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Growing a beautiful armeria from seeds is not the most difficult task. But before you start breeding this plant, you need to familiarize yourself with its types and features.
Description and characteristics
Armeria is a perennial plant from the Svinchatkovy family with a long thin pubescent stem about 30 cm tall. The leaves are narrow, lanceolate, collected in a basal rosette. In June, the plant brings light pink, white or purple small buds in capitate inflorescences up to 3 cm in diameter. By autumn it gives fruits – oblong one-seeded.
The decorative period of armeria lasts about a month
The perennial grows all over the world – in North America, Western and Eastern Europe, Mongolia and even in the Arctic highlands. In Our Country, you can see it in the Far East and northeast Siberia. For life, the plant usually chooses rocky areas, often found on sea coasts.
Species and varieties
There are several dozen varieties and types of armeria with photos and names. Among them are some of the most famous and sought after in cultural breeding.
Alpine
Alpine Armeria (Armeria alpina) is a perennial plant up to 15 cm tall. It is a compact shrub with abundant foliage that persists through the winter. It blooms with light pink buds on long peduncles up to 30 cm.
Alpine armeria blooms in early June
Alba
Variety Alba (Alba) reaches 20 cm in height. At the end of May brings bright flowers on long stems. White armeria remains decorative for about a month and a half.
Armeria Alba may re-bloom in autumn
Lucina
Armeria Luchina (Laucheana) – a plant with lush green leaves and beautiful carmine-pink buds. It rises an average of 30 cm from the ground surface.
Armeria Luchina is disbanded at the standard time in early June
Pseudo-armeria
Pseudarmeria (Pseudarmeria) is a beautiful shrub about 40 cm tall with a basal rosette of leaves. It blooms with buds of pink and white, the period of maximum decorativeness is from June to July. The leaves at the roots of the plant are partly evergreen.
Pseudoarmeria can also be found under the name beautiful
Ballerina Red
The popular armeria variety Ballerina Red (Ballerina Red) is a small shrub about 20 cm tall. From the beginning of summer brings spherical buds of bright scarlet color. Armeria false armeria Red Ballerina can remain decorative until September.
Variety Ballerina Red can be grown in the suburbs and in the northern regions
Seaside
Seaside armeria (Armeria maritima) is a low-growing perennial, often found on sea coasts. It rises in height by an average of 20 cm, has a similar diameter of the basal rosette. From the end of May to July, the marine armeria brings pink buds in capitate inflorescences.
Primorskaya armeria – the most common plant species in culture
Louisiana
Armeria variety Louisiana (Louisiana) is an ornamental plant about 20 cm tall. It blooms in early June, produces numerous pink-purple buds. Growing Louisiana Armeria from seeds allows you to create a lush and vibrant flower bed in your garden.
Flowers at armeria Louisiana terry type
Soddy
Armeria juniper leaf, or soddy (Armeria Juniperifolia) is a compact perennial no more than 15 cm tall with linear narrow leaves. Brings capitate inflorescences, consisting of pink or bright red buds. The photo of the flowers of the perennial armeria shows that it blooms very plentifully.
Soddy armeria at the beginning of summer is able to form bright dense turfs in the garden
Beachwood
The Beechwood variety is represented by dwarf densely branched plants about 15 cm in height with a basal leafy rosette. Brings very numerous flower-bearing stems only 5 cm long. The buds of the soddy armeria of this variety are pink, collected in flattened inflorescences.
The diameter of the flowers of Armeria Beechwood is 1,5 cm
Ordinary
Armeria vulgaris (Armeria vulgaris) is a tall perennial up to 60 cm. The leaves of the plant can stretch up to 12,5 cm in length, during the flowering period numerous carmine-pink buds appear on the stems. In the garden, the perennial is grown unchanged, it is not subjected to active selection.
Ordinary armeria has a pleasant light aroma
Lovely
Beautiful armeria (Armeria formosa) is a small plant with evergreen rosettes of leaves. It blooms very violently from the beginning of June, brings purple, red or pink buds, depending on the variety. The diameter of the inflorescences is about 5 cm.
The flowering of beautiful armeria can continue until October
Anna Maria
Armeria Anna Maria (Anna Maria) – a beautiful perennial up to 30 cm tall. Brings large, up to 5 cm, spherical buds of carmine, white or pink. Armeria Anna Maria is cultivated from seeds – planting material is supplied in the form of a mixture. The plant remains ornamental for 70 days.
