How to grow lavatera: when to plant and growing from seeds. Lavatera annual: planting and care Lavatera growing from seeds in open ground

This article is dedicated to the wonderful flower - lavatera, growing it from seeds, tips on how to plant and how to care for this unpretentious plant. The lavatera flower is rightfully considered one of the most beautiful; lavatera is often called a garden rose. Despite the fact that changing fashion has not ignored even flowers, lavatera has firmly taken its place in our backyards.

Lavatera or hatma (lat. Lavatera) is a genus belonging to the Malvaceae family. These plants are shrubs, herbs or low trees. There are perennial lavatera, annual lavatera and tree or biennial lavatera. The genus is relatively small, has only 25 species, its natural habitat is the Mediterranean countries, Australia, Central Asia, and North America.

The height of the plant varies from 0.5 to 1.5 meters. It has a powerful rhizome, a thick stem and regular large leaves, most often pubescent. The flowers are white, in all shades of pink, crimson and purple, and can reach a diameter of 10 cm. They are collected one or more in spicate or racemose inflorescences. Flowering continues from early summer until autumn.

Breeders love this plant, new varieties are constantly appearing. Let's look at the varietal and species characteristics, vegetation and appearance of the lavatera.

Lavatera three months old

L. three-month-old is grown as an annual. This is a plant with a powerful stem up to 120 cm. The flowers are single, large, in some varieties up to 12 cm in diameter. Popular varieties:

Lavatera “Silver Bowl” is medium-sized, about 70 cm in height. The flowers are large, salmon pink with darker veins.
Lavatera "Novella" - suitable for indoor and container floriculture. In a pot it reaches only 20 cm, in open ground - up to 60. It blooms very early with large pink flowers.
Lavatera "Mont Blanc" is medium-sized, up to 75 cm high, with large white flowers.

Lavatera three month old "Novella"
Lavatera three month old "Mont Blanc"

Lavatera "Ruby Queen" is tall, up to 1 m tall, with carmine-red flowers up to 10 cm in diameter.
Lavatera "Pretty" is medium-sized, up to 70 cm tall, fast-growing and cold-resistant. Flowers pink, carmine, white.
Lavatera “Moonlight” is tall with a stem up to 1.25 m tall. The large flowers, up to 10 cm in diameter, are pale pink and have a silvery tint. Blooms until frost.
Lavatera “Melange” is tall, up to 90 cm in height, branched and strong. Flowers are from 6 to 9 cm, white, pink or red.
Lavatera “Bride” is medium-sized, up to 70 cm, with white flowers.
Lavatera "Tanagra" is short, up to 50 cm, the flowers are pink, small, up to 5 cm in diameter.
Lavatera “Enchantress” is tall, up to 1 meter, flowers up to 6 cm, white, pink and crimson.
Lavatera "Ruby" - tall, up to 1 m, large flowers, up to 10 cm in diameter, ruby color, blooms all summer.

Lavatera three month old "Rubin"

Lavatera Thuringian

L. Thuringian or Dog Rose is a perennial plant with powerful stems, sometimes reaching 2 meters, with hard leaves of gray-green color. It usually blooms in all shades of pink. The petals are strongly narrowed at the base, with gaps. The perennial Lavatera is more capricious than the three-month-old Lavatera, which is perhaps why it has been somewhat forgotten about. But recently, fashion has returned, and new varieties, most often of foreign selection, are appearing on sale, more compact forms are appearing and the color range is expanding.

Lavatera "Barnsley" - a distinctive feature of the variety is that on one bush there is simultaneously a large number of white and pink buds of various sizes.
"Lilak Lady" - blooms with lilac flowers.
"Ai Ketcher" - bright pink flowers.
"Bredon Springs" is a highly branched shrub with dense foliage up to 1.3 m in height. The flowers are pink-purple, with reddish veins. Requires shelter for the winter.

Lavatera Thuringiana "Lilak Lady"
Lavatera Thuringian "Bredon Springs"

Other types

Four more species of lavatera are grown, which are cultivated in open ground only in the south. In the middle zone, these are more likely to be greenhouse plants.

