Dacha is not only vegetable beds, berry bushes and fruit trees. Perennial flowers help create beauty on the site. For the garden, unpretentious for a long time flowering plants irreplaceable, like a magnificent frame for a canvas created by the labor of a summer resident.

Beginner gardeners may think that setting up a flower garden and caring for it is too troublesome. But with the right selection of crops, caring for flowers will not take much time, and the buds will open as quickly as possible. early spring and until late autumn.

The most unpretentious flowers for spring

Early spring in the middle zone does not please with colors. Annual flowers have not yet been sown; even the most unpretentious ones are just emerging from the ground.

Are there really plants that are ready to bloom in the first warm days? Yes, wintering bulbous crops have formed the rudiments of buds since the fall and in the spring they are the first to illuminate the flower beds with all the shades of the rainbow.

Crocuses

Almost from under the snow, corollas of crocuses appear in white, blue, yellow and even striped colors. Plants with a height of 7 to 15 cm bloom from March to May, and after the flowers wither they go into rest. Bulbs are planted in traditional spring times. bulbous plants terms, from August to September. The best place for crocuses is well-lit areas or partial shade, for example, under the crowns of bushes or trees that have not yet blossomed.

Tulips

Tulip is not only the most common summer cottages perennials, but also the most unpretentious flowers. Today, lovers of spring flowers have hundreds and thousands of magnificent varieties at their disposal. However, not everyone knows that these garden plants belong to several species, differing both in appearance and in terms of flowering.

By skillfully selecting varieties, using only tulips from 10 to 50 cm in height, you can decorate the area up to an alpine hill. The first tulips begin to bloom in March, and the most late varieties wilt at the end of May.

Tulip bulbs are planted in the first half of autumn on sunny areas with loose, nutrient-rich soil.

During growth and flowering, plants need regular watering, which is stopped in the summer when the bulbs rest.

Types of garden tulips react differently to frost. If in the southern regions the most lush terry and lily varieties can be considered unpretentious plants for the cottage and garden, then in the northern regions the common Greig, Gesner and Foster tulips require annual digging.

Low-growing botanical tulips or Kaufmann tulips, which can easily winter in any climate, will help replace them.

Daffodils

Along with the tulips garden beds daffodils appear. Flowering lasts from April to the last days of May, while the flowers illuminate the garden not only with bright sunny shades, but also with an exquisite aroma.

Depending on the variety, plants reach a height of 30 to 60 cm. Flowers can be either simple or double, with a short or long crown. Daffodils prefer areas with loose soil fertile soil. They grow well in the sun and under the crowns that bloom at this time. The main thing is that the soil in which the bulbs were planted in the fall is not oversaturated with moisture.

Daffodils are long-blooming, unpretentious flowers for the garden, successfully used in mixed plantings with tulips, garden varieties, dicentra and other plants. Daffodils feel great in one place for several years. As they grow, they form very dense clumps, which are planted after the foliage withers, that is, at the beginning of summer.

Overwintering bulbous crops appearing “out of nowhere” in the spring, are unpretentious and bright, but at the same time their foliage cannot remain decorative for long. It dies off, exposing the space in the flowerbed, so you should take care in advance of planting nearby “replacement” crops, such as peony bushes, perennial poppies or aquilegias.

Periwinkle

It's one thing to choose long-blooming perennials and low-maintenance flowers for a garden in the sun. Another is to find the same plants for both open and shady areas.

Shade-tolerant garden crops not so much - a shining example one of them is periwinkle. or small subshrubs bloom in the midst of spring and spread quickly, easily taking root upon contact with the ground.

Cultivars of periwinkle create showy clumps of fresh greenery with splashes of every shade of blue, white, pink and purple. Gardeners have at their disposal specimens with simple and double corollas, smooth and variegated foliage.

Romantic legends are associated with many ornamental plants. No exception - which, thanks to such a story, is better known not by its real name, but as a “broken heart.”

Thanks to its powerful rhizomes, dicentra tolerates winter cold without loss. The foliage that dies off in autumn rises above the ground again with the arrival of warmth, reaching a height of 30 to 100 cm in different varieties. Spectacular plant in May it is covered with whimsical, heart-shaped corollas collected in racemose inflorescences. Flowering lasts about a month, and under the transparent shadow of young foliage, the drooping inflorescences of this unpretentious plant for the garden look brighter and last longer.

Dicentra will be indispensable in the flowerbed next to primroses and daffodils, muscari, ferns and decorative varieties Luke.

The flowering plant is worthy of admiration in a single planting, and after the inflorescences fade, it will become an excellent background for other flowers.