Variety Anna Maria blooms in May and again in September
Velvych
Armeria Velvicha (Armeria welwitschii) is a tall garden perennial up to 40 cm tall with large basal leaf plates. The diameter of the inflorescences reaches 5 cm, the buds are pink in shade. It is not popular in breeding; in the garden, the variety is grown in an unchanged form. The decorative period of the pink armeria lasts from early summer to late autumn.
Armeria Velvicha prefers potassium-rich soils
Armeria broadleaf
Broad-leaved armeria (Armeria latifolia) is a low-growing perennial up to 30 cm tall, during the decorative period – up to 50 cm. Brings numerous bright pink or white buds in dense inflorescences up to 4 cm in diameter. Blooms in June and July.
Broad-leaved armeria – a plant with low frost resistance up to -15 ° C
Ariadne
Armeria Ariadna (Ariadna) – a plant for decorating rocky gardens and alpine slides. Produces bright red, pink and white buds, often used to fill gaps between tall perennials. Planting and caring for Armeria Ariadne rarely cause difficulties. The plant has good frost resistance and is suitable for breeding in the middle lane.
Ariadna variety blooms from June to August
Armeria bulbous
Armeria bulbous (Armeria alliacea) is an evergreen herbaceous plant up to 50 cm tall with long peduncles. Blooms from May to July, produces numerous and bright white or pink buds. It tolerates frosts down to -30 °C. Decorative varieties are not represented.
Bulbous armeria prefers sunny areas and light drained soils.
Reproduction of armeria
Garden perennial is propagated by seeds and vegetative methods. The latter are more popular because they allow you to save the varietal qualities of the plant and get the desired result faster.
Cutting
Perennials can be propagated by cuttings throughout the growing season. The basal rosette of an adult plant is carefully separated from the stem, and then simply transferred to the right place and buried in the ground, lightly sprinkled.
After that, the perennial is regularly watered and waiting for rooting. Additionally, the cutting can be covered with a glass jar to create a greenhouse effect and promote rapid germination.
It is not necessary to pre-sprout armeria cuttings in water
Division of the bush
The method is used for overgrown plant specimens older than three years. In the spring before the start of the growing season or in the fall, shortly before the cold weather, the bush is removed from the ground and the rhizome is divided into several equal parts. The stems must be removed. Seedlings are dug in new holes at a distance of 30 cm from each other and moisten the soil.
When dividing, it is advisable not to clear the roots of armeria from the ground, so as not to injure once again
Seeds
Perennial seeds can be purchased at a specialized store or independently collected from adult plants on the site. Before planting, the material is stratified in the refrigerator for at least a week, and then sown in a container with nutritious but light soil and germinated until several true leaves appear. When using the method, it must be taken into account that seeds collected from ornamental varieties on the site may not retain their unique characteristics.
Seeds usually germinate new varieties or low-value types of armeria
Planting and caring for armeria
By seed, the plant is propagated both at home and immediately in the garden. In both cases, you need to follow a few rules.
When to sow seeds for seedlings and in open ground
If the seeds are laid directly in open ground, this should be done in the fall before the onset of cold weather or in early spring, in early March. In this case, the material will undergo natural stratification in cold soil.
When growing home seedlings, the seeds are preliminarily placed in the refrigerator for at least a week, and preferably for several months. Planting in boxes is carried out at the end of February or at the beginning of March.
Soil preparation and site
In the garden for the plant, a well-lit, warm area with moist, slightly acidic, sandy or rocky soil is chosen. The selected place is dug up and, if necessary, the quality of the soil is improved by spilling it with a solution of malic or acetic acid. The earth is carefully loosened, fertilized with complex minerals.
When growing indoor seedlings, it is necessary to prepare wide, but shallow containers or individual small pots. They are filled with loose and light soil, a mixture of garden soil and peat with sand is well suited.
Sowing seeds of armeria for seedlings or in open ground
When planting in the ground, the seeds are planted in holes several centimeters deep and sprinkled with soil, and then left until spring. It is better to plant a perennial in this way in a temporary area, in order to later transfer the strongest seedlings to a permanent place. From above, the bed for the winter can be covered with fallen leaves to protect the soil from excessive freezing.
When planting at home, the seeds removed from the refrigerator are soaked in warm water for several hours so that they swell slightly. After that, the material is immersed in the prepared soil mixture by no more than 5 mm, sprayed from a spray bottle and covered with a film or glass container. You need to put the seedlings in a warm place with diffused lighting.
