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It is possible to grow a heliotrope in your garden, but planting and caring for the plant should be special. By its nature, it is a perennial, but in cold climates it is grown during the season, and planted again the next year. The flowers have a very pleasant scent that is used in the perfumery industry.
The peculiarity of the heliotrope is that it always turns its heads towards the sun, as if following it.
The culture belongs to the Burachnikov family. Heliotrope is a fairly compact plant. Depending on the variety, its height can be from 20 to 60 centimeters. The flower does not need to be planted in the ground, it is also suitable for container growing. Undersized species look spectacular in the pots. If you plant a perennial heliotrope in a greenhouse, it will be able to grow there for several seasons in a row without re-sowing.
The plant looks decorative even when not in bloom. Its leaves are oval or ovoid and have a raised surface. From above, the leaf plates are covered with villi. Small flowers, exuding vanilla aroma, are collected in lush inflorescences. The color of the petals can be:
Most species continue to bloom all summer long. Some varieties of heliotrope grow and bloom well at home.
The natural color of heliotrope flowers is blue, with a purple tint. White, pink, purple varieties were bred later as a result of selection work. On the territory of Russia, you can find several common types of heliotrope. It will not be superfluous to familiarize yourself with their description.
The pubescent heliotrope is a poisonous plant and is often found as a weed. It is not recommended to plant it on the site, especially if children and pets have access to the flower. The plant is a rigidly pubescent, branched bush 25 cm high. Its leaves are elliptical or rounded.
This variety blooms throughout the summer. At this time, inflorescences appear on the plant, consisting of small white-yellow flowers. At the end of flowering, fruits with seeds are formed. Heliotrope seeds are also poisonous. When they enter the gastrointestinal tract, toxic liver damage develops.
The name of this variety partially reflects the characteristics of the plant. European heliotrope is a branchy bushes 40 cm high. Plants bloom in May, flowering continues until the end of summer.
The species is distinguished by extremely lush inflorescences. The flowers are white, sometimes light green or yellowish. The plant is sensitive to cold, so it is planted on the south side of the site. The landing site must be protected from winds.
One of the largest varieties. The height of the bush reaches 60 cm, the width of the crown is 2 times more (up to 120 cm). Inflorescences can be of different colors.There are varieties with white flowers, as well as plants with pale blue inflorescences. The shrub can be planted in the background of flower arrangements, near a hedge or wall of a house.
This is the tallest variety found in culture. The height of the bushes can reach up to 1.2 m. The leaves of corymbose heliotrope plants are narrow, long, slightly concave. The shrub blooms in a very original way. The bottom of the petals is colored blue, and the top is colored dark blue. The flowers are collected in corymbose inflorescences about 10 cm in diameter. This species can bloom until frost.
The most popular subspecies of culture, with many varieties. Plants have good cold resistance, bloom beautifully.
A widely known variety of heliotrope arborescent in central Russia. An absolutely unpretentious plant that even a novice florist can easily grow from seeds. The height of the bush reaches a maximum of 0.5 m. The inflorescence is about 15 cm in size and has a rich purple color.
The variety blooms in early June, flowering continues until frost. The fruit (coenobium) consists of 4 parts, resembling medium-sized nuts, inside which there are seeds. The plant can be grown at home as a perennial. There are also miniature varieties of this variety - "Marine Dwarf", "Marine mini".
A very beautiful plant with bright blue flowers up to 45 cm high. The buds are collected in lush inflorescences. A semi-shrub can become a real decoration of a flower bed; its additional advantage is a persistent vanilla aroma. The plant is suitable not only for flower beds, it can also be grown in containers, on balconies and loggias, on the southern windowsill of the apartment. Flowering takes a long time - from May to October. The plant does not tolerate direct sun, but loves diffused bright light.