Lily of the valley

Classic spring flower bed– forest, blooming in May. Thanks to creeping rhizomes, plants survive the winter. In spring, leathery leaves rolled into tight tubes first appear in flower beds, then flower stalks up to 30 cm high rise above the unfolded rosettes. Each inflorescence contains from 6 to 20 white or pinkish, fragrant bells. Flowering lasts until early summer, and then red round berries appear in place of the flowers.

The advantage of these unpretentious garden perennials is flowers that do not lose their beauty in the sun and shade, and the ability to grow in one place for up to 10 years.

Kupena

In the forest next to clumps of lily of the valley you can see graceful kupena plants. Blooming from May to June, the perennial is not as colorful as other spring flowers.

But in shady areas, near conifers and shrubs, a crop with a height of 30 to 80 cm with drooping white or greenish bell flowers is simply irreplaceable.

Brunner

May is the month of the brightest greenery and unusually lush flowering of garden perennials.

At this time, under the crowns of trees, near paths and ponds, under the protection of walls and fences, blue flowers Brunners. Plants from 30 to 50 cm in height, with decorative pointed-heart-shaped foliage, prefer to settle in partial shade, where there is enough moisture and nutrition for lush leafy rosettes and inflorescences towering above them.

Soft blue, unpretentious garden flowers enliven the most shady corners, do not require special care, thanks to their attractive, often variegated foliage, they preserve their decorative value for a long time and can survive for many years without replanting.

IN favorable conditions Brunnera grows excellently and is propagated by dividing the bush.

Summer, beautiful and unpretentious flowers for the garden

Bright, fast-growing annuals color the flower beds in the most incredible colors 1–2 months after sowing. But autumn comes, and the plants complete their short life. The summer resident begins the next spring with the selection of annual, ornamental crops, sowing and caring for young seedlings. This takes a lot of precious time, which could be devoted to planting vegetable seedlings and caring for fruit and berry plantings.

Long-blooming, unpretentious flowers specially selected for the garden that bloom in different seasons and do not require painstaking care. Although they bloom only in the second half of summer or in the second year, they live in one place for several years without transplanting.

Summer is the most fertile time for flowering plants. An incredible number of species are ready to give their flowers to the summer resident. The main thing is to choose those plants that can rightfully be called unpretentious and beautiful.

Aquilegia

When the late tulips and daffodils fade in the garden at the end of May, the decorative foliage of aquilegias or columbine plants begins to rise above the ground. The whimsical bells of this, one of the most unpretentious perennials for the garden, like on, open on tall, erect peduncles.

Flowering lasts almost without interruption from late May to September. And even without flowers, plants do not lose their charm. Their leaves turn purple in autumn purple tones. Depending on the variety, aquilegia can grow from 30 to 80 cm in height. All of this species grow well both in the shade and on open areas. Already from the name it is clear that the catchment loves moisture, but even with a shortage of watering it can find water thanks to its powerful taproots. Aquilegia grows best in light, well-drained soils.

Flowers appear in the second year of life. Mature plants can be divided. You can do this in early spring or autumn.

Although in favorable conditions aquilegia reproduces by self-seeding, this method does not allow preserving the properties of hybrid and varietal specimens. Seedlings are most often purple or pink in color and can become a kind of weeds, if immature seed pods are not removed in time or flower beds are not weeded.

Swimsuit

One of the moisture-loving, unpretentious garden flowers is also beloved by many summer residents.

Its yellow or orange flowers open in May and with regular watering do not disappear until the second half of summer. The plant, with a height of 50 to 90 cm, is noticeable enough to take the lead in group plantings near and in shady corners of the garden. Tall flower stalks will be safe next to fences and ornamental shrubs.

Arabis

Although Arabis flowering begins in the second half of spring, this unpretentious perennial can rightfully be considered a summer one, since its flowering does not end until frost.

A groundcover or creeping plant with stems 20 to 30 cm long, when planted, it quickly forms dense, cushion-like clumps covered with clusters of small white, pink or purple flowers.
Trimming helps prolong flowering and maintain the shape of the plantings. Arabis feels best in open areas with light, aerated soil. This crop with variegated foliage is indispensable when decorating gardens, slides and other areas of the garden.

Doronicum

At the junction of spring and summer, many rhizomatous perennials take up the baton of flowering from bulbous plants. The bright doronicum with large yellow basket-shaped inflorescences reminiscent of daisies is no exception. Flowers open on erect, bare or leafy stems 30–80 cm high. Unpretentious flowers for the garden and garden are planted in the sun or in transparent shade, but not under the canopy of trees.

Doronicum plants love moisture; in order to save it in the soil under light green foliage, the soil is mulched.

When flowering ends, the greenery also fades. Decorative ferns, clumps of cornflower and aquilegia, with which doronicum goes well together, will help hide the gap that forms in the flowerbed.

