Description of perennial lobelia varieties, planting and care in the open field
The cultivation of perennial lobelia is widely practiced by gardeners from the countries of the former USSR. This is a herbaceous plant that resembles a ball of bright, beautiful and delicate inflorescences of various tones during pollen, depending on the variety. The garden creates a fabulous atmosphere of natural grace. To successfully grow a culture, you should familiarize yourself with all its features.
Description
Lobelia belongs to the Kolokolchikov family, it is an annual and perennial herb. Its life span depends on soil, growing conditions and care. The bush is low, grows up to 25 cm high. The rhizome is fibrous, spherical, with thin and branching stems. The bush is completely covered with small green foliage, densely localized small inflorescences.
In the axils of small leaves, 1 flower blooms. Their color is bright, they are blue, white, pinkish, purple, purple, pale bluish color. The pollen period occurs in early June, lasts until September. Lobelia blooms magnificently, elegantly, since all the buds bloom at the same time. After pollen, a fruit appears in place of flowers - a seed capsule with a large number of small, weightless seeds. Their germination capacity is maintained for 3 years.
Varieties
There are many varieties of lobelia, below is a detailed description of them.The planting scheme and care for them is the same, the difference is only in the appearance, the size of the bushes.
Lovely
Lobelia is distinguished by its large bush up to 90 cm high. The flowers are large, saturated, up to 3 cm in diameter. The variety tolerates frost, it can be grown even in the North.
Red
Red lobelia, or "shiny", is famous for its fiery red inflorescences, and sometimes reddish foliage. The variety is used by gardeners to create spectacular garden compositions and flower beds. The variety is less frost-resistant than the Beautiful, so the bushes require shelter for the winter. They grow up to 80 cm high.
Purple
Purple lobelia has erect stems, the bush grows up to 1 meter high. The variety is widely grown near ponds, water bodies, on rocky coasts and even in water. Flowers are collected in an ear, purple color.
Gerardi
The variety is frost-resistant, able to overwinter without shelter even in the North. The inflorescences are saturated, purple-violet.In shape, they resemble spike-shaped inflorescences.
bird home
Lobelia is distinguished by blue or purple flowers, spike-shaped inflorescences. The variety is successfully used to create flower arrangements; it is planted in hanging pots, flowerpots.
Syphilitics
The species is represented by bushes up to 1 meter high. The flowers are dark blue or purple, densely located on the bush. Previously, the variety was considered medicinal, it was used by patients with venereal pathologies. As medicine developed, the judgment turned out to be false.
Dortman
Lobelia Dortman is the most rare species listed in the Red Book. Inflorescences of different tones, small sizes. The color of the flowers is pale white with a pinkish undertone. In nature, they grow on the sandy shores of water bodies. 
Sapphire
Lobelia Sapphire is an ampelous plant, in the conditions of harsh Russian winters, it is considered an annual. Its stem does not hold on its own, but needs a supporting structure or planting a flower in a flowerpot. The plant is widely used to decorate household plots, garden paths, gazebos, garden houses. The bush grows up to 20 cm high, covered with bright leaves. The flowers are blue-violet, spike-shaped.
Cascade
Cascading lobelia is an annual, the bush grows up to 25 cm high. The leaves are lush, thin stems, white flowers. Their diameter is 1 cm, they are located in the recess of the leaves.
When lobelia blooms, it becomes like a snow-white waterfall, falling down in thin branches.
Emperor Willie
The bushes grow up to 10 cm high, spherical in shape with densely blooming bushes. Stems are thin, fragile, branched. The leaves are oblong, small, dark green in color. They are densely planted on the stems, due to which the bush seems thick. Inflorescences are small, double-lipped, cornflower blue. Their diameter is 2 cm. The variety is famous for its long flowering, which occurs in early June and ends in late September.
Rosamund
Bushes grow up to 15 cm in height, the shoots are spreading. Leaves are light green, large, sturdy stem. Inflorescences are reddish with a light base in the middle. Their diameter is about 2 cm. The perennial forms a seemingly dense, cascading bush.
Red volcano
Lobelia grows up to 80 cm high. Perennial branched, with strong stems that do not need a garter. The flower is fiery red, dense inflorescences. Leaves are bronze and orange. This is the most exotic variety of lobelia.
Erinus
Small bush, up to 15 cm high, covered with small flowers of various colors. They can be bluish, pinkish, white. Variegata is famous for its fragile stems, thin, small leaves of emerald color.
Crystal palace
A spherical shrub, flowers are deep blue, up to 2 cm in diameter. They cover the stems, leaves are almost invisible. Bushes grow up to 30 cm in height.
White lady
The plant reaches 15 cm in height, the stems are covered with small white flowers 2 cm in diameter. The buds are compact, located in the leaf axils. During flowering, shrub lobelia looks like a white carpet.
Pearl thread
Bushes grow up to 10 cm in height, leaves are green, lanceolate. Flowers are found in various colors, pollen falls in June-late September.
Marquise
Ampel lobelia Marquis is distinguished by a cascading form of a bush, its shoots are hanging down. The inflorescences are deep red, up to 2 cm in diameter. The culture blooms all summer.
Riviera
The annual plant is famous for its bright, small flowers of various colors. When flowering, leaves are almost invisible. The stems are erect, the bushes grow up to 13 cm in height. This is an early flowering variety.
Cambridge blue ice
Lobelia is a dense, dense bush, up to 12 cm high. Inflorescences are rich white, reminiscent of a fluffy cloud in color. Emerald leaves, dense.
Regatta
The plant is distinguished by dark green leaves, stem, growth is about 20 cm. Flowers are varied: white, cornflower blue, lavender. Inflorescences are formed a lot, during flowering, the bush looks densely covered with flowers.
