Lobelia is a herbaceous plant from the Bellflower family. It is common in South Africa and the subtropical zone of the southern hemisphere. In a temperate climate and more northern regions, perennials are grown as annuals. Thin branching shoots of lobelia grow directly or hang beautifully. During the flowering period, they are abundantly covered with small asymmetric flowers. The plant is perfect for landscaping a plot or balcony. It forms a dense undersized cover, the care of which requires very little effort from the gardener.
Botanical Description
Lobelia is a flowering plant with thin, highly branched shoots. There are shrubs and creeping ground cover forms. The height of the creeping shoot does not exceed 10-20 cm. Erect shoots can reach 50 cm in height. Along the entire length of the shoots, there are regular lanceolate sessile leaves. They have a solid leaf plate of dark green color. The stems and leaves are covered with a short pile of a bluish or silver shade.
In the upper part of the shoots in June-July, single axillary flowers on short pedicels bloom. The diameter of the flower does not exceed 2 cm. It has a two-lip shape with shortened upper petals. In the center are short stamens with large anthers and an ovary. Petals can be colored in purple, blue, white, pink, purple or cyan. Plants with a uniform color of the petals or a contrasting eye are found. Flowering continues until the onset of cold weather.
Fragrant buds attract butterflies, bees and other insects. After pollination, seed boxes with two compartments mature. They contain very small, dusty seeds of a dark brown color. They retain the ability to germinate up to 3 years.
Species diversity
The genus of lobelia is very diverse. There are 360 species of plants in it, however, decorative varieties of just a few of them are more used in the culture.
Lobelia erinus. The most common plant is a perennial 10-40 cm tall. It forms a dense spherical bush. The internodes are close to each other, they develop an oval palmate foliage 3-6 cm long and up to 1.5 cm wide. Bright green leaves can acquire a light purple hue. In June-September, the plant is covered with single axillary flowers with a diameter of 13-20 mm. Most of them are located on the tops of the shoots. In August-September, double-nested achenes mature, which independently open the valves and scatter the seeds on the ground. Varieties:
- Reggata rose - pink flowers with a cream eye;
- Sky Blu (Sky Blu) - plain sky-blue flowers;
- Reggata blu - violet-blue flowers with a yellow eye.
Lobelia ampelous (climbing). The plant is distinguished by very thin, densely leafy shoots of bright green color. Reaching a height of 10-15 cm, they begin to lean toward the ground. The stems themselves can grow 50 cm in length. Small oblong leaves create an airy green cloud. In June, bright two-lipped flowers bloom on the surface of the bush. The upper lip consists of 2 small fused petals, and the lower consists of larger three petals. Varieties:
- Sapphire - long drooping shoots form a shoot covered with bright blue flowers with a white eye;
- Red cascade - stems up to 35 cm long bend down; in the summer they are densely covered with raspberry or bright pink flowers.
Lobelia cardinal (purple). Truly, a gigantic plant with highly branched erect shoots forms a ball up to 1 m in diameter. The stems and dark green leaves are covered with a bluish short pile. In June, long spike-shaped inflorescences of carmine or bright pink blossom. A moisture-loving variety is used for landscaping beaches.
Lobelia Dortman (water). An amazing herbaceous plant that is partially submerged in water. Erect, weakly branched shoots at the base are surrounded by a rosette of linear leaves 7-8 cm long. The foliage is completely immersed in water. At the end of July, bare shoots rise above the surface of the reservoir and dissolve single white flowers. Sometimes a pinkish or bluish tint is visible in the color of the petals.
Lobelia is beautiful. Erect, branched stems grow 60-90 cm in height. They are covered with dark green linear leaves. At the end of June, friable racemose inflorescences with tubular flowers bloom on the tops. The diameter of the corolla reaches 3 cm. It has an asymmetric shape and is painted in carmine red or pink. Varieties:
- Fan Scarlet - a bush up to 60 cm tall dissolves a fiery red inflorescence;
- Deep Red compliment - burgundy-brown erect stems up to 70 cm high are covered with narrow green foliage, and purple inflorescences adorn the tops;
- Russian princess - erect stems up to 90 cm high, together with leaves painted in purple-bronze color, the inflorescence consists of bright pink shades.