Astilbe

It's amazing how one type of perennial can brighten up an entire garden. Numerous flowers blooming from June to September can do this. Racemose or panicle-like lush inflorescences are not the only decoration of this plant. Shade-tolerant carved foliage no less enlivens the area. To do this, you just need to trim the flower stalks with dead inflorescences in time.
Depending on the variety and type, plant height ranges from 40 to 120 cm. Astilbes bloom better when the soil is regularly moistened, but do not like stagnant moisture. IN garden plantings these beautiful and unpretentious flowers for the garden look great against the background coniferous species, and will themselves be a luxurious frame for.

Geranium

Many cultivated varieties of garden perennials are descendants of wild species, which can be found literally behind the fence of a summer cottage.

From May until the end of summer, amazingly vibrant flowers continue to bloom. Single or collected in inflorescences corollas of all shades of pink, purple, lilac and blue colors short-lived. Just a day, and a new one appears in place of a withered flower.

When the flowering season ends, the garden is not empty thanks to the decorative cut foliage of geraniums. By autumn, it turns into bright golden, orange and purple tones and revives dull flower beds and hills right up to the snow.

The height of the most unpretentious perennial flowers for the garden, depending on the type, ranges from 10 cm to a meter. All plants are unpretentious and do not make any special demands on the soil; they grow in the light and under the canopy.

Loosestrife

If there is room in the garden for, or you need to plant a tall plant with bright flowers and the same decorative leaves, there can be only one answer - !

How is this possible? It's about about different types of loosestrife, equally unpretentious and suitable for decorating a site.

Depending on the variety and type, easily adaptable to different conditions flowers have a height of 20 to 80 cm.

For shady corners and partial shade, coin or meadow loosestrife with long recumbent stems covered with coin-like rounded leaves is excellent. This crop is indispensable next to a pond, in damp areas, which will be successfully enlivened by light green foliage and yellow flowers.

For decorating flower beds, mixborders and rocky slides upright species of loosestrife with green or variegated foliage are used and yellow flowers, forming spectacular spike-shaped inflorescences in the upper part of the stem. All loosestrife are unpretentious, tolerate frost well and are rarely affected by pests.

Perennial cornflower

Annual cornflowers relatively recently moved from the meadow to the garden. They were followed by their long-term relatives. Flowering from June to September, the plants form spectacular clumps of 40 cm to a meter high thanks to their carved, rich green foliage.

One of the most unpretentious perennial flowers for the garden, cornflowers grow well in both sun and partial shade. They do not make any special demands on the soil, get along well with other crops and will be an excellent background for peonies, cornflowers, low-growing flowering and decorative foliage plants in flower beds.

Today, gardeners have at their disposal varieties of perennial cornflower with flowers of violet-pink, lilac, purple and white colors. Large-headed cornflower has fluffy flowers of an original yellow color.

Turkish cloves

In June, multi-colored caps open Turkish cloves. The bright flowers with jagged petals are quite small, but collected in dense inflorescences, they will perfectly enliven a summer cottage, create a summer mood and color the flower beds in all shades from white to deep purple.

A distinctive feature of the plant is its flowering, which lasts until September, the possibility of propagation by self-sowing and incredible combinations of colors. The height of the Turkish carnation, depending on the variety, ranges from 40 to 60 centimeters. Plants exhibit maximum decorative value in light or partial shade if they are planted next to decorative foliage crops.

Lupine

They are not only among the most unpretentious garden flowers. This perennial crop alone can bloom the entire area. Blue, white, pink, purple and bi-colored spike-shaped inflorescences appear in the first half of June, and then bloom again in the second half of summer.

Plants up to one meter in height bloom magnificently in the sun, do not like overly fertilized soils and, thanks to their powerful rhizomes, are able to survive in conditions of moisture deficiency. In the garden, lupine is an ideal neighbor for cornflowers, colorful aquilegias, and perennial poppies.

Poppy

In terms of the splendor of flowering, perennial poppies can only be compared with. Just one plant with corollas of scarlet, pink, white and purple is enough to change the appearance of the most inconspicuous corner of the garden.

Despite their exotic appearance, poppies are completely unpretentious. They are not afraid of frost, grow excellently in any soil and tolerate drought without loss. But they react negatively to excessive moisture. Once settled on a site, with the help of very small seeds, poppy can spread independently, creating spectacular clumps of densely pubescent carved foliage.

Irises

There are more than a hundred species of irises in the world, many of which are actively used as ornamental plants. Flowering of garden varieties begins at the border of spring and summer, and continues until mid-July.

Despite the difference in color, size, and places of habitual habitat, these perennial rhizomatous plants are similar in the appearance of pointed sword-shaped leaves collected in flattened bunches, as well as the graceful shape of the flowers. Although the corollas, which open for a day or a little more, cannot be called long-lived, amia plants bloom profusely and for a long time thanks to the many simultaneous rising peduncles.