Blue fountain
Climbing lobelia with cascading shoots, grows up to 35 cm high. The flowers are purple with a raspberry tint. Stems and leaves are rich green, strong.
Reproduction
Lobelia is bred with seeds, cuttings and dividing the bush. Each of the methods assumes a certain scheme, differs in the time of landing in open ground.
Growing seeds for seedlings
Lobelia seeds are small in size; when sowing them in the soil, they must be mixed with sand. After planting, they are not tamped, but watered by spraying so that the seeds are not washed away. They can be sown from a specially prepared container, on the bottom of which a drainage layer is laid. For high germination, do not sprinkle the seeds with earth. For future seedlings, it is necessary to create greenhouse conditions by identifying in a lighted place. Seedlings should develop within 7 days. You can use peat tablets. Use a toothpick to plant small lobelia seeds. When the first leaves appear, they make a pick.
Timing
To obtain seedlings, seeds are planted in February. Early planting requires illumination of seedlings with a phytolamp, since natural lighting in winter is not enough. If the seeds are planted in early spring, flowering will occur in June.
Gardeners are advised to start preparing seedlings from March. From germination to the beginning of pollen, 3 months should be counted.
Picking
When the seedlings germinate up to 3 cm up, the first leaves are formed, a pick is made. Move 3-4 seedlings to a new place, so as not to damage the rhizome. Experienced summer residents use a dessert spoon for this. When caring for young plants, they should be moistened regularly, avoiding stagnation of moisture.
2 weeks before planting, the seedlings should be hardened, accustoming them to the street. Containers with seedlings are taken out for 2 hours in the open air, every day, increasing the amount of stay. Before planting in open ground, they must be outdoors all day.
Cutting and dividing the bush
For grafting, an adult bush is required, which is dug out in the fall. Together with an earthen lump, it is transplanted for wintering in a spacious container for keeping indoors. When roots appear at the bottom of the young plant, it can be considered ready for planting in open ground. Cuttings 5 cm in height are pinched.
The division of the mother plant is carried out using a shovel or sharp pruner.
You will need another package or box. The plant should be watered before digging. To preserve the rhizomes, the bushes are dug out, capturing most of the root system. It is not worth shaking off the ground, so as not to injure them. Together with the soil clod, lobelia is placed in a box or bag. After that, they are taken to a room with a temperature of 0 degrees. Usually this is a balcony, loggia, cellar or storage room. Before sending the plant for storage, all shoots are cut off, leaving no more than 7 cm.The flower requires regular moisture.
Landing in open ground
Lobelia should be planted in open soil after the air temperature has stabilized, when it is stably kept from 10 degrees Celsius. It is important to comply with the terms, choose the right place. Land preparation is carried out a couple of days before planting. There should be a distance of 10-15 cm between the bushes. The planting is carried out by the transfer method, the contents of the cups are planted.
Timing
In early May, planting work is carried out in open ground. In the North, it is better to plant lobelia in the second half of the month. Saplings are afraid of night frosts, they may not survive them.
Seat selection
Gardeners recommend planting lobelia in a sunny area with loose soil, sandy loam or loam.First, you need to add nitrogen substances to the soil, the procedure stimulates a lush, beautiful pollen. You should not abuse the composition, it will harm the plant.
You can plant flowers in pots, vertical beds, pots, or just in the garden.
Landing scheme
If you plant a lobelia at a distance of 10-15 cm from each other, a solid carpet is formed. When planted after 25 cm, separate bushes will be obtained.
Care
It is simple to care for lobelia, you just need to moisten it in a timely manner, loosen the soil, feed the plant, and pinch the bushes.
Watering
The soil must always be kept moist, especially in hot weather. One bush takes about 1.5 buckets of water. Pour the liquid under the rhizome, it should be warm, not ice cold. During dry periods, irrigation is carried out 2 times a day. When it rains periodically, watering is carried out 3 times a week.
Top dressing
Top dressing has a positive effect on lobelia, they should be applied 2 weeks after planting the plant in a permanent place. Give preference to organic, with a calculation of 1:10 mullein and nettle infusion. The given mixture is used to fertilize the bushes again in August, after cutting.
Preparing for winter
For the winter, you do not need to cover the lobelia, the bushes are cut off under the rhizome, covered with leaf mulch. In regions where severe winters prevail, the bushes survive them in a pot, which is located in a room like a greenhouse or basement.
Difficulty leaving
Lobelia has a strong immunity to diseases and harmful beetles, but if the soil is waterlogged, decay is possible. Sometimes the bushes are exposed to powdery mildew, black leg, rust, rot and mildew.
To prevent infection, it is important to observe moderate irrigation, not to overmoisten the land. Fungi are destroyed by removing shoots, the bushes are treated with fungicides.
Lobelia is also attacked by viral diseases like a mosaic. They are extremely dangerous, transmitted through contaminated land or water.
It is impossible to save a sick bush, it is dug up and burned. The first symptoms of the virus include the appearance of yellow, brown spots with angular edges on the leaves. Among the beetles, sometimes aphids, slugs, spider mites attack the flower.
- Aphids are destroyed by spraying with a solution of laundry soap.
- Slugs and snails are removed with bleach. Containers with this substance are placed around the lobelia.
- Spider mites can be removed by applying a tincture of garlic or tobacco. If unconventional methods do not help, they resort to chemical acaricidal agents.
Inexperienced gardeners are still faced with waterlogging. This is fraught with decay of the rhizome, the death of the flower.
As decoration of the site
Bright bushes are widely used for garden decoration. They can be combined with low-growing perennials like Iberis, Alyssum, Viola, Carnation. Lobelia looks gorgeous on a green lawn, among rockery stones.
