Lobelia: growing from seed technology, planting and care, planting in the garden
The contents
Lobelia – flower-perennial, but in Central Russia it is grown outdoors as an annual plant. Lobelia looks great as a border along garden walkways, around the edge of the flower bed or pond, Alpine slide and in pots. It is also good as a groundcover in a carpeted landing and as a basket plant in hanging baskets. Harmonious partners for Lobelia: Petunia, Impatiens, Dianthus, verbena, rudbeckia, pelargonium, Salvia, and other garden flowers.
In the late autumn of Lobelia can be dug, planted in pots and keep in a greenhouse or on a balcony so in the summer, in the second round, to plant in the garden. The plant in the wintering period is poorly developed, but, subsequently, flowering will be abundant.
Lush color sky blue Lobelia is pleasing to the eye from June to late autumn
Especially touching blue Lobelia with a white eye in the center
Compact clumps of Lobelia spherical shape nicely set off the garden path
Garden forms and species of Lobelia:
- Compact. Rounded bushes up to 20 cm in height.
- Upright. Columnar shrubs with a height of about 30 cm.
- Climbing. The cascade shoots length 30 to 50 cm.
Varieties of Lobelia:
- White. «Riviera white», «Snow», «White cascade», «Minx», «White fountain», «Nicole», «White lady».
- Blue. «Sapphire», «Blue crystal», «Cambridge», «Niagara», «Nostalgia», «Beads», «Blue breeze».
- Blue. «Blue cascade», «Emperor Willy», «Crystal Palace», «Cozy corner».
- Pink. «Rosamund», «Riviera pink», «Pink cascade», «Crimson ring».
- Lilac. «Miss Libran», «The Lacemaker», «Margo».
- Red. «Marquis», «Red cascade», «Red fountain».
- Multicolor. «Pearl strand», «Serpentine», «A fun touch», «Viennese waltz».
Small Lobelia shade of ultramarine in harmony with white flowers. Showy Lobelia planted in tandem with pansies in a decorative pot
Delicate combination of white and pink Lobelia planted in the neighborhood along the curb and in the decorative pot
Planted in a hanging floral basket white Lobelia grows in a ball shape, reminiscent of the air cloud
The main conditions for successful cultivation and plentiful flowering of Lobelia:
- Loose and light, not very fertile soil (sandy, loamy soil).
- Planting in well-lit, Sunny spot.
- Regular watering – Lobelia likes moisture.
- Dosed fertilization.
- Topping or mowing seedlings, cutting grown plants for better tillering.
Sowing seeds for seedlings
Start to sow Lobelia better since the end of February, or at any time during March. However, some gardeners practice crop flower in December-January. But if there is no additional lighting, with the sowing of the seeds of Lobelia seedlings it is advisable not to rush the seedlings in this case develops slowly and with a lack of light stretched up. Lobelia planted in March and grown only with natural light, a more viable and compact, less susceptible to disease «black leg».
Proper cultivation and care of seedlings Lobelia will encourage abundant flowering
Small seeds of Lobelia, pulverized for homogeneity of planting them is often mixed with sand. Purchase seeds planted in soil for seedlings or harvested in autumn soil mix consisting of sod in garden soil, compost (humus), peat, and river sand. To normalize the acidity of the soil substrate, you can add dolomite or lime.
You can buy pelleted seeds Lobelia, which are conveniently planted in peat tablets and the cassette – so you get rid of time-consuming stage picks.
The sequence of the landing of Lobelia seedlings:
- Container planting, fill the land substrate, which is slightly tamped, watered and kept for days. Best seedling Lobelia feels wide and shallow tray equipped with drainage holes. In water for the primary irrigation of the land for seedlings, you can add a fungicide.
- Seeds are placed on a bent corner of a sheet of paper and lightly tapping on it, poured on the prepared ground, evenly distributing them.
