Many gardeners mistakenly believe that the bell is a wild plant. Today there are varieties that are successfully used for landscaping lawns and flower beds, growing in flower pots on loggias and balconies.
Most often, among flower lovers, the choice falls on the average bell. The history of this plant began in Asia and in the south of Western Europe in the 16th century. Previously, the bell “cup and saucer” could be found only in natural conditions. But for many years this magnificent plant adorns garden and summer cottages, it can be seen in squares and parks.
Grade description
This is a biennial plant that is often grown as a perennial. This is due to natural renewal. The bell flowers have a fairly high (about a meter), straight and stiff stem, abundantly covered with villi. This plant is valued for very beautiful flowers in the form of inverted glasses with gracefully curved edges. They are terry or smooth and in length reach seven centimeters. In one inflorescence there are up to fifty flowers.
The bell can be painted in different colors: unusually delicate in all shades of white: from snow-white to milky, elegant blue or blue. The bell (medium "cup and saucer") pink looks especially impressive. Its flowering is plentiful, lasts from June to the end of September.
Seedlings will allow you to admire the blooming bell "cup and saucer" in the same year. Growing from seeds - only the next. In the first year, a root system and a leaf rosette is formed, and the flower stalk will grow in the next. Cut flowers, by the way, are stored in a vase for up to ten days.
Seeds
Seeds appear in early September, sometimes in late August. They are very small and light: up to four and a half thousand pieces per gram. Many gardeners quite successfully practice self-sowing: falling seeds take root in the ground and the next generation develops from them. In this case, you do not have to update the flowerbed every year.
And the bell blooms medium, if favorable conditions are formed, throughout the summer, until September.
Variety features: selection of a landing site
The description of the bell, which is given by experienced gardeners, suggests that this plant loves light and moisture. It tolerates temporary temperature drops.
Prefers well-fertilized and light soil. It does not tolerate acidic soils and stagnation of moisture. In damp areas, the plant simply roars. For one square meter of clay soil, fifteen kilograms of humus or compost should be excavated. For loamy soils, this amount increases to nineteen kilograms.
Use and possible growing difficulties
It should be noted that the flowering of this species is very active - large flowers completely cover the plant, which looks just unusually beautiful. Bells are planted in groups on a lawn background, on discounts, singly, in prefabricated flower beds, used for cutting. Bouquets of these flowers (especially multi-colored) look very impressive and fresh.
But for active flowering, these plants need not only good soil, they have high requirements for growing conditions. The fact is that seeds germinate only in the dark. In the light, they may not rise. And one more important condition that must be fulfilled is a winter shelter. Rosettes of leaves formed by the fall of the first year are covered with dry peat or dry fallen leaves, and cover material can also be used.
Bell "cup and saucer": growing from seeds
Seeds are the most common and popular method of propagating the described flowers among gardeners. You can use one of two methods:
- sow seeds in open ground;
- to grow seedlings.
We have already said why seedling is still preferable in order to grow the bell “cup and saucer”. Growing from seeds will allow you to get magnificent flowers only for the next year, so gardeners prefer the second way.
Before landing you need to prepare:
- landing tanks;
- priming;
- seeds.
Use small plastic containers or wooden drawers. They must have drainage holes. The soil mixture should consist of six parts of turfy land, three parts of rotted leaves and one part of coarse river sand. Mix all the components thoroughly, and pour the resulting soil into containers and pour.
Bell "cup and saucer": planting and care
So, you have completed all the preparatory work, and now you can begin to land. Immediately answer the common question: when to sow the "cup and saucer" bells? When growing seedlings, this must be done in October-November, then the plant will have time to form before summer and give abundant flowering.
Sow seeds on the surface of the soil, lightly pressurize and “dust” on top with sifted fine sand. After that, landing containers are covered with film or glass. The seeds should germinate in a warm, well-ventilated and always dark room. Comfortable air temperature for the plant + 20 ° C. To darken, cover the glass or film on top with dark paper or cloth. Watering the seeds is not necessary, they are only periodically moistened with a spray bottle.
The description of the bell, which can be found in floriculture publications, guarantees the appearance of the first seedlings in fifteen days. After that, the dark fabric can be removed or the boxes moved to a lighter place. When the very first leaves appear on your seedlings, and it grows to about three centimeters, it must be dived. Transplant into more spacious containers, at a distance of about fifteen centimeters from each other.
After this procedure, the seedlings are again cleaned in a dark place for ten days - so it will take root more quickly. All this time, the plants continue to moisturize from a spray bottle.
Outdoor landing
When the weather is established, and night frosts pass, seedlings are planted in the ground on lawns and flower beds. This usually happens in the middle or end of May. In June, you will see the first buds. Between the seedlings should be a distance of at least thirty centimeters.
Propagation by cuttings
These flowers can be propagated using cuttings. In the second year after planting, in the spring, when the stem is formed, choose the healthiest shoot and make a stalk. It should have at least three internodes. Leaves are removed from it so that they do not deprive the plant of strength.
The cuttings are planted in well-moistened soil. Two internodes should remain on the surface. Close the stalk with a cropped plastic bottle or glass jar.
We hope that now on your site there will definitely appear an elegant bell “cup and saucer”. Growing from the seeds of this plant, as you see, is not too complicated. Observing all the rules of planting and care, you can enjoy luxurious flowering all summer.