In the garden, irises prefer light or barely shaded areas with light, loose soil.

During the growing season and flowering, plants need regular soil moisture. But you need to intervene carefully in the development of the curtain. Loosening and weeding can affect powerful rhizomes located close to the surface.

Flowering shoots of irises rise 40–80 cm above the ground. White, yellow, pink, purple, cream, blue or teal flowers make a great addition to the garden and are ideal for cutting.

Nivyanyk

Daisies, together with cornflowers, are traditionally considered a symbol of Russian open spaces. Garden varieties of cornflower are the same as daisies, only much larger and more expressive. Simple and double inflorescences-baskets are crowned with erect stems from 30 to 100 cm in height.

In the garden, cornflower prefers to grow in open, well-lit areas with loose, nutrient-rich, but not too light soil. The plant responds to a lack of moisture and organic matter by flowers becoming smaller over time and the baskets quickly withering.

Nivyanik propagates by seeds, division of adult clumps, and also by self-sowing. This must be taken into account if all crops in flower beds and mixborders have clearly defined boundaries. For the most magnificent flowering, it is advisable to divide the nivberry rosettes every few years.

The best neighbors for one of the most unpretentious perennials for the garden, as in the photo, are flowers, gypsophila, bright poppies and bells. White inflorescences look great against the background of carved greenery and cornflower inflorescences, next to ornamental cereals and onions.

Bell

Growing bells in the country is not difficult even for beginners. The plants are unpretentious, resistant to diseases and pests, and winter well without shelter. The only thing that hinders the perennial is an excess of moisture and dense, poorly drained soil.

In nature, there are many types of bells with simple, semi- and double flowers in white, blue, lilac, pink and deep purple. Plants from 20 to 120 cm in height, depending on the type and shape, find a place on the hills and as part of group plantings with cornflower, pyrethrum, lush peonies and strict cereals.

Stock rose

Easily tolerant of drought, with luxurious ornamental greenery and racemose inflorescences, it can rightfully be considered the queen of a summer cottage. Plants up to 2 meters high are among the largest in Russian gardens. They rise above other flowers and even fruit bushes.

Rose hollyhocks or hollyhocks can easily create a living wall or become the focal point of a lush flower bed. Beautiful, unpretentious flowers for the garden grow on light, well-drained soils and are propagated by seeds, including self-seeding. But move it large plant moving to another place will be problematic. Transplantation is hampered by powerful long rhizomes, damage to which leads to weakening and even death of the mallow.

Simple and double, white, yellow, pink and red, burgundy and bright crimson flowers on powerful erect stems are used to decorate hedges and walls, in flower beds and as background plants. Incredibly beautiful group plantings of hollyhocks different shades. In front of them you can plant the same unpretentious phloxes, bells, decorative forms of onions, cornflowers and low-growing varieties, as well as any flyers.

Spicy and aromatic unpretentious perennials for the garden

When choosing long-blooming, unpretentious flowers for the garden, one should not lose sight of plants that are often popular as spicy, medicinal or fragrant herbs. At the same time, many of them are in no way inferior to flowering perennials; their flowers will decorate flower beds and can be used for cutting.

Today, gardeners have access to numerous varieties, lemon balm, and catnip. If desired, you can plant hyssop, thyme and even lavender on the site. These plants look great in a separate, “pharmaceutical” bed, but they can also be easily imagined as part of a mixborder, in a country-style flowerbed, or in the form of loose clumps near a hedge or the wall of a house.

Unpretentious and useful perennials, thanks to their lush greenery, are decorative from spring until frost. And during flowering they attract a lot of bees and other pollinating insects.

Oregano

Oregano is a native inhabitant of the European part of Russia. The plant, familiar to many by its characteristic aroma of greenery and pink-lilac caps of inflorescences, prefers to settle in open, well-lit areas with light soil. In nature, oregano can be seen in clearings and forest edges, in oak groves and dry meadows.

The first green oregano appears in March, literally from under the snow. By June, the plant forms a lush cap of densely leafy shoots ranging from 20 to 50 centimeters in height. And a month later, stems with delicate inflorescences-baskets rise above the greenery.

The entire above-ground part of the plant, incredibly revered in France, Italy, and the USA, has a spicy aroma. Here, oregano is grown as a natural seasoning for sauces, salads, pasta and poultry, baked goods, in particular pizza. Tea with herbs and oregano flowers is no less tasty. Oregano or oregano is collected from July to October, while the perennial is in bloom.

Flower-strewn herbaceous shrubs of oregano are magnificent in the company of cornflowers, lupins, rudbeckia, clouds of white-pink gypsophila and cereals.

