Carpathian bell - a stunningly delicate and extraordinary beauty flower. Its unique grace is used by many gardeners and landscape designers to decorate their site. Due to the unpretentiousness of the plant in care, planting the Carpathian bell and the whole process of growing it is a simple matter and only brings pleasure. Despite this, in this article we will share with you some tips that allow even novice gardeners to grow these wonderful flowers without much difficulty.
Choice of location and soil
Since the Carpathian bell, as mentioned above, is a completely unpretentious plant, it can be planted both in a sunny area and in a small shade. The soil for planting it should be fertile and well-drained. Also, when planting a Carpathian bell, it is important to take into account the acidity of the soil - neutral or slightly acidic soil is acceptable. If you do not use too heavy soil for it or do not prepare drainage, thenstagnant water will cause the plant to rot.
In the absence of well loosened fertile soil on the site, especially loamy soil, it is permissible to add peat and some sand to it. Too loose soil can be "weighted" by adding humus and soddy soil.
Preparing seedlings
The most common way to grow the Carpathian bluebell is from seeds. Very small and light seeds (about a thousand pieces weigh less than 0.25 grams) give a high percentage of germination - more than 4000 sprouts sprout from one gram. But, despite this, they are quite capricious and require a certain hardening. It is necessary to begin their preparation for sowing in February. Planted seeds are germinated for a month at a temperature of at least 20 ° C, taking into account constant moisture and the presence of scattered sunlight. Also be sure to periodically ventilate the seedlings. From the moment the very first sprouts appear (even those that appear too early), they need to be transplanted.
After the first month of cultivation, the conditions change dramatically - the air temperature should be in the range from -4 ° C to +4 ° C. Seeds germinate best under a layer of snow, which will protect them from frost, and at a positive temperature will provide melt water. Such hardening lasts about one and a half months. From the moment of emergence of seedlings, boxes with seedlings are again transferred to a warm room with a temperature of about 15 ° C. Seedlings are transplanted into open ground in late May-early June. This method of hardening is quitetroublesome but very effective.
An alternative way to prepare seeds
You can get the Carpathian bell from seeds in another way. Seeds are sown not in the ground, but in wet sand in a plastic bag. The first stage of their heating is carried out by analogy with the seedling method. But you don’t need to take the bag of seeds outside, just put it in the refrigerator chamber. After such hardening, the planting material is sown in the prepared soil in such a way that the seeds remain on the surface. Containers with seedlings are sent to a room with a temperature of +10 °C to +15 °C. Watering is carried out by spraying or pouring water into the pan to avoid erosion of seeds.
Sowing in open ground
Cultivation of the Carpathian bluebell is quite possible when planting immediately in the ground, bypassing the seedling stage. Such sowing is carried out either in autumn (in October) or in spring (in mid-May). Seeds are planted in pre-prepared soil, consisting of sand, soddy soil and peat. The soil should be well loosened and light. It is not necessary to additionally fertilize such soil with organic dressings. Seeds are sown directly on the surface of the earth, after which they are lightly sprinkled with sand. When planting in the spring, the first shoots can be expected in a couple of weeks, when planting in the autumn - one and a half to two weeks after the snow melts. A pick is made when three full-fledged leaves appear on the sprout. The transplanted material is placed at a distance of about 10 centimeters from each other.friend.
Irrigation and fertilization
Watering the Carpathian bluebell is necessary only in very hot and dry weather, in a normal climate there is enough natural precipitation. Each watering must be completed with weeding and loosening to provide the plant with fresh air.
Feeding is done no more than twice during the entire growing season. The first fertilizer is carried out at the stage before planting seeds - nitrogen-containing preparations are introduced into the soil. The second top dressing is done at the time of bud formation - the plant needs mineral fertilizers based on potassium.
Pruning and mulching
In the first year after planting, the Carpathian bluebell does not need pruning. It is necessary to remove the faded parts of the plant only from the second year of life. This is done not only to improve the appearance of the bush, but also to avoid spontaneous self-seeding. Indeed, in this case, new colors will appear next to the main colors, violating the overall appearance. Fruit-boxes are harvested until they are fully ripe (darkening and drying). Also, this pruning prolongs the flowering period. Moreover, by cutting the peduncles to the very base at the very end of flowering, you can achieve its repetition.
Carpathian bell does not tolerate excess moisture in the soil, but in hot and dry summers it is necessary to save it. To do this, mulch the soil around the bush. In addition, this will save the flowers from the development of weed plants. Mulching can be omitted if the plant is planted on a rocky hill.
Diseases and pests
One of the advantages of the Carpathian bluebell is its resistance to various diseases and pests. However, several years after growing in one place, various chemical compounds accumulate in the soil, which have a detrimental effect on the plant. For prevention purposes, flowers can be treated with a weak solution of Fundazol. When a slobbery pennitsa appears, garlic infusion is used. In case of rust damage, the plant is treated with preparations containing copper.
Sometimes the green parts of the plant are attacked by slugs or snails. The preparations "Thunder" or "Meta" will help to escape from them.
Reproduction in other ways
Along with growing the bluebell from seeds, there are two more ways to propagate it. We are talking about cuttings and dividing the bush.
Cuttings are harvested at a temperature of about +10 ° C, that is, in the spring. The length of the cuttings must be at least three centimeters, and each cutting must have 2 buds. Planting material is planted in a mixture of earth, sand and humus. Rooting occurs in 3-4 weeks.
For division, a bush is selected that is at least three years old. The division procedure is carried out either at the very beginning of the vegetative period (in May), or at its end - in August. The shoots are cut off from the bush, the root system is divided into several parts, which are transplanted into prepared pits. It is easier to divide the bush into 2-3 large parts,because smaller bushes will have to grow in separate boxes.
The bell in landscape design
As shown in the photo, the Carpathian bluebell is an attractive shrub type plant that grows up to 30 centimeters in height and has a spherical shape. Heart-shaped leaves of small size are collected in a rosette and slightly increase closer to the roots. During the flowering period, the plant is covered with a large number of single flowers of blue or purple, which are funnel-shaped. A good combination is obtained from the Carpathian bell with daisies and lobelia.
Very often you can find it in compositions with periwinkle, saxifrage and young - this combination is suitable for creating an alpine slide. For rockeries, the Carpathian bell is planted against the background of carnations or subulate phlox. Especially popular lately are flowerpots with flowers, randomly located throughout the garden plot. Delicate Carpathian bell is perfect for this design.
