Lobelia is a decorative flowering plant belonging to the same genus of the Bellflower family. These flowers are unusually decorative: the lobelia is called a blooming cloud. There are both bush varieties and ampel lobelia. They will be described in the article.
General information, type description
The genus Lobelia includes not only herbaceous plants, but also shrubs. The name was given to him in honor of the scientist of the 16-17th centuries Matthias de L'Aubel, botanist and court physician Jacob I, king of England.
Lobelia, which is grown by flower growers in our area, as a rule, represents various forms and varieties of one of the species - lobelia erinus, or blackberry (it is also garden lobelia). This is a small, low plant, characterized by lush flowering. Its small flowers are most often blue-blue or violet, but raspberry and white varieties are also found. Flowering is so magnificent that it can completely hide the greenery. With appropriate care, it lasts quite a long time - from May to September. The flowers are small, no more than 1-2 cm in diameter. They are two-lipped, zygomorphic. In the upper lip - two smaller fused petals, in the lower - three larger.
The shoots of the plant are thin, delicate, highly branching, densely covered with leaves. Leaflets of oblong shape, small, pale green. Depending on the form, the plant may take the form of a lush bush or a cascade of lush flowering lashes.
Plant shapes
There are several forms of plants. The first four of them are bushy, the last is ampelous:
- Lobelia Erecta, or erect, is a columnar form, grows up to 25 cm.
- Lobelia Diffusa, or sprawling, fully meets its name, has long branched stems up to 30 cm in length.
- Lobelia Compacta, as the name implies, has a compact appearance. The stems are straight, up to 20 cm in height.
- Lobelia Pumila is a dwarf species, the smallest of forms. It grows no higher than 12 cm.
- Lobelia Pendula is a climbing plant with loose hanging stems up to 35 cm long. Used for growing in hanging pots and pots.
Ampel lobelia can also be indicated on the packaging as cascading. As a rule, if the inscription “erinus” is present on the bag of seeds, we are talking about bush varieties.
Varieties
Below are briefly described the most popular of the varieties of ampelous lobelia with a photo:
- Red Cascade (Red Cascade) - a variety with raspberry flowers. Shoots are long, falling, up to 35 cm in length.
- Fountain Blue (blue fountain) - pale blue flowers, in the middle - a white eye. Shoots are multiple, up to 35 cm long.
- Sapphire (Sapphire) - flowers of bright blue colors with white spots on the lower petals.
When purchasing seeds for planting lobelia ampelous, it should be borne in mind that its varieties with yellow, red, orange flowers do not exist. Therefore, if the seller assures you otherwise, you should not believe him.
Favorable conditions
Garden Lobelia is an annual. It is photophilous, but at the same time shade-tolerant, fairly resistant to cold. He loves watering, but does not tolerate waterlogging and can rot. It is very important to find a balance, because with insufficient watering the plant simply ceases to bloom. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure that the soil is always slightly damp. This is especially important in the summer heat.
Soils for planting lobelia ampelous (photo of the plant can be seen below) or any other species should be well-drained, of medium humidity, sandy or loamy. It is better to choose an outdoor place for growing in the garden, as the plant loves bright diffused light. However, it does not tolerate direct sunlight, so it is desirable that in the hottest time of the day the plants are in the shade.
Seed cultivation
The requirements for growing, planting, caring for ampel lobelia are practically no different from those for other plant forms. The fruit ripens in September-October. It is a two-slot box. It contains many very small seeds, not more than 0.6 mm in diameter. They are smooth and shiny, from light to dark brown in color (in varieties with white flowers - cream).
Lobelia seeds, as well as petunias, due to the fact that they are very small, can not be planted deep into the soil, otherwise they will not sprout. They are mixed with sand and as if “salt” with this mixture the earth to evenly distribute on the surface. Florists are advised in another way: moisten a toothpick in water, then dip into seeds and shallow into soil. You can sow seeds immediately in the same containers in which lobelia will grow further: pots, boxes.
The soil under the seeds should be moist, but loose, well-crumpled. It is advisable to mix it with sand and coconut fiber. From above, the seeds are sprayed from the spray gun, and then covered with plastic wrap, plastic, polycarbonate or glass - any transparent material. They should be kept where there will be enough bright, but scattered light.