Lofant

Lofant or polygonum with lilac-violet or white spike-shaped inflorescences is one of the most noticeable medicinal and ornamental perennial plants. In the garden, the crop easily inhabits the lightest areas, does not feel discomfort even in the hottest sun and winters well, showing everyone the first greenery with a purple or bluish tint from early spring.

Lofant is so unpretentious that it grows and blooms not only with a lack of moisture, but also on poor soils. Simple care and a little attention - and the unassuming plant will generously share with the summer resident a fragrant herb that smells like anise or licorice, rich in essential oils and useful for colds, diseases of the digestive system and urinary system.

In the garden, the spectacular inflorescences of lofanthus will not go unnoticed by either people or bees. The plant, which blooms from June until the end of summer, is suitable for decorating front gardens and can easily be cut.

Monarda

Monarda with white, pink, lilac and purple inflorescences is also a resident of sunny, wind-protected corners of the garden with light soil.

For decorative purposes, this fragrant perennial is planted next to other similar plants, as well as in the vicinity of coreopsis and, cornflower and low-growing annuals, for which monarda up to a meter high will be a luxurious background.

It is interesting to combine this plant with annual, blue and white large-flowered bells, sedums and other crops, which allow you to imitate a corner of a wild meadow in the garden.

In summer cottages you can often find lemon monarda. Its greenery during the flowering period, that is, from July to September, accumulates a lot of essential oils, close to the oils of lemon balm, hyssop, and other spicy-flavoring and medicinal plants of their Yamnotaceae family.

Autumn unpretentious flowers: long-flowering perennials for the garden

With the onset of September, autumn comes into its own more and more quickly. But it’s too early to part with the beauty of the garden. Until the snow falls, the curtains amaze with the play of bright colors garden geranium, bergenia is dressed up in purple tones, and sedum surprises with the bizarre shapes of sedum on the hills and borders. There are also many unpretentious garden perennial flowers in the garden.

Phlox

It is considered one of the brightest “stars” of the autumn flower bed. These plants overwinter excellently in most regions, form green clumps in the spring, and bloom in the second half of summer, maintaining an incredible variety of colors and splendor of inflorescences almost until October.

Depending on the type and variety, phlox will be indispensable for alpine roller coaster and traditional flower beds, near small bodies of water and next to buildings where tall plants perfectly decorate at any time of the year.

The list of cultivated phlox today includes more than four dozen species, among which only Drummond’s phlox is an annual. All other creeping, bushy, semi-lodging forms with stems from 20 to 150 cm in height are ready to settle in the garden of a lover of decorative and unpretentious perennial flowers for many years.

Perennial asters

Annual asters are the constant leaders of the list of garden annuals for the dacha and garden. However, the true ones are often and undeservedly forgotten.

From August until the snow, these plants bloom, illuminating the entire area with flashes of blue, white, pink, purple shades. There are more than 200 species of perennial asters, varying in size, lifestyle and shape. The Alpine aster is quite small, and its inflorescences-baskets are located on herbaceous erect stems, reminiscent of the familiar chamomile. And the Italian variety has the form of a herbaceous, densely leafy shrub, completely covered with medium-sized flowers. Moreover, all types are extremely decorative and unpretentious.

The height of perennial asters varies from 20 centimeters to one and a half meters. Flowers can be not only of different colors, but simple and double. These perennials form dense dark green clumps in the spring, easily tolerate excess light and lack of moisture in the summer, and completely transform the garden in the fall.

Bush forms can be shaped and can be used to create dense living borders and picturesque groups with other autumn plants.

The only drawback of perennial aster is inherent in many perennial crops. A plant that takes root in the garden begins to multiply uncontrollably, quickly developing new territories. To prevent a previously variegated flowerbed from turning into a “kingdom” of asters, you will have to monitor the spread of the shrub and regularly remove the shoots.

Each of the 30 described ornamental plants can claim the title of the most unpretentious perennial flower for the garden. They are all beautiful and amazing in their own way. In fact, the list of non-capricious cultures that require minimal attention and generously share their beauty is not three dozen, but much larger. You just have to look around, notice and move interesting plant into the garden, choosing a suitable place and neighborhood for the flower.

Video about ground cover perennials in the garden

Express - perennials. That's what they call it perennials, blooming in the year of sowing. Most perennial flowers begin to bloom in the second or even third year, and in the first year they form only a rosette of leaves. Sometimes even though early sowing perennial plants bloom towards the end of the season, but this flowering is weak and does not benefit them, since the plants do not have time to prepare for winter, become weaker and may not even survive the first winter. However, there are perennial flowers that bloom quietly in the year of sowing and delight their owners with fast and lush growth. So they are called express perennials.