Tree-like or biennial can reach a height of up to two meters. They have large leaves up to 20 cm long and purple flowers with darker veins, they are similar to the flowers of Chinese hibiscus. The flowering of this plant is short, from July to August. Mainly grown in containers.

Primorskaya L. (bicolor) has lilac flowers of two shades.

Lavatera tree or biennial
Lavatera primorica (bicolor)

Cretan lavatera has lilac or purple flowers on hairy stems.

Moorish l. – flowers are purple, stems are pubescent.

Reproduction of lavatera

How to grow lavatera? It propagates by seeds; their germination rate, if stored correctly, is good. In order to collect the seeds in time, it is necessary, after the boxes turn brown, to pick one and lightly knead it with your fingers. If the seeds fall out easily and are gray-brown in color, they are already ripe. Shake them out of the boxes onto paper and dry them in a dry, well-ventilated area. Seeds are stored in a paper or cloth bag.

Lavatera seeds

They can be sown directly into the ground, or you can grow lavatera from seeds through seedlings, followed by picking. This is done when it is necessary to obtain flowers as early as possible or in regions with a cool climate.

Sowing seeds in open ground

Three-month-old lavatera seeds are sown directly into the ground in April-May, when warm weather sets in.

The soil is dug up, leveled, shallow grooves are made, and watered with warm water. The seeds are sown, embedded in the ground and covered with lutrasil. Hatched seedlings are ventilated in warm sunny weather. When the sprouts reach 5 cm, the covering material is removed, the seedlings are thinned out, leaving the plants at a distance of 25-30 cm from each other and lightly hilled.

Be sure to water young plants. Give the first fertilizing with liquid or fertilizer dissolved in water a week after opening.

Perennial lavatera is quite easy to grow from seeds. They are sown in the ground in early spring. Shoots appear after a few weeks, when the soil warms up to 15 degrees. Growing seedlings are cared for in the same way as annual lavatera seedlings - they are watered, thinned and hilled.

Seeds should be sown as rarely as possible so that fewer young plants have to be removed. After thinning, sprouts will remain; they can be rooted if you pinch the root by 1/3 before planting.

Believe me, once you grow a flower, it is impossible to stop. This process is slow and quite complicated, but that doesn’t make it...

Growing and caring for seedlings

To determine when to plant lavatera seedlings, you need to know when warm weather sets in in your area. If the plants are supposed to be planted in May, we will sow in March.

First you need to prepare the container. If you need a large number of seedlings, use shallow wooden boxes with slats that fit tightly together. When you need few seedlings, you can take shallow bowls. Place drainage at the bottom, add soil and compact it well. Tamping is necessary to ensure that the seeds do not fall through when watering, otherwise they simply will not sprout. Pour 2-3 cm of sifted soil on top, water the soil well with warm water. When the water is absorbed, sow the seeds as sparingly as possible and cover them with soil. Install labels with the name of the variety.

Cover the boxes with glass or transparent film and find a warm, bright place for them. Maintain humidity, ventilate and remove condensation. When the seeds germinate, the glass or film can be removed.

When two pairs of true leaves appear, plant the seedlings into pots 5 cm in diameter, pinching the roots 1/3 of the way. Most likely, it will be necessary, otherwise the seedlings may stretch out and lie down. Water newly planted plants a little every day; if you overwater, there is a danger of blackleg appearing - a specific disease of seedlings and young seedlings, leading to the death of the plant. After 10 days, feed with universal fertilizers diluted 2 times weaker than written in the instructions.

Transplanting seedlings into the ground

When the weather is warm, at least 15 degrees, plant the seedlings. Choose a place that is well lit throughout the day. Dig up the soil, adding organic fertilizers for digging, just don’t overdo it, this plant doesn’t like too rich soil. Level the ground, dig holes and water them generously. When the water is absorbed, plant the plants. Water daily for the first ten days.

Seasonal care

Lavatera is a persistent plant, and if planting and caring for it seems difficult to someone at first, it will pay off with beautiful long-term flowering. Lavatera grows on almost any soil; it is cold-resistant and can withstand prolonged drought. True, if the summer is dry, watering is still necessary, infrequent, but plentiful.

