Heliotrope marine: varieties, description, outdoor care
Among the plants that are very popular with gardeners and landscape design enthusiasts is the heliotrope marine. This is not surprising, because this flower is very beautiful. Due to its appearance, it will become a worthy decoration for any flower bed. In addition, it is rather picky about leaving, which is its indisputable advantage.
Description of heliotrope
The buds that are in the scorching sun can fade.
Another feature of the heliotrope is that the flowers turn towards the sun all the time, that is, they occupy different locations.
This plant originated from South America. It is worth considering the fact that in the tropics and subtropics, the flower pleases its owners for many years, while in our country it will not be able to overwinter, therefore it is considered an annual.
The heliotrope inflorescences are thyroid-shaped and consist of many buds. They can be up to twenty centimeters in diameter.
The leaves are rather large, dark green in color. Their shape resembles an inverted egg. The structure is slightly wrinkled, wavy, with slight pubescence.
There are many varieties of heliotrope. Each of them has its own characteristics. Bushes grow in height from 20 to 60 centimeters. Inflorescence colors can be found from white to dark purple. A blue or bright lilac tone is more common.
The flower looks charming in compositions with any other plants. In addition, undersized varieties are often used in street pots or pots on the balconies.
Under indoor conditions, heliotrope will delight you with its flowering for many years, but unfortunately, in the open field they do not survive the winter, therefore they are grown as an annual plant.
The plant is very fond of morning spraying with warm water.
There are a huge number of types of heliotrope, the main ones are:
- European;
- Kurasavsky heliotrope;
- corymbose;
- stalk-embracing;
- Peruvian heliotrope.
Of course, the care and cultivation of heliotrope has its own characteristics and rules that must be followed. However, it should be noted right away that this plant is unpretentious, resistant to many diseases and pests.
Below we will consider the most common varieties of heliotrope and their characteristic features.
Features of heliotrope care
Currently, more than three hundred species of this plant have been bred. Of course, each of them has its own characteristics, but in many ways the care is the same.
In order for the bush to always be neat, it should be cut every 2-3 weeks.
Like any other plant, heliotrope loves mineral fertilizers, thanks to which he will delight you with a long and lush flowering. It is necessary to apply dressings every two weeks after planting, before the formation of the first buds.
Since the bush is thermophilic, it is better to choose the sunny side. Watering should be done frequently but in moderation. Do not overdo it, because stagnant fluid will not lead to anything good.Also, do not allow the soil to dry out completely, Use only settled water at room temperature.
To give a suitable shape, the culture must be pinched in time. For this, the tops of the lateral shoots are cut, and sometimes the branches are completely cut off. This will create a lush, beautiful bush with a stunning bouquet of flowers and an alluring vanilla aroma.
Heliotrope marine
The variety has a tree-like shape up to half a meter in height. In a warm climate, it can grow up to two meters in a few years, but in our conditions the plant takes root as an annual, since it does not tolerate severe frosts.
The buds have a diameter of about 15 centimeters, predominantly blue-violet bright color. The plant begins to bloom a few months after planting the seeds. The first buds are seen in June. The flowering process is long and continues until the frost itself.
Hybrids of this type:
- "Mini Marine";
- Dwarf Marine;
- Marine Blue.
For planting Marine Heliotrope, choose a bright, sunny place. Try to protect the plant from heavy rains and winds in every possible way. The soil should be loose, well fed with organic fertilizers.
This type of shrub is great for planting in parks, gardens and flower beds. Looks great in pots on a balcony or terrace.
When the seedlings have already grown from the seeds, do not rush to transplant them into open ground. Wait until the frost ends, let the weather conditions improve. But also do not overdo it, the plants should bloom already in the ground, and not on the balcony.
Harden the plant from the end of April. To do this, move the seedlings to fresh air and keep there for some time. Thus, she will gradually get used to the outdoor temperature regime.
For planting in open ground, first dig holes, and put humus from leaves in them or manure... The distance between shoots should be at least 20-30 centimeters. In the first days after planting seedlings, inspect the seedlings. It is advisable that they are not in direct sunlight. In addition, spray once or twice a day.
An adult Marin does not need frequent watering. It is enough to pour a little under the root without touching the inflorescences. This should be done when a dry crust forms on the ground.
An important nuance when leaving is the introduction of mineral and organic fertilizers. This is necessary for a long and abundant flowering. The first time feeding is applied 10-12 days after transplantation, and then again after 14 days.
Hybrid heliotrope
The hybrid heliotrope is characterized by an upright position, and the stems are rather strongly branched to the sides. The leaves of a dark green color have a long, elongated shape that resembles an oval. The height of this plant variety sometimes reaches fifty centimeters. The inflorescences can have a white, purple or lilac tone, and the size reaches fifteen centimeters in diameter.
