Aquilegia - Planting And Care, Growing From Seeds

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-07 17:49

Aquilegia

The aquilegia flower is a perennial herb from the buttercup family. The Latin name of the culture sounds like "Aquilegia". The people call the flower an eagle or a catchment. There are still disputes about the origin of this word: there is an opinion that aquilegia is a derivative of "aqua", that is, water, and "legere", that is, to collect. The opposite point of view boils down to the fact that the name of the flower is related to the word "Aquila", that is, an eagle.

Data on the number of species of this plant vary. Some scientists claim that only 60 are known to science, while others point to 120 varieties. The natural habitat of aquilegia is the mountainous regions of the Northern Hemisphere. About 35 varieties of aquilegia have been cultivated.

Aquilegia is a fairly famous flower. He is mentioned in such a great work of art as "Hamlet", where Ophelia offers Laertes a Columbine. This is what aquilegia is called in England.

Repeatedly aquilegia was captured in paintings from the Middle Ages. There the flower has always been a symbol of the Holy Spirit.

Content:

• Aquilegia flower - description
• Growing aquilegia from seeds
• Planting aquilegia
• Aquilegia - plant care
• Aquilegia after flowering
• Aquilegia in winter
• Types of aquilegia

Aquilegia flower - description

The aquilegia development cycle includes two years. The first year of growth is characterized by the emergence of a renewal point, which is located at the base of the shoot. In the fall, when the aquilegia fades, a rosette forms at this point. After the spring awakening of the flower, new leaves and peduncles appear from the outlet. In the future, stem leaves and new flowers will go from him. The leaves that extend from the stems are trifoliate and sessile, and the leaves around the rosette are trifoliate-dissected, sitting on long petioles.

The plant produces flowers of various colors, depending on the type of aquilegia. You can find purple, crimson, blue, white, yellow and even multi-colored flowers. Most of them have nectar spurs (except for Japanese and Chinese aquilegia varieties). They are represented by outgrowths inside sepals or petals.

Spurs have such types of aquilegia as:

• Alpine;
• Olympic;
• Ordinary;
• Glandular;
• Canadian;
• Blue;
• California;
• Golden;
• Skinner's Aquilegia.

The flower bears fruit with many leaves. Aquilegia seeds are poisonous, small in size and black in color. You can get a new plant from seeds throughout the year, after which their germination worsens.

Growing aquilegia from seeds

The optimal time for planting aquilegia seeds in the soil is autumn, immediately after they are harvested. During the spring months, when the seeds are germinating, the flowers can be transplanted to where they are constantly growing.

If it is not possible to plant seeds in the ground immediately after collection, then they should be stored in a dark and cool place. They are mixed with earth and kept in the refrigerator. In mid-spring, the seeds will need to be cleared of soil. Then they are planted in wooden boxes filled with humus, leaf earth and sand in equal parts. After the seeds are placed in the ground, they are sprinkled with earth, sifting it through a sieve. The soil layer should not exceed 3 mm. A newspaper or cloth is laid on top of the box.

Then the boxes with seeds are removed in a dark place where the temperature is maintained at 18 ° C. The seeds are not watered, but as the soil dries up, you need to moisten it by spraying. As a rule, seedlings are observed after 7-14 days. You can transplant seedlings into open ground after the first true leaves appear.

Planting aquilegia

In the first month of summer, flowers can be transplanted outdoors. This is done to ripen the plant. The scorching summer sun should not be allowed to fall on the young aquilegia. For this, the flowers need to be shaded. Aquilegia is moved to a permanent "place of residence" either in August, or in May or April next year. In the new location, the plant will give color for several years.

Adult aquilegia are not afraid of the sun, but they do quite well in the shade. The first flowers can be seen the next year, and in the third year of life, the aquilegia will reach maturity.

Any soil is suitable for planting a plant, but it feels best in humus soil. Before planting flowers, you need to dig up the soil and add compost or humus to it. For 1 cubic meter, 1 bucket of fertilizers is required. Aquilegia does not like too dense settlement. Therefore, there should not be more than 12 stems per square meter. If plant varieties with a high stem were chosen, then the distance between them should be about 0.4 m, if the stems are low, then about 0.25 m.

It should be remembered that the flowers themselves throw off the seeds into the ground, so you will have to periodically remove self-seeding. Although some summer residents leave such flowers. Indeed, after a few years, the first landing will lose its former beauty. Old stems can be dug up, and new and young ones can be left.

Aquilegia - plant care

Aquilegia prefers moderate watering. The flower has a powerful root system, which is able to independently extract moisture from the deepest layers of the soil. Therefore, a lack of fluid can only be observed in very dry months.

It is important to weed the soil in a timely manner, preventing weeds from growing. After rain or after watering, the soil must be loosened. This is especially true for the first months of the life of flowers.

Fertilizers need to be applied to the soil, but this should not be done too often. Enough 2 dressings in 3 months. When the flower grows, you can add minerals: superphosphate (50 g), potassium salt (15 g), saltpeter (25 g) and mullein (1 square meter bucket of solution). After 1.5 months, feeding must be repeated.

It is very easy to propagate the flower by cuttings. In early spring, until the first leaves appear, the shoot must be cut out, the lower part must be poured over with Kornevin, and then the flower is placed in a greenhouse or in open soil, but covered with a plastic container on top. Shoots feel very good in the shade, in the river sand. Watering a young cutting is carried out through a greenhouse. After 10 days, it is removed. It will take about a month for the plant to take root. After that, the flower can be carefully dug up and transplanted into permanent soil.

