Perennial decorative flowering plant - violet - a favorite flower of millions of gardeners around the world. The endless variety of colors and ease of care are its most important advantages.
What does a violet garden look like?
The genus of violets (Víola) has more than 500 species. It happens perennial and annual. Single bisexual flowers, each with 5 stamens, petals and sepals, grow on long, single shoots. There are one-color, two-color and three-color. Almost everyone has a strong, persistent and very pleasant aroma. The flowering period is spring and summer. They are well adjacent to conifers, ornamental and fruit shrubs, but are also suitable for alpine hills, flowerpots, flower beds.
Blooming garden violet
Fruits - boxes with numerous small seeds, after ripening, open independently. Having planted just a few pieces, after a few years you can get an excellent flowering rug. The leaf is simple or cirrus dissected, usually a dark green hue. The bushes themselves grow 10-40 cm tall, have a thin, rod, slightly branched root. Garden flowers, similar to violets in a room pot culture, have their own characteristics.
The second popular name for garden violets is Pansies. In vivo occurs throughout the temperate zone in the mountains, forests, along the banks of rivers and lakes. Some species grow in swampy lowlands and even in the tundra. Historically, the violet also has another name Saintpaulia, given in honor of Baron Walter von Saint-Paul, president of the German dendrological society, who transferred seeds to the botanist Hermann Wendland, who first described this genus of plants.
Common Varieties - Short Description
Among the huge variety, the most popular varieties are listed below.
Graceful. Perennial violet 10-20 cm tall, coarse-toothed leaves, flowers up to 4 cm in diameter, blue-purple or yellow. It blooms in the spring and continues to delight until the fall. Prefers partial shade, nutritious soil, suitable for rock gardens.
Viola gracilis blue moonlight
Horned perennial. A bush with a height of 15-25 cm with a creeping and highly branching root. Gradually forms a dense flowering pillow. The leaf is oblong ovoid with a serrated edge up to 6 cm long. Flowers usually have a violet-purple color with a yellow spot. It blooms from May to September. Prefers dry sunny areas and moderately fertile soil.
Viola cornuta boughton blue
Labrador. Violet fragrant garden perennial. Compact bush only 5-10 cm tall. The leaf is rounded heart-shaped bronze or dark purple. The flowers are pink-carmine, blooming in May-June. A cold-resistant variety that tolerates partial shade. The soil prefers moderately fertile, moist.
Manchurian. Perennial 6-20 cm high. Rhizome short. The leaf has an ovoid-lanceolate shape on a long petiole. Dark purple flower with a diameter of 2.5 cm on a long peduncle. On one bush from May to June, 8-14 flowers bloom at a time. Varieties with double and variegated petals are found. Easily propagated by dividing curtains, as well as self-seeding. Moisture- and photophilous, cold-resistant.
Viola mandshurica fuji dawn
Violet white garden. A very rare species that is extremely difficult to obtain. It is grown in specialized botanical nurseries to make up for the endangered natural population. But on sale you can find seeds of hybrids called perennial white moth violet or sister, having the same color of flowers. Easily propagated by self-seeding.
Viola white
Features of caring for violet garden on the street
Having planted a once-liked variety of violets in the garden in the open ground, in the future you can for many years admire its sprawling rug, only gaining beauty.
- Temperature
Mostly garden violets are cold-resistant. The first bloom in the spring, and many varieties continue to delight with beautiful flowers until the fall. The preferred temperature in the warm season is + 20-24 ° C. In the heat of + 30 ° C and above, it can stop blooming.
- Lighting
Depending on the variety, either a well-lit area or a partial shade will be required. But there are varieties that prefer to be part of the day in partial shade, and part in the shade. They are planted mainly near fruit or ornamental shrubs.
- Watering
All varieties prefer soft water at the same temperature as the environment. To get the desired softness, add a little apple cider vinegar (1 tsp per 3 l of water) or citric acid (5 crystals per 1 l) to the water.
- Spraying
In the hottest time of the year, in the mornings and evenings it is recommended to arrange a warm shower with violets from a sprayer or a watering can with small holes, but at the same time not to allow excessive flooding of the roots.
- Humidity
The optimum level of humidity is about 60%. If pansies do not like waterlogged soil, such conditions can only be achieved by light shading and planting in the vicinity of a reservoir - a pond, stream, or pool.
- Priming
The soil needs light, loose, moderately fertile, capable of retaining moisture for a long time. Perlite and vermiculite are the best additives for loosening and structuring, but you can get by adding peat and a small amount of washed river sand to the soil. It is also useful to add fine charcoal, and periodically pour ash around the bushes.
Important! The optimum acid-base balance is pH = 5.5-6.5.
- Top dressing
The first fertilizer application is in the spring. Any complex mineral for flowering plants is suitable. Most importantly, the content of potassium, phosphorus, nitrogen. The dosage should be reduced by half against the recommended manufacturer. Fresh manure can not be used, as it will lead to burns of leaves and roots.
Re-dressing will be required after the first buds have bloomed, and then every 2 weeks.
Preparing for the winter
Annual fragrant varieties in the fall with the advent of frost are completely removed from the flower beds. Perennials are left the next year, and the third is completely removed, as they grow too much, losing their decorative effect.
In autumn, you need to remove the dry parts of the plant, wilted flower stalks. Usually by this time, the seed boxes have already opened and crumbled. No additional planting required.
Under favorable natural conditions, spring violets will sprout independently after winter. It will be possible to leave successful shoots, or use for transplants.
Possible problems in growing
The fragrant flower practically does not cause problems, to the last resisting unfavorable factors. This makes him one of the leaders in vitality.
Disease
Among the infectious diseases of garden violets are found:
- rust;
- blackleg;
- gray and root rot;
- powdery mildew;
- spotting.
Note! Unnatural plaque and spots on the leaves are a signal for urgent action.
It is best to immediately remove the affected plants, or try to save them by treating them with a specialized preparation: Topaz, Fundazol, Fitosporin. Fitovlavin, etc. The intensity of watering violets for this time needs to be reduced.
Pests
The gnawed edges of the leaves are a symptom of the defeat of violet pearl and clover scoop. Against them, they are treated with tobacco infusion or karbofos.
Common pests such as thrips, slugs, aphids, and spider mites are also found on garden violets. Against them, treatment with specialized insecticides helps, as well as spraying the planting with an ash solution.
Other problems
Withering and spots on the leaves are a signal that the plant is bad in this place.
Likely reasons:
- too dark;
- too hot;
- excess watering;
- lack of nutrients.
Advice! You can try to transplant to a more illuminated area, feed, adjust the irrigation mode.
Common mistakes when growing
A shallow root system means that loosening can easily damage the violet. However, friability of the soil is good for it. This is achieved by mulching and structuring the soil.
The second common mistake is thickening. Plants should be 15-20 cm apart.
Violet street white or a different color - a great purchase for the garden, rabatki, flower beds. It is grown in hanging containers and pots. Everywhere her lovely and brightest flowers look appropriate and extremely aesthetically pleasing.
