Corm perennials - sparaxis flowers cannot be called very common among garden crops. At the same time, they deserve attention because they have a rich palette of shades, flowers that are bright and noticeable in any environment, and also stand out by the flowering period - at the junction of spring and summer. When inexperienced gardeners see such beautiful flowers as sparaxis, they think that growing and caring in the open field will be incredibly difficult, but it is not. Further, the cultivation conditions will be described in more detail.
Features of sparaxis
Perennial tuberous plant - sparaxis (lat. Sparaxis) belong to the family Iris (lat. Iridaceae). It is grown as a garden crop, home and greenhouse.
Sparaxis flower in bloom
Most of the known sparaxis were found in South Africa, in particular in the Cape region. A tricolor species (lat. Sparaxis tricolor) was brought from California.
Depending on the variety, the height of the ground part of the plant ranges from 15 cm to 60 cm. The leaves are similar to daffodil foliage - smooth, glabrous, belt-shaped, rounded at the ends.
The flower is star-shaped, it can be almost any color. Corollas in diameter reach 5 cm. The tips of the bracts are split, which is reflected in the Latin name of the species.
For reference! There are 6 known species of sparaxis, which some consider a variety of the same plant. The number of known varieties is about 20.
Classification of species of sparaxis
The most common species in horticultural culture are listed below.
Sparaxis tricolor (lat.Sparaxis tricolor)
Among domestic plant lovers, the flower is also known as sparaxis tricolor.
Bushes with xiphoid green leaves up to 40 cm tall with the same tall peduncles, in which the buds are collected in groups of 5-7 pieces. At the base of the petals there is a characteristic black ring, and the base is yellow.
Tricolor Sparaxis
Elegant sparaxis (lat.Sparaxis elegans)
Dwarf variety up to 15 cm high. Flowers are painted in bright orange or white. The popular variety "mix" combines several different shades at once.
The petals also have a black ring and a yellow center, almost completely covered by fused purple stamens.
Graceful sparaxis
Sparaxis Bilbifer (Latin Sparaxis bulbifera)
This species is one of the tall. The height of the bushes reaches 60 cm. Flower stems erect, branched. At the ends, 1-2 buds open. Each flower is about 6 cm across.
Coloring is white, light cream, white and yellow.
Sparaxis bulbifera
Sparaxis grandiflora (lat.Sparaxis grandiflora)
This species is tall. Leaf plates have a belt-like shape. The flowers are large, elongated, they can be painted white, purple and deep yellow. The flowers have a very pleasant aroma, which is why this species is also called fragrant sparaxis.
Sparaxis grandiflora
Varieties that are very popular among gardeners
On sale, sparaxis bulbs remain rare, but the following popular varieties can be purchased in large garden malls.
Elegans
The variety is represented by flowers of white and dark purple color. The corolla core is black or purple. Stamens are black or white. Elegance has a noticeable pleasant aroma.
Sparaxis elegans
Superba
A medium-sized variety 25-30 cm high. A spike-shaped inflorescence is formed by 5-7 buds that open sequentially from the bottom up. The diameter of the corolla is about 5 cm.
Colors are orange, purple, white, yellow and red. The core of the flower is yellow or black.
Sparaxis Red Superba
Lord of fire
Very spectacular flowers with six petals, which have a bright yellow core and blazing in all shades from pink to purple. Plant height ranges from 30-60 cm.
Sort Lord of fire
Jumbo Star Mix
Variety series (mixture) with tall stems and buds of all kinds of shades. This planting material is great for forming mixborders next to other bulb plants with different flowering times.
Striped
The peculiarity of this variety is an unusual color spot at the base of the flower. The yellow sector is outlined by a black rim that has a complex shape. In combination with the petals of scarlet or orange, the illusion of blazing lights is created against a background of bright greenery.
Sparaxis - growing by seeds (minuses of the method)
This plant is rarely obtained from seeds. The reason is that seedlings will be able to give the first flowers only in the 3rd year of life.
