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It is quite possible to create a beautiful flower bed that will bloom all summer without much hassle if you pick up special varieties of perennials. They will not need to be planted every spring, while wasting money and precious time. In landscape design, it is customary to combine tall and low perennials. So, more often tall plants occupy a central place in the overall composition, while undersized flowers are planted at the foot of the “green giants”.
Also, undersized flowering plants can be used as an independent element of decor, decorating flower beds, lawns, and ponds. It is rather difficult for a non-professional to pick up low-growing perennial flowers with a long flowering period, so in the article we present the most relevant, diverse varieties that meet the specified requirements.
decorative linen
Everyone who has ever seen a field of flowering flax must have been impressed by this beauty: the blue expanses resemble the expanse of the sea, in which one involuntarily wants to plunge. Today, every grower can create something similar in his backyard thanks to decorative linen. There are over 100 perennial species of this wonderful plant. In this case, the color of flowers, depending on the variety, can be diverse.
Flax alpine
The perennial plant has lanceolate leaves. “Alpine” flower pale blue, simple inflorescence. This variety is creeping, it can be planted on slopes, along borders, in flower beds, in combination with stone elements. The height of the creeping carpet does not exceed 20 cm.
Such blue flowers pleases perennial undersized “Austrian” flax. Its height does not exceed 30 cm.
Flax yellow
The yellow color of the flowers is not traditional for flax, however, such plants are quite common among ornamental species. These include Bell-flax, Capitate Flax, Yellow Flax.
For example, “Yellow Flax”, the photo of which can be seen above, has umbrella-shaped flowers, up to 2 cm in diameter. Their color is golden yellow. The height of the ornamental plant does not exceed 40 cm.
Bell Flax can be considered unique because its flowers are more closed compared to other types of decorative flax. They really match the name and resemble small yellow bells. You can see a photo of this perennial below.
blue varieties
In a wide variety of decorative flax, you can find varieties with a blue flower color, for example, Narbonne Flax or Stiff-haired Flax. These undersized plants do not exceed 40 cm in height. The flowers of “Narbonne” flax are quite large, their diameter is 3-4 cm.
Blue and blue varieties of decorative flax must be grown in sunny areas of the earth. The culture prefers moist, uniform nutrient soils. In the process of cultivation, plants must be regularly watered and fed with mineral, organic fertilizers. Perennial varieties are resistant to strong and prolonged frosts. They do not need to be dug up or covered for the winter.
The above varieties of undersized perennials really bloom all summer: from June to September. During the flowering period, thin stems of decorative flax are abundantly strewn with flowers. All varieties of flax, except creeping, must be tied to a support or sown thick enough to get a dense, stable bush.
Thrift
A beautiful, perennial plant, the flowers of which fascinate with their brightness and grace. You can meet armeria in a wild form in the expanses of Siberia, Mongolia, and America. Flower growers prefer to grow decorative varieties in their gardens.
Armeria alpine
Alpine Armeria is a type of ornamental plant that includes several varieties at once: Alba, Rosea, Laucheana. The species is characterized by long (12-15 cm), xiphoid leaves, only 0,3 cm wide. The peduncles of these plants are undersized 20-30 cm. On their top, you can see capitate, axillary inflorescences of various colors, depending on the variety. Alpine Armeria blooms from June to August. Plants are resistant to lack of water and light.
In the above photo, you can see an example of the design of a landscape design element using the Alpine variety Armeria “Alba”, the flowers of which are painted white.
Armeria “Rosea” variety is unique for its carmine-pink color of flowers. You can see the inflorescences of this plant in the photo below.
Laucheana flowers are carmine red. You can see an example of the use of this variety in landscape design in the photo:
Armeria seaside
Seaside army can be found in the mountains, on the sea coasts and rocky areas. The leaves of this plant are short, up to 8 cm long, thin. Peduncles, towering 10-12 cm above the dense green cap, hold spherical flowers of lilac-pink color. Seaside armeria blooms from May to August. Sometimes you can observe its re-flowering in the fall.
In addition to the above, there are other types of armeria, for example, Siberian armeria, pseudo-armeria, beautiful armeria and some others. All these types of flowering herbaceous plants are undersized, perennial. Their flowers, depending on the particular variety, are painted in various tones: from pink to lilac.
Armeria can be grown on any type of soil, however, sandy loam is the best soil for it. The plant is sown with seeds before winter or in spring. The culture is unpretentious and can successfully tolerate heat, drought. For the winter, plants should be covered with spruce branches. It is necessary to divide and seat armeria every 2-3 years.
Pansies
Pansies are one of the most beautiful flowering plants. It is undersized, perennial and not whimsical at all, but at the same time it gives a lot of aesthetic pleasure. The variety of varieties with different flower colors is amazing. Looking at Pansies, you understand that all the most beautiful things in this world are created by nature itself.
Small-flowered varieties
All those flowers that the layman calls pansies are called multi-flowered violets by breeders and are divided into types. So, small-flowered varieties, large-flowered, gigantic varieties are distinguished. Among the small-flowered varieties there are plants with a straightened shape of the petals and the usual color of the flower. Among them are varieties “Snegurochka”, “Little Red Riding Hood”, “Universal” and some others. So, the wonderful flowers of the Little Red Riding Hood variety can be seen below:
Of the small-flowered species, it is worth highlighting the Rococo variety. Its flowers have strongly corrugated, double petals. The culture is stunted, up to 20 cm high. The diameter of the flowers is 3-4 cm. These wonderful, amazing pansies can be planted in flower beds in combination with other tall and stunted plants. Photos of lilac and yellow-brown flowers of the variety “Rococo” shown below.