Growing lobelia from seeds
Lobelia is well propagated by seeds, however, due to cross-pollination, self-collected seeds may differ in color of flowers. 3-4 months can pass from sowing to flowering, so the lobelia is previously sown for seedlings. Do it in January-February. Use plates with loose fertile soil. The seeds are very small so that they are easier to distribute evenly; the seeds are mixed with sand. Some gardeners practice sowing in the snow. That is, a small amount of snow is laid out on the ground first, on which it is easier to notice small seeds. As the snowdrift melts, they undergo a natural stratification.
You do not need to dig seeds into the ground, just lightly push it. The container is covered with a film and placed in a well-lit place at room temperature. Ventilate and spray the greenhouse daily. Within 10-15 days, small amicable shoots appear. They are not afraid of dry air, so the shelter is removed. At the same time, the soil needs to be regularly moistened, since dry soil will instantly destroy seedlings.
During the first month, seedlings develop slowly, which is not a cause for concern. As soon as they reach a height of 3-4 cm, they dive into separate peat cups of 3-4 plants. Pinch shoots 6-7 cm long for better branching. The first buds can form by the end of spring.
Vegetative propagation
Lobelia perennial successfully propagated by cuttings. This method of propagation is especially important for highly decorative varieties, as it allows you to save varietal characters. Throughout the summer and even in winter with indoor cultivation, shoots of 8-10 cm can be cut. They are rooted in moist soil or water. With the advent of roots, cuttings are planted in loose garden soil and watered with care. The soil should not dry out completely, but with prolonged stagnation of water at the roots a "black leg" develops.
Outdoor landing
When deciding when to plant lobelia in open ground, you need to focus on the average daily temperature. It should be set at + 15 ... + 17 ° C. Seedlings can withstand short-term cooling to -2 ° C, but it is advisable to plant it after the disappearance of return frosts. Usually this is the end of May or the beginning of June. With an unexpected cold snap, the plants are covered with a film.
The landing site should be open and sunny, with loose, moderately fertile soil. Lobelia grows well on sandy loam and loam, but it does not tolerate heavy clay soils. The acidity of the soil should be neutral or slightly acidic. Dolomite flour, chalk or slaked lime is added to too acidic soil. Shallow planting pits with a distance of 10-15 cm are prepared for seedlings. Immediately after planting, plants are abundantly watered.
Lobelia Care
Lobelia is a rather unpretentious, non-whimsical plant. The biggest trouble is regular watering. Water is poured under the root 1-2 times a week. Potted plants are watered daily, and in intense heat twice a day. Water cannot be sprayed, because even under the morning sun, drops, like prisms, focus the rays and cause burns. As a result, not only the leaves will suffer, but the flowers themselves will become faded and less beautiful.
Twice a month, lobelia is fed with a complex mineral or organic composition for flowering plants. Do not abuse fertilizers with a high nitrogen content, otherwise there will be plenty of green mass, but few flowers.
After the first flowering wave, the shoots are cut off and left 5-10 cm from the surface of the earth. Very soon new shoots will appear and flowering will resume. In autumn, annuals are cut, and the soil is dug up. Many of them will have time to self-sow during this time and in the spring the flower garden will resume on its own.
Before the onset of frost, you need to have time to bring ampelous plants into a room or a greenhouse. All winter they are grown at a temperature of + 12 ... + 15 ° C, in a warmer room you can not do without lighting.
Lobelia can suffer from powdery mildew, rust and mosaic on the leaves. All these are signs of fungal diseases. It is necessary to trim the affected vegetation and destroy it. The rest of the plant is treated with fungicide. Lobelia is often attacked by aphids, ants and a spider mite. From pests, they are treated with an insecticide (Fitoverm, Biotli).
Plant use
A short bushy lobelia is suitable for designing a mixborder, a discount, a combined flower garden and a lower tier of a rock garden. Dense flowering pillows look good against the background of a green lawn, coniferous and decorative deciduous plants. Due to such a variety of colors, it is possible to create a flower garden exclusively from lobelia with different colors.
The plant gets along well with other flowers, even in flowerpots. It quickly forms blooming large balls or pillows that can be hung on the balcony, porch and even on the pillars in the garden. Lobelia goes well with marigolds, petunia, calendula, geyhera, begonia, pansies.