Crops are carried out in seedlings of 10 cm high, filled with loose fertile soil. The germination period is up to 30 days. They are thinned out, leaving 2 cm between individual copies.
A transplant into the open ground is performed when the height of the ground part of the seedlings is 7-8 cm. In the autumn they are dug up, and planted back only at the end of next May.
Bulb Planting Instructions
Bulbs are planted in well-lit, but protected from strong winds areas. Flowers shade in the shade. The soil must be well drained, loam will do.
Planting depth - 5-7 cm, between the flowers withstand a distance of 8-10 cm.
Note! Young bulbs in the first year, when planted at the end of May, will be able to bloom in August.
Sparaxis - planting and care in the open ground
The rules of agricultural technology for mid-latitudes almost completely repeat the principles of caring for another popular garden crop - gladioli.
Flowers require regular watering, weeding, and also loosening the soil after watering. If the weather is hot and arid, then after sunset the bushes are sprayed from the spray with warm water.
It is extremely dangerous to plant corms in the flooded lowlands and in the shade of tall bushes and trees. When waterlogged, the underground part rots, and without the sun, the buds do not open.
- Watering
Dry planting needs to be taken care of almost every day. As soon as the soil dries from above, you need to immediately water it with settled water, warmed up in the sun.
- Mulching
To avoid frequent loosening between irrigation, cover the soil with sawdust or peat. Weeds will not appear either.
- Loosening
Since the depth of the bulbs does not exceed 8 cm, loosening the soil between irrigations should be extremely accurate and superficial.
- Top dressing
Be sure, as soon as the first buds appear, they introduce a complex mineral fertilizer for flowering (20 g per 10 l of water) into the soil. During the season, a total of 3 dressings are carried out, stopping them after the flowers wilt.
When and how it blooms
Waiting for flowering is a pleasant time. It should be expected at the very beginning of summer or at the end of it, depending on the region.
Garden with multi-colored sparaxis (mix)
- Types of flowers
In all varieties, the corolla has 6 large petals. Inflorescences are racemose and spike in 2-7 buds. In the center of the corolla there is a large pestle with a stigma split into 6-8 blades and 6 stamens with an overgrown or ordinary base, ending with large black, red or yellow anthers.
- Flower shapes
The size of the corollas varies in a large range of 2-7 cm. The largest flowers have the latest varieties and hybrids, for example, Superba.
- Flowering period
If we are talking about the southern regions, where in winter the temperature does not drop below -5 ° C, then the flowers will bloom at the turn of spring and summer. To the north, in the Urals and Siberia, corms are planted in late May and flowering occurs in late August.
- Changes in flowering care
Since peduncles always have several buds that do not open slightly, it is imperative to remove wilted ones. So more likely that the remaining will have enough strength to open up.
Care after flowering
Everywhere where in winter the air temperature drops below 0 ° C, corms are dug up and stored in basements.
- Bulb digging process
Do not dig sparaxis for the winter, if grown as an annual. In other cases, at the end of flowering, yellowing of the ground part is expected to immediately dig up corms.
- Drying and sorting tubers
It is not necessary to trim the greens that did not have time to wither, you should wait for it to dry and break off. Corms are dried, cleaned of soil, sorted and stored for storage in the basement at a temperature of + 5 ... +9 ° С. Shelf life: 2-3 years.
Note! Kids are plucked just before landing in the ground!
Possible problems in cultivation and care
With proper agricultural technology, the plant rarely upsets with its death. It is enough to inspect the planting every week and pay attention to the appearance of the bushes.
Grandiflora sparaxis striped
When water stagnates in the soil, corms suffer from rot. In advanced cases, the flowers die. If the color of the leaves has become dull or yellow, it means that there is little iron in the soil, you need to fertilize the iron chelate. The most detrimental factors are cold and lack of sun.
Most often, sparaxis can be seen on the alpine slides. This is one of the few bulbous species that do not require a powerful fertile layer of soil and not capricious to the neighborhood with other flowers. The main thing to remember about his exceptional heat loving.