Seedling care and planting in open ground
Home seedlings should give the first shoots in about two weeks. After that, the shelter is removed from the box and rearranged on a well-lit window sill.
When two or three true leaves appear on each of the seedlings, the armeria can be dived
With the final establishment of warm weather, you can plant armeria in open ground. Before this, it is recommended to harden the seedlings – for two weeks a box with seedlings is taken out into the street, first for a couple of hours, and then for the whole day. When planting, the sprouts are embedded in the soil, leaving the root neck above the surface, and maintaining a distance of at least 30 cm between individual specimens. Immediately after transferring to the ground, the perennial is well watered.
Aftercare
Caring for armeria when planting in open ground comes down to simple actions. First of all, the plant needs to be watered from time to time during the period of active growth and in the summer heat. With abundant natural precipitation, additional moisture is not required for perennials. After watering, the soil at the roots is recommended to be loosened and cleared of weeds.
Top dressing of the plant is carried out several times per season, during the period of active vegetation and in the fall. Before flowering, fertilizers with a nitrogen content are required, and at the end of the decorative period, with potassium and phosphorus. By itself, the perennial survives well even on poor soils, however, with a lack of nutrients, buds can be poorly tied.
With the onset of autumn and at the end of the decorative period for armeria, pruning is performed in the flower beds. Peduncles and dried leaves are removed so that the plant can direct all its forces to strengthen the underground part before the onset of winter. About once every five years, as the perennial grows, it is recommended to divide and transfer to a new place.
Diseases and pests
The plant has good immunity to fungal diseases. Perennial rarely suffers from ailments, and the greatest danger to him is:
- fitoftoroz – the disease provokes the development of root rot and the appearance of spots on the leaves;
Late blight occurs most often when the soil is waterlogged.
- fuzarioz – the leaves of the plant turn yellow and fade, and the stems become weak and lethargic.
Fusarium leads to rotting of the root neck of the plant and its death.
When the first symptoms of the disease appear, treatment should be started immediately. Affected leaves and flower stalks are removed, and the perennial is treated with copper sulphate, Bordeaux liquid or Fundazol. Spraying should be carried out according to the instructions, several times a season with an interval of 2-3 weeks, in order to reliably eliminate the fungus pathogen. If the plant is too heavily affected, it is best to dig it up and destroy it before the disease spreads to neighboring plantings.
Of the pests for the flower, only aphids are dangerous. It is necessary to regularly inspect the perennial and, if insects appear, immediately treat the plantings with soapy water. If the infection is too strong, insecticidal agents should be used, for example, Kinmiks or Inta-Vir.
A large colony of aphids can completely destroy armeria
When and how to collect seeds
The seeds of the plant are small, so you need to prepare in advance for their collection on the site. Even before the end of flowering, during the withering period, the bud must be tied with gauze. In this case, the ripened seeds will not fall to the ground, but into a homemade bag.
After the inflorescence is completely dry, it will need to be cut. Gauze is untied over a sheet of paper and the seeds are shaken out, then they are dried in the fresh air and poured into a paper bag.
Preparation for winter
Most species and varieties of plants tolerate cold well and do not need winter shelter. However, there are exceptions to this rule, for example, soddy armeria is sensitive to frost. Therefore, just in case, in late autumn, a site with a perennial can be thrown with fallen leaves, dry peat or spruce branches to warm the roots. This is especially recommended if the winter is expected to have little snow.
Armeria in landscape design
The photo of the armeria in the garden shows that the decorative perennial is widely used in decorating plots. Most often it is used:
- for planting in flowerbeds and alpine slides in group compositions;
Low armeria goes well with plain and variegated plants.
- for the design of rocky gardens;
Armeria feels comfortable on sandy and rocky soils.
- for decorating garden paths;
Armeria forms a beautiful border along the paths
- for the formation of a flower bedspread on lawns and wastelands.
Undersized armeria enlivens empty space with a dense landing
Good neighbors for perennials are bluebells, phlox, thyme. Armeria is not prone to aggressive growth and does not crowd out other plants.
Conclusion
Growing a beautiful armeria from seeds allows you to get a hardy, bright and spectacular perennial in your area. The culture is represented by dozens of species and varieties, it is easy to propagate and decorates the garden from the beginning to the end of summer.
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