- After sowing the seeds in any case, do not sprinkle the ground and sprayed a very weak solution of potassium permanganate spray.
- The jug with the seedlings covered with glass and put in a warm place.
Soil substrate for sowing Lobelia seedlings can be prepared from a mixture of garden soil and vermiculite. Vermiculite increases the porosity and friability of the soil, normalizes its humidity. It also prevents plant root system from temperature extremes of the environment, neutralize soils with high acidity.
Proper care of seedlings
Every day seedlings of Lobelia, it is recommended to ventilate: raise your glass, wipe it with condensate and, turning again to put that over a bowl. As soon as the first shoots, and it will happen a week and a half after landing, it is desirable to remove the glass, move the bowl of the seedlings «teplychku» — transparent plastic bag, and, tying him to put in a well lit location but not direct sunlight. The package should be removed to shake the condensation and re-wrap the seedlings.
At a temperature of from 20 to 25 degrees the germination of Lobelia can appear, and sooner – about a week. But, that they are not much elongated, and was gradually tempered, the day it is recommended to move the trays of seedlings on the glazed balcony or loggia, where the temperature is low and light enough. At night it is better to return the seedlings in the house, providing additional illumination in the evening and also in cloudy and rainy periods.
The moistening of crops to produce better bottom, pouring a little water in the pan, because the probability of mold formation on the surface of the earth and rotting of seedlings. But you can water from above, very carefully: of a tea spoon or a disposable syringe. If the mold still formed, it is carefully removed and sprinkled the soil with a thin layer of powdered activated carbon or pre-washed and calcined sand. To prevent diseases it is necessary to ensure that the soil was loose and moderately dry, but to prevent it drying out too – Lobelia is recommended for moderate watering.
Dive into the bedding
Grown seedlings dive Lobelia – seated in small groups, grabbing coffee with a spoon several plants together with the soil and moving in a separate container. Before sparring it is recommended that the soil in the tray to moisturize, so it was convenient to divide densely overgrown seedlings into piles. When transferring between the groups of plants leave an interval of about 2-3 cm, the soil is tamped gently with your fingers and then watered. After the pick Lobelia will begin to grow rapidly, and when the shoots reach 3 cm, is cut in a few mm – so they can better custimise.
Dive Lobelia must be performed very carefully, moving small clumps of seedlings from a tray into individual containers
For watering seedlings Lobelia use a disposable syringe or small spoon to drops of water falling on leaves of
Planted Lobelia from temporary containers into open ground in early June, keeping the distance between the clumps 10-15 cm repot the plant on the same principle as the dive: in small groups, capturing plants together with the soil, small shovel or trowel of construction. For planting choose a Sunny or penumbral area of the garden with humus rich moist soil. Overly fertile soil is bad for Lobelia is a plant increasing its lush greenery, and blossoms of sorrow.
Quite often resort to trimming the bushes Lobelia to a height of 5 cm in mid-summer, which leads to its widening and a new wave of flowering. At this stage plants can be a bit to feed approximately once a week to water water-soluble mineral fertilizers.
Lobelia in landscape design
Option #1 — in the flower bed
When planting Lobelia in a flower bed or ridges, you must first consider the color scheme of the floral arrangement. Delicate and detailed flower beds formed from a varieties of flowers of related colours, such as blue, Indigo and violet; pink, lilac and white. Look expressive contrasting colors in the flower bed: blue and yellow, blue and red, crimson and white.
