Leucanthemum (garden chamomile): planting and care in the open ground

Leucanthemum (garden daisy) belongs to the Astrov family, before that it was referred to as Chrysanthemums. According to various sources, the genus includes 2-7 dozen varieties. In the natural environment it lives in temperate regions of Asia and Europe.

Description and features

The flower does not have a grayish pubescence, like chrysanthemums. Deprived of their characteristic smell. Distinctive features of a nyvyanik:

• height up to 0.6 m;
• superficial rhizome;
• erect trunk with faces;
• basal and stem leaves on elongated petioles;
• lobed or serrated plates;
• inflorescences in the form of a hemisphere, combined into shields;
• lemon tubular buds are collected in baskets in the center;
• flowers developed, false reed, snow-white along the edge.

Leucanthemum blooms 2 times a year: in May and in August. In September, with the onset of frost, the buds fade.

Leucanthemum is a herbaceous plant. All its varieties have one-sided seed boxes. In large-flowered specimens, they ripen with a sufficient amount of sun. In the shade or partial shade, the seed does not begin to form; shoots are deformed.

Small-flowered species are less susceptible to lack of bright light. For intensive growth, loose, neutral or alkaline soil is required: sandy loam or loam.

Differences of a nyvyanik from a wild camomile:

• large buds;
• solid plates in many varieties;
• long, straight trunk without branching;
• on 1 shoot the only flower.

Despite the fact that the nivyanik is popularly called a garden daisy, plants are only distant relatives.

Types of Leucanthemum

Only some plant varieties are cultivated:

When to sow garden daisy in open ground

If you sow from late March to early May, then the sprouts will sprout after only half a month. By the end of summer, the bushes will grow stronger and bloom next season. If you sow a nyvnyak in late autumn, then seedlings can be observed in the spring, buds will begin to form in the summer.

Sowing step by step:

• Place the seeds in a 2 cm substrate.
• Between the rows 0.2-0.3 m.
• Watering, making sure that fluid stagnation does not occur.
• After the emergence of seedlings, they carefully break through so that 9-15 cm remain between the seedlings.
• If it is a pity to throw out torn bushes, they are transplanted. Even small shoots take root well in moist soil mixtures.
• The grown seedlings are planted on 0.4-0.5 m.

With proper care, the leucanthemum grows rapidly.

How to grow seedlings of nivyanik at home, when to plant

If you do not plant the navyavnik immediately on the garden plot, and first grow seedlings, the appearance of buds can be observed already in the first year. Cultivation begins in late winter and early spring:

• Containers fill with light, nutritious soil. Seeds are deepened by a centimeter, watered, covered with polyethylene or glass to create a greenhouse effect.
• Seedlings contain at +22 ° C, provide diffused light for them. Shelter is removed daily for ventilation and watering.
• After 2-3 weeks, when shoots appear, the glass or polyethylene is removed. Lighting is left the same. The temperature is lowered to + 17 ... +20 ° C.
• After the appearance of 3 true leaves, the sprouts are planted in separate pots with a mixture of sand, peat, deciduous humus in equal quantities.
• Watered, kept in bright light.
• Since May, the grown bushes harden: they take them out for 2-3 hours. At first, the pots are put in a shaded place, they protect from strong winds and drafts. When the shoots get used to, they are left in the sun. Due to hardening, the nyvnik is less likely to get sick.

Transplanted into the open ground at the end of spring, if at night the earth does not freeze.

How to plant a nyvyanik

After a few years, the plant forms dense thickets. In May or September, it is necessary to divide the bush and plant it:

• Dig out carefully so as not to destroy the earthen lump.
• Divide into equal shares.
• Plant in pits corresponding to the size of the rhizome.

Propagation by cuttings

This method can be carried out from early June to late August:

• Cut the basal region with a small fraction of the rhizome. Leave the aerial part untouched.
• Drop off at a permanent place.
• Water abundantly.

Outdoor garden chamomile care

The first 2-3 years, the bushes will be small.

When creating comfortable conditions and proper care, the nyvyanik grows rapidly: in just a few months it will reach 80 cm in circumference, 1 m in height.

Choosing a landing place

Need to plant in a well-lit place. Minor shading is acceptable. With a lack of light, the shoots will grow strongly up, the nyvyanik will lose its decorative appearance.

Priming

Take light, loose, fertile soil. The bush grows well on chernozem, loam of neutral or weak acidity. At a high pH level, the leucanthemum will die; on a clay and sandy substrate, flower development will be slow.

How to water

Moisturize regularly when the topsoil dries. In this case, you must ensure that there is no fluid stagnation. During severe drought, add 10 l of water under the root. To preserve moisture, mulch the bush with sawdust, chips, spruce spruce branches.

Top dressing

Feed every 2 weeks. The alternation of mineral mixtures with organics will be beneficial. If you skip the fertilizer, nothing bad will happen, the leucanthemum grows well on the garden substrate.

How to prolong flowering

The formation of seeds takes away the strength of the plant. If there is no need to collect inflorescence seed, it is better to cut off immediately after withering. It also promotes re-flowering.

Winter preparations

After the petals fall, you need to prepare the nyvyanik for rest. Cut the stems, leaving 0.1 m with basal leaves.

A distinctive feature of the plant is winter hardiness, but in frosts below -20 ° C you need to cover the bush with needles, fallen leaves, mulch with peat. Remove shelter in early spring.

Disease and pest control

If mistakes are made in the care, the nyvyanik can become ill. Common lesions, their signs, therapeutic and preventive measures:

Garden camomile in landscaping

Breeders have produced hybrids that have not only snow-white color of petals, but also bright lemon, greenish-canary, orange. Combining these varieties, you can create interesting design solutions.

For alpine hills and rockeries, undersized species are well suited. For example, Little Princess, Snow Lady. They can be combined with daisies and marigolds. Well-groomed and beautiful bushes of the leucanthemum can ennoble any site.

Watch the video: How to Prune Daisies (May 2024).