Alyssum flower is sometimes called alyssum, mason, lobularia. It belongs to the cabbage family. Gardeners love it for its unpretentiousness and light honey aroma. Bees will definitely visit a flower bed or balcony on which Alyssum blooms. You can plant it in pots or open ground.
Places of distribution
Alyssum flower is common in Eurasia and North Africa. Its height is about forty centimeters. It has many small inflorescences collected in a brush. There are a lot of shades of flowers. They appear from the beginning of May and delight the eye until late autumn. The first frosts can not seriously harm the plant. It is capable of surviving a temperature of -15 ° C.
White flowers have the greatest odor. It is recommended to plant them in the gardens so that the aroma spreads with a breeze. A lot of bees will fly on it.
Varieties
There are a large number of varieties of Alyssum flower. Each variety has a beautiful appearance. The flowerbed on which flowers of different shades are located looks very impressive. Especially if the transition from light to dark is very smooth. Each flower has four petals, rounded in shape. In the center are bright stamens.
Popular types of Alyssum flower:
- Snow carpet - the height of the plant is not more than eight centimeters. Crohn is spreading. The flower belongs to annual plants. Every year it can be sown with seeds.
- Rocky is a perennial plant, branched. Its height is up to thirty centimeters. It has the appearance of a hemisphere, the diameter of which is up to forty centimeters. Leaves remain on the shrub even in winter. They gather in dense brushes. Inflorescences of a yellow tone.
- Citrinum is a variety of rock variety. The flowers have a lemon yellow tint.
- Compactum is a type of rocky Alyssum. It has a rich aroma, the height of the bush is only eighteen centimeters. Inflorescences are small.
- Golden wave - the plant is low, blooms in yellow, refers to the rocky appearance. However, the first inflorescences appear only two years after planting.
- The plenum is a subspecies of rocky shrub forty centimeters high. Inflorescences are yellow, very lush, as if terry.
- Marine - the plant is found only in warm climates. The height is eight to forty centimeters. When its branches grow, they begin to spread along the ground. Shrubs seem very low. Inflorescences are fluffy, all kinds of shades. In the natural habitat, these flowers have petals of only white or lilac colors. It blooms all spring and autumn.
- Taini Tim is a subspecies of marine Alyssum. In the photo, the flower is miniature. Its height is only eight centimeters, it covers the soil. It blooms so dense that it is impossible to consider the stems and leaves.
- Esther Bonnet Deep dip - This marine Alyssum is quite picky regarding moisture. It blooms in a beautiful pink tone. If there is not enough moisture, flowering will stop. But it is also impossible to overmoisten the soil around the plant, otherwise it will rot.
- Mountain - perennial plant resistant to frost. The stems are densely planted; their height is twenty centimeters. Inflorescences are yellow.
- Seaside is an annual plant with white flowers. Stems ten to fifteen centimeters high. It must be planted in well-lit areas. The plant is not afraid of frost and drought. However, on hot summer days it must be well moistened. Abundant flowering can stop if there is a lack of nutrients in the soil.
You can grow these varieties on your own personal plot or balcony. You can use one of the available methods, namely seeds, cuttings, dividing the bush.
Seed cultivation
It is not always possible to get seedlings. In such cases, it is enough to have seeds. They are sown immediately in the ground. This is done in late April. A suitable soil is land of neutral acidity, with organic fertilizers and well-drained.
For seeding, a well-lit area is selected. Seeds can be slightly deepened in the soil or left on top. Watering. With the advent of the first shoots, thinning is necessary. The distance between seedlings should be fifteen centimeters. If the flowers are too crowded, their shoots will stretch. This will spoil the flowering, which should occur by mid-summer. To speed up the process will allow covering crops with suitable material. It is important that the soil is not too wet. Plants do not need the appearance of a fungus.
You can sow seeds for the winter. Somewhere in November, before heavy snows, the seeds are placed in the ground one and a half centimeters deep. They will germinate in advance. During the winter, weak sprouts will die, and strong ones will harden. By spring or summer, good shoots will appear. Nature itself will select the best sprouts.
Seeds can be sown in seedling boxes. This is done in March. The containers are kept for a week at a temperature of at least + 16 ° C. During this time, the first shoots will appear. Then the boxes are brought into a bright, warm room. Seedlings are planted in the first week of May.
Seed collection
Seeds are collected by the end of September. Since they are very small, they should not be looked for by hand. It is better to lay a light canvas or tent under the bush. Then the inflorescences are rubbed in the hands. The remains of inflorescences and seeds fall on the fabric. It remains only to remove the garbage.
