The flower physostegia belongs to elegant undemanding perennials in the country. High flower shoots with luxurious buds are impressive. Virgin Physiostegia, which is usually cultivated by gardeners, is ideal for flower beds, will appreciate the bright flowers that are arranged in rows vertically.
Physiostegia Description
The herbaceous perennial culture belongs to the family of Labret, or Yasnotkovye. The genus has from 3 to 12 species (according to various sources). Tetrahedral height upright stalk is from 0.6 to 1 m.
In July, spike-like 30-centimeter inflorescences form. After a certain time, snow-white, pinkish or lilac flowers bloom.
The period of decorativeness, which begins in July and continues until the arrival of autumn, is 35-50 days.
Ideal for garden decor
The ripening of seeds on the lower tiers, which have faded, is accompanied by the opening of buds on the apical part. Fruits are small nuts. Culture refers to honey plants. It has a pleasant aroma that attracts bees to the garden plot.
Interesting! In the wild, culture grows on the North American continent.
The word translated from Greek means a bubble - from a bloated flower cup. This property is reflected in another name - a false snakehead. Gardeners grow in open flowerbeds only the Virgin Physostegia, other species are wild-growing. The flower fell in love with summer residents, the culture is undemanding to care.
Physostegia - an excellent honey plant
Varieties and varieties
Virginia adorns flower beds before the onset of cold weather. The following varieties are in demand among florists:
- Physostegia virgin physostegia virginiana alba. The height of the bushes of the physiostegia of Alba reaches 0.8 m. The flowers have a white color. The leaves of the physiostegia are white with denticles along the edges, in the middle - smooth.
- Physiostegia variegate. The plant belongs to unusual variegated varieties. Leaves Variegates rich green in the middle with a white border around the edge. The flowers have a pink color. Physiega Variegata grows to 1 m. A distinctive feature of Variegata shoots is resistance to lodging.
- Physostegia variegated. A distinctive feature of the flower is intense green foliage with a white border around the edges. Coloring of flowers is lilac-pinkish.
- The pink queen. The flower grows to 0.7 m. The flowers have a pinkish tint.
- Physostegia physostegia Rosea. The flower grows to 0.6 m. It has small pink or light lilac flowers. The peak of decorative pink physiostegia occurs in July-August.
- Physostegia Crystal peak white. In a culture with snow-white inflorescences, the growth of a bush is 40-45 cm. It easily propagates by self-sowing and seeds, and blooms during cultivation in the first year.
Snow-white charm Crystal Peak White
- Physiostegia Summer Snow. The height of the bush is 110 cm, the flowers are snow-white. The flower needs to be nourished and garter stems.
Agricultural technology
Landing of physiostegia in unprotected soil
If you want to breed a physiostegia, seedlings are planted in open beds in the last decade of May or in early June. An unpretentious flower is grown on a flowerbed that is lit by the sun. Penumbra is also suitable. He likes moisture, friability and humus enrichment in the soil. Sandstones, loams or chernozems are best suited.
Planting seedlings - with an interval of 25 cm. The rhizome of the physiostegia is aggressive: it quickly grows and displaces other crops from the flower garden.
To prevent negative effects, limiters are installed. Flowers are planted in an open soil in a container that limits the development of rhizomes: just right an old bucket or pan without a bottom, a piece of pipe.
Precautionary measures
The dishes are buried so that the thickness of the soil is equal to 20 to 50 mm from the top of the pot to the beds. Gardeners often dig around the perimeter of the flower garden fencing made of wood or metal, fragments of slate, plastic, buried at least 30 cm into the ground.
Sowing seeds of physiostegia on open beds
The laying of planting material is carried out before winter or early spring. Seedling method affects the endurance of flowers.
Seedling cultivation
Planting of seeds falls on the first decade of March:
- they are sown in boxes or individual cassettes with loose nutrient soil, buried by 1 cm, covered with glass or polyethylene from above;
- germination of seeds is carried out in a warm room with good lighting and ventilation, regularly watered;
- sprouts are waiting, after 2 weeks, remove the glass or polyethylene;
Seedling technology
- seedlings protect from drafts, direct rays of the sun, the soil is periodically loosened;
- when forming 2 real leaves, thin out the seedlings, leaving a 10 cm interval between the seedlings, or dive into pots;
- transferred to the garden at the end of the spring season, 14 days before planting, seedlings are hardened, seedlings are carried out in the daytime in the shade of the garden plot.
Watering and loosening the soil
Regular hydration is a must, especially during the heatwave. A clod of land will indicate the need for watering. Waterlogging is avoided to prevent the development of fungal infections.
It is useful to loosen the soil after irrigation and rain. Experienced gardeners simplify the care of the crop, sprinkle beds of mulch.
