Perennial cornflower flowers are a great solution for decorating a garden plot. This easy-to-care plant will complement your flower bed without taking all the attention. Further in the article, we will talk about the care and planting of cornflowers, share tips on pest control and introduce methods of reproduction of the named plant. Indeed, despite the general unpretentiousness, there are certain nuances that are important to consider when growing these flowers.
Description
Cornflowers are very bright flowers with a variety of juicy shades that adorn not only fields, but also garden plots. To date, about 600 different varieties of this plant are known. You can find a field flower cornflower in almost any country in Europe, Asia and America. In addition to the classic blue and blue shades, there are pink, burgundy and yellow cornflowers. The height of an adult plant varies from 30 to 100 centimeters, depending on its variety. Large inflorescences cover fairly strong stems strewnsmall green leaves, which can be either whole or dissected.
Quite powerful inflorescences, having a spherical shape, consist of tubular and funnel-shaped flowers. The root system of the flower is rod-shaped with very little branching. An oblong seed pod can hold about 300 seeds.
Choosing a place and soil for planting
Cornflower flowers are very photophilous plants. Therefore, when choosing a place for their landing, preference should be given to a flat area that will be constantly illuminated by the sun. In addition, it is important not to plant cornflowers too densely to avoid excessive shading of the plant.
When creating floral arrangements, cornflowers are planted in the foreground so that taller plants cannot cover them. The only variety of this flower that tolerates light shading is Soft Cornflower.
The soil for growing cornflowers should be light, loose and loamy. If the soil in your area has high acidity, then you need to add a small amount of wood ash to it. Some sand and sawdust can be added to the soil for better drainage.
Sowing
Gardeners most often use the method of growing cornflower from seeds. Despite the energy consumption and length of time of this method, it is still the most preferred and proven:
- Seeds are sown immediately in open ground, moreover, the planting process can be started already inend of April. A couple of weeks after sowing, the first shoots will begin to appear.
- An important condition for planting is to respect the distance between future flowers - it should not be less than 30 centimeters. More frequent planting is fraught with a lack of nutrients for each bush, which leads to thinning of the stems and faded buds that will not reach the required size. Spring planting is acceptable for annuals, for perennials, seeds are sown in late autumn.
- The soil before planting flowers of cornflowers is enough to simply loosen. Fertilization is not required at this stage.
- Seeds are sown immediately at the place where further cultivation is planned, since this flower does not need a transplant at any stage of development.
- You don't need to bury the seeds if it's not a Fischer cornflower variety.
- After the appearance of the first sprouts, only their thinning is permissible in order to remove the weakest and form neat bushes.
Features of care
Cornflower flowers do not tolerate excess moisture in the soil, and therefore they need watering only in especially hot and dry weather. At normal temperatures and occasional rainfall, rainwater will suffice for them. Weeding bushes is important only at the very beginning, while the plant is a little weak. And as soon as it grows and gains strength, it is already able to drown out the growth of almost any weed.
Loosen the ground around the flowers of cornflowers should be at least once a month.
Such simple plant care measuresprolong its life and provide a long flowering period. In addition, cornflowers are frost-resistant plants, which allows them to be grown even in harsh climates. In winter, the bushes do not die under a layer of snow and do not need additional shelter. Perennial plants with proper care can grow for 8-10 years.
Feeding and pruning
Fertilization helps prolong the flowering period of cornflowers. And you need to feed them at least twice a month. Basically, for these purposes, crystallin and nitroammophoska are used. You can fertilize the soil with any other universal compounds. It is important not to exceed the dosage (no more than 30 grams per square meter), as this can lead to yellowing of the leaves or even the complete death of the flower.
Pruning flowering plants is necessary not only to give them an aesthetic appearance, but also to extend the flowering period. In addition, fruit boxes not cut in time will lead to self-sowing, which will significantly spoil the overall appearance of a flowering bush. Of the two trimming methods (low and high), it is better to give preference to the first. With high pruning, the stem is cut under the inflorescence, with low pruning, the height of the plant reaches no more than 10 centimeters. But with low pruning, the bush can look sparse.
Fight disease
Cornflower flowers are gardeners' favorite plants not only because of the lack of strict requirements for their cultivation and ease of propagation, but also due to their resistance to many diseases. But due to improper care orover-watering they can still develop fusarium.
You can recognize it by the presence of brown spots on the leaves. Spraying with the drug "Fundazol" or a solution of mullein will help to cope with it. You can also sprinkle cornflower leaves with ashes. Also, the drug "Topsin" helps from this fungal disease. Moreover, not only the plant itself is processed, but also the soil around it.
In case of repeated infection, it is more logical to destroy the affected parts of the plant, since it makes no sense to treat them again.
Reproduction by dividing the bush
Cornflowers - flowers that can be grown not only from seeds, but also by dividing an adult bush. This procedure is carried out at the end of summer, namely after the end of flowering:
- The he althiest and largest bush is dug up, shake off the ground and wash the roots well.
- Cut off extra shoots.
- The side part is separated from the bush with a sharp knife or shovel, provided that it has at least 3 generative buds.
- After that, the separated part is transplanted into the prepared hole, the lower pruning is carried out and watered often during the month.
- To stimulate the growth of the future bush, the root system is stopped. The length of the roots after this process should not be more than 10 centimeters.
If properly cared for, such a plant begins to bloom the very next year.
Cornflowers in landscape design
With its bright appearance andThe variety of forms of cornflowers, many landscape designers often use them to decorate garden plots. These flowers look great both in compositions and as an independent bush. Cornflower flowers look like a bright spot on the lawn. They pair well with calendula and poppy, creating a very harmonious installation.
By the way, cornflowers have been the national flowers of Estonia for about 50 years. They are also loved by the Germans - some peoples even call cornflowers "German flowers".
