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Babiana is a rainforest flower whose beauty makes it incredibly popular among gardeners. The plant is suitable even for those who are not interested in botany. Planting and caring for babiana in the open ground will not take much time and effort.
Description of Babiana with photo
The bulbous flower belongs to the Iris family. It includes more than 78 species. Babiana grows in the open ground of South Africa. The culture was introduced to Europe in the 1900s, but was carefully studied only in 2007. The name "babiana" comes from the word "baboon". This animal loves to feast on flower petals, sometimes even digging it out of the open ground and consuming it whole.
In Russia, babiana is bred as a pot crop; it is rarely planted in open ground.
The leaves are simple oval in shape, slightly pubescent, and the veins are clearly visible. Depending on the variety, the petals may have different colors.Some varieties have red flowers, others blue, and others pink, red or white. The flower has three stamens and one pistil. Bees and other insects come to pollinate the plant.
The underground part is the corm. It resembles a simple onion covered with a dense shell. At its end there is a long neck. The seeds are round in shape, black in color, protected by a fibrous membrane.
In Russia, babiana is not grown in open ground for the reason that it is little known. If we take African varieties, then gladioli, ixia or freesia are more common in the country. Plants have many similar features.
Babiana flowers are also called geophytes. This means they can survive the cold season underground with the help of a corm. It begins to form in the fall. With the onset of spring, the plant opens its buds. Seeds are formed in June, at which time a new corm begins to grow.
When the air temperature reaches a summer maximum, the flower goes dormant.
Babiana lives in open ground for more than 13 years. If the soil is cold enough, this figure decreases. The flower grows in Africa, so heat and drought are favorable for it. Even in the absence of rain, several leaves form on the corm.
Babiana height
The species lives for a very long time, but grows slowly. The height of an adult flower rarely exceeds 30 cm. In open ground it sometimes grows up to 35 cm.
When does Babiana bloom?
In Russia, the crop begins to bloom at the end of spring, when the sun has already sufficiently warmed the soil.In the southern regions this happens approximately 30 days earlier. Babiana is popular among European gardeners because of its flowering time. The period lasts until September-October.
Babiana winter hardiness
In open ground, the flower cannot survive frost on its own. Therefore, they must build a shelter for him for the winter.
Types and varieties
The babiana plant includes many varieties. Only four hybrids are popular in Russia.
Direct (Strict)
Prefers areas with open ground and good lighting. The peduncle forms in March or May, at which time six small flowers are formed. The leaves are pubescent, oval-shaped, lanceolate. A long thin tube rises above the flower. The corollas can be white, yellowish, purple or blue. Flowering begins in June. The culture can withstand negative temperatures down to -4 °C.
To give a decorative shape, the babiana is cut straight in the fall.
The buds emit a fruity scent, slightly reminiscent of lemon. When grown in open ground, by mid-summer the crop goes into a dormant state. At this time, the leaves lose accumulated moisture.
Advice! The species can be grown in pots.
Red-blue
Another subspecies of Babiana, characterized by an interesting coloring of the petals. The leaves are oval, very ribbed, and pubescent. Flowering occurs early, but lasts only half a month. Up to 15 fragrant flowers are formed in one inflorescence.
In Russia, the red-blue babiana is grown least often
Red-blue babiana is not adapted to the Russian climate; in open ground it stops growing at temperatures below 14 °C.
Folded
A small babiana that grows in open ground. Maximum height – 23 cm.The petals are purple with small whitish patches. Sometimes pure white babiana is found. The leaves are hairy and grow straight up. During flowering, it emits a clove-like aroma. The period begins in mid-spring and lasts until the onset of cold weather.
The folded babian gets along well in central Russia
sticking out
A fairly tall variety, reaching up to 28 cm. It develops faster than other species. In open ground the flower looks sloppy. It has powerful pubescence; all the veins on the leaves are clearly visible. The petals are blue, white and purple are less common.
Due to its bright colors, Babiana protruding may seem like a poisonous plant
How to plant Babiana
To adapt to the natural growth cycle, planting in a pot is done in the fall. For open ground breeding, this is done in the spring. In Moscow and the central part of the country they are planted at the end of May.
