In nature, there is a huge variety of colors that amaze the imagination with their shapes and shades. One of the most beautiful shrubs of the decorative type with flowers of amazing beauty is Lagerstremiya, Indian lilac. How to grow this wonderful flower in the garden and at home, read the article.
Historical information
Lagerstremia, the Indian lilac, got its name by the name of the merchant from Sweden Lagerstrem, who was a friend of Karl Linnaeus, a world-famous scientist. And it was like that. While traveling in the south of East Asia in 1747, Lagerstrom admired plants with amazing flowers. The traveler returned home with several dozen seedlings. In places of stops, and these were Mediterranean port cities, he presented them as a gift to persons from higher circles. Later, the plant was brought to America and the islands of Britain.
general characteristics
Lagerstremia is called Indian lilac. It is a deciduous shrub or tree, the genus of which has 25 species. Among them there are plants having an ampelous form of growth. Shrubs have numerous solid shoots of light brown color, and trees have a single trunk, it is thin but strong. Lagerstremia, the Indian lilac, reaches a height of 9 m, growing in nature, and about one - indoors. The diameter of the wide crown is slightly smaller - 8 m. Its shape is different, depending on the initial formation. To give a neat appearance, young growth must be regularly cut and trimmed.
At The trunk has a smooth surface and silver-gray bark. Indian lilac (photo presented for review), has elliptical leaves. Their tips are pointed, and the plates themselves are oblong, reaching 2-7 cm in length. The castings are dark green in color, in the fall they turn red or yellow. Flowering Asian beauty begins in June, ends in October. Flowers with a diameter of 2.5 cm appear from buds resembling berries. They are collected in panicle inflorescences, the length of which reaches 20 cm or more.
Description of flowers
The buds look like dense balls with short stalks. They begin to blossom from the bottom, the widest part. Each color has several petals, their edges have a wavy shape. When the buds open, they resemble miniature terry roses with bright yellow stamens in the middle. Flowers are white, red, pink, raspberry shades. Lush flowering is striking in its splendor. At this time, Lagerstremia, Indian lilac (photo see below), is a very attractive plant for insects, thanks to which the plant is pollinated and forms seeds suitable for germination. Lilac has an interesting feature. In racemose inflorescences, color can change not only during growth, but also throughout the day. Their color is curled from lighting. Very often, flowers grow in different shades on the same bush or tree.
Spread
Lagerstremia, Indian lilac, It was widely distributed in China, India, Korea, the Philippine Islands, and Australia. Here, plants are considered "divine flowers", people believe in their mystical properties. For a flower, these regions are conditions for natural growth. Originally a flower from China, but received distribution from India. Lilac as a garden culture is grown on the Mediterranean coast, in Ukraine. In greenhouse conditions, Lagerstremia is grown all over the world.
Being a thermophilic plant, lilac has adapted to lower temperatures. She can easily endure cooling to 15 ° C below zero. In Russia, in open ground conditions, it is grown only in the south. The middle zone of our country, the Moscow Region, as well as the northern regions are characterized by frosty winters, so here lilacs are grown only in greenhouse conditions, it will freeze in gardens and parks in the open. The most popular and recognized Lagerstremia as an ornamental plant was in 1924 and at the beginning of the current century, in 2002. During these years, lilacs were declared the winner in exhibitions of international importance.
Growing a Potted Flower
Indian lilac at home is more of a greenhouse than indoor. This flower is moody and needs careful care. If you neglect the rules of cultivation, then the flowering will be very meager, and in time - short. The quality of numerous inflorescences largely depends on the correct pruning and light source. An important condition for cultivation is compliance with the regime of development and rest. So, for example, if the lilac is wintered with leaves, it will not have the strength to grow in the spring. Therefore, sending the plant for wintering, all leaves should be removed. Types of home Lagerstremia have stable immunity, but prevention from pests and diseases should be carried out every year.
Breeding
Lagerstremia propagates in several ways:
- The seeds. When sowing, they are planted in well-moistened soil to a depth of one or two centimeters. The pot is covered with a film or glass. In order for the seeds to germinate, the room temperature should be 24 ° C. Planting should be aired and watered. In two to four weeks, seedlings will appear.
- Cuttings. They are separated from the plant in early spring. Slices of lignified shoots are treated with a solution that stimulates root growth. For rooting, cuttings are planted in a mixture of sand and peat. Pot set with a warm, lit place. After 20 days, the first shoots will appear.