It does not matter if the seeds were not collected on time. They can be swept away with a whisk, and the earth and garbage can be separated. Then store the seed in a dry place until sowing.
Propagation by cuttings
Perennial Alissum flowers can be propagated by dividing the bush or cuttings. Shoots are cut in June-July. The length of the shoots should be about ten centimeters. They are planted in a nutritious light mixture. Next, cover them with transparent material. The soil should be moist all the time. Do not forget about the ventilation of the cuttings. Shoots must take root after 15-20 days.
Dividing by a bush is also considered a good option, since the bush grows quite quickly. This requires an adult bush. It is dug in the spring before active growth has begun. At least a small amount of the root system should remain on the stems. Separated bushes at first need to be watered properly.
Landing and care
Alyssum flower is considered resistant to the external environment. It not only tolerates moderate frosts, but can also withstand drought for some time, it can be cut even in summer. And yet the plant has its own growing characteristics.
Alyssum flower can be planted in the ground. Seedlings are planted in the last week of May. Side shoots are removed from the processes, and then placed in the ground. Drainage has already been mentioned. If it is insufficient, it is necessary to add expanded clay or gravel to the bottom of the hole.
The distance between young seedlings should be twenty centimeters or more. Holes should be slightly larger than the root system. Do not plant a plant deep. After planting it must be watered abundantly. To seedlings were not drowned out by weeds, you must regularly loosen the ground.
Watering
Alyssum flower, the care of which is considered in the article, requires constant watering. The plant may rot due to severe waterlogging. Well-drained soil solves this problem. So, water will not linger in the root system. Abundant regular watering is the key to beautiful long flowering. How to determine the balance?
The ground under the bush needs to be dug four to five centimeters. If it is dry, it should be watered. Do not be afraid if the plant is a little wilted in the hot season. It is quickly restored.
Top dressing
Growing Alyssum flowers involves dressing. Perennials add fertilizer to the soil before the flowering stage. One-year lobularia needs to be fed several times a year. Then the flowering will not stop. Some gardeners believe that a plant needs three top dressings per year, regardless of life expectancy.
As a fertilizer, a ready-made solution is suitable. Organics are not recommended. The solution must be added to the root system. It is important not to spill it on flowers and leaves.
Pruning
Good growth and abundant flowering involves pruning. But this applies only to perennials. In the spring, you need to remove last year's inflorescences, wilted leaves, missing branches.
In summer, the procedure can be repeated. You also need to cut the shoots to eight to ten centimeters. This will provoke lobularia to bloom again. And the appearance of the bush noticeably freshen up. Do I need to transplant a flower?
A transplant is useless to him. He feels great in one place for several years. If the plant was grown for further planting in the flower garden, the Alissum flower can be dug up and transplanted like a regular shrub.
It is not necessary to trim it by winter. It is enough to cover with leaves or other material in case of severe frost.
Diseases and Pests
Alyssum belongs to the class of cruciferous, so it is subject to the same pests as radish and cabbage.
Alyssum flowers, photos of which can be seen in the article, can suffer from the following insects and diseases:
- Cruciferous flea - an insect can significantly spoil the appearance of a plant. For the struggle, a solution of vinegar essence is used, which is processed by adult plantings. But do not use chemical preparations during flowering, as this can kill bees and other harmless insects that flock to the honey aroma of a flower.
- Butterfly whites - winged insects, like their larvae, drink juice from green spaces. They are fought with a lepidocide.
- Powdery mildew - expressed by yellowing and falling leaves. The problem most often occurs if the plant is in a shaded area. The treatment consists of destroying the damaged parts of the flowers and applying a fungicide.
- Brown rot is a dangerous disease, also called white rust. Many plants die from it. The only thing that can be done is to remove the affected seedlings from the garden and burn them.
Proper care and timely treatment will allow you to enjoy the honey aroma and delicate flowering for many years.
In landscape design
Alyssum flower attracts with its unpretentiousness. They can be decorated with flower beds, which are located in the open sun. Due to its rapid growth, it is used as carpet. Shrubs look great both during flowering and as green spaces. Their leaves have a silver-green hue.
Low-growing plantations look great in border plantings. They cover areas between tall stands. They can be combined with irises, forget-me-nots, phlox. White and yellow inflorescences of Alyssum contrast well with the colors of blue and purple.
Lobularia are ideal for decorating balconies. To do this, they are planted in large containers. Especially good if the balcony is located on the sunny side.
Thanks to the ability to grow between stones, the flowers are perfect for alpine slides and rockeries. Landscape designers quite often use them for their rocky compositions.