For modern gardeners, there is a huge number of different ornamental plants: exotic, unusual, and with a particularly attractive appearance. However, there are plants that remain in fashion constantly, due to their unsurpassed decorative qualities and other advantages.
Such representatives of the flora include tuberose - Byron's favorite flower, and the most popular garden plant of the 19th century. Tuberose has an extremely decorative appearance and a delicate, attractive aroma. In the article we will look at the features of this plant: we will find out about the correct planting of tuberose in open ground, and how to properly care for this delicate beauty.
Characteristics of tuberose
Tuberose or polyanthes is represented by a dozen species. Polyanthes tuberiferous is the most popular of them.
- First, long narrow leaves appear, forming a bush of 14-18 arrows 35-45 cm high.
- A dense stem with small compressed leaves grows from the center of the rosette, crowned with a spike-shaped peduncle consisting of 20-30 buds. The stem can reach a meter in height.
- After 3 weeks, flowering begins, starting with the opening of the lower buds and accompanied by a delicate scent.
The perennial is represented by simple and double varieties. Palette: white, pink, yellow, lilac-pink colors. Flower shape: an elongated tube up to 6 cm long with several tiers of pointed petals. The diameter of one flower, the flowering of which lasts 2 days, is 3-6 cm. The flowering period is from mid-July to October, depends on the size and condition of the tuber, and compliance with agricultural technology.
Botanical description of an exotic culture
The exotic plant with a two-year life cycle was described as a luxurious flower with large buds of white or cream color. A variety with red inflorescences is very rare. The root system consists of small bulbs. From the botanical description of the exotic culture, it is known that the tubers reach 2-6 cm in diameter. Each bulb has a two-year life cycle. In the first year, it gains green mass and increases its volume. In the second year, the plant begins abundant summer flowering (June-July). After this, the bulb dies and becomes a nutrient material for new tubers formed nearby during the gardening season.
The stems of tuberose are not numerous. Most often, one upright shoot is formed from one bulb. The upper part of the stem is bare. At the very base there are long elongated leaf plates that grow along the shoot. In the second year of life, the plant produces racemes of waxy flowers with a rich aroma of vanilla and lily. If the buds are closed they are painted a barely noticeable pink tint. When the flower blooms, its length is about 5-6 cm, with a diameter of 3-4. The buds open gradually - starting from the lowest. The average “life” of one flower is 2-3 days, after which it dies, shedding its waxy petals, exposing the stamens and ovary.
The seeds are small and flat. They ripen in large fruit capsules, which are formed immediately after pollination. This process can have a very bad effect on further flowering, so faded buds must be removed from the bush in a timely manner.
The most luxurious and fragrant variety of Tuberose is The Pearl. The height of tuberous polyanthes reaches 50 cm, it increases during flowering. The flowers, after they fully open, reach 5-6 cm in diameter. Such flowers differ from all other hybrids not only in their rich, pleasant aroma, but also in their snow-white waxy corolla petals.
If you want to please yourself with the original shade of racemose inflorescences, then feel free to purchase the “Sensation” variety. Polyanthes flowers are painted in bright crimson and scarlet tones. Unlike tuberose and pearl, their aroma is less intrusive.
Choosing a place for a plant
- For polyanthus, choose an unshaded area, protected from drafts, with fertile and well-drained soil that prevents stagnation of water.
- Planting in open ground is a crucial moment. It is carried out at the end of April - in May, when the average air temperature reaches 15 degrees, and the soil - at least 10.
- To plant unsprouted tubers, large specimens are taken, and the depth of the hole in open ground should be no more than 3 cm.
- It is very important not to fill the top of the plant: deepening can lead to a lack of flowering. When transplanting germinated seedlings, the same conditions are observed.
Storage and germination of tubers
After flowering, the bush is left in the ground, cutting off the peduncle for the ripening of tubers and the formation of children; up to 20 of them can form on one bush. From this time on, feeding and watering are stopped. Dig up before frost, dry in a room at a temperature of 15-20 degrees, sort out and store at rest in a warm, dark place:
- until April-May, if planting in open ground is planned, flowering will occur only at the end of summer;
- until February-March - to germinate for early flowering.
