Verbena: planting and care photo
Verbena has been known to man for many centuries. There was a time when this plant was surrounded by mysticism and mystery - love drinks were brewed from it and amulets were made for the family hearth. This flower is still often used in folk medicines.
Planting verbena
Seedlings of this plant should be planted outdoors only with the onset of stable warm weather. Verbena is not able to withstand long periods of low temperatures. The best place that can be found for this flower, this is a well-lit space. For a suitable soil, choose nutrient-rich loam. But if this is not available, take a different soil, first mixing it with sand.
When planting verbena, you need to maintain a distance of 20 to 30 centimeters between plants, focusing on the compactness of the variety. Before landing you need to dig holes and put drainage in each. This way the water will not stagnate at the roots. The soil should be moist when planting. If the soil is dry, you need to add water to the hole and only then place the verbena bush in it. Fill the hole with soil and press it lightly around the plant bush. If planting is done after rain, no water should be added.
Verbena varieties
Now in nature there are more than 250 different varieties of verbena. The most popular varieties are:
- Hybrid verbena is a small bush with round-shaped leaves that are covered with small villi. The flowers are collected in small inflorescences of various colors.
- Canadian verbena has small bushes that grow no higher than 20 cm. It has lacy leaves and brightly colored flowers, collected in inflorescences in the form of bunches. Flower colors range from purple to white.
- Buenos Aires verbena, on the other hand, is a tall plant. It can grow to a height of 1 m. The color of the flowers of this variety is pink-violet.
- Verbena ampelna is grown in hanging pots or baskets. This plant is particularly resistant to diseases.
Home Verbena
Home is best grow compact varieties of verbena that form small bushes. The conditions for keeping home verbena do not have any special requirements. It is important to provide moist soil for the plant so that it does not dry out. It is best to water verbena from below, that is, pour water into the tray on which the pot with the plant stands. From mid-summer it is worth reducing the amount of watering.
To fertilize, use mineral fertilizers twice a month. You can also feed the plant with organic fertilizers, but not more than once during the entire summer. If you do this feeding more often, the plant will stop blooming due to excess nitrogen and will focus on the development of green mass.
Sometimes the plant may need replanting. In this case, you need to take loose soil rich in mineral components for replanting. But since the flower has a compact root system, replanting is required in exceptional cases.
Verbena care
This plant is very unpretentious; it does not require any special conditions. You must provide it with watering, fertilizing and regular soil cultivation. Verbena is very resistant to pests and diseases. Therefore, with normal density and avoidance of excessive moisture, such problems will not affect you.
Verbena must be weeded throughout the growing season if it grows singly. When plants are arranged in groups, weeding should be carried out only at first. Soon the bushes will grow well enough and weeding will no longer be required.
There is also no need to constantly loosen the soil around the plant. If the weather is very hot, then after watering it is necessary to slightly fluff up the soil to allow air into the root system. If necessary, cover the soil around the verbena with rotted leaves. This way you will avoid excess density and drying out of the soil.
During flowering and growth, verbena needs to be watered frequently. After mid-summer, the intensity of watering is reduced. Verbena should be fed with complex fertilizers. As with indoor verbena, you can apply organic fertilizer once per season. Compost or manure is suitable for this purpose.
For reproduction verbenas use cuttings or simply plant the seeds of this plant. If you want to grow this plant from cuttings, then worry about preparing the material in the fall. To do this, dig up the verbena in the fall and move it to a cool room. A basement, an extension to a house or an insulated balcony are suitable for this. In such a room the temperature should not rise more than +10 degrees.
In early spring, take cuttings from the bush. Take them from the top of the shoot. Each cutting must contain at least 4 pairs of leaves. Sprinkle the cut of the cutting with crushed charcoal to disinfect. Then remove the leaves from below, leaving only the top of the cutting.
Now prepare a mixture of sand and peat in equal quantities and root the cuttings in it. Lower the planting material into the ground to the line of the first pair of removed leaves. Cover the container with film on top - this will create the necessary microclimate. In about a month, the root system of the cutting will be formed and it can be planted in a permanent place.
Verbena: photo