Heliotrope, which grows in a flowerpot, must be periodically taken out onto the balcony, otherwise it will begin to stretch.
This variety is most common for indoor cultivation.
Heliotrope Peruvian Marine
A fairly common type of plant, reaching a height of fifty centimeters. It begins to bloom a short time after planting seedlings in open ground. With proper care, already from June you can observe beautiful inflorescences that will delight you with a magnificent magnificent view before the onset of frost.
The main varieties of culture:
- Heliotrope of the Princess Marina variety. This plant stands out among others with a very rich blue-violet color. The opened buds are not able to give off a strong aroma. This variety is small in height, reaching only thirty centimeters.
- Heliotrope Mini Marine. It has small purple-blue flowers. The leaves are purple and dark green in color.With proper care, it grows medium in size.
- Heliotrope Black Beauty. The plant is purple in color. During the flowering period, a very rich vanilla smell is released. Because of this, this variety is very often used for the manufacture of perfumery and cosmetic products.
- Dwarf Marine heliotrope. It has rich dark blue inflorescences. The culture is low. An adult plant does not exceed thirty-five centimeters.
- Regal Dwarf heliotrope. It has a rather neat compact bush shape. The flowers in this variety are the largest and have a delicious rich aroma.
- Heliotrope variety White Lady. They are characterized by the presence of white flowers, which are collected in wide inflorescences. The leaves are large, not smooth. Plates are predominantly light green.
- Baby Blue heliotrope. Flowers are lilac-purple in color, large enough. The bushes are quite compact. Due to their small size, they are suitable for growing in flowerpots.
- Heliotrope Odysseus. This is a very low shrub. Its height does not even reach thirty centimeters, therefore it is widely used to decorate balconies, as well as in carpet flower beds. Leaves are dark green, oblong.
- Heliotrope grade Job. It differs from other varieties in too much branching. The flowers have a bright blue-violet hue. Leaves are dark green in color.
Arboreal heliotrope
This variety of heliotrope is often characterized by its small size, in rare cases its height can reach sixty centimeters. Branches can be spreading or erect. The flowers are rather small, have a purple color and a rich pleasant alluring aroma.
In many tropical countries, you can find a tree-like heliotrope as much as two meters high. In our climate, of course, this is unrealistic, since these shrubs cannot stand our winters, and therefore are grown mainly as annual plants.
The leaves of this variety have a rich dark green color. They have very fine hairs. The plant begins to bloom in June, and ends when the first frosts come.
On the basis of the tree-like heliotrope, as well as when it is crossed with other varieties, a fairly large variety of new species of this culture has been bred. All of them have taken root with great success in our area, and are popular in garden plots, parks, squares.
Among the most popular varieties of tree heliotrope are the following:
- Mini Marine. It is characterized by compactness, and a small height - within thirty to thirty-five centimeters. The leaves are dark green in color. The flowers are bright blue-violet with an excellent vanilla aroma.
- Black Beauty. Has corymbose inflorescences with a purple color. It grows up to forty centimeters in height.
- Fragrant Delight. It has about the same size as the previous variety. The peculiarity of the plant consists in flowers, the middle of which is painted in a lavender color that differs from all others.
- Regal Dwarf. Has excellent lush inflorescences of a dark blue hue. This plant is small in size, about thirty centimeters.
- White Lady. Will not disregard lovers and florists. The height of the shrub reaches forty centimeters. When the flowering period begins, rather large inflorescences appear with a large number of pink buds, which eventually turn into snow-white flowers with an alluring aroma.
Heliotrope flower sea breeze
The height of this type of heliotrope reaches a maximum of forty-five centimeters. The flowers grow up to twelve cm in diameter.
The bush begins to bloom from the beginning of June, and ends at the end of October, when the first frosts already come. Experienced gardeners begin sowing seeds with a sea breeze in April, since after 60 days it may well please you with its first buds.
The sea breeze is absolutely thermophilic, so after sowing, keep the seeds in a warm place, avoiding drafts. You also need to be careful with watering the seedlings; use settled water at room temperature.
Before planting in the ground, the soil should be fertilized with special organic fertilizers... The distance between the holes should be maintained at about thirty centimeters.
After planting, do not allow the soil to dry out too much, the sea breeze prefers moisture. After watering, it is advisable to simply loosen the ground a little, creating a so-called slide near the bush.
When the plant is about a month old, then it must be pinched. On the side branches, you need to cut off the tops, and then the shrub will not grow up, but on the sides. To form a lush crown, some extreme shoots should be removed completely at the root.
As you can see, there are many varieties and varieties of heliotrope. Knowing the basic rules of care and cultivation, you can enjoy any of them on your garden plot, on the balcony, and even in landscape design.