Verbena of Buenos Aires (Bonar)
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Verbena was first discovered in South America. It is a thermophilic plant, therefore it is considered an annual in Russia. Most often used for decorative purposes. Verbena is considered the keeper of the hearth and financial well-being.
Description of the plant
The most popular is Argentine verbena, or as it is also called Bonar, or Buenos Aires. The bush's inflorescences resemble fluffy clouds, and in its latitudes it is cultivated as a perennial flower. If you grow vervain using the seating method, then the height can be more than one and a half meters.
Verbena of Buenos Aires
It goes well with decorative conifers, grasses and other tall perennials. Although the plant reaches a great height, it is not required to tie it up. When blooming, small purple umbrellas open at the top, from which lilac flowers appear.
Verbena species
The most popular vervain in Russia has become the Bonar Lilac rain. The unpretentiousness of this species was the main reason why gardeners chose it from all the abundance. Other plants of the family are known that can be used for growing in Russian latitudes:
- hybrid. These include the Red-flowered Cardinal, the light-purple Julia, the large-flowered Pink Fairy;
- Laylek and Fayness varieties, capable of attracting bees to the site with their aroma;
- vervain is tough with stems creeping along the ground. Its most famous variety is Polaris, which has beautiful blue flowers.
Botanical description of verbena
Basic botanical characteristics:
- powerful and branched root system;
- stems are generally erect and branching closer to the apex. They have a fleecy green skin;
- shoots of the plant grow from 0.2 to 1.5 m. Short-petiolate leaves grow over the entire surface;
- leaflets are oval in shape with jagged or dissected edges. The leaves are characterized by the presence of a rough pile and a swollen surface around the veins.
Inflorescences can have 30 to 50 buds, which begin to bloom in mid-June. The corollas can reach up to 25 mm. The flowers are red, pink, yellow, white, blue and lilac. There are known varieties in which the petals can be of two colors or in one corolla there are flowers of different colors.
The flowering of verbena stretches until the onset of cold weather. After pollination, small nuts appear, which subsequently disintegrate into four parts and thin seeds appear.
The use of flowers in landscape design
All plant varieties are widely used to decorate garden plots. For example, undersized varieties can be used to create natural borders. When combined with camellias, you can get decorative areas of excellent beauty. Verbena can simply decorate your front garden. A wide range of colors allows you to combine it with any other plants.
Landscape
If ampelous varieties are planted in pots and properly looked after, then in the future you can get a beautiful decoration of a balcony or terrace. Vervains with creeping stems look good in hanging pots.
Verbena Bonar: growing from seeds
The most common way of growing a flower is by seedling from seeds. If all the recommendations and tips for germination are followed correctly, you will get beautiful, tall plants that are planted in open ground closer to mid-May.
After that, the seeds are taken out of the refrigerator, evenly scattered over the prepared mixture and sprinkled with a thin layer of earth. Everything is well sprinkled with water from a spray bottle, then covered with transparent glass or plastic wrap on top. The container is moved to a warm place. The seeds will have to wait for several weeks to germinate, as they are not very similar. The top layer is periodically sprayed with water, but it is worth remembering that excess moisture can lead to rotting and death of seeds.
Seedling
As soon as the first shoots appear, the glass or film is removed, and the container is placed in a lighted place. To ensure that all seedlings receive sunlight evenly, the container is periodically turned. The leaves appear after about 30 days, and then the plants are transplanted into separate cups so that the root system has more room. The soil is used the same as when planting seeds, only ash or humus is added.
After transplanting, the plants need to be kept in the shade for several days. To prepare the verbena for outdoor conditions, after a week, the sprouts are taken out onto the balcony or veranda.
Planting in open ground is not carried out until mid-May, depending on the local climate.
Landing in a permanent place
Although verbena is quite unpretentious, it should be planted in a well-lit area. In the shade, flowers will appear later and will have a pale color. The bush can be transplanted into a pot much earlier and regularly transferred to the most illuminated areas.
Verbena does not like stagnation of moisture at the roots, therefore, when transplanted into open ground, a drainage layer of expanded clay or crushed stone is arranged in the holes. Otherwise, the root system will rot. To obtain beautiful and voluminous bushes, plants are transplanted in 5-7 pieces. in one hole with a distance of at least 30 cm between them.
Verbena care
Despite its unpretentiousness, vervain needs basic care. For the first year, the ground around it should be loosened regularly. The need for this will disappear when the stems and root system grow. Instead of weeding, you can simply sprinkle the soil with sawdust or decorative chips. Vervain should be watered regularly, increasing during flowering and reducing the volume of water by autumn.
Verbena
It is recommended to add organic fertilizers together with watering no more than three times per season. If fed more often, the flowering will be poor. To give the bushes the desired shape, as well as to improve the quality of flowering, the verbena should be pruned from the right sides. Dead buds can be collected and folded in the shade to obtain seeds for seedlings.
With proper care, verbena will have an airy shape, vibrant colors and a much cozier garden.
