Lobelia "Riviera": varieties and cultivation

If you want to make your garden truly beautiful, plant Riviera lobelia in it. These flowers belong to the bellflower family, are perennials. The Riviera series is distinguished by its early development and flowering. These varieties originated in North America and South Africa. In Russian latitudes, it grows as an annual, as it does not withstand low winter temperatures.

Lobelia looks great as a border on a garden path, around a flower bed or reservoir (natural or artificial), on a rock garden or in a flowerpot. It can be planted in hanging planters or as a carpet planting groundcover. Looks good in combination with petunia, verbena, rudbeckia, pelargonium and other garden flowers. In the last month of autumn, lobelia is dug up, planted in a pot and stored either in greenhouse conditions or on a loggia, and in the summer they are planted in open ground again. In winter, the development of lobelia is slow, but then flowering is more abundant.

Lobelia "Riviera" is classified as an early blooming variety. The plant has a compact crown, which eventually turns into a spherical one. The stems are strongly branched, the flowers and leaves are densely covered. The leaves are green, but on a number of varieties they are bronze. The flower tones are mostly blue - from light blue to purple. There are varieties with white flowers. Lobelia blooms early, the flowering period lasts quite a long time. It does not tolerate direct sunlight, but it requires good lighting. Does not like drafts, the place where it grows must be warm.

Reproduction takes place with the help of seeds, the time for sowing is February. While blooming, it does not lose its attractiveness due to its dense green leaves.

In the garden, it grows in three forms: compact, upright, climbing.

The first is characterized by round-shaped bushes, reaching a maximum of 20 cm in height. Upright forms bushes of a columnar shape, growing up to 30 cm. For the climbing form, shoots are characteristic of a cascade, each of the shoots reaches a length of 30-50 cm.

Lobelia erinus (long-peaked) is one of the most popular. It is perennial, but it is grown exclusively as an annual. It blooms so profusely that it is completely depleted by frost. In the second year, it is possible to preserve Erinus lobelia only in regions with a warm climate and snowless winters. And with a high probability it will no longer bloom. A distinctive feature of all varieties of this lobelia is a very lush crown... The color is characterized by the presence of a white spot in the central part of the crown.

Lobelia erinus occurs in five different forms: diffuse, climbing, columnar, dwarf and compact hemispherical. The most beautiful varieties are White Lady (snow-white flowers), Kaiser Wilhelm (an unusual blue hue that resembles gentian flowers), Riviera Lilac (pink-blue flowers, light), Regatta Rose (raspberry-pink shades), "Riviera blue splash" (white flowers with blue spurs).

One of the earliest varieties of lobelia "Sky Blue" also belongs to the lobelia erinus and differs in that the beginning of its flowering period is 2 weeks ahead of other varieties. The bush is spherical and compact in size. It grows up to 15 cm in height.The shade of the flowers is pale blue, while the ebb is purple. Blooms until early autumn. Used for framing or as a background for rock gardens. It grows well on an open loggia. Can be propagated by seed or cuttings.

Homeland of the variety "Riviera Midnight Blue" North America, the culture also has a spherical crown. The height of the bush, like that of "Sky Blue", reaches 20 cm. The leaves have a bronze tint. The flowers are medium in size, have a rich blue tone. It blooms outdoors from May to June. Reproduction takes place for the most part with seeds, which are sown in February. Needs partial shade, open sun rays are destructive.

Lobelia erect, varieties "Riviera blue ice" blooms very early, half a month earlier than other varieties. It reaches a height of 20 cm, shoots grow up to 30 cm. Gardeners love it for its unpretentiousness and undemandingness to the soil on which it grows. Blooms for quite a long time. The flowers of this variety are similar to the eyes: blue with a white "pupil" in the center.

Lobelia bush "Riviera marine blue" also belongs to the early varieties, has a rich blue tint of flowers. The bushes are erect, form hemispheres, look beautiful in any of the plantings.

When planting, experienced gardeners recommend mixing lobelia seeds with the "cake" of sleeping coffee or sand, then they fall into the soil more evenly. They do not need to be sprinkled with earth from above. They need to be carefully slammed, leveled - that's all. Can be sown in peat tablets and cassettes.

As a rule, every gardener has his own secrets of planting and caring for lobelia. As soon as the seedlings have appeared, it is necessary to move the container in which they are located to the brightest possible place. Most often it is a windowsill or a glazed warm loggia. After that, the seedlings only need to be watered, but very carefully - the bay can be very dangerous, the seedlings can get sick with the fungus.

Transplanting lobelia seedlings to a place of permanent growth is carried out in the spring, when it becomes clear that there will be no frost. They are planted at a distance of 20 cm from each other. The soil should be well-drained, fertile, but not oversaturated with nutrients, with a neutral pH. The place should be well lit, protected from winds and drafts. Water it regularly, especially in dry weather.

They are fed with a long-acting complex fertilizer, too often this is not necessary. At the end of the first wave of flowering, it is necessary to prune bushes and shoots, loosen the soil, apply fertilizer and water. In this case, the plant will bloom again, and this will last until the very cold.

See below for how to grow and care for lobelia.