Clarkia graceful: description and cultivation

Trouble-free and fast growth, lush flowers, elegant appearance - these are the words the growers describe clarkia. This culture was brought to Europe from California, and since the English captain who brought the plant to another continent was named William Clark, his surname became the name of the plant.

Clarkia graceful (or marigold) belongs to the Cyprian family. This is a small bush that does not grow to a meter, its height ranges from 30 to 90 cm. North America is considered his homeland. This is a beautiful lush bush, the stems of the clarke branch are densely branching. The branchy stems of the flower are thin, rather dense, erect, below they woody. They have slight pubescence. Clarkia leaves are alternate, oblong with elongation, rich green. Reddish streaks and inclusions are visible on them.

Clarkia flowers have the correct shape, they are about 4 cm in diameter, double or simple. Flowers are located in the leaf axils. Their colors are bright - red and orange, crimson and pale pink, deep lilac, lilac. They also come in two colors, decorated with dots and inclusions. Collected flowers in racemose or spike inflorescences.

Botanists have counted more than three dozen species of clarkia, but these are the types that occur in nature. Gardeners are interested in only three cultivated varieties. It was they who became the basis for the breeding of a considerable number of varietal forms.

Clarkia graceful varieties:

• "Albatross" - terry white flowers, growing up to 55-75 cm;

• "Sun" - axillary single flowers of salmon color;

• "Salmon Perfection" - a variety with very tall flowers, not less than 80 cm, with soft pink double flowers;

• "Orange" - plant height is about half a meter, has bright orange flowers;

• "Ruby" - pronounced red flowers not in a bush of medium height;

• "Mix of colors" - a spectacular variety, because on one bush you can see a mixture of the brightest shades.

Planting a plant is possible in two ways. The first involves planting seeds in the ground, the other involves growing seedlings. If you want to create an abundant flower garden, then you should choose the first method. Although it is also possible to grow seedlings at home.

Clarke soil should be nutritious and loose, have a slightly acidic reaction. In heavy soil, it will be difficult for a plant to develop normally. The best option can be considered a substrate where there is leafy earth, sand, peat and rotted humus in equal amounts. Steam or calcine the soil in the oven, so you can prevent possible plant diseases in advance.

Even during flowering, you need to select 3-4 of the healthiest and most lush flowers. After pollination and isolation, when the capsule has begun to form, its isolation is carried out. The fruit should be tied tightly with clean gauze. The harness is attached to the stem, but not very tight. The seed capsule ripens, the gauze garter does not allow the seeds to fly apart, which excludes self-seeding.

The full ripening of the seeds must be expected a month after the clarkia fades. The seeds turn dark brown, which indicates their maturity. Then the boxes are cut off, the seeds are carefully taken out and dried on a smooth surface. It is convenient to store them in matchboxes or paper envelopes.

You need to find a suitable container (either plastic containers or boxes). The soil in it must be prepared, fertilized. It is necessary to make not very deep grooves in it (maximum - 2 cm) with an interval of 4.5-5 cm. Either with paper, or, which is more convenient, the seed is placed in the grooves with a toothpick, covered with earth and moistened.

Crops then need a greenhouse shelter. You can simply cover the container with foil and put it in a sunny place, for example, on a windowsill. It should be ventilated from time to time and moistened by spraying.

You can expect shoots for 10-12 days. When 2 leaves appear on the sprout, the seedlings need to be planted in separate containers. Peat pots are perfect for this purpose. It is they who are then planted in open ground. It is necessary to transplant seedlings into a garden on a flower bed in the third decade of May. During this period, frosts are rare, so disembarkation usually goes well.

If you decide to immediately sow seeds into the ground, then it is better to do it in the fall - the second half of September will be the optimal period. But you can plan a landing in the spring - in this situation, you need to do this in April.

If you decide to plant seedlings in a flower bed, then, as mentioned above, it should be May. In warm regions, late April - early May is possible. In central Russia, it is not worth landing before mid-May.

Clarke's disembarkation step by step.