Before seed germination, the lid should be wiped daily from condensation to prevent rot and seedlings. You should also air the seeds for 10-20 minutes in the morning and evening. The optimal room temperature is 18-20 degrees. Seeds germinate on average on the 10th day after sowing. They remove the film after a few days, but do it better, gradually accustoming the delicate sprouts to room temperature.
Seedlings
After seed germination and film removal, care must be taken to ensure that the earth in the container does not dry out. The root system of lobelia is poorly developed, and when the soil dries, the sprouts die instantly.
During the day, seedlings can be taken out to the balcony or the veranda, at night - unless the temperature drops below +15 degrees. The most important thing for delicate seedlings is a sufficient amount of diffused light, timely watering and fresh air. In such conditions, it will quickly get stronger. Sprouts should be shaded from the bright rays of the daylight.
Topping seedlings usually does not require. In an extreme case, you can feed the monthly plants with universal fertilizer, breeding it 2-3 times stronger than for adults.
Planting seedlings of lobelia ampelous
Planting and care (photos of plants in individual containers can be seen below) in the future for growing flowers will be successful, if you be careful, because the lobelia seedlings are very tender. Transplantation is carried out in two stages: first, several plants are transferred from the total capacity to separate ones, and then they are already planted in the ground. Sprouts dive after the appearance of 2-3 leaves. By this time, young lobelia growing nearby are often intertwined with roots. In no case should they be disconnected so as not to damage the root system. To transfer several plants, you can use a regular teaspoon. When the sprouts reach 6-7 cm in height, the top should be pinched, this stimulates the growth of lateral branches. Lobelia blooms even in seedlings, before planting in a permanent place.
The second time the plants are transplanted no earlier than the end of May - beginning of June, when the threat of frost has passed. For this, hanging containers are most often used, because all the charm of an ampel shape is in its lush, cascading lush stems strewn with flowers. 3-4 small plants are transshipped into prepared pits, the distance between which should be 10-15 cm. Soil, as for seedlings, should be loose and not too fertile. If you abuse nitrogen fertilizers, lobelia will build up green mass, but will not bloom.
Adult Plant Care
In addition to watering, fresh air and sunlight, stalk care must be provided. So, after the first flowering, they must be cut at a height of about 5 cm from the soil surface. After this, the lobelia will grow, become thicker to branch and will bloom even more abundantly. A couple of times during the summer it will be necessary to feed the flowers with a complex mineral fertilizer.
After lobelia blooms and seeds ripen, stems can be cut. Previously, it is worth collecting seeds by shaking them from a cut plant on a newspaper and sifting through a sieve.
Leaving the stems uncleaned for the winter is not recommended, because otherwise the plant can multiply by self-sowing and disrupt your plans. In addition, flowering will begin much later than when planting pre-grown seedlings.
Interesting Facts
The stalks of lobelia ampelous or any other contain poisonous milky juice. In large quantities, it can be harmful to health, so the plant should be kept away from small children.
However, many types of lobelia have medicinal properties. Due to the alkaloids contained in them, they are used in folk medicine in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, asthma, and diseases of the central nervous system. However, it is not worth using them alone, without consulting a doctor. It may be dangerous.
In addition to the annual in the gardens, you can sometimes see two-year-old lobelia. Their flowers, unlike lobelia erinus or ampelous lobelia, the care of which was described in our article, can also have a bright red color. These species are fairly high erect plants, having only a distant resemblance to lobelia erinus in the structure of the flower. You can see how such a lobelia looks in the photo.
Ampelic (planting and caring for it were described in detail) and bush varieties never reach such height as two-year-olds - up to 70-80 cm or more.
One of the types of perennial lobelia is called Siphilitica, since in ancient times it was believed that with the help of this plant syphilis can be cured. Unfortunately, this is nothing more than a delusion.
Finally
As could be seen from the material provided, it is not particularly difficult to care for such a flower as ampel lobelia. The photos presented in the article clearly demonstrate the beauty of these unusual plants, which will surely reward the owners for good conditions with bright abundant flowering.