Gardening is an amazingly fun and aesthetically pleasing activity. By growing beautiful flowering plants, you not only decorate your garden, but also develop your creative thinking.
A special place in the list of the most beautiful plants for the garden is spherical chrysanthemum. Beginners are literally speechless when they see its perfectly round shape and luxurious, rich colors. Despite its relatively small size (the height of the bush rarely reaches 50 cm), it is simply stunningly beautiful.
Why are these flowers so popular with gardeners?
But not only with their fabulous appearance, these flowers won the hearts of gardeners:
- Unlike other varieties, they often bloom even at the end of August, delighting flower growers all autumn.
- Due to their unique genetic properties and constant selection, they do not require any pruning and molding at all: the bush acquires a spherical shape completely independently. But some experts say that it is more useful to pinch the tops when they appearabout four pairs of leaves. However, in 90% of cases, this event is not necessary, since the spherical chrysanthemum will acquire the necessary shape even without your intervention.
- Besides the garden and the garden, the bushes of this amazing plant feel great even on the windowsill, being planted in flower pots. In a word, everywhere they are able to become a real decoration of the area, attracting admiring glances.
The only obstacle for beginners may be their wintering, which requires certain conditions and care.
Growing and care
Of course, such beauty needs some care. You should not be afraid: these plants do not differ in anything fantastic. However, this does not at all negate the fact that one should strictly follow the rules of their agricultural technology. This is how you will achieve the most impressive results.
Where and how to plant
The hardest thing to pick up a site: in the garden, the spherical chrysanthemum should be planted in a fairly sunny place with good and loose soil, in which stagnation will not be observed.
Seedlings should be planted as early as possible, as this is the condition for their rapid growth and early flowering. In the middle lane, the most optimal landing time is the beginning of May (provided that the weather is warm enough). If there is a chance of frost, then the bushes should be covered with cut plastic bottles.
It's best when you have the opportunityadd special fertilizers for chrysanthemums to the planting holes. Be sure to feed in the bud setting phase.
To do this, choose fertilizers containing mainly phosphorus and potassium (you can use the banal superphosphate). Fans of organic farming can be advised the simplest infusion of ash.
Irrigation
In general, the cultivation of spherical chrysanthemums largely depends on the weather in the current year. Watering is especially dependent on this factor (which is not surprising). So, if the summer turned out to be dry, then the bushes will have to be irrigated every day, while during the rainy period they do not need watering at all.
The soil near the roots should always be moderately moist, but constant dampness and stagnant water should never be allowed.
Some remarks
If we talk about the southern regions, where the spherical chrysanthemum may well overwinter in the ground, then it is strongly not recommended to allow it to grow in one place for more than two seasons: plants degenerate and lose their unique round shape. That is, every two years they still have to be removed from the ground, divided and replanted.
Reproduction
We have already said that even the most inexperienced gardeners can easily cope with the requirements that globular chrysanthemums can make. Reproduction is no exception.
Back in April, the plants should be removed from the basement (where they shouldstored in winter), spray with water and wait for germination to begin. When the first young buds begin to bloom on the bushes, they can begin to be divided. This approach is good because the reproduction is combined with the rejuvenation of the bush.
Doing this is all the more important because old plants practically lose their decorative properties (we already wrote about this above). Even if only one bud sprouts on the cut off part, it will turn into a full-fledged plant, the beauty of which will delight you in a few months.
Immediately after division, young bushes should be planted in the ground or in pots. The latter is done if you want to have stunning beautiful indoor flowers (we also mentioned this).
Note that the spherical chrysanthemum, the photo of which is in the article, is easily propagated by cuttings. This is insultingly simple: after cutting, the stalk is placed in a glass of water and waiting for the roots to appear. You can even immediately plant it in the ground, taking care of the light shading of this area from direct sunlight.
A little about the "Koreans"
Despite the general unpretentiousness of this variety of flowering plants, even among them there are varieties that are especially suitable for growing in our conditions. These are globular Korean chrysanthemums.
This variety is hybrid. It is divided into several types at once. The first group includes border varieties, the height of which does not exceed 30 cm. They are ideal for decoration.personal plot, as they differ in very early flowering periods, the almost complete absence of root shoots and the most spherical shape of the bush.
The second type is medium-sized chrysanthemums, the height of which reaches about 50 cm. They are extremely decorative, since among the plants of this group there are varieties with an extremely diverse color of inflorescences.
They are great for creating a variety of group compositions. Unlike the first group, they can be used for cutting. In addition, they may well be cultivated as houseplants.
The third group includes all tall varieties. They are distinguished by late flowering, large size of inflorescences. Great for decorating large areas. Despite its impressive size, the bush is quite compact.
"Multiflora"
This variety is not so resistant to frost, but it has enough of its advantages. These chrysanthemums belong to medium-sized varieties, rarely reach 50 cm. Because of this, they can be recommended for flower gardens and even cultivation at home.
In general, spherical chrysanthemums "Multiflora" are distinguished by a chic choice of shades and a relatively fast growing season (in other words, they bloom quickly). In addition, Multiflora has the most regular spherical shape, so these plants can be safely recommended for creating complex decorative compositions.
Wintering
We have repeatedly said thatIt is this stage that can deliver certain difficulties to novice gardeners. This is true, but if you follow the simplest rules and your attention, there is nothing wrong with this.
We have already mentioned that wintering in open ground is allowed only in the southern regions. Even in Ukraine, you will have to arrange basic shelters, protecting plants from possible frosts.
In the conditions of the domestic middle zone, it is completely necessary to dig up faded bushes in October, without waiting for the onset of stable cold weather. Roots should be stored in wooden boxes covered with earth. The temperature in the room should not exceed five degrees, so a basement or insulated cellar is best.
Special attention should be paid to the moisture content of the soil in the boxes: it should be slightly damp, but not soggy. In general, it is best to try to maintain the natural moisture of the substrate, since the spherical chrysanthemum, the wintering of which we describe, in this case survives the cold period better.
Even if you cultivate these flowers in a room, then in the fall they also need to be cut and stored in the basement. For them, the dry and warm air of city apartments is deadly.
Important! In the basement or in the cellar where you store plants in the winter, in no case should there be fungus and mold. To avoid their occurrence, it is imperative to establish a high-quality ventilation system.
If there are traces of fungus on the walls or on the floor, it must be scraped off, and the placetreat with a saturated solution of copper sulphate. If not, then you can use used engine oil, which also gives good results.
