Craspedia only recently became known to the world; it was distributed from Australia around the world about 30 years ago. In addition to the bright decoration of the garden, craspedia was a real discovery for florists. Her flowers, similar to drumsticks, are used in the preparation of live and dry bouquets, as well as in the florarium.
Description
Craspedia belongs to the family of asters. The genus has about 30 species, growing from flooded lowlands to hills and rocky plateaus. This herbaceous plant in subtropical and tropical climates lives for several years. Rhizome has one pronounced pivotal root and several surface filiform roots. The stem is dense, erect, has a circular cross section and a diameter of 2-4 mm. Resistant to gusts of wind. The color of the stems and foliage is light green; it darkens at the end of the season. The height of an adult plant is 50-70 cm, at the top there is a single spherical inflorescence.
The leaves are wide, with an even edge over the entire surface, densely covered with silvery villi. Sockets are located at the base and do not extend to the stems. On them daily morning dew is collected, which serves as an additional source of moisture. Some varieties have a leafy stem. In this case, the leaves fit tightly on the shoot, and their size decreases to the top.
On the inflorescence there are several dozens (up to 130) of the smallest yellow flowers. They sit tight on the base, so the ball is dense and even solid. First, the lower and lateral buds bloom, and the top remains depressed and closed until the last. Toothed petals, fused, bent outward, resemble the edges of a female hat. The core protrudes forward in a small column covered with stamens. The diameter of the inflorescence is only 2.5-3 cm. Flowering begins in late August and lasts 1-1.5 months. Drying, the flowers remain attractive and do not crumble even with mechanical stress (tapping or squeezing).
In the seed box by the end of flowering, small seeds ripen, in 1 g there are about 1,500 pieces.
Common varieties
Only one species has spread in culture - spherical craspedia, so named for the shape of the inflorescence. The species distinguishes two hybrid varieties with different color petals:
- Goldball - a tall (over 75 cm) plant with sandy yellow blobs of flowers;
- Trommelstock - on stems up to 60 cm there are smaller balls of a saturated yellow hue.
In New Zealand, from the seashore to rocky hills can be found single-flowered craspedia. Its height is much smaller, only 30-35 cm. A thick rosette of wide leaves adorns the plant near the ground. The villi on them are so long that they become slightly tangled. A hemispherical inflorescence from sand to orange in diameter up to 3 cm is formed on the stem. One plant can simultaneously produce several peduncles.
Breeding
Craspedia propagated by seeds. Moreover, from the moment of sowing seeds for seedlings or immediately to the garden until flowering begins, several months pass. Releasing buds, craspedia focuses on decreasing daylight hours, so it is impossible to get from it in early summer. But with late sowing in the garden, the plant may not have time to bloom in the current year.
For sowing, light peaty soil is used; it is convenient to sow seeds immediately from special pots so as not to damage fragile roots in the future. They try to place small seeds on the surface of the earth not too densely, you do not need to sprinkle with earth. The substrate is moderately watered and tightly covered with a film. For germination, seeds need light and an air temperature of about + 20 ... + 22 ° C. A greenhouse or window sill is perfect. Once a day for 10-20 minutes the film is removed to ventilate.
Shoots appear together in 2-3 weeks. Young plants can no longer be kept under the film and should be watered carefully. For good growth, it is recommended to provide the shoots with additional illumination with a fluorescent lamp, otherwise the care is no different from the care of seedlings of other colors. Craspedia is transplanted into the garden without a dive at the end of May. Focus on the weather and the lack of frost. Between seedlings it is necessary to leave 25 cm of distance.
When grown indoors, the craspedia bush gradually expands in breadth, which allows it to propagate vegetatively. The roots are dug up and form separate divisions, which are placed in separate pots. It is optimal to transplant in the fall, after the flowering period ends.
Transplanted plants or seedlings in a new place need special care. It is necessary to regularly water craspedia and feed twice a month with organic and complex mineral fertilizers.
Cultivation and care
The plant needs fertile, well-drained soil. It is best planted on sandy or sandy loam soil with weak acidity, but cultivation on loams is also possible. At the bottom of the pit, a small layer of gravel, brick chips or coarse-grained sand is preliminarily poured, compost is introduced and a young bush is planted. From the beginning of summer to the appearance of the first flowers, they make nitrogen fertilizer, alternating it with organic matter. With the appearance of flowers, nitrogen is abandoned in favor of superphosphate or generally only organic mixtures are left.
To form a lot of colors, you should choose a place with maximum lighting and protection from the cold. But even in this case, during rainy and cold weather, flowering will be insignificant.
The plant tolerates heat well; in dry weather it needs regular watering. It does not suffer from insect infestations and is characterized by good resistance to diseases. Although the thin stems are surprisingly durable, from a strong wind they lie on the ground, so it is necessary to choose windless places.
All varieties of craspedia can tolerate only small short-term frosts, so it is either dug up for the winter or grown as an annual crop.
Using
In the garden, unusual craspedia flowers are used to decorate borders, rock gardens, create flowerbed compositions and as a solitaire. Looks good with daisies, cereals, deciduous and succulent plants.
Craspedia is especially popular as a cut plant. Fresh, it is suitable for wedding, men's and other bouquets, as well as for boutonnieres.
Since the flowers are perfectly preserved during drying, many designers actively use this. Stems are cut off at peak flowering until they begin to dry. Then the buds will remain tight and will not crumble. Bundles of 10-15 stems are suspended down by inflorescences in a shady, well-ventilated place until completely dry.
Although in nature the flowers are colored in shades of yellow, blue, pink, purple or orange beads are used in the compositions. This is achieved by simple staining with special spray paints.
A new direction in interior design - florarium - is not complete without craspedia. Sand, shells, dried flowers or other memorable objects are laid out in a small glass vase or decorative jar. Tanks are placed on a table, shelves or other prominent places. In these compositions, there are usually not many bright colors, so yellow balls will be in the spotlight.
