The blooming heliotrope fascinates with its appearance, its delicate but persistent aroma is especially delightful. No wonder perfumers have long appreciated it, using perfumes and other cosmetics in the manufacture of perfumes. This plant can often be found in group and single plantings in areas and in gardens.
Heliotrope: facts and legends
The historical homeland of the plant, which belongs to the Burachnikov family, is South America. It was from there that this fragrant shrub spread to other continents. In natural conditions (in the tropics and subtropics), the heliotrope is a perennial shrub, therefore, grows safely in one place for many years. In the conditions of our much more severe climate, it is grown as an annual, as it cannot winter in the open ground.
The heliotrope will become a worthy decoration of any site
The heliotrope is a plant that is also unusual in its ability to turn its inflorescences behind the sun during the day.
From time immemorial, the heliotrope has been endowed with special, sometimes magical properties: it is believed that the plant is able to drive away evil spirits and become a home defense against thieves. This fragrant shrub is associated with devotion and love, and its presence in the yard is able to establish relationships in the family, between close people and bring harmony and happiness to the house.
Fragrant shrubs are used in folk medicine as an anthelmintic, as well as kidney stones. And with the help of a plant, warts are removed and they fight lichens.
The heliotrope is not only a beautiful, but also a very fragrant plant
Important! The heliotrope contains an alkaloid hazardous to health and is banned for medical use in some countries.
Appearance
The heliotrope is a shrub that grows, depending on the variety, from 20-25 cm to 50-60 cm. The flowers of the plant are small, collected in large thyroid inflorescences, have a pronounced persistent aroma resembling vanilla. And they start to smell at a fairly large distance. The color of the flowers varies from white and blue to dark blue and dark purple.
The heliotrope leaves also invariably attract attention: large, ovoid, of a characteristic dark green color, they are wavy or wrinkled, while being covered with small pubescence.
Popular types and varieties of heliotrope
Depending on the variety and, accordingly, the size of the shrub, it is customary to grow it either in open ground in group or single plantings, or in containers and hanging planters.
The most common plant varieties are listed below.
Sea breeze
This plant variety has bright purple flowers and a particularly delicate and lasting aroma.
Important! You can plant the heliotrope Sea Breeze both in open soil and in a pot, where under room conditions it can bloom for a whole year. In this case, pinching it periodically will be an important condition, otherwise you will not get a uniform and fluffy plant
Marine (Marina)
The tree-like plant variety is characterized by rather high growth (about 40-50 cm), and its inflorescences are quite large. This is a heliotrope, planting and care for which are not particularly different from care for other varieties. The only thing to remember when planting a heliotrope on a plot of land is that seed cultivation should be carried out in a warm, well-lit place, since sprouts will not appear in low light.
Heliotrope Marina has bright purple inflorescences
European
It is an annual herbaceous plant, the stem is straight, branching, pubescent. In height reaches from 25 to 40 cm, the leaf is light, ovoid, small. The flowers are collected in spiral brushes at the top of the shoots, white in color, small seeds are found in wrinkled ovoid nuts. European heliotrope - a flower, the cultivation of which should be carried out with the necessary precautions - to protect children and animals from contact with it, since it is poisonous (like the heliotrope is pubescent)
Odysseus
This variety is most often used for growing in flowerpots, decorating balconies with it. And it can also become an adornment of a summer residence in carpet flower gardens, since heliotrope flowers of this variety are thrown throughout the season, to the very frosts and very abundantly.
Heliotrope propagation methods
The most convenient, and therefore the most common methods of reproduction are seedlings and cuttings. Each of them has its own characteristics.
Propagation by seedlings
Before planting seedlings, it should be remembered that the heliotrope is a flower that will bloom 3.5-4 months after planting, so it is better to sow the seeds in late winter or early spring. Also remember that seedlings grown from purchased seeds will give a much higher percentage of germination, and the seedlings themselves will develop amicably and evenly.
Important! In most of our climatic zones, the heliotrope does not have time to form sufficiently viable seeds, which is why it is not worth the risk and take them for seedlings from neighbors and acquaintances.
