Any land owner is trying to ennoble and decorate it, arranging various flowerbeds and mixborders. Naturally, the preference is given to the original plants, among which cineraria feels confident. It is appreciated by gardeners for its spectacular appearance and a large number of varieties, some of which we will get to know, as well as learn how to properly grow this plant in open ground.
Botanical description
The Canary Islands and the island of Madagascar claim the title of the homeland of this unusual plant; it was there that it received its widespread distribution. Cineraria, she is an ashen godson,is a perennial plant, belongs to the Astrov family, is a grassy shrub. Flowers of a plant have various appearance depending on a grade. The foliage is large, petiolate, dissected, with a feathery structure, the stem and leaves have a velvety surface.
Types and varieties
The groundseller is currently attracting the keen interest of breeders and gardeners. To date, there are about 1300 species of this exotic beauty, although in the practice of horticulture, a dozen of people are popular. Despite the fact that among the varieties of cineraria there are plants for home cultivation, more popular varieties, planted in open ground. The three most common types of this culture are:
- silver cineraria;
- Cineraria is elegant;
- cineraria bloody.
Each of the types of cineraria includes different varieties and has its own specifics and features, which I would like to dwell upon.
Silver Cineraria, or as it is called - seaside, The most popular type of plant, used not only in flowerbeds of summer residents, but also in urban parks. This species, although it is perennial, is usually grown in the open ground as an annual, due to frosts. The unusual leaves of the seaside godson more than compensate for not very prominent flowering. The leaves of the shrub are green, but covered with a thick layer of silvery lint, which gave the name to the species. The foliage is tightly assembled in rosettes around the stem, resulting in a bush that looks like a silver ball. It is this feature that makes silver cineraria popular with flower gardens and flower beds.
In landscape design, mainly use two varieties of this type of plant:
- Cirrus - This variety is a high shrubs, covered with large carved leaves with rounded edges. The color of the leaves is characteristic of a seaside godson, silver, the height of the bushes is about 40-45 cm.
- Silver Dust (Silver Dust) - variety, which is most often used for framing borders, paths, garden beds. The height of the bush is small - only about 25 cm, the foliage is green with a velvety pile of light gray color. It is precisely openwork foliage, as if covered with frost, attracts the attention of landscape designers and amateur flower growers to this variety.
Cineraria is elegant (Cineraria elegans) is another species enjoying great sympathy for flower lovers. Grown as an annual. It is attractive because, unlike the silver one, it has bright, saturated flowers, which enhances its decorative benefit. The leaves are green, velvety with a nap, the flowers are most often white, red, purple. The plant is high - 60-90 cm, with a strong stem, a large number of branches, blooms quite rapidly during the entire flowering period, which begins in June and lasts until the first frost.
Among the many varieties of graceful krestovnik gardeners prefer two:
- Nanus - dwarf shrubs no more than 25 cm, characterized by a large number of flowers of a soft pink color, in the center of the burgundy core.
- Ligulosus - variety mixture, especially popular when making flowerbeds for its rich flowering, has double flowers of various shades: white, red, lilac.
Cineraria bloody (hybrid)- despite the eerie name, the bush is very beautiful and familiar even to people far from floriculture. This species is presented in large quantities in flower shops. A distinctive feature of this species is abundant flowering: colorful flowers of the plant, collected in umbrellas, form a bright cloud above the shrub. Look great on the beds, along the garden paths, in the flower garden near the house.
This species is also represented by two popular varieties:
Did you know? The leaves of the cineraria hybrid on the reverse side have a purple-red hue, which is why it was called bloody.
- Grandiflora - a round bush of average height of about 50 cm. The flowers are large, in appearance resemble camomile crimson and purple flowers.
- Stellata - high fluffy shrubs (70-90 cm) with small flowers in the form of asterisks, which gave the name to the variety.
Where to plant cineraria
Like any other plant, the godson needs to choose a favorable place for planting, and taking into account its decorative purpose, this issue should be considered thoroughly.
Also, you can plant such ornamental shrubs on your site as: vervain apelnaya, decorative sedge, Indian chrysanthemum, redrose, three-lobed almond, bookfoil, honeysuckle, Boumald's spirea, chubushnik, weigela, garden camellia and magnolia
Lighting and location
Like many other ornamental flowering plants, cineraria does not like heat, therefore, choosing a place to plant this crop, you must take care that the site is not under direct sunlight at its zenith. At the same time, for a safe flowering, the plant needs a lot of light, from this point of view the site facing east can be optimal.
Growing soil
When growing seedlings of cineraria, it is better to use a specially prepared soil mixture based on leaf soil, sand, compost and peat. Further, for planting seedlings of plants in open ground, does not require any specific care for the soil area. The land should be natural, loose, moist and nutritious.