Express - perennials

Express perennials are unpretentious plants, most of them can be sown directly in open ground in May or before winter. However, in order to achieve flowering in the first year, it is better to sow the plants as seedlings from January to March, depending on the type of plant. You can read about growing flower seedlings in the article.

Now let's look at a few of the most popular express perennials:

1. Gaillardia grandiflora. Forms bushes about 75 cm high with large daisy flowers of bright colors. Flowering is very long from June to October. You can read more in the article. Sowing seedlings in late March - early April. The seeds are slightly pressed into the soil, but not covered, covered with glass or film and placed in a bright place. Shoots appear in about 2 weeks. Watering should not be done very diligently; the plant does not like waterlogging.

2.Nsome types of carnations They are also quite unpretentious and bloom in the year of sowing, for example, these are grass carnation, lush carnation, and blue carnation. You can read more about carnations in the article.

4. Dubrovnik - a low shrub with spike-shaped inflorescences of small flowers - “lips”. Used to create borders, as well as in rock gardens. Read the article for more details. For flowering in the first year, seedlings are sown from January to March.

9. Some perennial varieties mallow , for example, Zebrina mallow, bloom 4 months after sowing, thus, by sowing mallow in February-March, you can get flowering mallow already in June of this year, it will delight you with flowering until September.

10. Yarrow Pearl – forms compact bushes about 70 cm high with double white flowers, similar to gypsophila flowers. Blooms 4-5 months after sowing. To flower in the first year, you need to sow seedlings in February-March.

Biennials are plants that are grown for two years. In the first year after sowing, they develop a root system, stem and rosette of leaves, and flowers appear in the second year.

The biennials most often found in flower beds include everyone's favorite pansies, daisies, forget-me-nots, and mallow. The undoubted advantage of biennials is that the seeds can be planted directly in open ground. And wait two years... - you might think. However, you can get flowering plants this year if you calculate the sowing time correctly or try to grow them as seedlings.

Immediately after buying the dacha, I wanted to paint the garden in all the colors of the rainbow - the flower garden looked too boring previous owners, overgrown with wheatgrass and nettles. I cleared a space for a flowerbed and planted the most unpretentious annuals: marigolds, calendula and fragrant alyssum. But here and there they remained in the flowerbed empty seats, and I decided to fill them with viola - pansies. I bought packets of Viola Wittrock “Swiss Giants” and “Cats” seeds.

I admit, I have little experience in floriculture, so I strictly followed the instructions for growing plants, carefully indicated on the bags: “Seeds are planted in open ground in July, flowering next year.” So I planted it - at the beginning of July. A week later, sprouts appeared, which I fed with universal flower fertilizer"Kemira". Already in mid-August, my “pansies” had buds, and in September, along with the traditional autumn flowers - rudbeckias and chrysanthemums, some violets bloomed! It’s just a pity that the flowering lasted so short: the fragile plants quickly withered and wilted in the cloudy, cold weather. It turned out that biennials can bloom in the first year, but in the fall...

The next season, I “worked on my mistakes” - I planted viola seeds in open ground not in July, but a little earlier - in June. I planted some of the seeds in boxes at the end of February. The seeds were distributed over the surface of the soil, lightly sprinkled with a thin layer of soil, and sprayed with a spray bottle. She covered the box with film and put it in a dark corner. The soil was regularly sprayed so that it was constantly moist, because... Seeds will not germinate in dry soil. As soon as the first sprouts appeared, I moved the box to the windowsill and was careful not to overcook the seedlings under the film. And two weeks later I planted my seedlings into pots.

At the beginning of May, I planted a grown viola in the flower garden, and already in June the “pansies” delighted me with abundant flowering.

By the way, I read that in the first year you can make forget-me-nots bloom if you plant seeds for seedlings in winter, with the difference that forget-me-not seeds germinate faster in the light, so they are sown scattered on the soil surface and only lightly sprinkled with soil. At the end of April, flowers, already with buds, can be planted in flower beds, where they will bloom in May.

Mallow, which is often called mallow, kalachik, hollyhock, as a garden and medicinal plant grown since ancient times. Perennial mallow is loved by gardeners because planting and caring for it is simple and does not require special knowledge.

Types of mallow

The genus of mallows found in nature is a huge “family” consisting of one-, two- and perennial species. The most common is wood mallow, which includes many forms that differ in height, leaf shape, flower size and color. Based on it, more than 60 cultural species. Hybrid, wrinkled, Sudanese, and musk mallows are popular perennials and permanent residents of our gardens. What unites them long flowering, drought and frost resistance, ease of care.

Perennial

Perennial mallows are represented by the following species.

