Armeria is a perennial herbaceous plant from the Piggy family. It forms strikingly thick grassy sods, above which on thin flower stalks balls of dense bright inflorescences rise. In nature, the plant most often lives on the mountain slopes near the sea, in the Mediterranean, North America, Mongolia and Eastern Europe. Thick green pillows can be used for landscaping the garden and decorating the flower garden. Even in a temperate climate, armeria feels great and tolerates wintering in open ground. Caring for her does not require much effort.
Botanical Description
Armeria is a genus of perennial herbs. The height of the turf is about 15-20 cm, and during flowering can reach 60 cm. The plant has a shortened root root. Above the surface of the soil is a dense leaf rosette of narrow linear leaves. They are painted in bright green or bluish color and form a dense pillow, under which it is difficult to distinguish the earth.
Armeria begins to bloom in May and delights gardeners with fragrant bright inflorescences until the end of summer. A long erect stem grows from the center of the leaf outlet. Its smooth, bare or slightly pubescent surface is painted dark green. Flowers on short pedicels are located close to each other, so the inflorescence resembles an ideal ball. Bisexual buds are purple, pink, purple, or white. Bracts of the corolla grow together in a small tube, and 5 stamens are located in the center. After pollination, the fruits ripen - dry single-seeded boxes.
Types of Armeria
Botanists have recorded about 90 species of armeria. Most popular is armeria seaside. It forms thick dark green sods. Plant height does not exceed 20 cm. Linear, slightly flattened foliage is painted in blue-green color. Capitate inflorescences, towering on pubescent peduncles, have a pink-purple hue. Flowering begins in late May and can be repeated in September. Popular varieties:
- Vindiktiv - blooms large bloody red flowers;
- Louisiana - blooms with pink inflorescences;
- Alba - a variety with snow-white inflorescences;
- Solendens Perfecta - Blossoms miniature light purple flowers.
Armeria Alpine. The species lives on the mountain slopes and is compact in size. The height of the turf does not exceed 10 cm, and the diameter reaches 30 cm. Many narrow bright green leaves remain even in frosty winters. In early June, a smooth peduncle 30 cm long grows from the center of the outlet. It carries a capitate inflorescence with a diameter of no more than 3 cm. The small bells in it are painted in light pink tones. Popular varieties:
- Rosea - turf is covered with many bright pink inflorescences;
- Laucheana - blooms with carmine flowers;
- Alba - with snow-white buds.
Armeria sod. The plant is found in highlands. It forms a thick curtain less than 15 cm in height. But the bush width can be 20 cm. Narrow dark green foliage is collected in dense rosettes. Above it are inflorescences on short (about 6 cm) stems. This species blooms in July and delights with flowers up to 50 days. Flowering is so plentiful that under many inflorescences it is difficult to distinguish leaves. The variety is distinguished by the most capricious character. For normal development, it needs partial shade and shelter for the winter, as severe frosts can destroy this plant. Varieties:
- Bivenz Veraieti - pink and white double flowers;
- Brno - terry flowers of a lilac shade.
Seed cultivation
Armeria from seeds can be grown through seedlings or sown immediately in the ground. The latter is possible only in the southern regions, since the seeds germinate with the first warm days, but may subsequently suffer from return frosts. Sowing in open ground is carried out in November, so the seeds will undergo a natural stratification and seedlings will appear in March.
Growing seedlings begin in mid-February. Within a week, the seeds must be stratified at a temperature of + 2 ... + 8 ° C. Then they are soaked for 24 hours in warm water and sown in a container with a sand-peat mixture to a depth of 5 mm. Germinate at a temperature of + 16 ... + 20 ° C. Shoots appear within 2-3 weeks. In greenhouses, seedlings continue to grow until mid-May, when the plants are strong enough and the likelihood of frost disappears.
Vegetative propagation
Shrubs form many root processes annually. Dense turf can be divided into several parts and planted in different parts of the garden. The first division is performed at the age of 3 years. The procedure is carried out at the end of summer, at the end of flowering. The bush is completely dug up and divided into several parts. All delenki should consist of plants with a strong root system. The distance between new landings should be at least 20 cm.
Throughout the summer, armeria can be propagated by cuttings. This implies separation from the sod of a young outlet without roots, or with an underdeveloped rhizome. Rooting is done in open ground. Having planted the shank in loose, well-drained soil, it is covered with a cap for 1-2 weeks, but aired and watered daily as necessary. Rooting takes place rather quickly.
Outdoor landing
Armeria is a photophilous plant, therefore, for its planting, open, well-lit areas of the garden are selected. It is recommended to immediately take care of protection against drafts and strong gusts of wind. The soil for armeria should have a neutral or slightly acidic reaction. The presence of lime in the soil is undesirable. To prepare alkaline soil, ammonium nitrate and acetic acid are added to it. Sandy stony soils are most suitable for growing armeria. If there are none on the plot, a layer about 20 cm thick can be created independently from a mixture of river sand, turf and greenhouse land.
A few days before planting, the soil is well loosened and a complex of organic fertilizers is applied (shredded sawdust, hay, needles and humus). To get the isolated sod grass armeria, the distance between the seedlings should be about 40 cm. To form a continuous carpet, it is cut in half. The landing holes are shallow so that the root neck is located above the soil surface. The soil is compacted and moderately watered. You can scatter pebbles on the surface or make masonry.
Plant care
If the place for the armeria is chosen correctly and the planting conditions are met, it will be easy to take care of the armeria in the garden. She needs moderate watering. In rainy weather, there will be enough natural precipitation, but in summer heat and drought it is recommended to irrigate the bushes by sprinkling. The soil between watering should dry out.
Every 1-1.5 months, armeria is fertilized with mineral fertilizers for flowering plants. The fertilizer solution is poured into the soil instead of watering. Thanks to this, the leaves will be especially bright, and flowering abundant. On peat and loamy soils, the need for fertilizing is not so great, because the plants get everything they need from the nutrient land.
After flowering is completed, it is worth immediately cutting off the fading inflorescences. This can not only increase the attractiveness of the green cover in the garden, but also achieve a reappearance of flowers in the armeria in August or early September.
Armeria winters in central Russia and more southern regions under the snow, without additional shelter. For turfy armeria, they provide shelter with spruce branches or non-woven material. They will save other species in severe frosts. It is advisable to prevent the accumulation of moisture near plants, since during the dormant period, the armeria does not tolerate waterlogging of the soil.
Flowers very often suffer from parasites and plant diseases. With regular flooding of the soil, the development of root rot or leaf spotting is possible. This problem is especially relevant in early spring, during the period of snowmelt. Affected specimens slow down in growth and do not bloom. If the disease can be detected at an early stage, fungicide treatment will help to heal the affected plants.
The most private and dangerous pest for armeria is aphid. She literally drains the foliage. In early summer, it is recommended to carry out preventive treatment with insecticides. If parasites are found, it is repeated according to the instructions. The most effective drugs are Intavir, Karbofos, Kinmiks and others.
Armeria in the garden
Armeria is beautiful with its dense bright vegetation. It is used in mixborders, discounts, rocky gardens and rock gardens. Plants on stony masonry or natural hillsides also look good. The dense foliage retains its beauty all year round, forming a continuous green carpet. In summer, a pattern of bright, fragrant inflorescences of an unusual shape blossoms on it.
In the flower garden, armeria goes well with undersized flora (phlox, thyme, saxifrage, bluebells). You can also create a composition exclusively from armeria of various species and varieties. Inflorescences are well preserved after drying, so they are used in dry compositions. To do this, they are cut at the peak of flowering and dried, hanging down with their heads.
