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There are many unpretentious flowering plants in the world that, until recently, were not at all known to Russian flower growers. Among them we can name a guest from the North American continent - nemophila. This flower, of course, does not pretend to compete with gladioli, lilies and roses, because it is just an annual. And even against the backdrop of the popular brightly handsome flyers, like marigolds, snapdragon, annual phlox or petunias, nemophila looks inconspicuous. But it has a lot of other advantages, and one of the main ones is cold resistance and even frost resistance. This allows you to freely grow nemophila from seeds even in those regions of Russia that are famous for their long, harsh winters and short, cool summers. In addition, nemophila has a discreet, but very attractive appearance; it is not for nothing that it was nicknamed “American forget-me-not” for some similarities with this charming spring flower.
Thus, already from the name the tendency of nemophila to grow in semi-shaded places is obvious.This is not surprising, because in nature these flowers grow in carpets on the damp slopes of the mountains of the states of California and Oregano under the canopy of rare trees.
The article will describe in detail both the process of growing nemophila from seeds and the features of flower care and will provide photos of its various varieties.
Description of the plant
The genus Nemophila belongs to the Borage family. There are only about 11 species, and today about 100 varieties of this cute flower are known.
- Nemophila is an annual herbaceous plant reaching a height of no more than 25-30 cm.
- The fleshy, brittle stems branch well, often spreading along the ground, forming loose carpets and rising in places.
- The leaves are pubescent, pinnately lobed, and look decorative in themselves.
- The flowers of nemophila are quite large for such a low-growing plant; their diameter can reach from 3 to 5 cm.
- The shape of the flowers is in the form of a wide open bell; they grow not in inflorescences, but singly, on rather long peduncles from the axils of the leaves.
- Nemophila flowers do not have a pronounced aroma.
- The corolla can be white, blue, blue or purple, often with spots.
- The fruits are hairy capsules of an ovoid-spherical shape, 3-6 mm in size.
- Nemophila seeds are medium-small in size, there are about 400 pieces in one gram. They are ovoid in shape, slightly wrinkled, with a small appendage at the end.
The most popular varieties
In culture, mainly two species are known: Nemophila mencis and Nemophila spotted.
In the video below you can see all the different photos of the different varieties of Nemophila.
Nemophila Mencisa known in culture since 1833.Although it grows abundantly in the wilds of the California mountains, it is popular as a garden groundcover annual throughout America. The Americans gave it the cute name “baby blue eyes”. In the wild, its height does not exceed 15 cm. Cultivated varieties can be slightly taller and have larger flowers. It has been known in Europe not so long ago.
There are many garden forms of Nemophila Mencis:
- Coelestis is one of the most popular and charming varieties of nemophila with sky-blue petals and a white center.
- Atomaria or Snoostorm - the flowers are pure white, but the petals are dotted with tiny black specks.
- Oculata - with dark or purple spots at the base of the petals and a white edge.
- Discoidalis or Penny Black is also a very popular variety with velvety deep purple, almost black flowers with a white edge.
- There are varieties of nemophila with both pure white and pure blue petals without strokes or spots.
Nemophila spotted got its name from the purple spots symmetrically located on the edges of the petals. The coloring of the flowers also gave rise to the local name of the plant - “five spots”. It lives in the wild mainly on the slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountains in the USA in fir and pine forests and pastures.
As a garden flowering crop, spotted nemophila became known a little later, from 1848.
Popular varieties:
- Barbara - with pronounced blue strokes on a white background of petals.
- Ladybug - almost white petals with barely noticeable strokes.
Combination with other colors and use in the garden
Nemophila will go well in the garden with many perennial or annual low-growing plants.
Please note that Nemophila is often confused with another charming low herbaceous annual native to North America, Limnanthes. This flower, like nemophila, has not yet become widespread in Russia, and even belongs to a completely different family. Nevertheless, their common origin and similar growing conditions made them somewhat akin. In addition, the shape of their flowers is also similar. But the coloring of Limnanthes is completely different - it is lemon-white.
But in the garden, these two plants will go well with each other, creating contrasting compositions in flower beds or on flowering lawns.
Nemophila will also look good in flower beds or borders along with petunias, lobelia, and low Eschscholzia.