She needs feeding only a couple of times a season - at the beginning of the growing season, when she takes root in a permanent place, and during the budding period. Another feeding will be required for those varieties of three-month lavatera that bloom before frost.

Large plants require support. Weeds must be pulled out, and the soil under young plants must be loosened. When the crop grows, we stop loosening so as not to damage the roots. The question is often asked whether lavatera should be pinched. The answer is no. Lavatera is not pinched. It is necessary to prune faded branches so that flowering continues long and abundantly. Also, annual plants are cut off after flowering.

As you can see, once the lavatera has taken root, growing and caring for it is not difficult.

Diseases and pests

When planting Thuringian Lavatera, keep in mind that it is prone to rust. It's difficult to fight her. As a preventive measure, even before budding begins, you can treat the plant twice with a copper-containing preparation at an interval of 2 weeks. If the disease does appear, the affected parts or the entire plant must be removed from the site. Do not plant lavatera in an infected area for several years.

This flower is also threatened by an invasion of aphids - treat it with insecticides and fight anthills.

It is extremely rarely affected by other pests and diseases.

With the arrival of spring, the trees are covered with leaves, green grass emerges and the first flowers bloom. For summer residents...

Application in landscape design

Lavatera is always a welcome guest in the garden. It looks great as a tapeworm (single focal plant) and in group plantings. It is used to create large and small landscape groups, mixborders, as a border and in continuous plantings.

In parks, planted on a clearly visible slope, these flowers from afar can seem like a ruby carpet if the color is chosen accordingly. As a backdrop, when it is necessary to separate one part of the garden from another, tall varieties will look great.

Any perennials and annuals of blue and purple color of the appropriate size - verbena, sage, can become a companion for lavatera. When planted together with roses, the flowers will highlight each other's beauty.

If you have a small area and want to have plants of different colors, you can buy a mix of lavatera “Melange” or a mixture of lavatera “Podruzhka”, made up of tall plants of different colors. Lavatera flowers look great in bouquets.

We told you how to properly care for the beautiful lavatera plant. As you can see, this is not a difficult matter. Just follow a few easy rules so that the plant growing in your garden gives joy and lush flowering until frost.

Lavatera is an excellent solution for arranging flower beds and flower beds. This is a bushy plant that blooms all summer. It gives lawns a unique look and well-groomed appearance. Lavatera flowers are cone-shaped and cover the entire bush, forming lilac, pink, and white carpets. The leaves and roots of the plant are considered medicinal. They are used for colds, bronchitis, and pulmonary diseases. This is a honey plant; in summer, bees, wasps and bumblebees constantly hover around the flowering bush. At the same time, Lavatera is quite unpretentious. Planting and care will not cause difficulties even for novice gardeners.

Lavatera got its name from the Swiss naturalists - the Lavater brothers. These flowers, native to Central Asia, are also called khama and wild rose. Nowadays, the plant can be found all over the world, both wild and selected.

Lavatera in the garden

Gardeners willingly decorate their plots with this plant. And this is dictated not only by the fact that planting and care for a plant such as Lavatera are quite simple. The photos of flower beds with hutma given in the article look very picturesque. Large foliage sets off the light and delicate flowers. This plant reaches 1 meter 20 cm in height. And the flowers can be up to 10 cm in diameter.

Lavatera is very popular among flower growers. After all, it is unpretentious and does not require complex care. It does not need to be watered often, it is not afraid of frost, and grows well in shaded areas.

The leaves of the hutma are similar to the foliage of the Canadian maple. They have an angular shape. There are two groups: large single or racemose-paniculate inflorescences.

Lavatera, the planting and care of which will be discussed below, adorns lawns. Magnificent plants are planted around trees, and they are used to create original compositions for flower beds. Balconies are decorated with wild roses. In any case, this plant gives flower beds a unique palette and richness.

Varieties and types of lavatera

There are many varieties of the plant known.

