Description and cultivation of Alpine forget-me-not varieties, planting and care
The delicate forget-me-not flower is known all over the world. Each country has its own legends and magical stories associated with this plant. Decorative carpets and forget-me-not flower beds are found in parks, squares and gardens.
Early horticultural crops are always pleasing to the eye and uplifting. It is for this that alpine flower growers and gardeners love forget-me-not.
Biological features of a flower
In its natural environment, Alpine forget-me-not is found in the Caucasus mountains, the Alps and the Carpathians. The plant is light-loving and unpretentious to the composition of the soil, because in nature, the Alpine beauty has to grow on stony soils and rocks.
This plant variety is taken as a basis for breeding decorative varieties of culture.
What does it look like
Small herbaceous bushes from 5 to 15 cm with large green-silver leaves. The inflorescences are dense with multiple buds, which open with bright blue flowers. The maximum size of flowers is 1 cm with 5 petals. Depending on the variety, there are white, pink and purple flowers. After the vegetative period, berries are formed on the plant, in which the seeds are located.
When forget-me-not blooms
Forget-me-not bloom period from 40 to 50 days. The period begins in April and lasts until June. Therefore, when planting a plant, it is necessary to take care of the flowering receivers in the flower beds.
How many years has it been growing?
Forget-me-not Alpine refers to perennial flowering plants, but in the conditions of gardens and personal plots, the culture is replaced every 2-3 years. After a 2 year flowering period, the plant begins to gradually degenerate. The bushes become taller, and the active flowering gradually fades away.
Application in landscape design and floristry
Florists and landscape designers often use the Alpine beauty to create unique garden beds and compositions. Forget-me-not perfectly complements flower beds with tulips, daffodils, daisies and pansies.
In gardens and in private plots, there are decorative forget-me-not carpets and alpine compositions.Also, blue flowers are planted along curbs and arbors.
Conditions for growth and flowering
To grow a flower, you do not need special knowledge and skills, because forget-me-not is a completely unpretentious plant.
The only condition for proper growth and development is moderate moisture in the soil and air.
Climatic conditions
Since the alpine forget-me-not is a mountain flower, the plant tolerates temperature changes easily. Spring cold snaps and frosts are not terrible for her.
In gardening conditions, the place where flowers are planted should be well ventilated and well lit. In the southern regions, the flower is specially shaded with bushes and tall grasses.
Area illumination
Flowers are planted in well-lit areas with shaded areas. From direct sunlight, the flowering period is shortened, and the rich blue color becomes faded. To preserve the beautiful bushes, taller and sprawling plants are planted next to the forget-me-nots, which create shade. These can be decorative ferns, bushes, or tall flowers.
Soil composition
Forget-me-nots are unpretentious flowers, but the soil for them must meet the following requirements:
- Soil saturated with fertilizers and nutrients is not suitable for flowers. In excessively fertile soil, forget-me-nots actively grow and develop, but flowering is scarce.
- If there is a close location of groundwater and soil water on the site, the plants will begin to hurt and die. In such cases, the flower beds are raised 15-20 cm above the ground level.
- Plants are not comfortable in sandy soils.
Important! Alpine forget-me-not is planted in soil with a moderate content of nutrients and moisture.
Reproduction of culture
To increase the number of flowers on the garden plot, they are multiplied. There are several ways to get new, strong and healthy plants.
Cuttings
In adult bushes, 4-5 cm of the upper processes are cut off. Cut cuttings are immediately planted in open ground and covered with foil or jar. Plants quickly take root and enter the flowering stage already in the same season. In the first year, flowering is poor and short-lived.
Dividing the bush
With proper care, the flowers grow and develop quickly, so forget-me-not bushes are divided and planted. The process of dividing the bushes is carried out at any time during the growing season of the plant. The rhizomes of flowers are not dense, the bushes are easily separated.
Seeds
Seeds are planted in open ground in the middle of summer in a pre-prepared flower bed. To do this, dig holes in the ground, no more than 2 cm deep, into which the seeds are laid out.
The holes with the planting material are buried and watered from the watering can with small holes.
After 12-14 days, the first shoots appear, after which the plants are removed from under the film. For the winter, the flower bed is mulched, and in the spring the plants are planted in a permanent place of growth.
Important! A distinctive feature of alpine flower seeds is black, glossy color. Gray and brownish seed is planted for growing annual plants.
How to plant a plant on a site
There are no particular difficulties with planting forget-me-nots in open ground. An inexperienced gardener or florist will cope with such work.
