Lavatera: growing from seeds, when to plant

Content

1 Description of the species
- 1.1 Flower varieties
2 Ways to grow wild roses
- 2.1 Sowing in the ground
- 2.2 Seedling propagation method
  - 2.2.1 Planting seedlings in the ground
3 Flower garden care
4 Conclusion

There are many beautiful flowers and ornamental plants today, but among them there are very few that do not require complex care. Lavatera is jokingly called a plant for the lazy. This flower is as decorative as it is unpretentious: both a beginner and a very busy gardener can grow a beautiful bush covered with large flowers. Lavatera was at the peak of its popularity twenty years ago, but today this plant is returning to landscape fashion, increasingly decorating gardens and parks, flower beds and flowerpots.

This article will tell you about growing lavatera from seeds, when the flower needs to be planted in the ground and for seedlings, and how to do it correctly. Photos of flowers will be shown here and the most popular varieties of lavatera will be described.

Description of the species

Flower Lavatera grows naturally in Australia, the Mediterranean and East Asia. In Russia, this fragile plant began to be grown recently - about twenty years ago. Here the flower is better known as “wild rose”.
Lavatera belongs to the genus of tree, shrub and herbaceous plants from the Malvaceae family. There are about twenty-five species of wild rose, most of which have medicinal properties.
Breeders have long turned their attention to lavatera, and to date, many cultivated species of the flower have already been bred. There are both annual and perennial varieties of wild rose.

The characteristics of the lavatera are as follows:

tall tree-like or herbaceous plant, capable of growing up to 50-150 cm;
the root system is very well developed, capable of going underground 50 centimeters or more;
the crown is dense, the shoots (or branches) are powerful;
the leaves are large, lobed, covered with stiff hairs, arranged alternately;
the inflorescences are very large – from 7 to 12 cm in diameter;
the structure of the flower may differ slightly depending on the variety: bell, gramophone, hibiscus type and others;
the petals can be articulated into a single inflorescence or be separate;
The color of the flowers can be white, pink, salmon, crimson, purple, yellow or violet;
inflorescences are found both solitary and spike-shaped or racemose;
Lavatera blooms in early summer and continues to bloom until mid-autumn;
the plant is drought-resistant, loves the sun;
The strong lavatera is not afraid of strong winds;
able to grow on any soil composition, but blooms more abundantly on loose and fertile soil;
wild rose is very unpretentious, rarely affected by diseases or insects.

Attention! Wild rose flowers are great for cutting because they can last more than a week in water and have long stems.

Flower varieties

At home, flower growers grow several types of lavatera, which are better adapted to temperate climates than others and are more unpretentious. The most popular types of wild roses are:

Three-month or one-year-old Lavatera, capable of growing up to 120 cm in height.The most popular varieties: Silver Cap, Mont Blanc, Ruby Queen, Beauty, Novella.
Dog Rose or Lovatera Thuringian - a tree-like perennial plant about two meters high. Favorite varieties in Russia are Lilac Lady, Eye Catcher, Burgundy Vine.
Biennial tree lavatera with a straight slender stem, up to two meters long. Such varieties as Rosea and Candy Floss are known.
Primorsky wild rose grows only in the southern regions of the country. It grows up to two and a half meters, has two-color inflorescences.
Cretan Lavatera - the most heat-loving species that can only be grown in areas with a subtropical climate. The height of this wild rose bush reaches 180 cm, the inflorescences are small (up to 3.5 cm in diameter), but very plentiful.

Important! Today there are no problems with the assortment and availability of seeds of any of the listed types of lavatera. A florist can purchase any variety and grow flowers on his own site.

Ways to grow wild roses

Lavatera is grown only from seeds, and they can be sown directly into the ground or planted seedlings. In the Russian climate, wild roses reproduce well by seeds; flowers even appear independently where seeds were sown last year.

It is recommended to grow flower seedlings for earlier flowering of lavatera. It is by seedling method that the plant is propagated in nurseries, planted in gardens and parks, and cultivated on an industrial scale.

Sowing in the ground

However, it is recommended to sow lavatera seeds directly into the ground only in the southernmost regions of the country. In this case, the grower needs to wait for stable warmth, which usually occurs no earlier than the second half of May.

Advice! If the gardener is faced with the task of earlier flowering of wild roses, you can sow the seeds under the film. You can start planting flowers in this way as early as April, when the earth has warmed up at least a little.

Before sowing, a suitable site is selected. The most important condition for abundant flowering of lavatera is a sufficient amount of sun. Otherwise, the flowers are unpretentious, but it is better to choose loose, nutritious soil, and take care of drainage.
Markings are made in the flowerbed and grooves are prepared with a depth of no more than a centimeter. Lavatera seeds are evenly placed in the grooves and sprinkled with a dry mixture of garden soil and humus. Now the plantings need to be watered and, if necessary, covered with film. Water for irrigation should be taken warm.

