covered with foil. Water for irrigation should be taken warm.
Caring for a sprouted lavender is simple:
- after removing the film, the earth is carefully loosened;
- sprouts of flowers spud slightly;
- water the plants with warm water and mineral fertilizers dissolved in it;
- near tall varieties of wild roses, pegs or supports are driven in.
Seedling breeding method
Lavater seeds for seedlings are sown mainly by large flower holdings, which sell these flowers in this form. but in regions with a cold climate, the seedling method is the only possible method of growing thermophilic flowers, therefore, ordinary flower growers often have to sow wild rose seeds for seedlings.
The first thing to determine in this case is when to plant the lavender. If planting in open ground is recommended in the second half of May, then seeds for seedlings must be sown in March.
If the florist plans to grow several different varieties of Lavater, then it is recommended to prepare a separate wooden box or plastic container for each of them. It is more convenient to grow several plants in individual pots or cups.
The soil is best purchased at a flower shop. Place drainage on the bottom of the container. Sowing is carried out in small grooves, about a centimeter deep. After planting, the seeds are sprinkled with dry soil, watered with warm water and covered with foil.
In a bright and warm place, a wild rose will sprout in about two weeks. After that, the shelter can be removed. Before germination, it is necessary to regularly wipe off the condensate and monitor the moisture content of the soil.
It is not necessary to dive the seedlings of Lavatera - the flowers do not tolerate transplanting well. Even in common boxes or containers, the seedlings feel normal, they have enough food and light. In extreme cases, you can thin out the planting by removing weaker plants.
Planting seedlings in the ground
The lavater can be moved to a permanent place when the threat of spring frosts has passed, and the earth warms up well enough. In the southern regions this happens at the end of April or early May, but in colder areas it is better to wait until the end of May or early summer.
Different varieties of lavater are planted in a different pattern. So tree-like plants need much more space, because their roots can grow a meter in depth and to the sides. More commonly grown annual varieties are planted at 20-25 cm intervals - this is enough for lush flowering and normal flower development.
Seedlings are carefully transferred into the ground, removing the flower from the planting container. It is necessary to deepen the plants so that about five centimeters remain from the ground to the lower leaves. After planting, the flowers are watered with warm water and left to take root.
Flower garden care
Wild rose is very unpretentious, but, like any cultivated plant, it requires minimal maintenance. For the entire summer season, flowers will need the following:
- Watering during particularly dry periods. Pour two buckets of water under each tree bush at least once every two weeks. Annual flowers need much less moisture, but they should be watered regularly - every five to six days.
- Tall, spreading flowers must be tied up, otherwise the type of plants will not be decorative at all. To do this, use supports, trellises, arches.
- The root system of the lavatera is shallow, so it is necessary to loosen the ground around the flowers, but they do it with special care.
- Faded inflorescences must be cut off immediately, as they can leave burns on the leaves and inhibit the development of new buds.
- The first time the flowers are fed a couple of weeks after planting in the ground. To do this, use a solution of nitrophoska and urea in water. The second time, the bushes are treated during the budding period using potassium and sodium sulfates.
- The wild rose rarely gets sick. If rusty leaves appear on the bushes, they need to be cut off and the flower should be treated with Bordeaux liquid. Pests are also not particularly fond of lavender, but if they are noticed, then the bush is sprayed with actara or acarin.
For the winter, annual varieties of Lavater are uprooted. Perennials must be bent to the ground, fixed and covered with spruce branches, dry grass or non-woven material.
Conclusion
Lavatera definitely deserves the attention of florists and landscape designers. This flower has a spectacular tropical look, blooms throughout the summer, does not require complex and constant care.
A wild rose is grown from seeds that can be sown in the ground or in mini-greenhouses. Planting flowers with seedlings is less popular, but preferred when it is necessary to speed up the flowering of the lavatera.