The most common and beautiful types are:

Thuringian Lavatera. with a stem reaching 2 m in height. Wild rose is distinguished by large flowers, pink or purple in color, forming beautiful inflorescences.
Lavatera is three months old. Planting and caring for this plant have some minor features. Such clothes are in wide demand. This is a spreading annual plant with a low stem. With its large white, carmine or pink flowers, it forms a real carpet in flower beds. It is usually planted in early May. By July the flowers are blooming. After all, the plant needs 3 months to develop. The bush reaches a meter in diameter. Therefore, to form the most beautiful flower bed you need only a few plants. Lavatera blooms from July until frost, delighting people with its colors.
Pink Beauty (Pink Beauty (English)). An annual plant, with a stem up to 60 cm high. This variety received its name due to its unusually colored flowers - pale pink, with openwork dark veins.
Novella. This variety is recommended for growing in pots. The bush grows no more than 20 cm. When planted in open ground, this plant reaches a greater height.
White Sherub (White Cherub (English)). Another great variety for planting in pots. This plant is most often grown on balconies. It reaches a height of about 30 cm.
Silver cap (English)). It grows up to 70 cm, has bright pink flowers with dark veins.
Lavatera baby Barnsley. Planting and caring for this species will delight every gardener. After all, this is a real forest diva. A beautiful, highly branched and vigorous plant with amazing flamingo-hued flowers. They reach a diameter of 10 cm. The whole plant is simply strewn with magnificent flowers, with which it will delight from July until autumn.

When choosing lavatera seeds for planting in a garden plot, you need to pay attention to the color of the flowers of future plants. For example, if you buy the “Ruby Carpet” variety (the inflorescences have a ruby hue), you can plant it with a wild rose that is pink or white in color. In this case, you will get a flowerbed with a thoughtful color scheme.

Plant propagation

This question arises especially acutely if annual lavatera grows in a flowerbed. Planting and care has some subtleties. Let's look at them.

In autumn the seeds of the beautiful wild rose ripen. This is the period when the plant fades. In place of the inflorescences, seed pods are formed. They can be picked and sown in spring in any corner of the garden. If you leave them on the bush, they will open over time. In this case, they will sow the same flowerbed on their own. Next year the flower garden will bloom again and will delight the eye with a beautiful combination of colors.

Seedling method

In order for the lavatera to bloom as early as possible, you can use another method. It is recommended to grow seedlings. But even in this case, it is not at all difficult to grow such a magnificent plant as Lavatera.

Planting and care, however, require adherence to certain points:

At the end of April, seeds are planted in a greenhouse or in soil covered with film.
Before planting, humus, compost, urea and phosphate-potassium fertilizers are added to the soil.
The soil is watered with warm water.
Plant the seeds to a depth of 1 cm.
Then cover with mulch or peat.
Sprouts appear in one and a half to two weeks.
Lavatera seedlings need to be watered from time to time.
At the end of May, the seedlings are transferred to the place intended for the plant.

Lavatera planted in this way grows very quickly. And in a short period of time it decorates lawns with a scattering of flowers of different shades.

Caring for different types of lavatera

Despite the fact that the plant is completely unpretentious, you should follow some growing rules. After all, only in this case will the magnificent lavatera be able to delight with a riot of colors.

Planting and caring for plants is carried out taking into account the following tips:

The plant prefers light and loose soil.
It is better to plant it in sunny places.
Lavatera is watered infrequently. About once a week, when the soil is completely dry.
Fertilizer feeding is carried out only twice: before planting, and during the formation of buds. Fertilizers speed up growth. After their application, the flowers are painted in a brighter, more saturated shade.

The Thuringian Planting looks great in a flowerbed; care includes several important points. In addition to watering and fertilizing, you should pick off wilted flowers. After all, they not only spoil the appearance of the flowerbed, but can also harm the plant. When exposed to moisture (rain or dew), faded buds begin to decompose. They turn into a sticky mass that burns the leaves of the bush.

By following these simple rules, you can admire the beautiful Thuringian Lavatera, popularly nicknamed the Dog Rose, all summer long. Your flowerbed will be decorated with bushes with bell-shaped flowers in white, yellow, and burgundy shades until frost sets in.

