Clarkia is an annual plant with a long flowering period, beloved by flower growers for its beauty and elegance.
Belonging to the Cypriot family, a native of California got its name in honor of the priest William Clark, who brought her to Europe in the 19th century. Under natural conditions, Clarkia is found in Chile and in the western part of North America and has more than three dozen species.
Clarkia Description
A small bush with miniature roses strung on a stem (lilac, white, purple, pink) - this is how incredibly elegant Clarkia looks like. Plant height - from 30 to 90 cm, stems pubescent with small villi, erect, branched, rarely bend down. The leaves are oblong-oval, dark green, with characteristic red veins. The flowers are small, located in the axils of the leaves single or collected in a brush or spike-shaped inflorescences. A single arrangement of flowers is rarely observed. The fruit is an elongated polysperm.
Varieties of clarkia graceful
In cultural floriculture, a special attention is drawn to the elegant Clarkia flower, characterized by double and simple flowers collected in a brush: purple, white, blue, pink, red. Located one in the leaf sinuses, they are about 4 cm in diameter. Flowering is characterized by abundance from June to September. The leaves are oval, unevenly serrated at the edges, bluish-green with red streaks. The stem is less than a meter high, thin, branched, lignified downward. The seeds are small (in 1 gram there are about 3000 pieces), germination is maintained for about 4 years.
The most popular varieties:
- Salmon perfection with double flowers up to 3.5 cm in diameter. The height of the bush is about 90 cm.
- Purple against the background of the other varieties is distinguished by carmine flowers on a high, up to 90 cm, bush.
- Albatross is a bush with terry white flowers, reaching a height of 75 cm.
Varieties of garden clarkia
Clarkia is also cultivated in cultivated floriculture:
- Pubescent. Low-growing variety - up to 40 cm in height. Flowers are both simple and double. They have a different color. The original shape of the petals is noteworthy: for the wide three-part separation, the Americans call this particular kind of clarkia “moose horns”. The leaves are green, long, narrowed to the petiole and pointed at the apex.
- Breveri. It reaches a height of 25 to 65 cm. It compares favorably with other varieties of clarkia of incredible beauty with double flowers (about 3-6 cm in diameter), similar to butterfly wings and having a pleasant strong aroma. When looking at Clarkia, it seems that the flowers, like beads, are strung on thin stems of a plant.
Clarkia gracefully looks spectacular, growing from seeds of which is not particularly difficult. The original composition is made up of flowers of various colors. Great varieties of clarkia are great for bouquets.
Clarkia graceful: growing from seed
Clarkia propagates gracefully in a seed way. Half a month before sowing, carried out in April - early May, the site needs to be dug up and a square meter of 1 kg of peat and a tablespoon of potassium sulfate with superphosphate added per meter.
Clarkia seeds are sown in several pieces per hole, with an interval between the holes of 20-50 cm. The seed does not need to be deeply buried in the soil, just lightly press it into the ground and sprinkle with a thin layer of earth. The emergence of seedlings tentatively occurs in two weeks. Thick plantings should be thinned out a little, but without frills, because in a dense bush the blooming Clarkia is much more beautiful. In the autumn planting, the seeds have time to germinate before the onset of frost and are well preserved under snow cover.
Seedling method of planting
The most favorite planting method for gardeners is seedling, which provides protection against temperature extremes, frost, cold rains. Seeds for seedlings are sown in March in a specially prepared container, the soil is slightly sprayed with water. After seeding, the container must be covered with glass, determined in a bright place (without direct sunlight). With the advent of seedlings, the glass can be removed, and at the first leaves, you should pick the seedlings of such a wonderful plant as elegant clarkia. Landing in the open ground is in May. From the planting capacity of the plant should be obtained in groups, with an earthen lump - also in heaps and planted. This will increase the percentage of survival. Near each hole, it is recommended to stick a stick - a support for the thin stems of the plant. After disembarkation, clarkia needs to be slightly nipped - to activate tillering.
Clarkia is elegant, the mixture of colors of which is quite diverse, is also actively propagated by self-seeding. To collect seeds during flowering, you need to select several flowers that, when wilted, tie with gauze to prevent seeds from entering the ground. The maturation of seeds can be judged by the brown color of the seed box. It needs to be cut, the seeds sprinkled on some coating, dried and sown before winter, or stored until spring.
Clarkia grace care and nutrition
Clarkia graceful - cold-resistant, photophilous plant. Therefore, it is better to grow it in open space. The optimal soil is slightly acidic, loose. In dry weather, it is advisable to water the plant, the rest of the time it will have enough rain moisture. In the process of budding and flowering, fertilizing is required - twice a month with complex mineral fertilizers. At the same time, it is necessary to get rid of wilted flowers and seed bolls, so that the plant spends its forces on the formation of new buds, and the flowering period stretches out for a longer period. After the plant has bloomed, it should be cut to the ground.
Graceful Clarkia, growing from seeds of which is available even to a beginner grower, is a plant resistant to pests and diseases. However, it can sometimes be affected by a powdery worm, the traces of the presence of which look like a cotton-like coating on the ground. In the fight against such a pest, Confidor, Fitoverm, and Aktara are effective.
Graceful Clarkia, growing from seeds of which is considered an easy way to breed a flower, can be affected by a fungal disease, which appears on the leaves with rusty spots with a specific brown border. To destroy the fungus, it is required to spray the plant with the fungicides "Oksikhom" or Bordeaux liquid.