A beautiful garden cannot be imagined without flowers. Usually, flower beds are decorated with perennial and annual plants that bloom at different times. Among the many delicate and fragrant flowers, gardeners prefer unpretentious types of ornamental plants to care for.
Escholzia belongs to this category of flowers, which, with its long flowering, will revive any flower bed. What is this type of flowers? How to grow escholzia from seeds, what are the requirements for caring for it?
Quivering eschsholzia: photo and description
Delicate and beautiful eschsholzia belongs to the poppy family... People call it "wormwood" because the leaves on the stems resemble wormwood. The plant is known as the "California Poppy" because the flower is native to California and is also the symbol of the state of the same name.
This poppy family includes about a dozen species. Eshsholzia is very popular with summer residents for a simple reason - beautiful and undemanding to care for. Flowers, depending on the species, can grow up to 60 cm. Smooth and thin branches form a lush shrub. The leaves on the plant are light green and small in size. The unusual color of the leaves gives a waxy coating and they appear gray. The flowers of the escholzia are small, reaching about 5 cm, it blooms almost all summer. The flowering time begins in the second half of June and ends in September. Escholzia flower color may be different:
- bright yellow;
- red,
- Orange;
- cream.
Under natural conditions, the flower multiplies by itself. Its seeds are randomly crumbled during flowering and new plants appear. At the summer cottage, it is enough to sow the seeds of the escholzia once and it will grow for many years. It can also be grown by seedling.
The photo clearly shows that it is difficult to look away from the bright terry colors of the escholzia. Flowers are like a bright flash of light. The buds open in sunny weather and if it is cloudy days, they just fall off. The opened inflorescences, like the wings of butterflies, adorn the flower bed with their bright colors throughout the summer.
Growing from seed, when to plant
In the climatic conditions of Russia, the flower has taken root remarkably, it easily tolerates severe frosts... Eschsholzia is easy to grow, the main thing is to immediately decide on a permanent planting site. In open ground, seeds are sown in early spring, but some experts in floriculture sow them in the fall. Then the bright flowers of the Escholzia can be seen in early spring.
Many summer residents grow escholzia for their flower beds by the seedling method. This is very easy to do. It is enough to sow seeds into a container and germinate them. Seedlings usually appear in 2-3 weeks. The sprouts should get stronger, this happens when they have 2-3 true leaves. To make the seedlings strong, they should be thinned out, removing weak shoots.
When the seedlings become stronger, their planted in open ground... When planting, the distance between the seedlings should be about 20 cm and no more. The height of the flower stems will depend on the type of escholzia. Usually, the plant in the process of growth forms into a shrub and further begins to creep along the ground.
The flower has a rod-shaped root system and for this reason it is easy to damage it when transplanted into the ground. Since the seeds are very small to grow, they are first placed in peat tablets and then in a plastic container filled with soil. It must be moistened carefully with water from a spray bottle. Be sure to cover the tray with foil or glass. Seeds will germinate quickly in good light with a temperature of +! 5 + 18aboutC. Under normal conditions, seedlings will appear in about a couple of weeks and during this time the tablets do not need to be watered. The cover must be removed immediately after germination.
A container with seedlings is exposed to a lighted place with an optimal temperature +20aboutFROM... Watering the tablets should be done as they dry, this is noticeable by their settling. If there is excess moisture, it must be removed, as excessive moisture will cause the plant to die.
After 14 days, you can apply mineral fertilizers in liquid form. It is best to choose a fertilizer, where it is indicated on the package - "for seedlings". Even before the seedlings are planted in open ground, they are hardened for several hours. This can be done in the morning, bringing seedlings to the balcony or veranda at a temperature of -5aboutFrom about two weeks before planting.
Seedlings are planted together with tablets at a distance of 30 cm from each other. Be sure to moisten it well before planting.
Flower care
Growing escholzia is within the power of any gardener. It is undemanding to care for, but in order for the plants to develop well and bloom for a long time, it should be done a few main recommendations for care.
Escholzia does not like strong moisture, but when planting, it is better to water the soil abundantly. It is also desirable to increase watering during the flowering period. The best time to water is in the evening. With excess moisture, the root system will rot.- Escholzia needs regular weeding and does not tolerate weeds. Weeding is not easy because the plant is creeping, so weeds are usually removed by hand.
- Before flowering, it is necessary to fertilize the flowers if the soil is depleted.
- The flowering period of escholzia will be long if the fading inflorescences on the stems are removed in time. Leave a few flowers to collect the seeds. When the seed pod is brown, the seed can be harvested.
The plant is wonderful reproduces by self-seeding, is not afraid of frosty winters. After planting seedlings in a year, it will give many new shoots, which will develop well with normal care. For such an attitude, the escholzia will certainly please with its bright color and will decorate the personal plot for a long time.
