Lush delight - Umbrella Iberis
Iberis umbellate (translated from Latin. Iberis) is a plant belonging to the Cruciferous or Cabbage family. He is also known by the names Iberian, variegated, stennik, pepper. The flower got its name in honor of the Iberian Peninsula, the ancient name of which is Iberia. There are about 30 species of umbrella Iberis (you can see the photo below), but the most popular is the umbrella Iberis. It can be both perennial and annual species that endure winter or summer.
Iberis umbrella planting and care
Iberis umbrella is not capricious, but it is best to plant it on sandy and loamy soil. The only requirement is water permeability.
The lighting should be strong enough. Avoid unlit areas, as even partial shade negatively affects the condition of the Iberis. Shade or even partial shade for this plant is simply destructive.
Reproduction
Those who are delighted with the umbrella Iberis are wondering how to propagate this plant.
There are two ways: vegetative and seed. For the umbrella Iberis, the second method is preferable - even a novice gardener can cope with this task.
Cuttings
After flowering, cuttings are cut from the plant up to 5 cm long. Then they can either be planted in a greenhouse for rooting, or directly into the ground. In order for the plant to give roots faster, phytohormones are used. If your goal is to get a floral carpet, cuttings should initially be planted at least 15 cm apart, since the plant grows quickly and blooms very luxuriantly.
Iberis umbrella growing from seeds (with photo)
Planting material can be collected with your own hands. Don't feel like messing around? Then go to the store. The seeds of the umbrella Iberis are located in the pod.
After flowering, fruits ripen unevenly, therefore, when collecting material, the degree of ripening should be controlled.
The collected pods are laid out for a while for drying, then they are opened, the seeds are taken out and placed in a dry place inaccessible to the sun's rays.
Experienced gardeners advise making seedlings first, and then replanting them in open ground. But many choose for themselves sowing seeds directly into the soil to a permanent place.
In the second case, sowing is carried out as soon as the first warm days come, but not earlier than the first decade of April. To begin with, shallow grooves are made in the beds and seeds are planted to a depth of no more than 1 cm.
For seedlings, sowing is performed in March, so that by May the young growth has grown, and it can be transplanted. The substrate is preliminarily moistened, and then the seeds are placed to a depth of 1 mm.
Since the umbelliferae is sensitive to transplantation, seeds for seedlings are sown not in one large box, but in several small ones.
To obtain good germination, the containers are covered with glass or foil, or placed in a warm place. At the same time, do not forget about regular airing and diffused light so that the plants are not "fried".
If you want to achieve flowering throughout the summer, seedlings should be planted in the ground twice: the first time in May, the second in July.If you followed all the requirements, flowering will come within 1.5 months after planting.
Iberis flowers are widely used in landscape design, where it is combined in various compositions. It looks great in rockeries, rock gardens, on natural slopes, along tracks. It can be placed next to conifers, alyssum, flowering shrubs, cineraria, herbal cloves. It is also used to create wedding bouquets.