Vervain ampelous: planting and care

Growing ornamental flowers and shrubs, gardeners are primarily interested in their description, and only then in growing conditions. Undoubtedly, both criteria are important, but it turned out that the appearance of the plants is important for the decoration of the site.

That is why, speaking of the ampelous vervain, we first get acquainted with the appearance of its varietal variations and only then we will carefully examine the nuances of planting and further care of the flower.

Description

If the more well-known verbena is upright and incapable of covering large areas of the household plot, then its ampel version rapidly diverges in breadth, covering an area of ​​up to 0.5 m². The leaf plates of the plant are rather mediocre: very dense and hairy. The flowers contain five petals each, supplemented with thorns. They can be characterized by a wide variety of color variations: from deep red or pink to blue and purple.

As for the sepal vervain ampelna, they do not differ in large size and do not grow more than 2 cm.The fruit is represented by a light brown or green nut, splitting into 4 parts. This plant is an excellent food for butterflies and caterpillars, in which many see its peculiarity.

Despite the fact that it is a perennial plant, many plant an ampelous verbena as an annual plant, placing it in hanging pots. Stems often fall down 60 cm from them, perfectly fitting into any interior on the street or on the veranda.

Sorta

Today, many varietal variations of vervain ampelous are bred, and plant selection continues today. Almost all of them have identical requirements for the conditions of their cultivation, and therefore care for them at home will not be very difficult. Discover the most common varieties of this famous flower.

"Imagination"

The plant is characterized by relatively large flowers with purple and blue hues, due to which fluffy bushes are formed, reaching half a meter height and width. This highly ornamental variety is distinguished by rapid vegetative growth, but for the covering foliage to always have a rich color, and the plant will delight you with its abundant flowering, it is important to regularly apply complex mineral fertilizers to the soil. In addition, during the period of active leaf growth, watering should be enhanced by adding nitrogen mixtures to this process. To achieve the formation of a large number of buds, you can add potassium, phosphorus and manganese to the soil.

"Tiara Red Impr"

A characteristic feature of this variety are bright scarlet and fairly abundant inflorescences. This holiday option looks great in hanging baskets, pots and balcony boxes. In general, the plant copes well with drought and can withstand temperatures as low as -3 ° C.It is easy to grow, and it doesn’t need special care, but rapidly expanding, the vervain ampelnaya "Tiara Red Impr" forms lush "caps" that reach 50 cm in diameter. Flowering is long lasting, so you can enjoy the beautiful flower for a long time.

"Empress Peach"

This variety is distinguished by creamy soft inflorescences located on shoots 25-50 cm long. A characteristic feature of this particular verbena is the need for watering of medium intensity. If the rule is observed, it will be possible to admire flowering from June to October.

"Estrella Voodoo Star"

Another very remarkable grade. It is remembered by large inflorescences of red-white color and a plant height of up to 30 cm. The tips of the shoots are directed upwards. Flowering of verbena can be observed from June until frosts. Among the other varieties of "Estrella Voodoo Star" stands out for its drought tolerance.

"Ametist"

For ampelous vervain of this variety are characterized by spectacular blue flowers with a white eye, which delight florist from June to September.It is a fairly compact plant, reaching a height of 25 cm. Planting and further care of the variety is no different from similar actions when growing other varieties.

"Lanai Candy Cane"

The variety was bred in 2012 as a representative of the early flowering ampelous series. The plant thrives perfectly and attracts pedestrians with large unusual flowers - a raspberry-red star stands out on a white background. The shoots reach a length of 30-45 cm. A characteristic feature of this particular variety is its good resistance to powdery mildew and a light crimson scent from flowers blooming in May-October. Due to the long and powerful shoots, this variety almost immediately became a bestseller for growing in pots. Unusual appearance and short stature allow it to fit well into any interior - it does not matter, external or internal.