- By dividing the bush. In spring, root shoots are separated from the bush. For rooting, an escape is taken with its own roots. After planting, it is placed in a warm, shaded place. It is important to periodically moisten the soil.
Watering
Growing Indian Lagerstremia lilacs at room conditions is impossible without proper watering. The soil should always be moist during the period of the main phases of plant development: the process of growth and flowering. If we allow the soil to dry out, the buds will fly around, and if there is no watering, the leaves will fall for a long time. Excess moisture, as well as its lack, is detrimental to the plant, as the soil begins to mold, which leads to the death of lilacs.
In spring and autumn, plants are watered daily once. In extreme heat, this procedure is carried out twice a day. If this is not enough, the leaves are sprayed. Before the cold season, watering is reduced. In winter, they are carried out very rarely and only in order to prevent the soil from drying out and to keep it moist. At this time, they bring the flower into a warm room and only after several hours they take it back to the usual winter environment. For irrigation use settled or filtered water, it should be soft, not very cold and without impurities.
Humidity
The cultivation of Indian lilac is carried out in compliance with the humidity regime. The optimal conditions for the normal growth and development of the plant is an indicator of 55-60%. If there is dry air in the room, the leaves must be sprayed daily. It is better to do this in the early morning or late evening. So the greens will not be damaged by the scorching sun. In the event that the plant hibernates with leaves, spraying should be carried out as necessary.
Indian Lilac Lagerstremia: Care
Wintering of the plant is carried out at an air temperature of 10-12 ° above zero. It is best to place lilacs on a balcony, a veranda or a loggia for the period of cold weather, having previously insulated them. In this case, the plant will have a rest period. If wintering takes place in a warm room, the lilac will weaken, and flowering may not occur at all. Lagerstremia is not afraid of short-term frosts. Wintering on the balcony, she suffers a drop in temperature to 5 ° C below zero.
Lighting
The flower is best placed in a well-lit place. A window sill or loggia from the southeast or southwest side is ideal for this. The plant is not afraid of direct rays of the sun, on the contrary, it blooms better in bright light. If it grows in the shade, the shoots will stretch, there will be no lush flowering. But in winter, during dormancy, the plant needs light shading. A young bush or tree is sometimes left for the winter in the apartment, placing the plant next to the window, but provided that the temperature is lower than in the whole room.
Pruning
Given that Indian lilac is a plant with fast growth and strong branching, it needs to be pruned. If this is not done, Lagerstremia will grow to large sizes and its flowering will stop, since only young shoots are able to form inflorescences. Therefore, as soon as the plant reaches the age of one to two years, its shoots should be cut. The procedure is best carried out in the autumn after flowering. Of course, you can do this in the spring, until the buds are awakened, but no later than the end of March. If pruning occurs later, in addition to shoots, you can accidentally remove the buds from which the flowers are tied. During the procedure, leave the third part of the shoot, approximately 20-30 cm.
The shape of the plant is important to choose before pruning. If it is preferable for the gardener to grow lilacs as a tree, they leave only one powerful shoot, which comes from the root itself, and cut off the rest. If you like the shrub more, leave several sturdy shoots as the main stems. But, regardless of the shape of the plant, they completely get rid of sick, weak, broken branches and from shoots growing inside, which will obscure the crown.
Soil and fertilizer
Universal soil is suitable for Indian lilacs. A drainage layer is placed at the bottom of the flower pot so that the moisture does not linger and the roots do not rot. You can prepare the soil yourself. Peat, turf land, sand are taken in equal proportions. The main requirement is the friability of the substrate. Growing Lagerstremia in the home, it is important to do top dressing on time. Especially the plant needs them in the process of growth and during flowering. In the spring, once every half a month, watering is carried out using a liquid complex fertilizer, and before flowering, they are fed with additives for flowering plants.
Indian lager Lagerstremia: garden cultivation
If the region’s winter is characterized by a harsh climate, the plant is brought into the room during the cold season, otherwise it will die. In the garden areas of the southern regions, sunny places are chosen. A slight partial shade is possible, but flowering will be less active. Seedlings for planting are chosen strong, with an earthen lump on the roots. In the spring, at a selected site, dig holes 50x50 cm, add complex fertilizers to them. After planting, water abundantly. Further care is the same as for indoor cultivation: regular watering, fertilizing, pruning to form a plant and removing excess shoots.