Pests and diseases of aquilegia

The most common aquilegia diseases are:

• Rust. When the flower is infected with rust, the damaged parts must be removed. Then the plant must be treated with soapy water with the addition of copper sulfate, or sprayed with preparations containing sulfur.
• Gray rot. If the flower affects gray rot, then all damaged leaves and flowers must be removed as soon as possible. The diseased parts of the plant are necessarily burned. No preparations against gray rot work.
• Powdery mildew. This disease affects the flower more often than others. The stem and leaves of the plant are covered with a fungal bloom, after which they die. Aquilegia can be cured with colloidal sulfur treatment with the addition of green soap.

As for pests, aphids, scoops, spider mites and nematodes are most often found on flowers. Products such as Karbofos, Actellik and yarrow paste can effectively fight ticks and aphids.

To get rid of nematodes, you will need to transplant the plant to another place. To prevent the parasites from getting in the new planting, you can plant garlic or onions in the flower bed. Those flowers that have been affected by nematodes should be burned.

Aquilegia after flowering

After the color period has passed, the aquilegia must be cut to fit the outlet. If the stems or leaves were susceptible to any disease, then they must be burned. Healthy plant parts can be useful for compost.

When it is planned to propagate aquilegia by seed for the next year, then the flower stalks must be left until the seeds ripen in them. To prevent the plant from throwing them off on its own, it is necessary to cover the peduncles with gauze.

Also, after the flowering period, gardeners begin to divide and plant flowers. In the first month of autumn, seeds are introduced into the soil for germination for the next year.

Aquilegia in winter

When a plant lives in one place for more than three years, its root system grows strongly. The roots begin to emerge from the soil to the outside, interfering with the growth of new shoots and leaves.

In order not to damage the plant and allow new flowers to grow, after cutting the peduncle, peat mixed with humus is poured under the aquilegia. This allows not only to cover the roots that have emerged from the ground, but also to protect them from frost, and also to feed the flower.

Types of aquilegia

There are many types of aquilegia growing in natural conditions. In this case, the following plant varieties are most often cultivated:

• Alpine aquilegia. The flower stem does not exceed 0.3 m in height, although there are plants up to 0.8 m. Alpine aquilegia gives very beautiful and voluminous flowers, which can reach 8 cm in diameter. They appear in early July. Flowers can have all shades of blue.
• Fan-shaped aquilegia. This variety is also called Akita aquilegia. The stem is capable of reaching 0.6 m in height. The flowers acquire a delicate blue-purple hue, along the edges of the petals are bordered by a white stripe. One peduncle has 1-5 flowers. This is a rather unpretentious plant that tolerates frost well and actively reproduces by seeds.
• Ordinary aquilegia. The plant reaches a height of 0.4-0.8 m, flowers up to 5 cm in diameter. The color of the petals covers the entire purple and blue range. Plants are cultivated with and without spurs, as well as with petals covered with terry. The plant is not afraid of cold winters and can withstand temperatures below -35 ° C.
• Hybrid aquilegia. This type of flower is the result of crossing several varieties. Therefore, the plant can reach a height of 0.5-1 m. Flowers are usually large, the color of the petals varies widely.
• Golden-flowered aquilegia. The flowers have a golden hue and long spurs. Equally well the plant tolerates dry summers and frosty winters. It is rare in Russia.
• Canadian aquilegia. Flowers have upright spurs, petals of a red-yellow hue. The plant prefers shady glades, does not tolerate drought well. Until now, Canadian aquilegia has not found wide distribution among Russian gardeners.
• Dark aquilegia. The maximum stem height is 0.8 m. The leaves have a bluish tint, and the flowers are dark purple in color. The flowers reach 4 cm in diameter. The spurs are short and curved, the stamens are visible from the petals. This aquilegia variety picks up color early. The first flowers can be expected at the end of spring. The plant thrives in partial shade. Due to its rich dark color, this aquilegia is a constant participant in various flower arrangements.
• Olympic Aquilegia. This plant does not exceed 0.6 m in height. The stem is covered with thick down, the flowers have a bluish tint, the spurs are very long. The Olympic Aquilegia begins to bloom in mid-May. The plant is widespread in Iran and the Caucasus.
• Skinner's Aquilegia. The plant tolerates frosts down to -12 ° C. It has red-yellow petals and straight spurs. Skinner's aquilegia is common in North America. This region is the birthplace of the plant.

Fan-shaped aquilegia

Ordinary

Hybrid aquilegia

Golden-flowered

Canadian aquilegia

Dark aquilegia

Olympic Aquilegia

Skinner's Aquilegia

In addition, gardeners are interested in such types of aquilegia as:

• Blue;
• Acupressure;
• Two-color;
• Small-flowered;
• Green-flowered, etc.

Aquilegia is the flower that certainly deserves to be a decoration of any summer cottage.

The author of the article: Sokolova Nina Vladimirovna | Phytotherapist

Education: Diploma in "General Medicine" and "Therapy" received at the Pirogov University (2005 and 2006). Advanced training at the Department of Phytotherapy at the Peoples' Friendship University of Moscow (2008).