• M. musk (muscat)– up to a meter tall, flowers with a diameter of 5 cm pink or white, very fragrant, bloom until frost.
• M. sudanese (Sudanese rose, Hibiscus Sabdariffa, okra, hibiscus) is usually cultivated as a biennial. There are two commonly encountered garden forms- tree and shrub. The view is valued in addition to decorativeness for healing properties fruits and bright red flowers.
• M. rugosa (rose hollyhock) is conditionally related to the hollyhocks proper. The height of the peduncle of a wild plant reaches 2 m, the flowers are small, up to 3 cm, painted lemon yellow. Garden varieties vary in height - from 75 cm to 2 m, various colors of simple, semi-double and double flowers.
• M. hybridus usually produces several flower stalks up to 2 m high; the flowers are large and bloom until September. Their coloring is represented by a wide range color scheme– white, pink, purple, peach, etc.
• M. arborescens, often called garden hibiscus, grows up to 3 m. It is formed into a bush or tree. Blooms all summer, flowers are lilac, purple, white.

When choosing mallow, a peculiarity is taken into account: often among annual species there are perennial varieties bred on their basis, and vice versa - perennial species include annual varieties.

Popular varieties of perennial mallow:

• M. muskus – Perfection, White Tower, Pink Tower;
• M. sudanese – shrubby Sadbariffa, tree-like Altissima;
• M. wrinkled – Majorette Mixed, Single Mixed, Powder Puffs Mixed, Summer Carnival, Zebrina Lilac, Fiesta Time;
• M. hybrid – Powder Puffs, Chater’s Double, Gibbortello.

Annuals

A striking representative of the annual mallow is the forest mallow. Its features are poor tolerance to frosty winters and long flowering - from the second half of May to mid-autumn.
Popular annual varieties:

• Zebrina with large flowers painted in various shades Pink colour with pronounced thick red stripes;
• Black mother-of-pearl - flowers are large, deep purple in color with longitudinal black stripes.

Planting mallow

Perennial mallows usually form flower stalks from the second year after planting. But connoisseurs of a beautiful flower know the secret of flowering already in the first year. Both options deserve detailed consideration.

Despite its unpretentiousness, mallow does not like transplants; special attention is paid to the choice of place for its planting.

• The area should be well lit, but slightly shaded during midday.
• You cannot plant mallow in lowlands, in places with close occurrence groundwater or where melt and rain water accumulates.
• Drafts negatively affect flowering, and gusts of wind can break tall flower stalks. Choose a place where the plant will be protected from these misfortunes. Typically, mallow is planted along fences or walls.

For lush flowering and longevity, mallow needs light, air- and moisture-permeable fertile soil with a neutral reaction. In too dry, depleted areas it will not bloom, excessive wet soil promotes the development of root rot.

Planting seeds in open ground

In April-May, you can sow the seeds of perennial mallow in open ground. In the first year, the plant will form a complete root system and leaf rosette, with which he will go for the winter.

1. The first stage is soil preparation. The earth is dug up along with organic matter (rotted manure, humus, compost) and mineral complexes, and the remaining roots of predecessor plants are removed.
2. Prepare holes or grooves 1.5-2 cm deep with an interval of at least 10 cm if the plantings will be thinned out. If the seeds are sown immediately in place, the distance between the planting holes is maintained at about half a meter.
3. The seeds are placed in a hole, covered and watered with warm water.

Shoots appear after 2 weeks. Mallow will bloom from the second year.

Do not rush to thin out the seedlings: the root system of the mallow plant is sensitive to such stress. Thin out mallow plantings in mid-autumn, when the roots have formed and become stronger.

Pre-winter sowing is carried out in October. Dig holes approximately 3 cm deep, place 4-5 seeds in each and cover with a mixture of peat and soil. Then the plantings are mulched with peat, fallen leaves or hay, with branches thrown on top. Flowering is expected in the first season.

Seeds sown before winter begin to germinate as soon as the soil warms up slightly. To protect the seedlings from return frosts, they are covered with lutrasil.

Planting seedlings

The good thing about the seedling method is that beautiful flowers will bloom within the first year.

Seeds are sown one at a time in peat tablets or small pots. This is important for mallow - the fewer transplants it undergoes, the healthier its root system will be. Pre-treatment seeds are not required, but experienced gardeners recommend soaking them for 12 hours to discard non-viable ones.

Sowing time: mid-February – early March.

As a substrate for germination, use purchased universal soil for flowers or seedlings. If desired, the substrate can be composed independently from turf land and humus (compost, peat), taken in a 1:1 ratio.

Growing seedlings takes place according to the following algorithm.

