Clarkia graceful (clarkia unguiculata): what the seedlings and flowers of the plant look like
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Blooming plants decorate gardens, making them brighter and more elegant. Clarkia graceful belongs to this type of flowers, so gardeners are happy to grow it on their plots.
Features of the clarke graceful
The culture belongs to the annual peduncles of the fireweed family. Almost all of its varieties bloom very beautifully and for a long time, pleasing the eye with bright colors.
The height of the bush does not exceed half a meter. The graceful flowers of Clarkia unguiculata are small and compact. Stems are straight and branched, with a hairy edge.
Flowering plant
The leaves are colored bright green with a specific bluish bloom. They have an elongated, slightly oval shape, alternately located on the stem. A flower with a diameter of 3-5 cm can be simple or double. Inflorescences with a carpal or spike-shaped connection are of different shades. Single peduncles are extremely rare. The seeds, enclosed in an elongated box, open after full ripening.
Clarkia's double flowers seem to peek out of the axils of the upper leaves. From a distance, the flower resembles a miniature stock-rose. Florists prefer to grow the plant outdoors, on windowsills and balconies. Cut bouquets are used to decorate rooms.
Clarkia is found in the wild in Chile and the western states of the United States. More than 30 plant species are known, but only three are used for decorative cultivation, of which breeders are developing new varieties. Clarkia flower was brought to Europe from the USA. It got its name from William Clarke, who brought it to the Old World in the 19th century.
Popular varieties
Clarkia graceful flower has many varieties of different colors. The most popular are:
- Albatross. The variety is annual. Stem height reaches 75 cm. Shoots are very branched, with white double inflorescences at the ends.
- Purpurkenig. Plant height is about 80-90 cm. It blooms in May-June. Intense red, double flowers reach a diameter of 4 cm.
- Salmon perfection. One of the tallest shrubs of its kind. Its height reaches 1 m. Flowers are distinguished by a pale pink color. Their diameter does not exceed 3.5 cm.
- Sun. The bush grows to a height of 65–70 cm. The inflorescences of the plant are solitary, tender salmon in color.
- Orange The bush grows up to 55–65 cm in height. Flowers of a bright orange hue attract the attention of others.
- Clarkia Sakura. It has compact white double inflorescences with a pinkish tint. The height of the bush reaches 120 cm. During flowering from afar, it seems that the Japanese cherry of the same name is in bloom.
What other types of clarke are cultivated by gardeners
In flower beds and in gardens, you can see other representatives of this family. Among them are the following types:
- Clarkia is terry. The variety is distinguished by a low stem (up to 65 cm) and huge inflorescences by the standards of the species. They reach 6 cm in diameter. Flowers are collected in an ear.
- Fantasy. The culture bush reaches 75 cm.The plant is distinguished by lush flowering and different colors of inflorescences.
- Pretty. A very low plant, the height of which barely reaches 30 cm. The inflorescences of this clarkia are double and simple. Flowering begins at the end of May and continues until the very frost.
- Breveri. This is a fairly new variety. It is resistant to light frost, reproduces in a seedless way. The bush is compact, with pink flowers.
Clarkia: growing from seed, when to plant for seedlings
The plant needs a light soil with a high content of minerals. Seeds are sown from mid-March to early April. The procedure should be as follows:
- Prepare containers of shallow depth and loose fertile soil. The seed of the plant is small, so it should not be buried.
- In order for the seeds to germinate faster, they must be soaked in water or growth-stimulating compounds in advance.
- Before planting, the seeds are mixed with sand, and the resulting mass is spread over the surface of the soil.
- The earth is lightly tamped and, after light spraying with water, it is covered with a film.
- The container is placed on a well-lit windowsill, but not in direct sunlight.
First shoots
The first shoots will come to the surface in one and a half or two weeks. Knowing what clarkia seedlings look like, it is easy to understand when they will hatch. For normal indoor growth, keep the temperature around 20 ° C. You also need to monitor soil moisture and moisturize when it dries up.
Clarke seedlings dive after the appearance of the second leaf. This is important as the plant does not respond well to transplanting. Separate peat cups are used for planting, which can simply be buried in the soil. The distance between plants should be at least 20-35 cm.
Clarkia is planted in the garden at the end of May. It is quite resistant to low temperatures, and can survive slight frosts.
Plant picking
Features of planting in a seedless way in open ground
The culture requires fertile and light soil. On heavy ground, clarkia, planting and caring for which is not too difficult, will grow poorly.
Before planting the seeds, the bed is fertilized with peat or a mixture of sand and humus. You can grow seedlings in the open field in the same way as at home. The main thing is to properly distribute the seeds in the garden and open them after the first shoots appear.
The advantage of such cultivation is that young seedlings are not injured during transplantation and therefore begin to bloom several weeks earlier.
Features of care in the garden
The main condition for the normal development and lush flowering of clarkia is regular watering. It is usually sufficient to do this twice a week, but on hot days the flower should be sprayed more often.
Spraying plants
When tying buds, fertilizing with a complex of minerals is introduced into the soil. In summer, the process is repeated every two weeks until flowering stops.
When and how clarkia blooms
The flowering period, depending on the species, can last from June to the very frost. The shape of the flower is spike or racemose. Flowers can be double or simple.
Post-flowering care
Caring for the plant after the end of flowering consists in removing all wilting inflorescences so that the bush blooms more luxuriantly and new ovaries appear. It is better to tie up tall stems so that they do not break.
Clarkia can multiply by self-seeding. It will be easier to grow at home if you select the strongest flower stalks during flowering and monitor the formation of a seed box on them.To prevent the seeds from falling to the ground when opening, the fruit is wrapped with gauze or bandage and fixed on the stem.
Clarkia tolerates winter quite well, especially if the seeds are planted in the ground in the fall. You can save sprouts from severe frosts by mulching. If the plant is going to be transferred to the home, the ground part of the bush is cut off, and the roots are dug up. This is to prevent the development of harmful fungal spores in the ground.
Possible growing problems
The culture is resistant to pest and disease attacks. However, mistakes in planting care can provoke the development of fungal and viral diseases.
Plant diseases
If brown spots appear on the leaves, clarkia is affected by a fungus, and most likely this is a consequence of an excess of moisture or nitrogen fertilizers. To eliminate the problem, fungicides are used, for example, Bordeaux liquid. Her plant is sprayed twice a day.
The midges that appear during waterlogging lay the larvae in the soil, which eat the roots of the plants. A flower can only be saved by transplanting into another container. To prevent their appearance, the soil in the pot must be periodically loosened. In the fight against midges, sulfur is also used. Several heads of matches stuck in the ground will help rid the clarke of pests. For this, a weak solution of potassium permanganate is also used.
The California beauty clarkia graceful can decorate the site for a long time with its abundant flowering. To get this result, you just need to follow the rules for growing a crop.
