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Sidalcea perennial is a beautiful plant for a summer cottage. To successfully grow a flower, you need to study its characteristics and care requirements.
Description of Sidalcea with photo
Sidalcea is a herbaceous plant of the Malvaceae family. It has bare or pubescent erect stems, reaching 1 m in height. The leaves of the crop are round or heart-shaped, the lower ones are located on long petioles. The edges of the plates are often jagged.
Sidalcea spreads up to 40 cm in diameter
In June, the perennial blooms with lush buds of pink, lilac, white or pale purple. Thin veins are usually visible on the fringed petals. The buds are collected in cluster or spike-shaped inflorescences in the leaf axils. The decorative period of the perennial lasts about two months; sometimes Sidalcea remains attractive until September.With proper care, early varieties often bloom again in the fall. Sidalcea fruits are collected from 5-10 disintegrating sections and contain only one seed.
In nature, the perennial is found in Mexico and the western United States. It settles both in dry open places and in wetlands, depending on the species. In cultivation, the perennial is grown all over the world in warm and temperate climate zones.
Varieties of Sidalcea
The Sidalcea plant is represented by a large number of ornamental varieties. Several varieties deserve special attention.
Little Princess
A medium-sized perennial rises up to 45 cm above the ground. From July to August it blooms with large buds of pale pink color. It is compact and prefers sunny places on the site. Can tolerate cold temperatures down to -28 °C.
The buds of the Little Princess variety reach 8 cm in diameter
Party Girl
The tall Sidalcea blooms in mid-summer with lavender-pink buds with a white center. The variety is often used to create borders on the site. With good care, the perennial can bloom until the end of August.
Sidalcea Party Girl rises up to 80 cm above the ground
Candida
The beautiful white sidalcea bears buds up to 2.5 cm in diameter. It has wide, rich green leaves and forms bushes up to 50 cm in diameter. Flowering occurs from mid to late summer.
Sidalcea Candida reaches a height of about 70 cm
Diamond
The vibrant hybrid sidalcea bears small, cup-shaped, carmine-pink buds. The perennial slightly resembles a rose, rising up to 90 cm above the ground. The stems of the variety are straight with slight branching.
Sidalcea Brilliant prefers planting in full sun on well-moistened soil.
Croffway Red
Tall sidalcea, up to 95 cm above the ground, begins to bloom in June and fades closer to autumn. The buds are dark red, very rich in color. The perennial looks spectacular in the sun, but in partial shade it loses its color a little.
Sidalcea Croffway Red is highly frost-resistant down to -25 °C
William Smith
Another tall perennial rises up to 90 cm above the ground. It blooms with pink buds with a light salmon tint and develops well in the sun on loose soil. The perennial tolerates winter cold well, but requires insulation of the root area.
Flowers of the William Smith variety reach 3 cm in diameter
Rose Queen
One of the tallest plant varieties reaches 1.3 m above the ground surface. In June or July, the perennial produces abundant pink buds. Well suited for planting as a hedge, as it forms compact but fairly dense bushes. The perennial grows in bright sun and partial shade, loves moderate moisture, but does not tolerate waterlogging.
Tall rose queen prefers planting in an area with shelter from strong winds
Planting Sidalcea in open ground
Growing sidalcea is not particularly difficult. The perennial is planted in open ground from mid-May to early June. You need to wait until the night frosts end and the soil thaws properly.
It is recommended to plant perennials on the site in a well-lit place.The soil should be light and drained, fairly fertile, and neutral in composition. Before planting a perennial, the area is dug up and cleared of weeds, and then river sand is added to the soil. You can also fertilize the soil with compost or humus.
Direct planting of sidalcea on the site is carried out according to the following scheme:
- Dig a hole for the perennial that is twice the size of the roots.
- Place a drainage layer of gravel or sand on the bottom.
- Fill the perennial hole up to half with a nutritious substrate of garden soil and compost.
- Plant the plant in the center and fill the remaining voids with soil.
- Compact the soil with your hands and water generously.
Sidalcea tolerates slightly acidic soil well, but does not like calcareous soils. You should not place the perennial in a lowland or in a wetland.
If you are planting several plants at once, you need to leave 50 cm of free space between them. At 1 m2 It is allowed to place 4-5 perennials. You can’t plant Sidaltsa too densely; the bushes will interfere with each other’s development.
Sidalcea care
Sidalcea does not require complex care on the site. When growing a perennial, attention is paid only to the main points.
Watering
Sidalcea requires abundant and frequent watering immediately after planting. When the perennial takes root, the intensity of moisture will need to be reduced slightly. On average, Sidalcea is watered up to twice a week as the top layer of soil dries. If the weather remains hot and dry, the perennial is moistened more often. Watering is carried out only in the evening or in the morning until noon, until the area is illuminated by bright sun.
