Seeing this flower in a flower bed, you will not experience neither surprise nor delight. The first feeling he evokes is a slight nostalgia. It is not a weed or a wild flower, but it also does not apply to recognized garden favorites. He is considered more than native, although he came to us from southern Europe. Leukantemum Nivyanik, or simply chamomile garden. What new can we learn about it?
- Botanical description
- Where they grow cornflower
- Choice of location and lighting
- Soil requirements
- Growing seedlings from seeds
- Direct seeding
- Seedling method
- Peculiarities of care
- Watering and soil care
- Top dressing
- Pruning
- Pests and diseases
Botanical description
Leukantemum Nivyanik (Nivyanik ordinary or cronador) is a grassy perennial plant of the Aster family. The stem is straight, grows from 30 cm to 1 m, and in some breeding varieties - up to 1.3 m. 
The leaflets are small, oblong, and jagged, depending on the species, can grow along the stem or down at the root. Rhizome short. The type of flower also depends on the variety, the petals are always white, the middle is bright yellow, sometimes pale yellow or white.
The shape of the flower is simple, terry or semi-double.Reach flowers 10 cm in diameter.
Where they grow cornflower
In nature, the grassland grows throughout Europe and in the temperate latitudes of Asia, it has got along well in Australia, North America, New Zealand. It is unpretentious, which led to its wide distribution. 
Choice of location and lighting
Nivyanik is a meadow flower, so it loves light and grows best in open spaces. If the meadow chamomile in shaded places will feel more or less good, then varieties with large flowers should be planted in the open, because shading often causes the plant to twist the stems.
This place can be lawns, open flower beds, areas on the south side of buildings and fences.
Soil requirements
Popovnik to the soil as a whole is undemanding, especially if it is loose and fertilized - the main thing is that it should be non-acidic. It grows well on sandy loam and loam. It is desirable to fertilize sandy soils or heavy clay, introducing humus, compost, manure or other rotted organic matter.
Chamomile needs good drainage, because it does not stand water stagnation and in swampy, flooded, poorly drying places it will grow badly. 
Growing seedlings from seeds
Growing seedlings from seeds can be done in 2 ways: simple, when they are immediately sown in the ground (flowers appear next year), or fast - for this you need to first plant seedlings at home, but the flowers will be this season.
Direct seeding
Garden chamomile planted in spring or late autumn. The soil is pre-digged and at a distance of 15-20 cm from each other make grooves for planting. Seeds are planted no deeper than 2 cm, sprinkled with earth on top and the whole is well watered. 
The sprouts will come out in about 3 weeks. Growth is slow, so seedlings normally formed only by the end of summer.Then they are either seated at a distance of 30 to 70 cm from each other, or are weeded with the same calculation, removing the excess.
When transplanting into prepared wells, about 300 g of humus or 20 g of complex mineral fertilizer should be applied. After the transplant, everything is well watered, and after a couple of weeks, they make a special watering with nitrate, at the rate of 20 g per bucket of water.
Seeds sown in autumn will only germinate in spring, and seedlings will be ready for transplant by the end of May.
Seedling method
In order for the leukantemum Nivyanik to start blooming this summer, the cultivation of seedlings from seeds must be started at home in mid-February - early March. 
Dishes for seedlings take shallow to make it easier to monitor the soil moisture.
Primer for flower seedlings is poured into a container (you can buy it at a flower shop), pour it with a solution of potassium permanganate and gently level it. Seeds are immersed to a depth of 1 cm, sprinkled with earth and inadequately watered with settled water at room temperature.
Peculiarities of care
Leucanthemum care is simple and easy, but to get beautiful lush flowers you need to fulfill several conditions. 
Watering and soil care
Garden chamomile - a plant sun-loving and drought-resistant, but in order to bloom long, regular watering is necessary. The soil should always be wet, this can be achieved by mulching with bark, sawdust, hay, or pine needles.
However, excessive moisture and stagnation of water should be avoided, as this can cause disease and plant rot.
Top dressing
To feed the cornfields is 2 times a month nitrofoskoy. During the main growth of the plant, nitrogen should prevail in the top dressing, and during the flowering period, the fertilizer should contain potassium.Also favorably chamomile garden takes fertilizing solution of mullein. 
Pruning
Being a perennial plant, garden chamomile grows every year, the stems diverge around the periphery, the middle of the bush becomes empty, individual shoots and flowers on them shrink, degenerate and lose their decorative effect.
To avoid this, the plant should be cut, and the hybrid species should be divided, leaving as many stems as the berry has in the first 2 years of life. Species plants are durable, they can be grown in one place for up to 10 years, and hybrid plants should be separated 1 time in 2 years.
In addition, it is desirable to cut dried flower stalks so that the chamomile continues to bloom and remains beautiful. Pruning done at a height of 15 cm from the ground. 
The last pruning of the season is usually done before wintering, after which the plant can be covered using dry foliage or lapnik.
Pests and diseases
Nivyanik is not only unpretentious, but also quite resistant to diseases.Cool prolonged rains are dangerous for it, during these periods the risk of fungal and bacterial diseases increases: real and downy powdery mildew, rust, ramulariosis, septoria, or cylindrosporium.
Diseases appear on the leaves red or brown with white spots, black dots on the leaves or at the base of the stem, grayish or whitish plaque. In this case, you need to use a fungicide, for example, Bordeaux mixture. Affected plants are treated several times at 10-day intervals. 
Field thrips are the most dangerous pest for nevyanik. These unobtrusive insects settle on flowers, which is why they quickly lose their appearance, becoming covered with a black stirring bloom. There is a desire to chamomile leaves - it is a chrysanthemum miner, gnawing through the leaves, and pennits, which envelop the leafy scapes and stems with foamy saliva.
To combat them, insecticides are used, there are many of them: “Basudin”, “Bowerin”, “Tsitkor”, “Sonnet”, “K-Otrin”, “Inta-Vir”, “Deltar”, etc. Processing is carried out 2 times at weekly intervals.
Nivyanik - a beautiful garden plant, on the one hand,his planting and care do not require significant efforts and special knowledge, on the other - in the photo of gardeners' lovers we see how beautiful and harmonious it looks in itself, and in flower ensembles. 
These flowers remarkably emphasize the individuality of the garden. They are used both in individual plantings, and as a frame for brighter flowers and shrubs. Low varieties look organically on alpine slides, rockeries or mixborders.
Tall varieties are well combined with climbing plants or used as a hedge.