Instructions for planting babiana in a pot:
- Select a deep container with a height of more than 32 cm and make drainage holes in it. Pebbles, broken bricks or stones are placed at the bottom. The main thing is that they are small, no more than 3 cm.
- A substrate of river sand and store-bought (or home compost) soil in a 2:1 ratio is added to the pot and the corm is placed in it.
Planting bulbous babian flowers in open ground is done as follows:
- The earth is carefully dug up, at the same time removing debris from it - branches, weeds, large stones. Compost is added to poor soil; if the area is clayey, river sand is added. Upon completion of work, the surface is leveled.
- A planting hole about 9 cm deep is formed.If it is necessary to plant several flowers, maintain a distance of 10 cm between the holes.
- A corm is placed inside, covered with soil and watered abundantly to ensure normal soil subsidence.
To find out the drainage properties of the site, you can conduct a small experiment. To do this, choose a specific place and water it well. If after five hours the puddles on it have not disappeared, sand or organic additives must be added before planting.
Caring for Babiana in the open ground
The flower reveals its beauty at the end of flowering. During this period, Babiana needs increased care. To avoid overstraining the corm, faded flowers can be cut off.
Watering
In open ground, babiana is watered depending on the weather and climatic conditions. The plant loves heat, but too high temperatures can be destructive for it. Abundant moisture should also be avoided, otherwise the lower part will begin to rot. Watering is carried out 2-3 times every seven days, more often on dry days. In spring and autumn, moisturize no more than once every seven days.
Fertilizer
The flower is fed with mineral fertilizers, which are added along with the liquid during watering. Additives are used before and during flowering twice a month. It’s good if the fertilizing contains a lot of potassium and phosphorus. When the flowers begin to fade, they stop fertilizing.
Babiana is difficult to propagate using seeds, since they rarely sprout
Wintering
It should be taken into account that in moist soil the frost resistance of babiana decreases. In dry soil, the plant can withstand temperatures down to -6 °C. But it shouldn’t come to this. When the thermometer scale reaches 0 °C, the corms are dug up, cleared of debris, rotten areas removed, and dried.
In the middle zone, babiana is stored in dry peat until the temperature stabilizes. There should be no drafts in the room. Optimal storage conditions are +11 °C.
Advice! In warmer regions, the bulbs can be left in the open ground, but a shelter is still built for them. The top of the flower is covered with spruce branches.
In Siberia, babiana is stored in pots. The container is left in a well-lit room with a low level of humidity. The room should be cool. The culture can be taken out onto the terrace at the end of May.
Reproduction methods
The flower is propagated in two ways - by dividing the bulbs or by seeds. Work is carried out indoors (if in winter) or in open ground (in early spring). The seeds do not need to be processed, so they can be immediately placed in a nutrient substrate. It can be cat litter or perlite.
Small seeds are not buried in open ground; this is done only with large samples. They are buried at a distance equal to the thickness of the seeds. Using a spray bottle, they are moistened, and the container is placed in a bag.
Samples are stored in a warm place with a temperature of 25 °C, they should not be disturbed by sunlight
Babiana is most often grown by dividing the bulbs. When the flower has formed several young bulbs, they are carefully cut off and planted in open ground or a pot separately from the parent plant.
Diseases and pests
Under natural conditions, Babiana has good immunity. When growing in open ground, you need to carefully monitor soil moisture. Frequent rainfall can cause the bulbs to rot, after which they will have to be thrown away.
Pests of the plant are thrips, aphids and spider mites. Broad spectrum insecticides are used for protection. If rodents live on the site, the corms may be damaged by their teeth.
Application in landscape design
Flowers are used by designers for landscaping various areas. Since babiana is a relative of gladiolus, they can be planted together. The species prefers a mild oceanic climate.
The culture gets along well in pots; with sufficient lighting, it looks good in open ground
To protect against rodents in open ground, you can place a small basket and place the plant itself in it
Conclusion
Planting and caring for babiana in open ground does not create difficulties when growing in the southern regions. In a northern climate, you need to look after the plant, monitor the humidity level and temperature.
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