Important! When transplanting into the open ground, the seedlings must be planted necessarily with a radical clod of soil in which the seedlings are grown.
Reproduction and planting
For experienced gardeners, cultivation of cineraria will not be difficult, since its reproduction occurs traditionally for all flowering plants: from seeds and in a vegetative way.
Seeds
The main method of propagation of the yards is seed. Seeds for seedlings for planting in open ground are sown in winter, so that with the establishment of warm weather (usually the end of May), it is possible to transplant seedlings to the site.
So, the sowing of seeds, therefore, is done in February. A soil mixture is prepared in the tanks, which includes leaf and sod land, compost, and sand. In the boxes it is necessary to make drainage holes to avoid stagnant moisture. The surface of the earth must be compacted, the seeds are sown from above, there is no need to deepen them into the soil, because they are very small. After planting the seeds, the soil should be slightly tamped and moistened. To create a favorable microclimate the seed box is covered with a film.
Important! For irrigation of seeds and seedlings, it is recommended to use either the bottom irrigation method or drip the topsoil with water from a spray bottle or a watering can.
The first shoots of seedlings appear, as a rule, in a week. Two weeks later, when the first leaves appear on the seedlings, they are transplanted into separate containers and left in a shaded place for several days, after which they are returned to a well-lit room. Further care of the seedlings is timely watering and fertilizing fertilizer once every 10 days.
With the establishment of warm weather, the seedlings are planted in open ground with a clod of earth in the prepared holes at a distance of about 25 cm from each other.
Vegetative methods
The method of grafting cineraria is used less frequently. This method is not complicated and quite interesting, it is suitable for flowering plants. By cuttings you can propagate the seaside silver cineraria. To do this, cut a 10 cm long stalk from an adult plant and plant it for rooting in prepared soil.
For grafting using plywood box with low sides. Substrate is poured into it from the ground from the site and river sand, from above covering the mixture with an additional layer of sand. To disinfect the substrate, it is recommended to pour it with a solution of potassium permanganate.
Cut cuttings deepen into the soil and create a greenhouse effect until the plant is fully rooted. To create an improvised greenhouse, you can use plastic transparent disposable cups that cover cuttings. Watering is done twice a day. Capacity with plants can not be left in direct sunlight. After the rooting of the cuttings, it is necessary to begin their hardening so that they do not die under normal conditions. To do this, remove the caps from them, first for a couple of hours a day, each day increasing their time in the open air.
Ready plants are transplanted into beds in the spring. They wait the winter cold in the cuttings.
Care culture
Cineraria belongs to unpretentious plants, even an inexperienced gardener will cope with it, the main rule in caring for her is moderation.
Watering organization
Ragwort - Hailing from a tropical climate, therefore, very fond of moisture, respectively, watering should be daily. In hot weather, you may need to water the plant even twice a day. However, with all its moisture-loving, cineraria capricious, the slightest stagnation of water in the soil can cause rotting of the roots and the flower will die, so it is important to loosen the soil in time, improving air circulation. Experienced gardeners recommend not only to water the crop, but also to spray the leaves.
Top dressing
Cineraria, like any flowering plant, a lot of resources are spent on the formation of buds, respectively, in need of feeding. The soil in which the flower grows, you must regularly fertilize with mineral fertilizers, usually at least twice a month. In the period of budding and flowering, the plant, in addition to mineral fertilizing, requires organic fertilizers, which will prolong flowering and will save the shrub from exhaustion. It is worth noting that for flowering plants it is recommended to use special nutrients.
Pruning
The special trimming of cineraria does not require, basically, it is made for decorative purposes. To form a bush can be cut off the individual leaves of the plant. Also remove dead buds - this is necessary to extend the flowering period.
Did you know? Even the buds and undead flowers are usually cut off from the silver cineraria, because they spoil the appearance of the plant by their homeliness.
Pests and diseases
Oddly enough, gentle cineraria is very resistant to diseases of flowers. The only thing that threatens it is powdery mildew familiar to almost all ornamental plants. Unfortunately, if the plant is sick, then it is likely to infect other shrubs, so it is better to remove the diseased plant, and to examine healthy plants in a timely manner. Prevention of this disease is the proper organization of watering culture and drainage of the soil, as powdery mildew arises from an excess of moisture.
Pests rarely encroach on the godson, mostly an omnipresent aphid and spider mite. Methods of dealing with them are to use special insecticidal preparations for plants.
Cineraria - a unique plant that combines rigor and beauty. It is unpretentious in the cultivation and care and looks great as a combination flower beds, and individually. Without any doubt, this culture will decorate the garden plot, balcony or terrace.
