Scabious

African flower scabiosa has long ceased to be only a resident of hot countries, proving its incredible ability to take root in any climate. Even in the middle lane, the plant blooms no less abundantly than at home. His lush flowers are gorgeous in cut bouquets, and in pots at the loggias, and at the dacha in rabatki and flower beds. And the simplicity of growing scabiosa allows even novice gardeners to get to know it.

Scabiosa: growing from seeds of various varieties

Of all the species of this plant, the most common scabiosa is dark purple, the varieties of which today are derived so much that some of them in no way match the color of the petals to the name of their species. If initially there were only flowers with crimson petals, now there are maroon and even orange flowers. Landing scabiosa dark purple in the open ground is carried out closer to the beginning of summer, and sowing - in the middle or end of April. True, with such timing of flowering should be expected only next year, but it will be abundant. If you want to enjoy the view of blooming scabiosa already this summer, you should plant it in the open ground in late April, and start growing from seed in the middle of March.

• The Icy Heart variety is distinguished by large double flowers in white-blue and lavender colors, the bushes are tall, reach 80-90 cm, the stems branch well, therefore they make a distance of 30 cm between the bushes. Sowing for flowering this year (July- October) is made no later than the beginning of May, the expectation of germination is 12-14 days. Variety is mainly purchased for cutting, because the flowers are in the water up to 1 week.
• The variety "Douglas" is an annual, the bushes are slightly lower, sometimes do not exceed 30 cm, the stems are lightly branched, and they need a distance of 20-25 cm. The color scheme of the petals stretches from white to richly crimson through all shades of pink. In open ground, it is necessary to sow in April, through the seedlings this variety scabiosa is grown in March. "Douglas" is also suitable for cutting, but more often it is sown as a resident of flowerbeds.

Perennial and annual from scabiosa seeds are grown according to the same technology: through embedding seeds in a wet substrate, sprinkling them with a thin layer of sand and creating a mini-greenhouse through tightening the container with film. This is true for seedlings, and for open ground. However, at home, all 10-14 days containers are kept in the shade, occasionally moistening the earth in them, and at the summer cottage, seedlings are not prone at daylight hours, besides, at high air temperatures, the film can be removed for several hours.

Pickling of scabiosa seedlings is made after 3-4 leaves appear on them. Planting in the soil is made according to the scheme you have chosen and depending on the specific variety: for example, dwarf bushes are good as borders, and higher ones often make up compositions with other plants and flowers. When growing scabioses of many years at home, 3-4 shrubs are planted in pots at once, reducing the distance between them to 10 cm. In open ground, this distance will depend on the pomp and height of the bushes: 5-10 cm is enough for small ones, very high is needed around 30 cm

Scabiosa: features of planting and care

Most species of scabiosa are perennial plants, and even in the conditions of a sharply continental climate they do not become annuals, unable to survive the cold winter. This is especially true of the Japanese scabiosa, which has a special "immunity" to frost. True, the absence of snow at a very low temperature is undesirable for a flower, but even this moment can be mitigated if the ground around the scabiose is “insulated” with a thick layer of any mulching material: for example, leaves and large spreading branches. In rare cases, gardeners dig up bushes to allow them to spend the winter indoors, and toward the end of March they plant them again on the site.

The requirements for soil in scabiose are not very different from those that have other flowers: it needs a well-drained soil, for which gardeners add fine pebbles and not sifted coarse sand or special stones for drainage. It is important to protect the root system of the plant, for which the soil near the stem is placed in a "hill", slightly overstating its level, and carefully pressed his hands to the stem. In addition, scabiosa loves nutrient-rich soils, therefore it is worth fertilizing the substrate both at the time of planting and transplanting a flower, and during its growth, especially during the growing season. And if you grow perennial scabiosa in a pot, you will have to feed it with liquid fertilizer weekly: the flower quickly and actively pulls all the nutrients in the earth.

But scabiosa is quite loyal to the irrigation schedule: it can be rare and not abundant, but it is important to keep the soil moist. It should not be overwetted; water stagnation is especially dangerous for the plant, which leads to root rotting, as gardeners often complain about. It is better to sprinkle the soil 1-2 times a day with a spray from a sprayer rather than pour a large amount of water under the root every day. Or you can put the pot on the pan, where there will always be a small amount of water: this is suitable for cases of growing scabiosa at home.

Since the period of flowering in perennial scabiosa is long, gardeners often remove dead flowers from the bushes: this contributes to the emergence of a new wave of flowers. And the saturation of the shades of petals is influenced by the proportion of potassium and phosphorus in the soil - the introduction of these elements in liquid form is often practiced when buds begin to open on the bushes.