Soil requirements

What kind of soil does Lavatera need?

Planting and care in open ground is a simple process, provided that some “requirements” of an unpretentious plant are met:

wild rose can tolerate drought;
the flower does not like clay soil at all;
beautiful khama grows best in sunny areas.

The main points of growing lavatera:

Before planting, the soil needs to be loosened and fertilized. Feed the soil with humus, compost, potassium sulfate, urea or superphosphate.
Then water the soil with warm water and make grooves into which the seeds are placed. The nursery is covered to retain heat.
Lavatera is planted in late April or early May.
At the end of spring, the sprouts that have emerged are dug up and transplanted into flower beds and flower beds.
To make the lavatera bush thicker and larger, do a group planting. Several sprouts are planted in one hole at once.
For early flowering, you can use greenhouse cultivation. Sow in March in a greenhouse. And in May they are transplanted.

Lavatera grows quickly and begins flowering by July.

Creating flower beds

To form a beautiful and lush bush, it is recommended to plant the sprouts in a circle, in holes located at a distance of 15 cm from each other.

Moreover, 4-5 sprouts are planted in each hole. This will provide greater splendor to the future plant.

Diseases and pests of Lavatera

The bushes, flowers and roots of the plant are very viable. They are not afraid of drought or frost. And their aroma and chemical composition are repellent. Therefore, the Lavatera flower is practically not exposed to diseases. Planting and caring for such a plant is a real pleasure.

Only prolonged rains can harm the lavatera. In waterlogged air, the leaves of the plant begin to become covered with rust. In this case, the wild rose needs help. Rusty leaves should be picked off or affected branches should be trimmed. If the entire bush is sick, then it needs to be dug up and burned.

Conclusion

Lavatera is a magnificent plant that can become a real pearl of a flower bed. Beautiful scatterings of flowers, silver, pink, lilac, carmine, are visible from afar. And the sensual delicate aroma emitted by a wild rose simply cannot leave anyone indifferent.

A bushy, tall plant called lavatera decorates flower beds and does not require special care. This is what gained popularity among gardeners. There are different types of this flower: annual, biennial and perennial. The former are much more common.

What distinguishes perennial varieties? How to plant and care for a plant? Are lavatera bushes affected by pests and diseases?

In nature, Lavatera (belongs to the Malvaceae family), growing for many years, has been known since the 16th century. It is found more in the southern regions of Russia, in North American meadows and in Mediterranean countries. It also climbs to higher elevations, growing at an altitude of 2 kilometers above sea level.

The origin of the name is related to the Latin “lavatum” - to wash. Indeed, flower baskets have a pure, unclouded color.

Large flowers (7-10 centimeters) covering the plant, as well as 3-5 lobed rounded leaves are the main attractions of the bush. The leaf blades are rough and dark green in color. The color of the flowers is often pink, but can be yellow, white and purple, lilac and two-tone.

The inflorescences are located on elongated peduncles, at the ends there are deep grooves in the form of a corner. Lavatera is a honey plant that blooms from July to October.

The spreading bush has strong, erect stems ranging from 0.6 to 2 meters in height. The light-loving flowering bush has a powerful, long rhizome, thanks to which it is not afraid of dry weather.

Other names for this plant: dog rose, khatma. The most famous perennial variety is Thuringian.

Varieties of Thuringian beauty have been selected:

The flowers are lilac-colored with dark lilac veins; the bush is of medium height.

Height up to one and a half meters, branched and tall plant. Pinkish flowers become dark pink towards the middle. During summer-autumn flowering, the bushes are densely covered.

The rich wine-purple color gives it its corresponding name. Veins of contrasting color give volume and nobility to the plant.

The plant is tall, up to one and a half to two meters. Crimson, deep pink flowers, up to seven centimeters in coverage.

Growing in open ground, how to plant

The cultivation of lavatera of different species does not differ. Both annual plants and those that grow for several years reproduce by seeds. This procedure may have a different sequence.