To retain moisture for a long time, the soil in the area with Sidalcea can be immediately mulched
After each moistening, it is recommended to loosen the soil at the roots of Sidalcea to a shallow depth. This will improve soil aeration and help prevent the development of fungi in the perennial. Simultaneously with loosening, the area is weeded to remove weeds.
Top dressing
Sidalcea develops well in fertile soil without additional fertilizing. It is only recommended to add compost to the soil before planting the plant. It is also useful to mulch the perennial with peat - the material will slow down the evaporation of moisture and supply the flower with valuable substances.
Trimming
Sidalcea does not need decorative pruning, but when flowering it is recommended to remove fading buds. This will prevent the formation of seeds and extend the decorative period.
With the onset of autumn, the perennial needs to be cut almost flush with the ground. If only the rhizome remains in the ground, the sidalcea will safely survive even a frosty winter, and in the spring it will produce new stems.
Wintering
Sidalcea has an average winter hardiness of -15 °C. In most regions of Russia, in the fall, after pruning, perennials are covered with a thick layer of dry leaves or sawdust. If severe frosts are expected in winter, it is necessary to additionally insulate the plant with spruce branches.
A shelter over the sidalcea is built after the onset of the first cold weather. With the arrival of the spring thaw, it is important to immediately remove the insulating material so that the perennial does not begin to rot.
Reproduction methods
Sidalcea can be propagated on the site through seedlings or vegetatively. For beautiful hybrid varieties, the second method is used; ordinary perennial varieties are grown from seeds.
Dividing the bush
It is recommended to divide the adult cucumber from time to time. This allows not only to propagate, but also to rejuvenate the culture. The procedure is carried out for plants older than 3-5 years.
Division is carried out in early spring or autumn. The diagram looks like this:
- The sidalcea is dug up with a shovel or pitchfork and removed from the ground.
- Cut the perennial root ball into several parts.
- Treat the cuttings against rotting with a solution of potassium permanganate.
- Transfer to prepared wells.
Throughout the season, the perennial is provided with standard care. In loose and moist soil, the bushes take root quite quickly.
Propagation by seeds
You can grow a new hybrid variety of Sidalcea on your plot or propagate a simple variety of perennial using seeds. Planting material is stratified for 2-3 weeks in the refrigerator, and then sown in home containers. The procedure is carried out as follows:
- Pre-soak the planting material in warm water with the addition of a growth stimulator.
- Fill the prepared container with nutritious and loose soil.
- Spread the perennial seeds on the surface of the soil, lightly press with your finger and sprinkle with substrate.
- Moisten thoroughly with a spray bottle.
For the first time, the container with seeds is covered with film to create a greenhouse effect. After sprouts form, the polyethylene is removed and the box is placed on a lighted windowsill. The perennial sidalcea is transferred to open ground at the end of May after warm weather sets in.
You need to plant perennial sidalcea for seedlings in early or mid-March
Diseases and pests
Sidalcea rarely suffers from diseases and parasites. But under unfavorable conditions, perennials can be affected by:
- rust - orange spots and growths appear on the leaves of the plant, the plates gradually darken and dry out;
Sidalcea especially often suffers from rust when in close proximity to mallow.
- root rot - the disease poses a danger to young bushes, the sidalcea begins to darken at the base of the stem and eventually dies;
Root rot in the perennial sidalcea is caused by waterlogging
- slugs - gastropods eat the greenery of perennials in the spring in rainy, cool weather.
Slugs are especially dangerous for perennial sidalcea in marshy soils
At the first signs of fungal diseases, Sidalcea should be sprayed with Bordeaux mixture, copper sulfate or Fitosporin. All affected parts of the plant must be removed. Homemade soap solution helps against pests; you can also use garlic infusion. When slugs appear, the perennial is dusted with wood ash or treated with Thunder.
Application in landscape design
The ornamental plant is in great demand among gardeners. Medium-sized and tall varieties of perennials are used to form hedges and borders, for planting in flower beds and rock gardens. Sidalcea goes well with light-loving plants; it can be placed in the background of an artistic composition or on the sides.
Using the perennial sidalcea, you can decorate an empty space near the fence
It is not recommended to plant perennials in close proximity to tall shrubs and trees. In their shade, the flower will develop worse. In addition, plants will have to compete for moisture and nutrients.
Conclusion
Sidalcea perennial is a fairly unpretentious, hardy plant with long summer flowering. It does not require complex care, it only needs regular watering.
