Mattiola: description, types and varieties, use in landscape design

Matthiola is classified as a herbaceous plant. with pleasant, elegant flowering... The Mediterranean is considered the birthplace of the flower, but in our climate it has taken root quite well. Florists love Matthiola for its beauty, spectacular appearance, and undemanding care. The plant is planted mainly next to terraces, gazebos, houses, fences. Mattiola becomes especially beautiful at night, because its flowers bloom during this period. This plant is often called night violet and levkoy.

Mattiola, or levkoy, belongs to the perennial plants of the Cruciferous family. Night violet during the day looks modest, laconic, but smells divine. Nondescript plants transform at night when their flowering time comes. For the subtle aroma of mattiole, its simple appearance is forgiven.

The shrub representative of the flora can be both annual and perennial. The structure of the stem is straight, it is very dense and densely branched. The skin covering the stem is the thinnest, it can be either smooth or covered with a short nap.

The foliage is lanceolate, solid type, can be jagged along the border. The leaves are fluffy, very soft, at the bottom at the root are collected by rosettes, which are also covered with fluff. In late spring, brush-shaped inflorescences emerge from standard or double-type buds.

The flower petals are round, can be:

• white;
• sky blue;
• violet violet;
• lilac;
• yellow lemon;
• crimson.

The genus of this plant has about 50 or slightly more species. These species served as the basis for the creation of more than 600 varieties of levkoy. These plants are classified according to different criteria:

• growth - high, medium, dwarf;
• the structure of the flower is simple, double, semi-double.

Among the most popular and demanded varieties and varieties of matthiol, the following are distinguished.

It is an annual species that differs in the thinnest, densely branched stem. As a result, the bush is shaped like a ball, reaching a height of half a meter. The shoot is covered with green-gray leaves of a linear shape. Inflorescences are formed by mid-summer and bloom with simple 4-petal corollas.

The color varies from light to dark palette, the color is mainly pink, lilac, lilac. The aroma is intense, bright, the seeds are oblong in shape.

Two-horned matthiola is known as evening mattiola, as the flowers open at night. Among the most common varieties are the following.

• "Evening scent" - this variety is highly appreciated precisely for its aroma - rich, sweet and spicy. Bushes with strong branching, powerful upright shoots. Height - about 40 cm. Long-lasting, abundant flowering, lilac shade. Grows well in partial shade.
• "Star Light" Is a mixture of varieties, which is an assortment of dwarf compact bushes of different colors. The maximum height is about 30 cm. It tolerates cold weather, if they are short-lived and not too strong.
• "Night violet" - one of the shortest varieties that forms a bush up to 25 cm, loves light, tolerates frost well. Flowering is very dense, abundant, long-term.A shade of lilac with a pink tint.
• "Lilak" - a variety that tolerates cold well, which can reach 50 cm and even exceed this mark. It grows well in the sun, the branches are abundantly dense, the foliage is large, the edges are jagged. The inflorescences are painted in a light tone of a lilac palette, close to lilac. Blooms early, after a couple of months of transplanting. The flowering period is long, the aroma is delicate, strong, more pronounced in the evening.

This variety is not too dense and strong branches and shoots, the height can vary from 20 to 80 centimeters. The stem has a woody covering, the branches are decorated with oval or linear foliage, the pubescence is shortened. Inflorescences are terry or ordinary, dense type, located at the top. The colors can be white, dark purple, blue, yellow and purple. It blooms from early summer until frost, in the southern regions it can bloom in winter.

Among the varieties popular among flower growers, the following can be distinguished.

• "Katz" - grows up to 80 cm, blooms quite early for this species, terry type inflorescences. It tolerates hot weather, shades from white, cream to juicy and bright - pink, raspberry, purple.
• Iron - great for cutting, sweet pronounced aroma, large flower, various shades - from light to rich. The foliage is dark green, lanceolate.
• "Waltz" - an annual plant, grows up to 70 cm, suitable for cutting. Stems are both herbaceous and woody, flowering is long, brush-like inflorescences of the terry type are white, have a decent diameter, rich aroma.
• "Carmen" - ideal for cutting, the main shade is snow-white-cream, strong aroma. Loves sunny places and high-quality drainage.
• Opera Deborah - high grade (about 80 cm), blooms for a long time, many cluster-like inflorescences, they are large, double type, strong aroma. The plant loves light areas, suitable for cutting.

Undersized variety - from dwarf 20 cm to medium 50 cm varieties... The leaves are dark green in color, the pubescence of the stems and foliage is slightly silvery. The leaf shape is elongated, at the roots the leaves are collected in dense rosettes. It blooms in late spring, the inflorescence is loose, brush-shaped, the flowers are standard, yellowish-brown, lilac, lilac or cream. The aroma is strong pronounced in the evening.

Fouquet is considered to be the most widespread variety of fragrant appearance. This is a herbaceous annual shrub of single stem type, medium-sized. The flowers smell very strong, the color is lilac with a lilac tint, the inflorescences are in the form of a brush. The plant loves light, tolerates cold well.

The growth cycle of this variety is long in time, it is excellent for cultivation in the open field, for flower beds, flower beds, grows well in greenhouses. Blooms in July, flowering continues until autumn. The colors are usually yellow in different tones.

It is easy to distinguish a terry look from a simple flower - by the type of inflorescences. There are varieties of both dwarf varieties and medium-sized ones. The most spectacular terry varieties:

• "Vintage" - strong dense bushes about 45 cm high, inflorescences of a dense type, with terry, since there are many shoots on the sides, the flowering is renewable, but short-lived - up to one and a half months;
• "Cinderella" - a dwarf variety about 25 cm in height, highly decorative, with double, lush flowers of pinkish, with a purple tint, yellow, snow-white, raspberry-lilac shades.

