Lobularia flower and its cultivation from seeds. Alyssum flower (lobularia): the best varieties of Lobularia growing from seeds at home

Lobularia is a genus of flowering plants in the Cruciferous family, closely related to the popular garden flower of the genus Alyssum (often referred to as the sweet alyssum). You can meet its representatives on the territory of Macaronesia and the Mediterranean region. Lobularia canariensis is found in the Canary Islands and Cape Verde, while Lobularia maritima grows in Malta and Gozo in the Mediterranean.
Lobularia flower has a name that comes from the Greek word for "small pod" - meaning the fruit of lobularia.
Landscapers use the lobularia flower to decorate and decorate flower beds, rock gardens and living borders. This article proposes a description of the lobularia flower and tells about its cultivation from seeds in a personal plot. You can see photos of lobularia of various varieties:

The genus Lobularia includes both annuals and perennials. They grow to about 40 centimeters long (although they tend to be much shorter) and 15 centimeters wide. The plant grows very low to the ground, has hairy, slightly oblong and oval leaves of a gray-green hue and cruciform clusters of fragrant snow-white flowers. The leaves are arranged in an alternating pattern mainly on the lower part of the stem. When flowers appear on the trunks, it becomes rigid and branched at several points.
Flowers have four petals. round shape, many gardeners are sure that their aroma is comparable to the smell of fresh and fragrant honey. No wonder the flower attracts a large number of flies to yourself - the aroma of the color is truly outstanding.
This genus is susceptible to attack by fungal plants and other pests. The following shows a few more photos of lobularia in landscape design personal plot:

Proper fit and aftercare for lobularia

Despite the fact that the plant is quite picky - it should be grown in a sunny place. But it is resistant to frost, and dies only during the most severe frosts or when the water is in large quantities stagnates in the root system (most often this happens in the autumn and spring). Based on this feature, we advise you to observe a sense of proportion during watering - since in hot weather, lobularia needs regular watering, but moisture stagnation will lead to root rot. The best solution is to avoid watering during the rainy season of spring and autumn. In many ways, the success of the growth and development of the plant in the future depends on this. Correct fit lobularia on a personal plot greatly simplifies the subsequent care of the plant and creates favorable conditions for its development.
During the growing season, gardeners strongly recommend consuming only organic fertilizers. And during irrigation, mineral fertilizers are applied to the soil along with this procedure. Periodic loosening of the soil and its mulching after watering are the main activities that are included in the care of lobularia.

Growing lobularia seedlings from seeds

We have already told you in what conditions a flower should grow - in the same conditions it is necessary to plant it. You can sow seeds in the month of November - in this case, you will have to additionally insulate the soil so that the seeds do not freeze there. As a result, the first shoots will appear in the month of May (but there is a high risk of fungal diseases). There are also gardeners who sow seeds in open ground only in April. Growing lobularia seedlings from seeds does not cause any trouble even for a novice grower.

If you plan to start getting seedlings from seeds, then you should do this already in March. Seeds are sown in a container, and then either covered with polyethylene or placed in a greenhouse - so that the first shoots appear on time, do not forget to save temperature regime within 12-15 degrees Celsius. When the seedlings grow enough, you can begin to thin out the bushes, keeping a distance of at least 10 centimeters. Lobularia is planted on open ground only in May, when root system already formed - planted together with the root and the earthen clod at a distance of 15-20 centimeters from each other.
The first inflorescences appear on it earlier than one and a half to two months later. The layout of the fertilizer will contribute to a more active and healthy growth of the lobular plant (optimally - 4-5 kilograms per 1 meter squared).
after the end of flowering, the inflorescences are cut off, after which the inflorescences begin to bloom again for another one and a half to two months.