The substrate for seedlings should consist of peat with the addition of sand, but it must be steamed to destroy possible pathogens. Seeds are sown in a pot with a prepared substrate and covered with polyethylene or glass. Moreover, it is necessary to sow on slightly compacted soil, and only sprinkle on top with a thin layer of substrate.
Pots with seedlings should be kept in a warm place (about 20 ° C), and as soon as the first shoots begin to appear (after about 1-3 weeks), it is better to rearrange them on the window, but too bright lighting is not necessary.
Pots with seedlings should be covered with polyethylene
After a couple of leaves appear on the seedlings, they should be dived into separate small pots and immediately watered. A couple of weeks after the young plants adapt after a dive, it would be nice to feed them. Usually, fertilizers for seedlings are used for this.
It will be possible to plant seedlings in open soil at the end of spring - at the beginning of summer, when the soil has warmed up enough and the threat of night frost will pass.
The best germination gives purchased seeds
Propagation by cuttings
You can grow a heliotrope using cuttings. Experienced flower growers for this purpose dig shrubs in the autumn, transplant them into pots and grow them throughout the winter like home plants. Seedlings need to provide heat and a sufficient amount of light, so it is usually advised to use additional sources of lighting. In this case, the heliotrope flowers will delight until spring.
Important! If you want the plant to bloom early, you can cut it already in the middle of winter.
Sliced cuttings should be planted in peat cups and placed in mini-greenhouses. You need to take care of the seedlings, as well as seedlings: water it in a timely manner and replenish if necessary.
As the roots begin to sprout through the openings of the cups, the young seedlings are carefully transplanted into large diameter pots. In order to get more lush plants and more inflorescences, they must be pinched.
Heliotrope grows well as a home plant
Heliotrope: planting and care in the open ground
When growing in open ground, a number of conditions must be observed:
- A place. When choosing a place for planting, it should be remembered that the shrub needs a sunny color, so it is better to select open, well-lit areas, preferably without drafts.
- The soil. The main condition for the soil when planting a plant so that it is nutritious, it is desirable to contain humus in abundance and at the same time be quite loose in order to avoid unnecessary stagnation of moisture - the heliotrope does not like this.
- Watering. The heliotrope is a shrub that needs watering when the topsoil dries, so if there is no rain for a long time, watering should be increased. And after the procedure, the soil must be loosened and weed weed is weeded. If there is not enough time for proper care, mulching the soil around the shrubs will come to the rescue - this will significantly reduce the frequency of necessary weeding, watering and loosening.
- Fertilizer. From the beginning of active vegetation until the heliotrope ejects color, it needs to be fed a couple of times a month. Typically, a liquid complex fertilizer for flowering plants is used for this.
Mulching the soil will greatly facilitate the care of the plant.
Possible diseases and pests and their control
In general, the heliotrope is quite resistant to various diseases and pests, but sometimes aphids, whiteflies and spider mites can affect it. To combat them, a plant is treated with an insecticide, and sometimes a second treatment is required after a week. Gardeners with experience most often use Actellik.
Important! In order to prevent possible insect damage, heliotrope shrubs in the early spring and autumn should be treated with insecticides.
Among the diseases, rot and rust are a danger to the heliotrope.
Gray rot
Brownish spots, covered with a gray fluffy color, begin to appear on the leaves, which eventually begin to blacken due to the presence of pathogens on them. Affected parts of the plant should be immediately removed and burned, as this fungal disease can spread simply with the wind. After that, the remaining plant is treated with either copper sulphate or copper chloride.
In order to prevent this unpleasant disease, you should not allow thickening of landings and the formation of air stagnation, and also do not overdo it with nitrogen fertilizers
The heliotrope grown in the country will certainly become your pride
Rust
At the beginning of the growing season, in spring, orange spots-pads appear on the leaves. In the absence of treatment, the branches begin to deform, and the leaves themselves fade. Treatment consists in the immediate destruction of the affected parts of the plant and treatment with a solution of Bordeaux fluid or colloidal sulfur.
The heliotrope color will not leave anyone indifferent, therefore, having planted this plant on its site, you can not only decorate the flower bed, but also get an incomparable fragrance for the whole summer - the plant will smell as soon as its inflorescences begin to blossom. In addition, this magical shrub will bring harmony and happiness to the house.