Plant seeds in open ground in spring

Frosts have passed, which means it's time to sow. Usually this is the end of April - May. Humus is added to the dug bed. The seeds are buried in holes 1-1.5 centimeters deep. Sprinkle with soil, water and preferably cover with film for better germination. After 8-12 days the shoots will hatch.

The plant is quite spreading and in order for the bushes to stand straight, they are sometimes tied up. In order for the bushes to stick to each other, 2-3 plants are sown in one hole. If necessary, thin out the plantings.

With this method of planting, flowering is observed earlier, and the bush will be stronger and taller. Sowing takes place in mid-March.

Drainage is poured into the container, and holes are required in the bottom;
Seeds are planted in a mixture of turf soil and humus, slightly buried and sprinkled with soil;
Water with a spray bottle and cover with glass or film;
The emerging shoots (4-5 centimeters) dive, planting in separate cups;

Planting in the ground, outside, is done when the temperature reaches positive. The beds are prepared and the seedlings are planted at a distance of 25-30 centimeters.

What care is needed

This culture has many advantages, in addition to its decorative nature.

Unpretentiousness and easy care allow beginners to grow the flower.
A lover of sunny, open places, it grows well in partial shade. Then it will not have very abundant flowering.
It is desirable that the soil on the ridge be loose and fertile, but development on depleted soil is also possible.
The culture is drought-resistant and frost-resistant.
It only requires support and can be planted near stationary hedges and fences.
Weeds are removed in the initial phase of seedling growth. When the lavatera gains power, there will be no place for weeds under its branches and dense foliage.
The perennial does not require pruning; only dry, damaged branches and inflorescences are removed.
Watering is necessary in dry weather, when seeds germinate and during rooting of seedlings.

Feeding

They are needed if the soil is acidic and hard. During the season, you can fertilize twice: at the beginning of growth with nitrogen solutions (urea + nitroammofoska), the second time during the period of budding and development of the peduncle - with a complex potassium-phosphorus fertilizer.

Interesting! If the leaves of a plant become lighter, it is lacking elements such as nitrogen and phosphorus. The leaves, if they lack phosphorus, may also curl upward.

Protection from pests and diseases

The bush is less resistant to disease than its annual counterparts. However, aphids and leaf rust (virus) may appear. In this case, insecticides (actara) and fungicidal preparations (biotlin) will help. The affected parts are cut off and burned.

What to combine with in a landscape interior

Single landings
Mixborders (neighbors - sage and irises, verbena), lawns (as a bright center)
In the trunk part of tall trees
As a camouflage, creating a screen for outbuildings and unsightly areas of the garden
Plants with different flower colors are planted side by side, creating contrast.

Medicinal plant

Lavatera Thuringiana is used in folk medicine and is compared to marshmallow flowers. It has the following chemical composition:

Vitamin C
Slime
Starch
Organic acids
Alkaloids
Flavonoids
Fixed oils
Rubber-like substances

Flowers Lavatera (lat. Lavatera), or hatma, or wild Rose, belong to the genus of trees, shrubs and herbs of the Malvaceae family. The genus is small, with only about 25 species, growing mostly in Australia, East Asia and the Mediterranean. The Lavater plant received its name in honor of the Lavater brothers, famous naturalists and doctors from Switzerland in the 17th century. The plant has been known in garden culture since the 16th century, but it became a trend about twenty years ago - these tall beauties with bright and delicate flowers did not grow in a rare yard at that time. Lavatera is as popular in the garden today as it was two decades ago.

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Planting and caring for lavatera

Landing: sowing seeds in the ground - at the end of April or early May: sowing seeds for seedlings - in early March, planting seedlings in the ground - from mid to late May.
Lighting: bright sunlight.
The soil: loose, light, well-drained, not too fertile.
Watering: moderate, but in drought - regular and abundant.
Garter: tall varieties need to be tied to supports that are installed during planting.
Feeding: only when grown in very poor soils once every 4-8 weeks with complex mineral fertilizer.
Reproduction: seed.
Pests: aphid.
Diseases: rust.

