A gentle and attractive plant, already familiar to many gardeners, is a nemophile. Growing from the seeds of this flower has become the most important goal of many gardeners and owners of balcony flowerpots. Translated from Greek, the name nemophila translates as "grove." This interpretation is due to the fact that at home, in North America, eleven species of nemophiles grow on hillsides and in small groves. The local name for the lovely plant is American forget-me-not. Experienced growers can use seeds for breeding.
Nemofila - growing for floristry
For floristic purposes, two types of flower are used: the nemophile Mentsis and the spotted nemophile. Short stems and too tender petals do not allow the use of other species to create long-term compositions.
Nemophilus Mentsis is an annual plant not exceeding 25 cm, which has a bright branchy stem with small cirrus-dissected leaves. Inside the axils of the leaves are beautiful flowers, reaching a diameter of 2.5 cm. The color of the flowers of this species can vary from sky blue to lilac with a brown or snowy eye in the center.
Spotted nemophile
Growing from seeds of this culture is considered the most effective and easiest for inexperienced gardeners. The plant reaches only 20 cm in height, the stems almost lie on the surface of the soil, and on each of the five white petals are purple-blue spots.
Summer Nemophile Flower - Seed Growing
Traditionally, pilots grow by simple seeding without growing seedlings. For abundant June flowering, sowing should be done in late March, maximum early April. The flower is not afraid of spring frosts, so no additional hardening is required.
Nutrient soils with high-quality natural drainage are used as soil. An ideal mixture would be sand, turf, humus in a ratio of 1: 1: 1. You also need to add one tablespoon of pure chalk to a bucket of prepared soil - this is done in order to reduce the acidity of the soil. Nemophila, growing from seeds of which can be an excellent hobby for a young grower, is sown to a depth of 0.5 cm. Watering the plant often and quite a lot is needed. After two or three weeks spend thinning seedlings. The distance between nemophiles should not be less than 5 cm and more than 20 cm. If by mid-summer the plant suddenly began to fade quickly - this is a sign of lack of moisture. For prolonged flowering, additional sowing of seeds is performed in June, and at the end of summer, dead parts are cut off in adult plants, which causes the appearance of new buds.
Harvested autumn seeds need to be dried well, put in paper bags and stored until a next year in a dry and fairly cool place. A very popular use case for nemophiles is the creation of flower rugs in gardens and parks. For a long life, the flower needs a bit of partial shade and regular, high-quality watering. Also, the plant will look good on alpine hills, flower beds, in balcony tubs and near artificial ponds.