First of all, you need to decide which landing method will be used.
Selecting a landing site
Alpine forget-me-not pleases for a long time with flowering in sunny meadows and flower beds. In extreme heat and drought, plants are shaded by tall and sprawling neighbors. If the flower bed is in the open sun, then the flowering period is shortened.
Soils for cultivation are suitable for neutral, with a small content of fertilizers and dressings.
Optimal timing
The timing of planting flowers in open ground depends on what kind of planting material is used for plant propagation.
Seeds are sown in the middle of summer, cuttings are planted in open ground immediately after the grafting procedure, seedlings for flowers are harvested in the fall.
Sowing seedlings
Getting a blooming garden at the very beginning of spring is the dream of every gardener and florist. So that the blooming forget-me-nots are ready for planting in open ground in April, they begin to grow seedlings in the fall.
Flower seeds are planted in prepared containers with turf soil and sand. Seed material is carefully placed on the very surface of the soil and slightly covered with soil. The containers with flowers are moistened by spraying and covered with foil or glass until the first shoots appear. Then the plants are planted in separate pots and transferred to a cool place until spring.
Landing in open ground
They begin to plant seedlings in open ground in mid-spring. And the preparation of the flower beds is done in the fall. Organic or mineral dressings are added to well-loosened soil, and in the spring, peat and humus are added to the soil.
Forget-me-not care
A garden flower is not demanding in care, but there are agrotechnical rules that are strictly followed when growing a cultivated plant.
Watering
In the spring, the flowers are not watered, they have enough moisture, which remained in the soil after the snow melts. Alpine garden forget-me-not is sensitive to an excess of moisture, so the plant is watered only on hot days and drought.
Top dressing
The garden flower is not picky about additional feeding. They are carried out if there are not enough nutrients and minerals in the soil.
For 2-3 weeks before flowering, use mineral dressing. The rest of the nutrients are introduced into the soil when planting plants.
Fertilization
Organic fertilizers and humus are added to the soil in the fall. In the spring, mineral fertilizers are applied to the flower beds with forget-me-nots.
How to care after flowering
After the end of the flowering period, the plants lose their decorative properties. The young shoots that appear are planted, otherwise the forget-me-not will quickly grow and interfere with the development and growth of other flowers.
Pests and diseases associated with the cultivation of forget-me-nots
Flower bushes are rarely affected by fungal diseases and pests. If the necessary requirements were met when planting the plants and the rules of care were not violated, then the risk of diseases is minimal.
Prevention
In order for the flowers to grow healthy and beautiful, preventive measures are taken in the process of planting and care:
- Before planting, the seed is treated with antibacterial drugs.
- Avoid waterlogging of the soil.
- Overgrown plantings of flowers are planted.
Important! Due to the high humidity, Alpine forget-me-not often becomes a victim of root rot and powdery mildew.
Treatment
If the plant could not be protected from diseases and pests, it is necessary to use special preparations based on fungicides for treatment.
Wintering
Garden forget-me-not for the winter period is left in the ground. The plant easily tolerates frosts, so no additional wintering work is required.
In regions with a continental climate, flower beds are covered with dry foliage or mulch.
Popular varieties of forget-me-nots
In the process of long-term work of breeders, several varieties of garden alpine forget-me-not have been bred.
Alpine mix
A combination of different colors of flowers blooming on compact bushes. Long and abundant flowering allows this type of culture to be used to decorate garden and backyard plots.
Forest glade
A perennial plant with bushes from 20 to 30 cm. The active phase of flowering occurs in late spring. The multi-colored buds bloom with white, purple and pink flowers.
Blue perennial
Bushes of flowers grow up to 40 cm. Leaves are rich green.During the growing season, dense inflorescences with blue and blue flowers are formed. Abundant and long-lasting flowering.
Pink varieties
Bushes from 15 to 30 cm, with fluffy basal leaves and dense, cluster-shaped inflorescences. After opening the buds, pink and bright pink flowers appear. The most popular varieties of pink forget-me-nots are Carmine King and Rosylva.
Join the fairy tales and legends of the whole world, and forget-me-nots will become your guide to the magical world of flowers.
These flowers are ideal for decorating a summer cottage. In one flowerbed, you can combine flowers of different colors, it will turn out incredibly beautiful. Forget-me-nots grow quickly, and bloom for a long time.
Woe copywriters, it's a species, not a variety