Attention! Lavatera will germinate much faster under a transparent film. When the sprouts reach five centimeters, the cover is removed.

Caring for sprouted lavatera is simple:

after removing the film, the ground is carefully loosened;
flower sprouts slightly spud;
water the plants with warm water and mineral fertilizers dissolved in it;
Pegs or supports are driven in near tall varieties of wild rose.

Important! Under favorable conditions, Lavatera will sprout on its own in the same place where it grew last year. The gardener will only have to break through the sprouts and give the island the desired shape.

Seedling propagation method

Lavatera seeds are sown for seedlings mainly by large flower holdings, which sell these flowers in this form. However in regions with cold climates, the seedling method is the only possible method of growing heat-loving flowers, which is why simple gardeners often have to sow wild rose seeds for seedlings.
The first thing to determine in this case is when to plant lavatera. If planting in open ground is recommended in the second half of May, then seeds for seedlings must be sown in March.

Attention! When sowing wild rose seeds early for seedlings, it is imperative to provide the plantings with additional lighting. Due to lack of light, the seedlings will be elongated and weak.

If a gardener plans to grow several different varieties of lavatera, then it is recommended to prepare a separate wooden box or plastic container for each of them. It is more convenient to grow several plants in individual pots or cups.

It is better to purchase soil at a flower shop. Place drainage at the bottom of the container. Sowing is carried out in small furrows, about a centimeter deep. After planting, the seeds are sprinkled with dry soil, watered with warm water and covered with film.

In a bright and warm place, a wild rose will germinate in about two weeks. After this, the cover can be removed. Before germination, it is necessary to regularly wipe off condensation and monitor soil moisture.

Advice! While the seedlings are growing, they only need to be watered and periodically rotate the pots around their axis so that the flowers do not stretch towards the sun.

There is no need to pick up lavatera seedlings - the flowers do not tolerate transplantation well. Even in common boxes or containers, the seedlings feel fine; they have enough food and light. As a last resort, you can thin out the plantings by removing weaker plants.

Planting seedlings in the ground

Lavatera can be moved to a permanent place when the threat of spring frosts has passed and the earth has warmed up well enough. In the southern regions this happens at the end of April or early May, but in colder areas it is better to wait until the end of May or the beginning of summer.

Different varieties of lavatera are planted in different patterns. Thus, tree-like plants need much more space, because their roots can grow a meter deep and to the sides. More commonly grown annual varieties are planted at intervals of 20-25 cm - this is enough for lush flowering and normal flower development.

The seedlings are carefully transferred to the ground, removing the flower from the planting container. Plants need to be buried so that about five centimeters remain from the ground to the lower leaves. After planting, the flowers are watered with warm water and left to take root.

Flower garden care

Wild rose is very unpretentious, but, like any cultivated plant, it requires minimal care. Over the entire summer season, flowers will need the following:

Watering during particularly dry periods. Two buckets of water should be poured under each tree-like bush at least once every two weeks. Annual flowers need much less moisture, but they should be watered regularly - every five to six days.
Tall spreading flowers must be tied up, otherwise the appearance of the plants will not be decorative at all. For this purpose, supports, trellises, and arches are used.
The root system of lavatera is superficial, so the soil around the flowers needs to be loosened, but this is done with special care.
Faded inflorescences must be cut off immediately, as they can leave burns on the leaves and inhibit the development of new buds.
The flowers are fed for the first time a couple of weeks after planting in the ground. To do this, use a solution of nitrophoska and urea in water.The bushes are treated the second time during the budding period, using potassium and sodium sulfates.
Wild rose rarely gets sick. If rusty leaves appear on the bushes, they need to be torn off and the flower treated with Bordeaux mixture. Pests also don’t particularly like lavatera, but if they are noticed, the bush is sprayed with actara or acarine.

Advice! You can collect lavatera seeds yourself. They are contained in the fruits of the flower - green boxes. When the boxes begin to turn yellow, they are carefully cut off, the seeds are shaken out onto paper and dried.

For the winter, annual lavatera varieties are uprooted. Perennials must be bent to the ground, fixed and covered with spruce branches, dry grass or non-woven material.

Conclusion

Lavatera definitely deserves the attention of flower growers and landscape designers. This flower has a spectacular tropical appearance, blooms throughout the summer, and does not require complex and constant care.

Wild roses are grown from seeds, which can be sown in the ground or in mini-greenhouses. Planting flowers from seedlings is less popular, but is preferable when it is necessary to speed up the flowering of lavatera.