Content
Medium-sized bell Cup and saucer, or “Chinese set”, is an original and exquisite variety of the Campanula Medium family. The history of plant cultivation dates back to the mid-16th century. The culture is biennial and is capable of renewal under natural conditions. On one stem there can be up to 50 outlandish inflorescences of amazing beauty.
The appearance of the flowers resembles an elegant porcelain cup on an exquisite saucer
Description of the middle bell Cup and saucer
The variety group of decorative medium-sized flowers Cup and Saucer is considered one of the most attractive. Unlike classic garden bells, this crop has 2 “skirts” arranged in the shape of a tea pair. The two-year-old bell of the medium-sized variety Cup and Saucer is characterized by the following features:
- bush height up to 0.8 m;
- stem erect, hard, straight, covered with hard hairs;
- leaves are narrow, basal, collected in a rosette;
- leaf color is bright green;
- inflorescence type pyramidal;
- the color of the inflorescences is white, blue, lilac, pink, violet;
- number of buds in an inflorescence - 45-50 pcs.;
- bud length up to 7 cm;
- double-layered flowers;
- flowering period - June-September;
- fruiting period - August-September;
- seeds - small seeds of gray-brown color;
- the aroma is subtle and pleasant.
Lush blooming medium-sized flower Cup and saucer prefers treated and fertilized fertile soil with a low acidity level
Medium-sized bell Cup and saucer is a light-, moisture-loving, cold- and frost-resistant plant, quite demanding on certain features of agricultural technology:
- The most preferable soil composition is neutral or slightly alkaline soil. Acidic soil is categorically unacceptable for planting varieties.
- Requirements for the level of illumination. The culture “prefers” well-lit areas, but can develop in slightly shaded areas. In the small shade of buildings, small architectural forms and other plants, it retains flower stalks for a long time.
- Requirement for a sufficient level of soil moisture. At the same time, plants cannot tolerate stagnant water. The most preferable places for bells are under fences, near walls on the western or eastern side.
- Seed material does not germinate in the light. Darkness is required for seedlings to germinate.
- When growing seedlings, young bushes throw out flower stalks in the first year of life.
- When sowing seeds in open ground, a leaf rosette and root system are formed in the first year, and flower stalks are released in the second year.
Color range of medium colors Cup and saucer from snow-white to different shades of pink and blue
Application in design
In landscape design, medium-sized bells Cup and saucer are used from different angles:
- in the form of single compositions;
- in group plantings in prefabricated flower beds and ridges;
- against the backdrop of lawns;
- as a border plant against the background of tall crops.
In addition to landscape designers, the medium-sized Cup and Saucer flower is deservedly popular among interior designers. Bouquets of bells with original shapes and cool colors are ideal for certain stylistic trends in design, and therefore are widely used to decorate living rooms.
Plants are grown for cutting; graceful bells look impressive in bouquets; they retain their decorative properties for about 2 weeks
Reproduction methods
Bluebell Cup and saucer reproduces in several ways:
- Seminal. Material collected at home in early autumn does not fully guarantee the repetition of the varietal characteristics of the mother plant. Seeds purchased in specialized stores allow you to completely recreate the individual characteristics of a variety.
- Cuttings (allows you to preserve the varietal identity) - propagation by separating a cutting with three healthy internodes from 2-year-old plants.
- Dividing a bush (allows for the transfer of varietal characteristics) - propagation by dividing the root system of an adult crop into 2-3 parts containing several viable stem buds.
The seed method of planting seedlings is most often used by gardeners to propagate medium-sized flowers “Chinese service”
Sowing bellflower Cup and saucer for seedlings
The time for sowing seeds for seedlings is March.
The soil for sowing should be loose, fertile, consisting of:
- 6 parts of turf land;
- 1 part river sand;
- 2 parts humus.
The soil for seed germination should not be acidic
Algorithm for sowing bellflower seeds of the Bowl and Saucer variety for seedlings:
- The prepared container (short wooden or plastic container, box) is filled with soil mixture, disinfected, and moderately moistened.
- The seeds are sown in a container and sprinkled with fine sand.
- The crops are carefully moistened with a spray bottle.
- To create a greenhouse effect, the container is covered with glass or plastic film.
- Crops are placed in a dark place at temperatures up to + 20 ⁰С.
2-3 weeks after germination of the bell seeds, the shelter is removed, the container with the sprouts is placed in a well-lit place
Growing seedlings
Caring for seedlings consists of the following activities:
- periodic moistening by irrigation when the top layer of soil dries out;
- diving when the first leaves appear 3 weeks after sowing;
- fertilizing with complex fertilizers for seedlings 5 weeks after sowing.
2 weeks before transplanting into open ground, seedlings are gradually hardened in the open air
Landing algorithm
A month after picking, seedlings of medium-sized bells “Chinese service” are transplanted into open ground.
Young bushes, together with a lump of earth, are planted in prepared small depressions in the ground at a distance of up to 40 cm from each other. The earth is pressed around the bushes and carefully watered.
Transplanting bell seedlings into open ground is best done in cloudy weather.
Growing Bluebells Cup and Saucer
Picturesque medium-sized bells Bowl and saucer, despite all their external splendor, are unpretentious and require minimal and simple care:
- Watering in dry weather, since dry soil negatively affects the condition of plants.
- Mulching the soil to retain sufficient natural moisture.
- Removing weeds to prevent the spread of diseases and pests.
- Loosening the soil to supply oxygen to the root system.
- Fertilizer application according to growth phases: at the stage of green mass growth (in March) - nitrogen-containing compounds; at the stage of bud formation (early June) - phosphorus and complex additives; at the stage of preparation for winter (in November) - potash fertilizers.
- Removing faded inflorescences helps to extend the flowering period of the crop.
In autumn, you can plant bushes or collect seed material for propagation of the decorative bell "Chinese service"
Preparing for winter
Bluebells Cup and saucer are a frost- and cold-resistant crop. There is no need to prepare a total shelter for the winter. As part of preparing plants for wintering, a number of activities should be performed:
- cutting stems to ground level;
- fertilizing with potassium fertilizers, which increase the frost resistance of the crop;
- covering the root zone with dry leaves or mulch.
In spring, the shelter is removed and the bells are fertilized with ammonium nitrate
Diseases and pests
Medium-sized bells Cup and saucer are plants with stable immunity to the effects of pathogens and pests. Most often, decorative flowers are exposed to the negative effects of pathogens, growing for a long time in one place.
As a preventive measure, you can use treatment with the drug “Fundazol”, which prevents the spread of pathogenic flora in the soil.
Rainy weather can cause colonies of slugs to appear, which damage the stems and leaves of bluebells and spread fungal diseases.
Superphosphate granules (soil treatment) and tincture of hot pepper (spraying bushes) are used to control pests.
Conclusion
Magnificent, lush flowering of medium-sized bells Cup and saucer decorates flower beds, flower beds, ridges, terraces, and balconies with a pastel palette of cool tones. More than 50 outlandish 2-tiered bells on one bush are a breathtaking sight, especially when there are a large number of them.
People call the medium-sized flower “balabolki”, “keys”, “bells”, “bawlers”.