Lavatera flower - description

Thanks to the ongoing work of breeders, today among the representatives of the Lavater genus there are many annual and perennial herbaceous plants, reaching a height of 50 to 150 cm, with a well-developed root system, powerful crown and strong branches. The leaves of most species are lobed, covered with hairs and arranged in an alternate order. The flowers are large - up to 10 cm in diameter, yellow, white, crimson, purple or pink, growing singly or in several pieces from the axils of the bracts and forming spicate or racemose terminal inflorescences, bloom in early summer and bloom until mid-autumn.

They say that the lavatera flower is a plant for the lazy or for those who never have time, and to some extent this statement is true - the lavatera is unpretentious in care, undemanding to the soil, drought-resistant and not afraid of strong winds. Lavatera flowers look fresh when cut for more than a week.

Growing lavatera from seeds

Sowing lavatera

Lavatera flowers are planted in open ground in regions with warm climates in late April or early May. Before planting lavatera, add a bucket of compost or humus and 2 tablespoons of nitrophoska per square meter into the soil for digging. Then the soil is leveled, furrows 1 cm deep are made in it, they are spilled with warm water and dry lavatera seeds are sown, and then they are sprinkled on top with a mixture of garden soil and humus in equal proportions, they are sealed and the sowing is immediately covered with a transparent film.

Lavatera from seeds usually germinates within a week, and when the seedlings reach 5 cm in height, the cover is removed, the seedlings are thinned out and the area is loosened with light hilling. If you did not have the opportunity to add fertilizer to the garden soil before sowing the seeds, the first fertilizing in the form of a complex mineral fertilizer is applied after removing the covering material.

Lavatera seedlings

To achieve the earliest possible flowering, there is a seedling method for growing lavatera. When to sow lavatera? If you plan to plant seedlings in open ground in May, lavatera seedlings are planted in early March. Before sowing lavatera, you need to place drainage on the bottom of the seedling boxes, and on top - soil for seedlings purchased at a flower shop. Then you need to water the soil with warm water and, having buried the dry seeds literally one centimeter into it, cover the crops with glass or film and place them in a bright place. Remove condensation from the glass and moisten the soil as needed.

In two weeks, seedlings will appear, which may need additional lighting for successful growth - with insufficient lighting, the seedlings become too elongated and thin. As soon as the seeds germinate, the glass can be removed. Caring for lavatera before transplanting it into open ground will consist of periodically moistening the soil and turning the container with seedlings around its axis to achieve uniform development of seedlings.

Lavatera pick

Growing lavatera flowers by seed does not involve picking seedlings - grown and strengthened seedlings are immediately planted in open ground.

Planting lavatera

When to plant lavatera

Lavatera is planted in the ground when the threat of frost has passed - from the end of April in areas with a warm climate and at the end of May in areas with cooler conditions. For lavatera, a sunny place with light, loose, well-drained soil is preferable. If you are planning to plant a tall lavatera variety, you will need to immediately install supports for the stems.

How to plant lavatera

To plant lavatera, use a 20x25 pattern - this distance between seedlings and rows will be enough so that the plants look compact when fully developed.

Lavatera care

How to grow lavatera

Lavatera care consists of watering the plant as needed. Lavatera is a drought-resistant plant, but it still needs to drink - in dry times, once a week at the rate of 2-3 buckets per large bush, and if the summer is not too hot, then less often.

Secure large, spreading bushes to supports to prevent them from looking untidy. The soil near tall plants can only be loosened until the plants reach a meter in height, because the superficial root system of the plants can be damaged. Promptly remove wilted flowers, which become limp after rain, turning into a slimy mass that leaves burns on the leaves.

As for fertilizers for lavatera, the first time it is fed as soon as it gets stronger after planting, with a solution of a tablespoon of nitrophoska and a tablespoon of urea in 10 liters of water, but this is only if you did not fertilize the soil before planting. If you dug up soil with fertilizers, then you can skip the first fertilizing. The second time you will need to apply fertilizer is at the very beginning of the bud formation process. Ingredients: one tablespoon of sodium sulfate and potassium sulfate per 10 liters of water - this is the norm for one large bush.