This subspecies did not gain much popularity among gardeners due to its modest size, the plant height is only 15–25 cm. The foliage of this species is similar to the leaves of other related shrubs, but has wavy edges, which makes it different from the rest. The flowers are painted in the traditional bright purple color for heliotrope. The shrub blooms in May, flowering ends in early autumn.
The culture is propagated by seeds or cuttings. Cuttings can be used to produce new plants when the heliotrope is already growing in the garden. If the crop is being re-planted, the seeds must be purchased from a specialty store.
By the way, sowing your own seeds may not always give the expected result. The fact is that hybrid plants do not pass on their qualities to subsequent generations. Since heliotrope refers to crops with a long growing season (more than 3 months pass from the moment of germination to flowering), cultivation from seeds is carried out only by seedling. Otherwise, the plants simply will not have time to bloom or the flowering will be very short-lived.
Sowing seedlings of heliotrope seeds is carried out in the second half of February. From the moment of emergence to the beginning of flowering, 3-4 months pass. The seedlings are kept at home until warm weather sets in.
Before planting, the seeds are sorted out. They must be free of rot and mold. To obtain high-quality seedlings, it is also important to choose the right soil.
When compiling a soil mixture, take:
A week before sowing, the soil is spilled with a solution of potassium permanganate. To accelerate germination, the seeds can be pre-soaked for several hours in warm water or germinated, but you can also sow dry.
At the time of sowing, the soil should be slightly damp.Seeds are spread over the surface, lightly sprinkled with sifted soil on top. Then the crops are irrigated from a spray bottle and covered with a film. The shelter is removed after shoots appear on the surface. The box with seedlings should be in a warm place all this time. The germination process usually takes 1 to 3 weeks.
Seedlings require suitable growing conditions. The room temperature should not drop below 22–25 ° C. The first 2-3 weeks, due to insufficient daylight hours, plants will need backlighting. After 2-3 true leaves are formed on the seedlings, they are picked in separate pots. The day before the procedure, the seedlings are watered to make it easier to remove the plants from the ground.
When the bushes grow up to 10 cm in height, they pinch the stem to cause the appearance of side shoots. It is not recommended to harden flower seedlings, the culture reacts negatively to cold. While the heliotrope is at home, it is watered regularly, but in moderation, avoiding waterlogging of the soil.
Seedlings will thrive outdoors if planted after the soil temperature has reached 15 ° C. You need to measure the indicator not from above, but at the planting depth. Plants should also not be threatened by return frosts. If the weather is unstable, it is better to play it safe and keep the seedlings at home a little longer.
After planting, the first days, if necessary, the plants are kept under a film cover. In central Russia, suitable weather conditions occur in the second half of May. In the southern regions, you can transplant flowers to a flower bed 2-3 weeks earlier. In Siberia and the Urals, the dates are shifted to early June.
The preparation of the planting site depends on the initial composition of the soil. Clay and peat should be added to the sandy soil. Heavy soil is made looser by adding a mixture of sand and peat. Before planting, holes are made in the flowerbed of such a size that the root system of the seedlings fits.
If the plants were grown in peat cups, they are planted right that way, without removing the shell. You can only slightly tear the walls so that the roots develop freely. After planting, abundant watering is carried out. The plant will bloom luxuriantly if the flower bed is in a sunny, windless area.
Caring for heliotrope includes standard agrotechnical measures:
In addition, it is necessary to remove faded buds in time. After flowering is complete, you can harvest the seeds. The collection is carried out when the flowers finally wither and the leaves begin to dry out. The planting material is stored in a warm, dry place.Failure to comply with agricultural techniques can lead to the appearance of gray rot and other diseases, then the shrub will need to be treated with a fungicide. If pests are noticed on the plant (whitefly, aphid, spider mite), they are treated with insecticides and acaricides.
When the right conditions are created, heliotrope reveals itself in all its glory. The variety of varieties and the long flowering period make this flower quite an appropriate element of garden decoration. It is necessary to take care of sowing for seedlings in advance, because the plant has a long growing season.
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