Growing from seed

Many growers sow the seeds of ampelous vervain even during the winter cold, but if done in March, the seedlings will develop better and will soon take root in a new place after transplantation. The whole process of planting plants in this way can be divided into several interrelated stages, followed by further care:

1. A drainage layer of any available material is placed into the prepared containers for seedlings, and the warmed up and slightly moistened substrate is poured from above.
2. Seeds are placed on top of the prepared soil mixture and sprinkled with a thin layer of earth or humus.
3. From above the seedlings need to be covered with a film, plastic or glass surface, leaving in this form in a warm room with a temperature of + 18 ... + 22 ° C.
4. As soon as the first shoots appear, you can begin to air the plants, always removing the condensate from the lid.
5. After 20-30 days, as soon as the seeds germinate completely, the boxes with them are transferred to a cool and sufficiently lighted place (to increase the light day on cloudy days and in the evening, the seedlings are additionally illuminated with a fitolamp).

After the formation of two pairs of true leaves, all the seedlings disperse into separate containers or move to a permanent place of growth. Usually, landing in a balcony box or pots is carried out in May or June, with preliminary selection of the most open and sunny place.

There is usually about 40 plants per square meter, but if you want to achieve the most magnificent effect, then the number of planted plants can be increased to 50.When disembarking in pots and calculating the number of verbena based on the available volume. So, it is better to take no more than 2-3 seedlings for 5 liters, for 7 liters their number can be increased to 4 pieces, and in 12-liter plantings 10-12 plants will fit well. When landing in open ground between neighboring plants, 25-30 cm of free space is left.

Care

As with all plants, the ampelous verbena requires proper care, because only in this case it will be able to please you with abundant flowering. Consider the main components of this process.

Watering

Most ampelous varieties of vervain prefer a timely, but not abundant watering, which is best done in the morning, at intervals of 1-2 days. With longer breaks, the plant quickly sheds flowers, and seeds appear on it. At a young age, verbena needs more frequent watering, but with the arrival of autumn they stop it altogether.

After the irrigation procedure, you should not forget about loosening the soil around the verbena, and if weeds are bred at the site, they are necessarily removed.

Top dressing

As fertilizers for ampelous vervain, you can use complex mineral compositions with a high content of nitrogen. However, no less successful is the dosed feeding of plants with organic matter - specially prepared infusion of compost and manure. Nevertheless, such fertilizers should not be abused, because, as in other cases, the rapid growth of greenery will negatively affect the formation of buds. For a beautiful and lush flowering of a plant, it is enough to fertilize the earth with organic solutions once a season and shed it three times with mineral mixtures.

Pruning

Given the relatively long length of the lash of the ampelous verbena, it is not surprising that from time to time they will need pruning, which can be both sanitary and formative. In the first case, all diseased and shriveled parts as well as tissues affected by pests and diseases are removed, which will help protect neighboring shoots from ailments. In addition, ottsvevshie inflorescences are subject to pruning, so that they do not take away nutrients from other parts of the plant.

When the ampelous verbena reaches a height of 7-8 cm, all the seedlings are pinned to the top, due to which intensive tillering is formed. True, with regard to stunted varieties, they branch well without performing this procedure.

Diseases and pests

Verbena refers to those plants that, with proper care, almost never get sick. However, excessive watering or a humid and too hot summer can adversely affect this feature, due to which powdery mildew appears on the plant. You can get rid of it with sulfur, "Fundazole" or "Saprole".

In some cases, verbena ampelous can be plagued by aphids and mites, which can be eliminated with the help of any of the insecticides on the market.

Excessive watering and the lack of control of soil moisture sometimes leads to the defeat of ampelous verbena with blackleg, spotting or various types of rot,which as a result often leads to the death of the whole plant. That is why one of the conditions for the successful cultivation of vervain is to observe the rules of care for it. This will help prevent possible troubles, because they are not always easy to fix.

Application in landscape design

Ampel Verbena looks equally good both in individual pots and in group plantings in flower beds. A good option for placing it in the open field will be planting in the form of a curb or next to shrubs, at their base (the plant looks especially good in tandem with camellia or budley). The flower growers who landed an ampel verbena in rabatki or mixborders, since its greatest decorative effect is achieved during mass landings at the site, does not fail with the placement.

On flowerbeds, ampelous varieties are perfectly combined with decorative grasses, asters, lobelia and marigolds. When used in pots, verbena is suitable for decorating gazebos and decorating other outdoor structures.

Simply put, such an undemanding plant can be successfully used for almost any design projects, and all that is needed is to apply quite a bit of effort to grow it.