Nasturtium flower as a visiting card of summer
After the all-conquering summer heat, the plants in the garden seem a little faded, as if they were tired of the daytime sun. But the August flowerbed drew in a sunny sunset with nasturtium... Each petal of her orange flowers rose above the green leaves and rushed towards the dying rays. And the flowerbed itself became a mirror reflection of the luminary losing its strength.
Favorite Capuchin
A flower of nasturtium, rare in its decorativeness and usefulness, grows almost in every owner of even a tiny piece of land. She rightfully takes a place in the central city flower beds. The very bright flowers of the beloved orange-red color and juicy leaves covering the lawn, an unsightly place or climbing a tree trunk create a bright composition. City balconies are decorated with bizarre combinations of nasturtium with other ornamental plants.
There are many varieties of large nasturtium. They differ in many ways:
- flower color and shape;
- lash length;
- leaf shape.
There is also a separate type of nasturtium, which is not subdivided into varieties, it is itself a hybrid of species growing in natural conditions, and is called cultivated nasturtium. Among this species there are even those that have fruits in the ground that resemble potatoes. On some, the fruits are not a box, but the berries are testes, and the flowers and leaves of the plant bear little resemblance to the usual nasturtium flower.
Signs of the species large nasturtium
More often in gardens and on balconies, you can find nasturtium, which has been cultivated for several centuries. It can be in the form of a bush up to 40 cm high, and can sprout up to 4 meters. Such climbing plants require support, but create picturesque compositions, decorating the landscape vertically. Of particular note is the dense greenery of the large leaves of nasturtium. The darker the tones of the color, the richer the green of the leaf plate. Plants with red flowers have green leaves with a purple tint. Delicate green leaves are combined with a lemon flower. The stems are juicy and very fragile.
The nasturtium flower is large, bisexual, has a spur and resembles a cap, a capuchin. It is slightly asymmetrical; it has 5 petals, two-lipped. The color palette is very diverse from moonlight to dark cherry. There are species with double and semi-double inflorescences, but any flower carries the scent of summer.
Nasturtium seeds represent a box of overgrown fruit. When the seeds are ripe, the box will turn yellow. Each shriveled nodule splits into three parts. Collect the seed boxes when they turn brown. In the European summer, the seeds ripen on the bush. Nasturtium fruits remain viable for 5 years.
Rhizomes in nasturtium are powerful, sometimes varieties with thickened roots, in the form of potatoes, are found. In our conditions, such varieties of nasturtium are bred only in greenhouses.
Agrotechnics of nasturtium
A sunny place with a deep standing of groundwater will suit a beauty.The soil should be fertile, but without fresh organic matter. With an excess of nitrogenous, the green mass grows to the detriment of flowering. The plant loves potassium-phosphorus fertilizing. During flowering, watering should be limited. If the plant gets more nitrogen fertilizers and moisture, then it will perfectly fulfill the role of a green hedge, but there will be few flowers.
Summer flower is afraid of any frost in spring and autumn.
If the plant is grown in seedlings, then it will be necessary to keep the seedlings in containers for the entire development period and ensure painless transfer to a permanent place. It should be taken into account that not only the roots are fragile, but also the ground part of the nasturtium. It is even necessary to maintain the orientation of the plant as it was before planting.
Usually, nasturtium seeds are sown in open ground at the end of May, young plants are sheltered from recurrent frosts, flowering under such conditions occurs 2 months after sowing. The method of growing with sowing seeds in open ground is less laborious, and is used more often than seedling. It is currently not difficult to organize the shelter of young plants with the help of arcs and non-woven material.
Climbing plants must be guided along the support, sometimes tied up, depending on what composition is created. Bush grow on flowerbedcreating a wonderful composition. Nasturtium seeds are harvested when the boll turns brown, about 50 days after the flower has withered. For better flowering, such withered flowers must be removed, leaving only a part for the seeds.
Large nasturtium has dozens of varieties. It is better to purchase seeds in specialized stores, focusing on the description. The best producers of nasturtium seeds are the domestic NK corporation and the Unwins company.
Some varieties of nasturtium have long been known:
- King Theodore with a red inflorescence.
- Primrose Jewel, lemon yellow.
- Ladybug, apricot with burgundy specks.
- Alaska, representing a mixture of colors.
There are both terry and climbing varieties, just before going to the store you should familiarize yourself with the catalog and know what to look for.
Plant diseases and the beneficial properties of large nasturtium
For all its decorativeness, the nasturtium flower is a natural healer and protector. So, she scares away cabbage moth and whitefly from planting. Itself, it is attractive for aphids, cruciferous fleas, bear. You can fight pests using folk remedies. If you spray the ash on the plant in dry weather, the insects will leave the bush. The use of biological products recommended for processing vegetable crops is also suitable for nasturtium. One of these drugs is bitoxycillin, the other is EM-1 Baikal.
Viral and fungal diseases affect the tender and succulent plant very quickly. Therefore, at the first signs of the appearance of dots on the leaves, rot on the stems, mosaic or red spotting, it is necessary to cut off the infected parts and burn plant debris. Treat the rest with fungicides. If only one plant is sick, it is better to immediately destroy it completely, and the rest to carry out preventive treatment.
On the other hand, the entire aerial part of the plant is edible. Therefore, the salad with the addition of nasturtium leaves acquires a pleasant pungency, and the flowers add decorativeness. In addition, the flower extract is an excellent food coloring. Such an addition to butter will provide not only a shade, but also vitamins that inflorescences are so rich in. And they contain the well-known vitamin of life, ascorbic acid, and many other useful microelements.
The leaves and stems contain substances that help relieve attacks of coronary insufficiency. On the basis of leaves, flowers, stems in folk medicine, tinctures and ointments are made that help with skin rashes, bronchitis, vitamin deficiency.The nasturtium flower is not only a beautiful plant, but also an effective healer for the garden and for humans.