Before planting, but before the start of the growing season, the tubers are carefully separated and the children are separated. After this procedure, the planting material must be disinfected by immersing it in a pink solution of potassium permanganate for two hours.
To germinate, it is advisable to first spread the tubers on damp peat or sphagnum and keep them in the dark until roots appear and only then plant them in containers. They must be deep: the plant forms strong, long roots. The soil is prepared from equal parts of sand, leaf soil and turf and moistened. Planting depth is 1.5-2 cm. For seedlings to grow, they need light; if it is not enough, additional lighting is provided.
If you plan to plant flowers not on the site, but to decorate a gazebo, veranda, or recreation area with them, then plant them immediately in flowerpots, pots and other containers, and when the weather warms up, take them out into the garden. In the fall, plants from them can not be dug up, but placed in a dark room until spring.
When to plant tulip bulbs
Tulips are primroses, which is why they need to be planted in the ground in the fall. Baby tulips can be planted immediately after being separated from the mother plant, as they are poorly stored and can dry out before planting. To do this, a good place is chosen for them, treatment is carried out against pests and diseases, and the bulb is planted
It is important to water it in a timely manner, otherwise it may dry out. Children are not dug up for the winter; they overwinter well in the ground
Tulips are primroses, which is why they need to be planted in the ground in the fall.
Important! If the storage temperature of the bulbs is low, they will not be able to form buds and flowering may not be expected next year.
It is difficult to say exactly when to plant mature bulbs, as it depends on the climate. But usually gardeners focus on the end of September or mid-October. By this time, the soil should have a temperature of +7...+10 degrees so that the bulb does not germinate prematurely.
You can plant it 2 weeks before the onset of frost, but then it is important to cover the top of the ground with spruce branches, leaves, peat or similar mulch. This “coat” will allow the bulbs to quickly take root before frost. Tulips can also be planted in spring, but in this case they will bloom much later
Growing tulips on the site is not difficult. They are ideal not only for greenhouses, but also for open ground. The variety of varieties and species allows you to choose something special for your garden. But in order for the plant to delight you with its beautiful flowers every year, you need to know when to dig up tulips. If the procedure is carried out on time and correctly, the bulbs will be well stored, will quickly take root after planting in the fall and will produce large, beautiful flowers for next year.
Agricultural technology
For full development, it is necessary, first of all, to comply with dormancy, forcing and planting conditions. Further care is not much different from caring for other flowers:
- Does not tolerate drought or excessive watering. A good option: plant a ground cover plant around the bushes that will retain moisture;
- responsive to feeding during budding and flowering. Fertilizer application is stopped after flowering;
- the stems must be tied so that they do not break from gusts of wind or under the weight of flower stalks;
- Remove faded flowers regularly.
Care
After planting, the plants provide decent care, which consists of the following steps:
- Watering. Since tuberose is considered a heat-loving flower, it needs to be watered with warm water. Water regularly as the earthen clod dries out. But you need to make sure that moisture does not accumulate, otherwise the root system will rot, which will negatively affect the corms.
- Feeding. Complex fertilizer is used as a fertilizer for feeding. You should not overdo it with nitrogen, as they will inhibit the plant and lead to its lodging. Reacts well to organic fertilizers. It is better to apply twice a season, after planting and before flowering.
- The flower should not be allowed to be thickened by other plants. Tuberose loves freedom.
If you decide to buy flower tubers, then you need to choose the largest ones, since small bulbs measuring less than 2 cm in diameter may not produce a peduncle in the first year.
It should also be remembered that after digging up the flower tubers for winter storage, they must be dormant for some time, at least one month. Only then do sprouts begin to sprout.
Pests and diseases
A native of Mexico is saved from pests by its persistent smell: it repels many insects. Rare pests are spider mites, aphids and mole crickets; appropriate preparations are used to combat them.