1. The seeds are laid on the surface, sprinkled with a layer of soil mixture of 0.5-1 cm, moistened with a spray bottle and covered with film or placed in a mini-greenhouse.
2. Crops are placed in a warm (20-25°C) place with bright, diffused lighting.
3. Before the sprouts appear, monitor the humidity of the substrate and ventilate the greenhouses.
4. Shoots appear by the end of the second week. The protective film is removed.
5. Caring for seedlings is extremely simple: regular moderate soil moisture, additional lighting up to 10-12 hours a day, periodic loosening of the soil.
6. 10-15 days before transplanting into open ground, seedlings begin to harden, otherwise the seedlings may die within a few hours.
7. If seedlings are grown in a common seedling box, the seedlings are picked at the 2-leaf stage and immediately planted in separate cups.

Seedlings are transplanted into the flowerbed. The interval between low-growing plants is 45-40 cm, tall - 55-60 cm.

Outdoor care

Water the hollyhocks moderately: each bush needs 5 liters of water 1-2 times a week. During dry periods, flowers require watering every other day. Normal mode humidification is possible, but the amount of water is doubled.

It is preferable to use rainwater; tap water should sit for at least a day. First year plants are watered more often, but the soil is not allowed to become waterlogged.

A week after planting, the first fertilizing is carried out: organic matter is added - peat, compost or humus at 3 kg/m2. If fertilizers were applied during planting, there is no need to feed.

Then the mallows are fertilized at the beginning of the budding stage, and mineral complexes are used. Fertilizing is repeated every 3-4 weeks until the end of flowering.

First-year mallows are fed before winter so that they can better withstand the cold.

• NPK for application in spring and before winter;
• "Multiflor" containing chelates;
• for flowering plants.

When stockrose is grown from seeds sown in open ground, such procedures as soil treatment and weeding are especially important. For a developing root system, oxygen is no less important than moisture and good lighting. Loosening is carried out to a depth of about 5 cm, being careful: damage to the roots can lead to the death of the bush. At the same time, weeds are removed that deprive the seedlings nutrients that interfere with normal development.

The tall stems of mallow are inflexible; to preserve them, they use supports - stakes, rods made of wood, metal, etc. It is better to install them when planting the plant, so as not to damage the root system.

Faded inflorescences are removed to prolong flowering time. A completely faded peduncle is cut to 20 cm from ground level.

At the end of flowering, the stems of the mallow are cut flush with the ground and mulched with humus. For middle zone It is recommended to place spruce branches on top. In warm regions, mature plants tolerate winter frosts, content with only mulch.

Regardless of the region of cultivation, young mallows are insulated more thoroughly: they are covered with a thick layer of dry leaves on top of the mulch, and spruce branches are placed on top.

Diseases and pests

Unfavorable weather– temperature changes, prolonged bad weather – become the main cause of fungal diseases. Typical diseases for mallow are mosaic, powdery mildew and especially rust. Violations of the rules of care or close groundwater also often provoke the development of fungal diseases. Leaves and peduncles on which lesions are found are removed, and the plants are completely treated with fungicides.

Annual mallows are less susceptible to diseases than others. They can also be planted when groundwater is close to the ground.

The pests that most often attack mallow are aphids and spider mites. Insecticides are used against them - “Aktaru”, “Aktellik”. Possible use folk remedies, especially when mallow is grown as a medicinal or food plant.

How to collect seeds?

Typically, faded flower stalks are cut off to preserve the decorative appearance of the plantings. To collect the seeds, several flowers are left to ripen. This takes about a month. Collect the seed pods when they turn yellow. They are dried in the shade, the seeds are dried and stored in paper or fabric bags.

Interestingly, the best germination is achieved by seeds that have been stored for three years.

When growing mallow from your own seeds, take into account that all types and varieties willingly cross-pollinate with each other; a new plant can surprise you with a completely unexpected color and degree of flower terry.

Vegetative propagation

In addition to the seed method discussed above, mallows are propagated vegetatively.

Perennial varieties of mallow can be propagated by cuttings, which guarantees one hundred percent preservation of the varietal qualities of the parent plant. First of all, this applies to terry varieties– it is doubleness that is rarely inherited in seeds collected independently.

The optimal time for cuttings is spring and summer. The technology is as follows:

1. cuttings 10-12 cm long are cut from the stems (the work is carried out with a sharp, disinfected instrument, sections of the cuttings are treated with fungicides);
2. for rooting, use the same substrate as for germinating seeds;
3. containers with cuttings are placed in a greenhouse;
4. plantings are ventilated daily, the soil is moistened as necessary;
5. rooted cuttings produce young shoots - from this moment they are ready for transplantation (transshipment).

Dividing a bush is rarely resorted to, only when replanting a plant. The rules are usual, the process is no different from dividing other herbaceous perennials.

Planting perennial mallow and caring for it is an easily solved task; novice gardeners can achieve success without difficulty. If you do everything according to the rules, the process of growing a flower will only bring pleasure, and the result will pleasantly surprise you.