That, perhaps, is all the trouble with lavatera.

Pests and diseases of Lavatera

As you have already seen, planting and caring for lavatera can be done even by a beginner. The fight against pests and diseases will not exhaust you, since Lavatera is affected by both extremely rarely. Sometimes there is an invasion of a garden plot by aphids, and then the lavatera also gets it. You can get rid of this problem by treating plants with systemic drugs Aktara, rust, or combined action drugs with rust or rust.

Lavatera sometimes suffers from rust infection, which appears as brown, brown or yellow spots on the undersides of the leaves. It is necessary to remove all parts affected by the disease, and treat the plants with Bordeaux mixture, Kuproxate or Topaz. It is better to remove severely rusted specimens from the area and burn them.

Lavatera after flowering

How and when to collect lavatera seeds

After the lavatera flowers wither and fall off, green boxes with seeds are found in their place, which need to be allowed to ripen. An indicator of seed maturity is a dried capsule that has changed color from green to brown. Open one of them: if the seeds are gray-brown and easily fall out of the box, you can start collecting them. This usually happens in early autumn. The pods are carefully cut off, the seeds are poured out of them onto paper, which are dried in a dry, ventilated room on newspaper, and then stored in a paper bag or linen bag.

Annual lavatera in winter

One-year-old lavatera must be disposed of, and the area under it must be dug up. Keep in mind that lavatera reproduces by self-seeding, and next spring a flowerbed may form in this place without your participation.

Wintering of perennial lavatera

Perennial lavatera overwinters in the ground. You need to bend its stems as low as possible to the ground, secure them in this position and cover them with dry leaves, spruce branches or covering material.

Types and varieties of lavatera

Three types of lavatera are grown in culture: annual lavatera, which is represented by the three-month-old lavatera species, perennial lavatera, represented by Thuringian lavatera, and biennial lavatera, the only representative of which is tree-like lavatera.

Lavatera trimestris

Annual up to 120 cm high. The lower leaves are heart-shaped or rounded with teeth along the edges, the upper leaves are three- or five-lobed. The flowers are solitary, funnel-shaped, up to 10 cm in diameter, growing from the axils of the leaves. The closer to the top of the plant, the denser the flowers grow and the shorter the flower stalks. The five-lobed corolla is carmine, white or pink. Cultivated since 1620. It blooms very profusely from July. Varieties:

Silver Cup– pink lavatera with burgundy veins and a silvery tint, up to 70 cm high;
Mont Blanc– white flowers with dark veins 60 cm high;
Lavatera Ruby Queen– a variety with powerful, branched stems up to one meter high and with flowers of a rich carmine color;
Lavatera Beauty– a mighty bush with large sparkling inflorescences of white, carmine or pink color;
Lavatera Sun Goddess- a mixture of tall lavatera seeds. The height of the bush is 110 cm, beautiful dark green leaves, flower diameter is 6 cm. Lavatera The sun goddess is represented by a wide palette of colors;
Novella– pink low-growing lavatera up to 20 cm high, which can be grown in containers, but in the garden it grows to a more significant size;
White Sherub– a low-growing variety up to 35 cm tall with large white flowers. Suitable for growing in containers and pots.

Lavatera thuringiaca, or Dog rose (Lavatera thuringiaca)

A powerful branched perennial up to two meters high with heart-shaped and rounded, hard-pubescent leaves of gray-green color. The lower leaves are lobed, the upper leaves are entire. Single pink flowers up to 10 cm in diameter appear on long stalks from the leaf axils. Varieties:

Lilac Lady– lilac lavatera;
Eye Catcher– lavatera with deep pink flowers;
Burgundy Vine– pink flowers with dark purple veins;
Barnsley Baby– a variety with delicate white-pink flowers;
Bregon Springs- a tall, luxurious variety up to 130 cm in height with powerful, highly branched bushes with dense three-lobed leaves of gray-green color. Blooms profusely and for a long time with pink-purple flowers with crimson veins. Drought-resistant, winters under light cover.