Good immunity prevents diseases, but with excess nitrogen in the soil, prolonged rains and thickening, tubers can be affected by gray rot, which is very difficult to get rid of. To prevent the disease, it is recommended to treat the tubers before planting with drugs such as Fundazol and Fitosporin.
Types and varieties of tuberose
The queen of fragrances is represented by 13 types. In our climatic conditions, flower growers have fallen in love with tuberous polyanthes, represented by various varieties.
Most beautiful:
- “Pearl” is the most popular variety, the photo of which is most often used when describing tuberose: pink buds, blooming, open large double white, wax-like petals;
- “Sensation” – small pink flowers with a lilac tint;
- “Pink Sapphire” - double flowers with petals of light pink color, turning into dark purple at the edges;
- "Yellow Baby" - simple flowers of soft yellow color.
Aroma
In many countries, the name tuberose is associated with the fragrance it exudes: the queen of the night, the queen and the queen of fragrance. It is natural that its essential oil is widely used in perfumery to compose compositions of men's and women's perfumes, perfumes and eau de toilette by famous companies:
- “Lancome” - “Climat”, “Magie Noire”, “Roem”;
- “Dioir” - “J'adore”, “Miss Dior”, “Poison”;
- "Chanel" - "Gabrielle", "Anais Anais";
- "Givenchy" - "Amarige";
- "Gucci" - "Bloom Acqua di Fiori", "Flora";
- "Slava Zaitsev" - "Maroussia".
The most interesting thing is that the description of the smell cannot be expressed in a few words: it changes during the day, intensifying at night, and you can catch notes of narcissus, honey, fruit, gardenia. Fragrant breath can be heard at a distance of 15-20 meters.
What does it smell like
The green narcotic notes of the tuberose flower touch the finest emotional strings and go straight to the heart. Once you hear them, you will never be able to get them out of your memory. Some people compare the sound to daffodils, but our exotic plant reveals more melodic milky-creamy chords.
Gardenias, frangipani, jasmine - together they can form something that would vaguely resemble a tuberose symphony. However, a flower that alone could imitate this mysterious and exciting palette of feelings and passions simply does not exist.
What is noteworthy is that in selective perfumery you can find such terms as “cold” and “warm”. These are exotic notes that sound fundamentally different in perfume compositions.
Place for tuberose in the garden
Those who like to decorate the garden with beautiful specimens prefer to plant the night queen closer to resting places to enjoy the shimmer of the aroma. Group plantings of different varieties create an interesting color composition. Mexican looks great next to other flowers in the flower beds.
Tuberose can be grown as a houseplant, but the intense smell can cause headaches. For the same reason, bouquets of polyanthus - delicate and exquisite - cannot be placed in the bedroom or rooms where people spend a lot of time.
The flower, sung by many poets, will decorate any garden or country corner. True, this will require some effort. But enchanting beauty is a worthy reward for care.
Use in landscape design
Once upon a time, tuberose enjoyed incredible popularity, it was sung and poems were written about it. Then she was forgotten for quite a long time. However, now the well-deserved success is returning, these beautifully flowering plants in retro style have returned to garden fashion. Of course, this delicate culture is most popular in the southern regions. But it is so attractive that it will become the highlight of any flower garden.
Gladiolus is considered a good neighbor for polyanthus. They are similar in cultivation technology and harmonize perfectly. When the gladioli have already faded, the tuberose buds bloom. Thus, an area of continuous flowering is formed. They are extremely effective in flower beds and look great when planted in dense clumps.
They are used in garden beds; low-growing, beautifully flowering or decorative foliage plants should be planted in front of them. Designers love to place containers with tuberoses on open terraces and gazebos. It is generally accepted that the fragrance of this plant and all its beauty are revealed on a quiet summer evening.
In potted culture, it decorates rooms, loggias, and balconies. You must understand that the aroma of tuberose is very rich and bright; it is better to keep it in a well-ventilated area. Used by florists for cutting. This type of application is promising, gaining more and more popularity and becoming fashionable. Does not fade in a vase for about 2 weeks. Essential oils of this plant have been used in the perfume industry for a very long time. They are considered one of the most expensive.
