All about the annual lavater

Every housewife wants at least a small flower bed in the courtyard of a private house or in the country house, which would delight with beauty and cheer up. To do this, it is enough to plant several varieties of flowers, providing them with proper care. Among the many flower varieties, it is worth highlighting the annual lavatera, which deserves special attention, since the flower is incredibly beautiful and unpretentious to care for.

One-year-old lavatera came to us from Asia and gained popularity in a short time. Thanks to breeders-biologists, the garden flower has improved, many varieties have appeared that are able to quickly adapt to different climatic conditions. Despite the fact that the flower loves warmth, it grows well in central Russia.

Lavatera, often called khatma, belongs to the Malvian class. It is a shrub plant that grows 50-150 cm in height. It is characterized by a flowering shrub with a spreading crown, a powerful central stem, 3-lobed emerald green leaves resembling maple leaves, strong branches and a developed root system.

During the flowering period, which begins in June and lasts until mid-autumn, the bush is abundantly covered with flowers, shaped like miniature gramophones. They are collected in racemose or spike inflorescences. Sometimes single flowers appear. As a rule, the flowers are not large, the largest are about 10 cm in diameter. The color of flowers can be different: snow-white, crimson, lilac, purple, yellow. Long-term flowering will decorate a garden or flower bed for 4-5 months.

When planning a flower bed or a flower meadow on a site, you can plant several varieties of annual lavater, which differ in appearance, duration and timing of the beginning of flowering.

Lavatera annual is represented by many hybrid forms, among which there are already their favorites. The following varieties are considered the most popular among florists and summer residents.

• Mont Blanc. This is a shrub that in summer is densely covered with large snow-white flowers. Plant height does not exceed 60 cm. A characteristic feature of the variety is the dark venation of flower petals.

• "Gorgeous". It is a powerful shrub of medium height (60-75 cm), which during flowering is abundantly covered with flowers 6-10 cm in diameter. The flowers can be pink, crystal white or lilac pink. A distinctive feature of the plant is considered to be heart-shaped leaves. Sometimes the leaves are like ivy.

• "Tangara". This is one of the most compact varieties: the bush does not exceed 45-50 cm in height. During flowering, funnel-shaped flowers of a deep red color are formed on the branches.

• Silver Cap. It is a neat plant that grows to a height of 75 cm, on which flowers of an ash-pink color with characteristic red veins appear.

Another popular variety is considered "Ruby carpet", which has medium-sized, but very beautiful flowers during the flowering period, distinguished by an intense ruby ​​color.Lovers of unusual shrubs will certainly love grade "Parade"... This plant is up to 70-75 cm tall, blooming with medium-sized flowers of two shades at the same time: white and dark pink or pale pink and snow-white.

The lavater shrub is absolutely unpretentious in care, but it develops well and blooms for a long time, growing in areas with light and nutritious soils. An important point is sufficient illumination of the site with sunlight. The flower bush is planted in a flower bed or garden by direct seeding. Much less often, planting is carried out through seedlings. Growing does not require special skills and efforts.

To do this, the cleaned area is fed with fertilizers, elongated grooves with a depth of 1-1.5 cm are made, which are moistened with warm or settled water, and then flower seeds are sown there. To accelerate germination, which usually occurs after 7-12 days, a film shelter is carried out. The film is removed after the seedlings grow to 5-6 cm in height. The plant is planted in late April or early May, when the air and soil are warm enough.

Caring for the shrub is simple, but it requires compliance with all agrotechnical recommendations, otherwise the flowering period may be short, and the shrub is not lush enough. So, Lavatera ordinary needs the following.

• Watering. As a rule, it is recommended to water the shrubs on a weekly basis. Watering is carried out with an ordinary watering can.
• Top dressing. The plant reacts well to organic fertilizers, but in poor soils, fertilizing with mineral components can be used. Feeding is carried out once a month. For abundant flowering, you need potassium and phosphorus.
• Garter if the bush is too long in height. Some varieties of Lavater need garters.
• Thinning. The distance between the bushes should be about 20 cm.

At the end of flowering, the annual plant is removed from the flower bed or from the garden.

Culture propagation is carried out in two ways: seedling and by direct sowing into the ground, which is more expedient and popular. As a planting material, you can purchase grains in specialized stores, or you can collect them yourself.

After flowering, a seed capsule is formed at the site of the dying off of the flower. Once it is dry, the seeds can be harvested. If suddenly they turn out to be wet, then thorough drying is necessary. It is recommended to store the seed until spring in a paper bag.

Lavatera vulgaris is endowed with excellent immunity, therefore it is rarely exposed to any viruses and bacteriological diseases. Shrubs are vulnerable to rust. The main symptom of the disease will be the appearance of yellowish or brownish spots on the leaves. The solution to this problem is the removal of diseased foliage, as well as prophylactic treatment with Bordeaux liquid. If the degree of infection is strong, then the entire shrub is removed, and planting in this area in the next few years is not recommended.

Only aphids, from which leaves curl, can attack flower bushes. This happens if plants that attract insects grow nearby. Fruit trees and chamomile are considered unfavorable neighbors for the lavater. Treat pests with insecticide treatments. If the infection is light, then it is enough to wash off the parasites abundantly from the leaves with running water.