Recharge and transplant
If the soil is rich in nutrients, they feed the physiostegia 1 time during the growing season. It’s just right complex mineral fertilizing. Fertilize the plant before flowering, combining with watering.
Physiostegia dressing
The culture takes on a spectacular appearance in the second or third year of cultivation. Without transplanting, a flower is grown for a maximum of 5 years.
The bushes are removed from the ground, separated and sent back to the flowerbed in autumn or spring.
Physostegia transplantation and care for it do not differ from the initial planting. Abundant hydration will be required for the transplanted plant. It is recommended to mulch the flower garden.
Pruning
Plants are suitable for cutting. Beautiful bouquets come out of flowering stems. For decor, add ears of cereal or foliage. Cut the shoots, leaving high stumps. With the advent of autumn, wilted stems are eliminated by collecting seeds. Circumcision of the ground part of the physiostegia is carried out entirely for the winter.
Pests and plant diseases
A distinctive feature of the flower is resistance to pests and diseases. Although sometimes there may be problems.
Physiostegia often attacks aphids. Parasites suck plant juices. As a result, the yellowness of the flower, dropping buds. Fight harmful insects with insecticides and biological products:
- Actara;
- Spark;
- Actellik;
- Fufanon;
- Fitoverm.
Fitoverm - a reliable remedy for aphids
The plant suffers from the following diseases:
- Rust. Illness is signaled by a coating of foliage and shoots with brownish-yellowish convex inclusions of various sizes. The sheets begin to spin, turn yellow, dry out, the flowers fall off. The disease is confronted by: Altazol and Atlant, Bactofit and Topaz.
- Powdery Mildew. A whitish coating on the sheets, brown spots are symptoms of the disease. Gradual drying of the leaves, falling of flowers, cessation of crop growth occur. The drugs will help out: Hom, Bordeaux mixture, Oksikhom, Topaz.
- Gray rot. Rainy summer provokes the development of the fungus. On the shoot in the basal area there is a gray coating. Next, the leaves and inflorescences become infected. If the first symptoms of the disease are detected, the bushes are sprayed with Topsin, Fitosporin.
- Root rot. Violation of the rules of care creates an infection. The leaves are deformed, fade, dry out.
How to prepare for wintering
High winter hardiness of the physiostegia leads to the rejection of shelter culture in countries and regions with warm weather conditions:
- Moldova;
- in the south of Russia;
- Ukraine.
In areas with a cold climate, the plant shortens the stems from 20-50 cm above the soil. Stems are cut in the fall to the base.
Next, the soil is mulched with peat. Dried leaves are also used along with sawdust. For shelter use spruce branches.
Flowering period and care after
Physostegia flowering is the height of summer, it takes 1.5 months. The seeds of the plant are black, ribbed. Windy weather is the reason for self-seeding of the physiostegia. September is the right time to collect seeds. They are dried in a room that is well ventilated and put away for storage.
Seed material
Breeding methods
Cuttings
Planting stock is prepared in spring or summer. Stocked up by cuttings until flowering physostegia. You need shoots that cut 10-12 cm. On each workpiece, 2 buds are required at least.
Cutting of physiostegia
Cuttings are planted in boxes with moistened sand. Container put in partial shade. The shoots are sent for the winter to cool. In the spring, transferred to a flower bed.
Layering and dividing the bush
Educated layering is fixed with special brackets to the ground. Digging and transplanting is done when they grow up during the year. The bush is divided in the spring, until the physostegia blooms or fades.
Interesting! Summer residents practice the separation of the bush during flowering. The survival rate of delenoks is good, but trimming of inflorescences will be required.
Rhizome division
Physostegia is propagated in the fall by dividing the rhizome until frost occurs. A bush is excavated from the soil, divided into separate segments, planted on a permanent flowerbed.
Advice! When a flower is propagated by layering, dividing a bush, and rhizome, the earth near the plants is moistened constantly, but not in excess.
Use in decorative gardening
Flowers are indispensable in landscape design. White physostegia looks spectacular in group plantings if several tones are composed. They carry out its landing along the fences, ornamental shrubs, it borders the paths. It goes well with cultures such as:
- phlox and chamomile;
- dahlias and echinacea;
- lilies and lupins.
Tall crops look great in solo stands, in the middle of the flower garden or in the background. White Alba is planted in the center of round flower beds, in discounts and mixborders. They make out stony kindergartens and lawns with a physiostegia.
It looks advantageous in composition with coniferous trees and shrubs: thuja and spruce, dwarf pine and juniper, cypress. White varieties of physiostegia are harmonious in arrangement with red roses.
Interesting! A flower is an excellent decor for zones near artificial reservoirs: ponds, fountains.
Physostegia in a garden decor
Physostegia is an excellent solution to decorate a summer cottage. Description of the flower and care features will help beginners to decorate the site and enjoy its beauty.
