Armeria is one of the most beautiful and delicate flowers that can please the gardener's eye for more than one year. From Celtic its name can be translated as "close to the sea." And this is not surprising, because the most common type of armeria is seaside. Another version of the origin of the name of this plant says that in translation from French "armories" is one of the varieties of cloves that has an external resemblance to armeria.
So, if an armeria has settled in your garden, the cultivation, care, propagation of this flower and its features should be well known to you.
Appearance
The plant is perennial, reaches a height of up to 50 centimeters. It has a small root. The stem is straight, may be smooth or pubescent. The flowers are small, collected in sockets, their shades vary from white to purple, collected in inflorescences. Form round spherical "pillows". Due to its low growth and brightness, it can act as a "carpet" of the site, if the landing is dense enough. Looks good next to creeping plants.
Armeria blooms in May - August. There are more than 60 species of this plant, the most common are soddy, alpine, prickly and coastal.
Seed cultivation
The decoration of any garden can be a well-groomed armeria. Planting and care, cultivation features should be studied by a gardener before he decides to acquire a blooming beauty. For those who do not want to buy ready-made seedlings, there is an opportunity to independently grow armeria from seeds.
Seed propagation can be carried out in seedling and seedling methods. In open ground, seeds are planted before winter or early March. If you plan to grow seedlings in greenhouses, then sowing seeds occurs in late February.
Flower seeds are planted in wooden or plastic containers. Contain in a dry, warm place. After the seeds have sprouted a little, they are covered with a film or gauze, creating a greenhouse effect. And only after that the sprouts can be transplanted into the open ground.
Reproduction of armeria is carried out by seeds or division of the bush. The bushes are separated in spring or early autumn, put in water and wait for the emergence of sprouts, and then planted in the ground. Each bush is best divided into small parts that can take root quickly and easily.
Landing Features
What soil does armeria like? Planting and care of this flower should be done in areas with moist, light, not very alkaline soil. The place needs to be chosen open and sunny, only slight dimming is possible. The soil should be kept loose and moist all the time, it is better if it is sandy and rocky areas.
Some plant species require calcium-rich soil. During the preparation of the site for planting armeria, much attention is paid to drainage, since the flower does not tolerate moisture accumulation at the roots.
Unpretentious is considered an armeria plant. Growing and caring for it can be carried out both during periods of drought and in frosts. However, despite this, in hot, dry weather, the flower must be regularly watered.
What else can an armeria demand? Planting and flower care also includes fertilizer application. Top dressing is carried out before flowering begins. Organic and mineral fertilizers are applied about 2-3 times during the season. Much attention must be paid to top dressing if armeria grows on peaty, clayey, and loamy soils.
Plant care
If your site has an armeria, planting and caring for it will not take much time and energy, since this flower is quite unpretentious. In order for the plant to distribute all its forces to the formation of new buds and enjoy long flowering, it is necessary to remove wilted flowers, as well as peduncles, on which new buds will no longer form.
When the armeria reaches the age of five, it must be dug up, divided into several small parts and planted. In the future, this procedure must be carried out every 2-3 years, otherwise the plant will grow.
Since armeria is frost-resistant, no special shelter is required for the winter. But the plant does not tolerate winters with little snow, ice crusts, long wet periods. Therefore, it will be right to plant a flower on the hills, and in snowless winters to cover with leaves or spruce paws.
In the heat, it is recommended to moisten the leaves of the flower.
It is believed that armeria should not be grown in one place for more than 7-8 years. So after this period, the plant is better to transplant.
Armeria: outdoor planting and care
In open ground, plant seeds are planted in late autumn or early spring. Top lightly sprinkled with earth. It is very important to keep the beds constantly moistened, however, you need to water them very carefully so as not to wash the seeds and deep into the soil. Before sowing, seeds are kept in the refrigerator for about a week. After that, it is soaked in water for 6-7 hours, and then planted.
If planting in open ground is carried out not by seeds, but by seedlings, then armerias are placed at a distance of 20 centimeters from each other to create a dense flower carpet. Landing is done in rows, in shallow trenches.
In the first weeks after planting, regular plentiful watering is necessary. However, waterlogging should be avoided.
Armerias are used for planting in borders, rockeries, in crevices of walls and between slabs of paths.
Diseases and Pests
Absolutely not afraid of either diseases or pests of Armeria. Planting and caring for it only on acidic soils with stagnant moisture in the winter can cause the flower to become weak and vulnerable to aphids. Fighting this pest is worth a complete pruning of the plant. Preventive treatment of the flower in early spring also helps.
Armeria seaside
An amazingly beautiful view is the seaside armeria. Planting and caring for it do not require knowledge of specific agrotechnical rules. This plant is quite unpretentious and frost-resistant. Under natural conditions, grows in Europe and North America on sea dunes and coasts. Height does not exceed 20 centimeters, flowers are mauve. Flowering continues almost all summer.
So, there are many varieties of armeria. All of them are characterized by an unpretentious disposition, resistance to various weather conditions. The plant has perfectly taken root in our climate and is able to bloom throughout the summer, perfectly adjacent to other flowers. With minimal care, these delicate flowers will serve as a real decoration of any garden and delight you for more than one year.