Theoretically, it can also be placed in joint plantings with luxurious tall flowers, such as roses, gladioli, dahlias and others, but in this case, nemophila will look better at the very edge of the plantings, bordering them.
Due to its unpretentious nature, nemophila can be used everywhere in the garden. Considering that very few annuals tolerate shady conditions, it can be planted in conditions where other flowers cannot grow at all. If you have pine trees growing on your site, then nemophila will help create a beautiful flowering meadow under them.
Very often it is used for planting along paths or along the borders of a lawn area.If you plant Nemophila varieties of different shades in this way, you can create a composition reminiscent of sea waves.
Nemophila seems to be specially created for planting on rockeries and near artificial reservoirs.
And, of course, the plant can decorate a variety of hanging baskets and vertical compositions, forming real waterfalls of greenery with numerous flowers. They will look especially impressive in shady inner courtyards, where rarely any flowers agree to bloom profusely.
Growing from seeds
Nemophila, like many annuals, is propagated exclusively by seeds. Given its ability to tolerate light frosts, its seeds can be sown directly in open ground starting in April, depending on the weather and climatic conditions in your area. For the conditions of central Russia, the dates at the end of April-beginning of May are more suitable, because the ground should completely thaw by this moment. Shoots appear on average 10-15 days after sowing, seed germination is good, reaching 90%. Plants bloom approximately 1.5-2 months after germination.
Nemophila seeds are sown in furrows or holes to a depth of 3 to 5 cm, depending on the composition of the soil. On light sandy soils you can sow at a depth of 5 cm, and on heavy loams - no deeper than 3 cm. After emergence, the plants are thinned out so that there is about 10-15 cm between them. This distance is enough for the plants to form a continuous flowering carpet .
Nemophila plants bloom profusely, but for a relatively short time, about two months.In order to prolong flowering, you can either sow seeds every 2-4 weeks, or around mid-summer, make formative pruning of the bushes, which will stimulate branching and increase the number of buds that will bloom closer to autumn.
By the way, if you want the peak of nemophila flowering to occur at the end of summer - autumn, you can sow the seeds in the chosen place in June.
But if you want to see flowering nemophila as early as possible, then you can try growing it from seedlings. Just be sure to take into account that the plant can hardly tolerate any transplantation, so it is advisable to sow it in several separate pots at once. And subsequently replant it to a permanent place of growth, trying to minimally injure the root system of the flower.
It is best to grow nemophila seedlings in a greenhouse, hotbed or on a balcony. It may be too hot in the room and will need plenty of regular watering.
But when sowing nemophila seeds for seedlings in March, you will be able to see its flowering by the beginning of summer. You can also plant seedlings in the ground at the earliest possible time - as soon as the ground warms up and thaws.
By the way, nemophila reproduces well by self-sowing. It is enough to plant one bush and next summer a whole clearing of white and blue color can grow in this place. The seeds of this flower can be sown before winter.
Features of care
After sowing, the most important thing is to maintain soil moisture. In general, despite all the unpretentiousness of nemophila, only one thing can destroy it - insufficient watering.With insufficient watering, especially in hot weather, the plants first stop blooming, and in severe drought they may die. Therefore, to preserve moisture in the soil, it is recommended that a week or two after the emergence of seedlings, thoroughly mulch the soil around the nemophila sprouts with a layer of several centimeters of any organic material. Mulch will play another important role - it will protect the soil near the roots of plants from overheating. After all, nemophila also reacts sharply negatively to soil overheating, which, of course, affects flowering. It is for this reason that this flower does not always do well in the southern arid regions. However, it should be taken into account that plants will also not be able to grow in a swamp, since their roots may rot.
The composition of the soil for growing nemophila does not matter; it can adapt to any type of soil. The main thing is that they are well drained.
On rich soils, the flower does not need feeding at all. If you grow a plant in containers, hanging pots or on depleted soils, then during the entire growing season you need to carry out at least three feedings - a month after germination, during budding and during the flowering period.
Pests and diseases usually avoid nemophila. Apparently, they had not yet had time to get used to the peculiar taste and appearance of the American guest.
Nemophila is a very interesting and unpretentious flower of truly universal use. You can grow it without much effort almost anywhere in your garden. It only requires regular watering, without which, in principle, no plant can survive.