The variety also has a bizarre flower shape. «Flamenco». Its petals are partially ruffled and resemble the undulations of a puffy skirt in the famous dance of the same name. The name and photo of this variety allow you to personally assess the described correspondence.
Among the small-flowered varieties, you can find pansies of various colors. The only thing that unites them all is the small diameter of the flower (no more than 4 cm). The peduncle of these varieties is quite long – 20 cm. In cultivation, such varieties are unpretentious, prone to self-propagation by involuntary sowing of mature seeds.
Large-flowered varieties
The very name “large-flowered” speaks of the peculiarities of this group of flowers. Varieties belonging to this species have a flower with a diameter of at least 5 cm. An example of such flowering plants are varieties “Ice King”, “Winter Sun”, “Sky Queen”, “Magic of March” and some others.
One of the large-flowered varieties is “Evening Heat”. These plants have a brownish-red flower. On the top three petals there are spots of excellent color. The diameter of the flowers of this variety is 5,5-6 cm, the length of the pedicel is 9-10 cm. The total height of the bush is 10-15 cm.
Giant varieties
Pansies, belonging to the “giant” species, have very large flowers, the diameter of which is at least 7 cm. The bushes of such plants are massive, taking into account the pedicel, their height can reach 25 cm. It is worth noting that all “giant” varieties have a bright, but relatively uniform color. Yes, allocate “White”, “Blue”, “Golden Yellow” variety.
For example “Blue” pansies can be seen in the photo below. These flowers are blue in color, with rich purple spots located closer to the core. The edges of the petals are even. The length of the peduncle is 10-11 cm, the total height of the bush is 25 cm.
In the open ground, the seeds of pansies can be sown until the end of June, however, with such sowing, the flowers will please the eye only for the next year. It is much more convenient in this case to grow seedlings of these plants. Sowing seeds for seedlings can be done in February-March, diving plants into open ground in May. The culture is resistant to drought, undemanding to the nutritional value of the soil. However, in order for pansies to please with their beautiful large flowers for a long time, plants need to be periodically fed with mineral fertilizers before and during flowering. Optimal watering frequency: 3-4 times a week.
With proper care, pansies will amaze with their beauty from June to September. For the winter, the bushes must be cut and covered with spruce branches.
For more detailed information on how to properly grow pansies, see the video:
Gentian
Gentian is a genus of herbaceous, flowering plants. In Our Country, you can grow more than 90 varieties of these perennials. In nature, they are more common in forests, parks. In landscape design, they are used to decorate flower beds, borders, walkways, compositions using stone.
Gentian is often considered capricious, but in fact, only the composition of the soil on which it grows is very important for it. The soil should be as nutritious as possible with a high content of organic matter. The plant is drought tolerant. It is better to plant flowers in the shade, as direct sunlight can destroy them.
Varieties of gentian are divided into some types, depending on the shape of the flower, the tallness of the plant. So, the most undersized varieties belong to the species “Gentian stemless”.
Hohenstein
This variety of gentian is one of the most popular. They are decorated with flower beds located in the shade of the garden. The plant is short, only 20 cm high. Its leaves are small, whole, squat. The peduncle of such plants is practically absent. The flower itself has the shape of a bell, painted in azure blue.
A similar blue color and a similar shape of flowers has a gentian variety “Rannoch”, which can be seen below.
Gentian Chinese
Gentian sinensis is distinguished by the presence of pronounced light stripes on the calyx. Its main color is pale blue. The plant is undersized, no more than 20 cm high, great for decorating lawns, flower beds, front gardens.
Almost all undersized varieties of gentian have flowers of a blue or light purple hue. They are grown by sowing seeds. This perennial blooms from mid-summer to late autumn. The plant has a long, powerful root that goes deep into the ground, so you need to water the gentian abundantly. It is impossible to transplant plants older than 3 years, since they probably will not take root. In nature, the flowers of this unique variety can grow in one place for 60 years. Gentian blooms from mid-summer to late autumn. The fruits of this plant are seed pods.
Daisies
Speaking of undersized perennials, it is necessary to mention daisies. These beautiful plants are represented by a large number of different varieties and are able to delight with their beauty throughout the summer. Daisies bloom in early spring, as soon as the snow melts, and continue to bloom throughout the summer season. A small break in flowering can be observed only in the middle of summer, when critically hot weather sets in.
It is rather difficult to navigate in a wide variety of daisies, therefore, to simplify the choice, all varieties can be classified according to the shape of the flower (regular or spherical) and its color.
So, ordinary white flowers are characteristic of the varieties “Schneebal”, “Snowy Spring”, “Speedstar White”. A photo of the flowers of the last variety is given below.
The height of these undersized plants does not exceed 12 cm. The diameter of a radiant, white, large flower is 6 cm.
White flowers with red tips have ‘Habanera Series’ daisies. The diameter of these flowers is 6 cm, the height of the plants is from 15 to 20 cm.
When choosing daisies with a spherical flower shape, you should pay attention to the Tasso varieties. Their flowers can be white, pink or red.
Daisies are very loved by many flower growers, because they are very unpretentious to the composition of the soil, they can grow in the sun and in partial shade. The culture propagates by sowing seeds. Plants are frost-resistant, do not require shelter and preparation for the winter season. You can use these wonderful flowers to frame flower beds, borders. Some aesthetes plant daisies in pots, decorating loggias, balconies, and window sills with them.
Conclusion
White, yellow, red, blue and other shades of undersized flowers can be combined with each other or combined with tall perennials. With their help, you can create beautiful flower beds, lawns, compositions using stone. In landscape design, it is important to set a goal and clearly present your idea, and then there will surely be planting material for the realization of the idea, because there are a huge number of different varieties of these wonderful plants. Using perennial plants in their landscape projects, man-made beauty will delight every year throughout the summer season.