Red upright Lobelia looks great next to a variegated Yucca and orange calendula flowers
Blue Lobelia erinus forms the lower tier of the rock garden, next to emerald-purple Ajuga creeping «Burgundy Glow», red pelargonium, the thuja and wormwood silver
Original ridges composed of Lobelia, repucci «Metallica Crispus», purple pansies and silver Edelweiss
Blue flowers of Lobelia combined with whitish star-shaped inflorescence of Edelweiss
Contrast the decision to design flower beds: upright view of red Lobelia «Queen Victoria» paired with hot yellow flowers rudbeckia
Red upright Lobelia, surrounded by lush multicolor clmba looks very original
The scheme of flowerbeds with Lobelia: 1. Stock-rose «Pleniflora»: yellow, red and white. 2. Sunflower «Capenoch Star». 3. The Icelandic poppy. 4. St. John’s wort. 5. Lobelia cardinal. 6. Catnip Of Fassina. 7. Bell Pozharsky. 8. Catananche blue. 9. Geum «Feuerbal». 10. Stonecrop «Matrona».
The scheme of flowerbeds with Lobelia at the pond: 1. Bamboo-litocolorit. 2. The bearded iris hybrids. 3. Lobelia. 4. Ajuga creeping. 5. Bell Pozharsky. 6. Hybrids of sobriety. 7. Of brunera macrophylla. 8. Bryozoans subulate. 9. Ajuga creeping red. 10. Toetoe.
Option #2 — hanging baskets
Ampelnye species of Lobelia showy spherical in hanging baskets – they form a continuous floral cover, completely hiding the frame from wire or vines. The easiest option landing of Lobelia in a flower basket is the use of coconut inserts, which are holes and put the plant on the outside of the basket, pre-filled with potting compost.
Contrasting combination of blue Lobelia with yellow flowers planted in hanging flower basket, creates a cheerful atmosphere on the garden terrace
Tiny flowers of blue Lobelia, planted in a wicker planter, will brighten the monotony of rough stone masonry
As a liner is also used sphagnum moss, which is pre-soaked, drained and spread in the form of a basket inside. Then the basket fall asleep soil, mixed with peat and fertilizers of prolonged action. At the top of the basket are planted erect species of Lobelia, in a circle – a basket of sorts, observing the distance between the bushes. In this type of planting can combine Lobelia with the petunias, Phlox, geraniums, ivy.
Option #3 — decorative vases
Lobelia looks amazing in decorative vases, it is only important to link its plants-companions. If you use low flowers paired with Lobelia, to diversify the composition in a round pot by planting plants with different texture of the leaves and the size of the inflorescence.
For this planting is ideal wide vases of considerable diameter laconic configuration or provided with a constriction and a pedestal. Flower arrangement will be more dynamic if you combine a compact Lobelia with an upright plant.
Combining Lobelia variety of shades, you can give any corner of the garden the picturesque surroundings
Bright flower arrangement will decorate your garden, if you plant in the pot of blue Lobelia, white Petunia, red pelargonium and ivy
Small flowers of blue Lobelia perfectly imitate the water, poured out from a clay pot — a beautiful flowerbed, you can create planting Lobelia in lying on the side of the terracotta pot
Outdated children’s rubber boots will come in handy as planters for planting of blue Lobelia
Original complement a garden landscape vase large tall vase – basket Lobelia can be planted in the bowl itself, and the compact of its kind – at the foot, with a light filling. A powerful feature in the design of the garden will make a group of pots of different diameter and height in which to grow Lobelia contrasting colors.
Option #4 — flower tower vases
Lobelia beneficial to look into a vertical container gardening, planted in the flower tower or the so-called «bookcase» from flower pots. For the formation of such compositions can take from 3 to 5 terracotta or white vases with a difference in diameter of about 7 cm After filling the lower pot install reinforcing bar, which is submerged in the garden soil through the drainage hole for the sustainability flower tower.
An unusual variant of vertical gardening from the set to each other of white vases with blue Lobelia and sweet alyssum
The rest of the vases chosen for a vertical composition, from highest to lowest, is put on rebar, filled with soil substrate, tamping it and not reaching the upper edge of the container of 5-7 cm Planting Lobelia in combination with other colors are made from the bottom to the top, and then watered abundantly. In this embodiment, vertical gardening Lobelia blue goes well with red and white balsams, pink and purple petunias.