1. Dig up the soil thoroughly 2 weeks before planting, remove old roots from it. At the same time, add universal flower fertilizers to the soil.
2. Since the stems of an adult clarke branch significantly, the interval between seedlings should be at least 15 cm.If they are already planted close, they will have to be thinned out - this is the only way to achieve lush flowering.
3. The landing pits should not be very deep. If you are planting flowers from a cup, then do it along with a lump of earth. Peat pots are, of course, more convenient in this sense. So the plant is protected from injury.
4. You can not separate young bushes, this threatens the death of the plant. Insert a peg into the soil near the bush.
5. To stimulate growth and ensure dense branching, the bushes need to be pinched. This should be done when the seedlings grow up to 15 cm.

If you decide to grow clarke in a pot, this is also a good idea. You should not expect lush flowering, but the plant will definitely decorate a windowsill or a flower shelf.

Watering is required for the plant during a long dry period. But even at this time, two sessions a week are enough. If there is no drought, the flowers usually have enough rainwater. When watering a crop, keep in mind that the liquid should be quickly absorbed into the soil. If it stands for a long time at the root, it will have a bad effect on the culture.

If you oversaturate the clarke with moisture, it will lead to rotting of the roots. Therefore, be sure to loosen the soil under the bush after each watering. Watering is carried out in the morning or in the evening; during the period of the scorching sun, the plant should not be watered. Try to prevent water from getting on the flowers, this will negatively affect their appearance.

You can fertilize flowers once a month, maximum - twice a month.The best feeding agent is complex formulations. This is nitroammofosk (15 g per 1 square meter) during budding, diamofosk (2 g per 1 l of water) during intensive plant growth, Kaliyphos-N (20-25 g per 1 square meter).

It would be nice to use a solution of chicken manure in a ratio of 1 to 15. Add it early in the growing season. The plant should be sprayed with fertilizers in the evening, in dry and calm weather. To stimulate the growth and formation of large buds, you can use the drug "Bud": the dry mixture from the bag is dissolved in 2 liters of water, filtered and poured into a spray bottle.

Do not forget to thin out the flowers in a timely manner, so that the bushes have enough space for development and the clarkia grows in lush bushes. But do not overuse: there should not be any voids between the bushes either. When clarkia fades, the stems need to be cut to the very soil.

The remnants of the roots should be removed during the planned digging of the site. It is recommended to burn these residues so as not to cause the development of pathogens, which will be passed on to the next generation of plants. Decide in advance which peduncles you will leave for the ripening of the seeds - you should not remove them.

Clarkia is a plant with good immunity. It is relatively rarely exposed to diseases and pests. But sometimes fungal infections are too aggressive, and a beautiful flower cannot resist them.

Although it is possible to prevent the attack of fungi: fungal infections affect clarkia, which suffers from excess moisture. This means that you are either watering the plant frequently, or you are doing it too vigorously and do not loosen the soil after watering. Remove flowers damaged by the fungus immediately so that they do not infect neighbors.

Pests that infect clarkia.

• Mealybug. The people call these pests "hairy lice". They are sucking parasites that feed on cell sap. This leads first to a decrease in the rate of plant growth, and then to the cessation of clarkia. Mealybugs also produce honeydew (bear dew). It, in turn, is considered a suitable environment for the development of fungal diseases. The mealybug affects all parts of the plant and quickly manages to move to neighbors. Means "Aktara", "Mospilan", "Tanrek", "Bankol" work well against him.

• Garden flea. With a large number of these pests, they are able to destroy the crop in a short time. Natural remedies work well with them, for example, a decoction of tansy. Garden fleas also do not tolerate decoction of tomato tops. Of the chemicals, "Decis" is used more often.

They also cope well with parasites "Karbofos", "Kondifor", "Fitoverm".

With a fungal infection, you will notice spots on the leaves that resemble rust. A dark brown border is also inherent in these ailments. Fungicide "Oxyhom" or Bordeaux liquid helps to overcome the fungus.

But in general, clarkia will not upset with frequent illnesses. She creates successful combinations with lilies, phloxes, asters, red roses and white daisies. It looks great on a flower bed and gives an excellent result when cut - such cheerful summer bouquets will enliven the interior and become a gentle sign of attention to a loved one.

All about growing and caring for Clarke graceful, see the video below.