Lavender is a beautiful ornamental plant that has been known since ancient times. Its homeland is the Mediterranean coast. It is there that you can see insanely beautiful lilac-lilac fields planted with spherical lavender bushes.
The flowers, fragrant with freshness, are so beautiful that when you see them once, you will immediately fall in love with this plant. You don't have to go to the southern countries to admire the lavender. You can make a small flower garden on your windowsill and enjoy the flowering of an exquisite plant grown from seeds.
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Lavender - description and types
An evergreen shrub up to 50-60 cm in height is distinguished by straight stems with a felt bloom. At the top of each stem is a spike-like peduncle, consisting of narrow flowers.
The palette of shades of lavender flowers can range from pale blue to deep purple. There are about 30 plant species in nature, but only a few of them are the most popular.
Scalloped lavender Is a small shrub covered with very fragrant, large flowers that bloom in the middle of summer. Its beautiful toothed leaves are silvery. This type of plant loves warmth, so it can only be grown at home.
Lavandin variety in height reaches two meters. Differs in narrow and long leaves, and large or small purple, violet or blue flowers. This hybrid variety blooms a little later than all other narrow-leaved lavender species.
Its flowers begin to bloom only in mid-July. The plant is of great medicinal value. High quality essential oil is obtained from it.
Broadleaf lavender or spikelet is a plant with very fragrant flowers. On each of its stems there are three inflorescences at once.
Narrow-leaved lavender or English most loved by flower growers. She is not afraid of frost, and is easy to clean. Lavender grows up to one meter and is distinguished by narrow leaves and flowers. The flowering period is in July.
It is in this month that the blue, white, purple, pink or purple flowers of English lavender bloom. They have a unique fresh, delicate aroma.
French lavender is an ornamental variety that can be grown in the gardens of central Russia. A bush with a long stem and bracts strewn with flowers of various shades.
The varieties of this plant species bred by breeders can bloom with purple, lilac, burgundy, white or green flowers with a very strong but pleasant aroma.
The peculiarity of French lavender is that it has an early flowering period. Sometimes it can bloom a second time in a season. Breeders recommend growing this type of plant at home.
Medicinal plant varieties
The type of medicinal lavender includes different varieties, among which there are dwarf ones (for example, Little Lottie and Nana Alba), as well as plants with different shades of inflorescences:
White - Alba.- Blue - Beechwood Blue.
- Pink - Rosea.
- Purple - Gem and Hidcote.
- Pink Perfume - 45-60 cm tall, pink flowers.
Method of growing lavender from seeds
You can settle beautiful and fragrant bushes in your flower garden by growing them yourself from seeds.
It is better to buy seeds in a specialized store. It is recommended to choose narrow-leaved lavender varieties, which are most suitable for growing at home.
It is necessary to start dealing with seeds in winter, or even in autumn. Since they must go through a long stratification procedure... This will harden the seeds and increase their germination. To do this, they need to be mixed with wet sand and kept in the vegetable section of the refrigerator for two months.
Around February or March, seeds are sown in seedling containers filled with an earthen mixture. You can prepare the soil for sowing yourself by taking for this:
- garden land - 3 parts;
- humus - 2 parts
- river sand - 1 part.
The mixture must be examined and sieved, since it should not have large lumps. Otherwise, small lavender seeds may simply not sprout.
Before planting seeds, it is recommended to steam the soil, spill pink solution of potassium permanganate or ignite at a temperature of 110-130 degrees.
Seeds are sown into containers filled with soil and drainage and sprinkled with sand on top, which is then sprayed with warm water. So that the seeds hatch together, seedlings boxes are covered with glass or polyethylene.
The result will be a kind of greenhouse with optimal moisture and temperature for germination. Seedlings sprout at an air temperature of +18 to +22 degrees.
The first shoots should appear in 20-30 days. If this does not happen, then the seedling containers need to be refrigerated for three weeks. After the seedlings appear, the boxes rearranged in a warm room.
As soon as the first shoots appear, the seedlings are exposed in a well-lit place. To prevent the seedlings from stretching, it is recommended to install additional lighting.
Young plants need to be accustomed to indoor air gradually. To do this, the film or glass is removed first for one hour a day, then for two hours, and after a few days it is completely removed.
As soon as the seedlings get stronger, you can tackle it planting in separate pots or large wide drawers. Planting must be done carefully so as not to damage the roots. Therefore, the plants are dug up with a large clod of earth.
Growing lavender cuttings
If your friends have lavender bushes in the garden or at home, you can ask them to share with you. Moreover, the plant will not be severely damaged by cuttings. It is better to do this procedure with narrow-leaved lavender in spring or summer, and broad-leaved cuttings in early autumn.
Cuttings cut from the upper or middle part of the shoot should be at least 7-10 cm long. If you take the lower part of the shoot for reproduction, the cuttings may not take root. The cut is made closer to the kidney. Flowers and leaves are removed from the bottom.
Before planting the cutting dipped in a special powderwhich stimulates rooting. It is necessary to root and grow the bushes in a mixture of peat and sand (1: 1). Each stalk is covered with foil and aired daily.
Seedling care is in regular spraying and keeping the soil moist. It is also recommended to create such growing conditions in which the temperature of the sand will be higher than the air temperature. In this case, the cuttings will take root in 5-6 weeks and can be planted in a permanent place.
Rules for caring for lavender at home
Growing lavender at home is significantly different from growing it outdoors. Lavender in a pot is the most demanding in terms of maintenance and care.
Choosing a place. Plant likes good lightingtherefore it is recommended to grow it on eastern and western windowsills.
Throughout the day, lavender bushes should be lit for 8-10 hours. Therefore, in the winter season it is recommended to highlight the plant using a fluorescent lamp.
The room must be ventilated daily. The moisture level for a flower does not really matter. However, in winter, if the plant is near the battery, it needs spray regularly.
In summer, bush pots can be grown on a loggia or balcony. They should be taught to the new environment gradually. In the early days, plants are taken out into the fresh air for an hour or two.
Watering and feeding
The soil in the lavender pot should be kept moist at all times. The plant is watered with settled water at room temperature once a day. But, if the room is cool, then the frequency of watering is reduced, since overflows are destructive for the plant.
Young plants are fed for ten weeks special complex fertilizers every seven days. Mature plants only need feeding during flowering.
During this period, lavender loves nitrogen fertilizers. At the same time, as soon as the plant fades, their use must be abandoned.
Preparing lavender for winter
Home-grown lavender is an evergreen ornamental plant that rests during winter. To do this, the flower needs to create certain conditions and prepare it for wintering:
- After flowering, the bushes must be cut a few nodes above the beginning of the flower's growth.
- Dry stems are removed.
- A pot of lavender is placed in a cool room.
- Watering is reduced to once a week.
When growing lavender in winter, you need to ensure that the plant has enough light. Otherwise, the leaves will begin to drop and wither.
Lavender application
In addition to being a beautiful plant, lavender flowers and leaves can be used as a condiment or made into lavender oil.
Essential oils from lavender are widely used in perfumery and medicine for medicinal baths. Shredded and dried leaves of the plant are used in cooking.
They have a tart taste and a rather strong odor. With their help, meat and fish dishes are given a special flavor. Dried herbs are used for making sauces.
Growing lavender at home is not such a difficult task. With good lighting and proper care, the plant will reciprocate and delight with beautiful fragrant flowers.