Blooms almost all summer. A bright representative of the variety - variety "Summer evening"... An annual plant that grows up to half a meter in height. The aroma is very strong, enveloping, flowers of a delicate appearance, in the form of tassels, loosely loose. Blossom in the evening, smell the strongest during this period.

Height - about 45 cm, sprawling bush, with powerful branching.The color of the petals is varied - lilac, lilac-crimson, peach with a pink border.

Matthiola is planted mainly by seed method, moreover, in the southern regions this can be done directly into open soil. To increase germination, it is recommended to use the seedling method of planting. In this case, the plant will bloom faster and the flowering will be more abundant.

It is very important to choose the right landing site, determine the timing, and prepare the soil. If the plant is planted immediately in open ground, then the seeds are sown in grooves, having previously connected with sand.

It is possible to plant matthiola directly in open ground only in the south. To do this, choose open area in direct sunlight and land in November or April. In other regions, seedlings begin to be planted in March, and they are transplanted into open soil either at the end of April, or a little later, when frosts below minus 5 degrees are no longer threatening.

The landing zone must be carefully selected. Mattiola is an extremely light-loving plant, it develops poorly in partial shade and shade... Therefore, you should choose an area in direct sunlight. The second prerequisite is good soil. Optimal for this representative of the flora will be a light-type nutrient soil, well-drained.

Drainage ensures the outflow of moisture, which, if stagnant, can damage the roots of the plant... As for the composition of the soil, a neutral type is preferable, there may be a low percentage of alkali. Gardeners consider sandy loams and sod-type loams to be the ideal type of soil.

The seeds are sown in the grooves randomly, and the sprouts are sown in separate holes. If the sprouts are grown in individual pots, then planting is carried out according to a certain scheme. Initially, plants in pots are watered, a pit is formed, which is slightly larger than a container with seedlings, it is also moistened. A wet clod of earth is removed along with the sprout as carefully as possible and placed in a wet pit. The soil is sprinkled on top and slightly compacted.

The planting scheme depends on the variety:

• plants with low bushiness require a distance between the pits of at least 15 cm, 20 cm - the maximum indent;
• varieties of a tall, sprawling type of bush are planted with a minimum indent of 30 cm, a little more is possible.

In order for Mattiola to develop well, bloom profusely and not get sick, it must be properly looked after. Despite the fact that the activities are not too burdensome, some procedures must be carried out regularly.

Properly carried out watering is one of the necessary conditions for the correct development of the plant. Mattiola does not tolerate dry soil, the root system very quickly begins to dry out and collapse... At the same time, stagnation of moisture in the roots is no less harmful. If the soil is waterlogged, the small roots will start to rot. All this will negatively affect the health and appearance of the flower.

Never use manure - it is contraindicated for matthiola, as it increases the risk of fusarium disease. From organic it is better to choose compost, wood ash. The soil around the bushes is sprinkled with ash, then it is loosened for better mixing. Mineral complexes are applied according to a certain scheme - in the spring, trace elements with nitrogen, and during the flowering period, you can fertilize with compounds with potassium, phosphorus.

This event should be carried out after each humidification - both planned and natural, that is, after the rains.

Matthiola is grown at home in two ways, and both of them are seed. The seeds can be harvested by yourself or purchased from the store.

Sowing seeds is carried out directly into the soil outside. When to plant depends on the region, in the south you can start in April, in more severe climates in May. Sowing is recommended to be repeated after a short period of time so that flowering lasts longer.

It is carried out in March to enjoy flowering already at the beginning of summer. The landing algorithm is as follows:

• a soil mixture of sod land and sand is placed in a container in a ratio of 3 to 1;
• seeds are planted, covered with a mixture of sand and earth for about half a centimeter.

Before the sprouts appear, moisture is not produced, it is about 3-4 days. After that, the containers are placed in a room with a temperature in the range of 10-12 ° C. The lighting should be good enough. After 14 days, the seedlings dive into individual pots. By this time, only really strong and healthy sprouts will remain. Seedlings are planted in open ground after hardening.

Matthiola is not too susceptible to disease, but improper care or unfavorable growing conditions can provoke the development of various ailments. Most often, the plant suffers from a pest - a cruciferous flea. To prevent this from happening, you can not plant a flower in those places where any representatives of the cruciferous genus have been grown or are still growing.

The first sign of infection is small holes in the leaves. You can fight the flea with a solution of wood ash. For one glass of water, a spoonful of ash is taken, kneaded, the whole bush is sprayed, dry ash is sprinkled around the plant on the ground.

Dangerous keel disease often affects this plant.... In this case, the roots suffer first of all, therefore, when the signs become noticeable - scarce flowers, growths on the stems - the treatment is no longer effective. The plant is removed by the root.

Matthiola may suffer during the seedling stage from a black leg that does not heal... The sprouts are simply removed and destroyed.

Despite the fact that the aroma of the plant attracts gardeners in the first place, the decorativeness of the flowers is also quite high, especially since they stand for a long time in the cut.

This flower looks luxurious in different containers - baskets, pots.

Mattiola, planted along the paths, looks very advantageous.

In a flowerbed, mattiola grows well with lavender, wormwood, mignonette, phlox, thyme, rosemary.

Growing this plant near houses, terraces, gazebos allows you to enjoy a luxurious aroma.

For information on how to sow matthiola, see the next video.