It is difficult to imagine a garden without flowers. The first plants that appear after a cold winter are especially pleased. These include pansies. These lovely and delicate flowers are familiar to everyone. However, not everyone knows that behind the beautiful name is horned violet. Its beautiful flowers resemble butterfly wings. The unpretentious culture has earned the respect and love of flower growers, which is why it is a frequent guest in the flower beds.
Plant description
Horned violet is a perennial plant from the family of violets. It has branched stems forming a pillow. The homeland of the plant is the mountainous regions of Spain and France. Different varieties reach a height of 10 to 30 centimeters. The foliage is characterized by a dark green color.
Their length is about four centimeters. Thanks to the creeping roots, the plants very quickly create a carpet. Small flowers of horned violets in diameter do not exceed 3-5 centimeters, but at the same time they are so sweet that it is impossible to take your eyes off them. At the same time up to 60 flowers can bloom on one bush. In the middle of each of them there is an orange or yellow eye. And behind the flower there is a horned outgrowth, for which the violet got its name.
Varietal variety
Among the 500 varieties of perennial violets, it is the horned that deserves special attention, because it is unpretentious, blooms profusely for many years and at the same time does not lose its decorative effect. Over the years, many hybrid forms have been developed that are widely used in landscaping of personal plots. Plants have a long flowering period, which lasts from early May to October. Horned violet can be painted in a variety of delicate shades of lilac, blue, lilac. But hybrids have a wider color gamut - from white to bright red.
Modern plant varieties differ from each other by the height of the bush, the size of the flower and their color:
- Foxbrook Cream has a creamy tint.
- Gazelle - white-blue and dark purple.
- Boton Blue - pale blue.
- Yellow perfection is golden and yellow.
- Ruby is red.
- White perfection - white with a yellow center.
- Charlotte is purple.
- Victoria Cauthorn - lilac pink.
- Altona is beige.
- Jersey Jam - lilac color.
Plant propagation
Growing violet horned (perennial) does not cause much trouble to flower growers. Thanks to its unpretentiousness, culture has gained wide popularity. Plant propagation is carried out in two ways: seed and vegetative. Shrub division or cuttings are mainly used for hybrid forms. This method allows you to quickly achieve flowering of young plants. From one old bush you can get up to thirty young.
But most often flower growers use the first method - growing horned violets from seeds. To do this, in specialized stores you can purchase seed material. The selection of grades and colors presented to customers is impressive.
To obtain seedlings, you can sow seeds directly into the open ground. In this case, the first flowers on the plants will appear in three months.
The second option is to sow seeds in room conditions or in greenhouses in protected ground. At home, you can get strong seedlings of horned violets (perennial). Growing seeds from young plants does not require much effort from you. For planting, you will need boxes and soil, which are pre-disinfected or calcined, and then treated with a fungicide to prevent fungal diseases.
How to sow seeds?
If you decide to grow seedlings at home, then the most favorable period for sowing seeds begins in February and lasts until April. It is at this time that it is best to do seed germination. To do this, purchase a substrate in the store and fill them with boxes. In the soil, improvised devices make shallow grooves into which the seeds are lowered. Then they are covered with soil and moistened with a spray gun. Glass is laid on the ground or covered with a film. For some time, the boxes are placed in a room with a temperature not exceeding + 12-18 Β° C.
Further care is to monitor soil moisture. The soil should not dry out. The first seedlings of horned violets (photo is given in the article) will appear in 3-5 weeks. After this, the seedlings can be transferred to a warmer room with temperature indicators from +18 Λ to +22 Λ. Young plants need hardening. They remove the film, which creates a greenhouse effect. After the appearance of two or three true leaves on the plants, young plants dive, planting at a distance of 5 centimeters from each other.
In the future, horned violets are planted in open ground, choosing a sunny place protected from the winds. Young bushes should be regularly watered, observing the principle of moderation. Periodically, the soil near the plants needs to be loosened and weeds removed. Horn violets are fed no more than once every three to four weeks.
Sowing seeds in open ground
Seeds pre-treated with fungicides are sown in open ground. The best time for this is August-September. The soil is pre-excavated. Seeds are sown in shallow grooves. From above they are covered with earth and mulched with humus or peat.
Do not be afraid of seed germination in winter. In cold soil, they can undergo natural stratification. The first shoots will appear only next year in the spring. Dense crops will have to dive. And the bushes are transplanted to a permanent place in August. The first flowering of plants can be expected only in the second year of life.
Planting biennial crops
Large-flowered hybrid forms are grown as biennial plants. Seeds are sown in the second half of June. To do this, use containers with a substrate. It is also possible to grow in greenhouses or greenhouses.
Soil temperature should not be higher than +20 Λ, otherwise seed germination will be low. For this reason, it is preferable to sow them in containers, and not in open soil. The first shoots appear in a couple of weeks. Young plants must be shaded from direct sunlight, loosen the soil and water.
Tablet growing
Peat tablets can be used for seed germination. They are purchased in specialized stores. For planting, you will need as many tablets as there are seeds available. Peat blanks are dipped in warm water and left for some time to swell. Next, the tablets are taken out and one seed is placed in the center of each, and a small amount of substrate is sprinkled on top if it is a question of planting in open ground.
Peat blanks are also used for home planting of seeds. They are placed in glasses or boxes, which, after planting, are covered with a film to create a greenhouse effect.
Plant care
We have already said that the plant requires minimal care. In the process of development, fading inflorescences and overgrown shoots are removed on the bushes. Violets need moderate watering. More frequent humidification is necessary in the southern regions during hot summers or in dry periods of mid-latitudes. Watering plants is recommended in the evenings when there is no bright sun. To preserve moisture, you can mulch the soil. Chips, moss, fine gravel and peat are used as mulch. This will help not only retain moisture, but also protect the soil from leaching, and also prevent the weeds from growing.
Florists agree that violets do not need abundant top dressing. Organic and complex fertilizers of the plant are well tolerated, but fresh manure is not recommended.
Cold season preparation
Perennial horned violet (photo is given in the article) is a frost-resistant culture. Therefore, she does not need any special measures of preparation for the winter. Peat can be used as a simple shelter option. But young plants that have not yet had time to root well can be covered with spruce branches. In snowy winters, small violets can freeze.
Pests
Violets are not susceptible to disease, and therefore rarely cause trouble to gardeners. If suddenly the plant does not bloom or fade, then, most likely, the cause is unfavorable conditions or improper care:
- Lack of light can provoke the appearance of slugs on the bushes. You can get rid of them by spraying with ammonia solution (25%).
- Brown spots on the foliage may appear due to watering with cold water. Violets like water at room temperature.
- Yellow spots on the foliage appear when watering during the hot time of the day under the scorching sun. To prevent the formation of burns, it is recommended to moisten the soil in the early morning or evening.
- If the green has lost its elasticity and looks dusty, then the reason most likely lies in the decay of the root system. This situation is possible with an excess of moisture.
- Incorrect application of complex fertilizers or a sharp change in weather conditions can lead to the fall of all buds.
Instead of an afterword
Horned violet is a beautiful and unpretentious plant, the character of which was tempered in the conditions of mountain cliffs. For this reason, culture is completely undemanding to growing conditions. Minimal care - and the plant will thank abundant flowering for a long time.