Varieties of lobularia for garden landscape design (with photo)

A variety of shades of petals allows you to widely use this plant in the landscape design of any garden or backyard. The following are the most common varieties of lobularia, which are distinguished by their unpretentiousness to growing conditions, they are accompanied by photos illustrating their external attractiveness. For garden landscape design, the variety can be selected from the attached photo:

Lobularia marine prefers partial shade

Lobularia marine is one of the most common varieties of this variety. It also requires well-drained soil, which should also be moderately fertile. Usually the plant is grown in loamy or sandy soil, and acidic or spruce soil will provide it with enough support for further growth. Best of all, the marine variety feels in places protected from wind and exposure to direct sunlight.
This annual (rarely and short-lived perennial) plant grows up to 30 centimeters in height and about the same in width. The stem is profusely branched with dense clusters of snow-white flowers. Leaves are 4 mm long and up to 5 mm wide.
Flowers reach five millimeters in diameter, fragrant with 4 rounded petals - the shade can be pink, purple, rose-red and lilac. Flowers grow throughout the growing season or all year round, in areas where there are no severe frosts and no frosts. Pollinated by insects.
The fruit is an elongated pod (rather hairy) oval or round in shape. Each contains two seeds. Seeds are dispersed only by the wind.
In gardens, varieties with pink and purple petals are most often found - seeds are planted in early spring. In the design of a personal plot, it is most often used as a ground cover, as it rarely grows above 20 centimeters. Lobularia also decorate cracks in walls and pavements.
The plant prefers partial shade, and the species with darker flowers is best placed and stored in a cool place.

Lobularia "Royal carpet" - honey smell from July to October

Representative of the cruciferous family. The height of the flower can reach 12 centimeters - they are very low and bloom quite densely. Lobularia flowers "Royal Carpet" up to three millimeters in diameter form racemose inflorescences. The honey scent will cover your garden as the first petals appear in lilac, pink, purple and white. Flowering time from early July to late October. This is very convenient when there are large color compositions in the space of the garden. He does not like prolonged drought, but a large amount of moisture harms him.

Among the popular summer flowers that grow only one season, lobularia can be distinguished. These tender annual plants with lush caps of flowers come in different colors and look very beautiful, as can be seen in the photo. They are easy to propagate and are often used in landscape design for planting in open ground. But they require, like any plants, some care and protection from diseases.

plant description

Among the varieties of this flower, mainly sea lobularia is used to decorate suburban areas. The plant is low, forms a compact and lush bush. It can reach a height of up to 30-35 cm, but due to spreading and strong branching it looks very lush. The leaves are small in size. The flowers are small and very fragrant, with a bright honey aroma. There are white, purple, lilac colors. The inflorescences are densely arranged along the branches. As a result of this, the plant looks like a beautiful flowering cloud from the side. It blooms luxuriantly from early summer to cold weather, taking a break in dry and hot weather.

Lobularia is not only beautiful flower, but also quite unpretentious in cultivation. In landscape design, the plant is widely used for:

• creating borders;
• framing flower beds;

Lobularia maritime

• decoration of flower beds, alpine slides, discounts;
• decoration of recreation areas;
• filling voids in decorative compositions Location on.

Necessary conditions for growing

These flowers are completely undemanding to conditions. They do not need frequent watering, they can do without top dressing, they grow well on almost any land. But it is better if the soil is loose, light, moderately fertile.

By and large, the acidity of the soil, its composition and nutritional value are not of particular importance for growing lobularia. But in the heavy and damp earth, she feels worse and gets sick more often. And from strong waterlogging of the soil, it can develop root rot, which will eventually lead to the death of the plant.

Advice. In too fertile soils lobularia significantly blooms worse, so for its landing it is better to choose a less saturated nutrients priming.

But on the lighting conditions when planting these flowers you need to pay Special attention. Lobularia prefers well-lit, sun-warmed places. Therefore, it is better for her to choose an open and sunny area.

Landing lobularia

It is enough to simply dig up the land for planting lobularia and slightly fertilize. But you can also do without fertilizer. It is better to improve the soil further so that it becomes more loose and permeable.

Lobularia seeds

Planting lobularia is often carried out simply by direct sowing in open ground. The prepared soil must be leveled and the seeds planted superficially, their germination occurs in the light. When the seedlings appear and then get a little stronger, it is necessary to thin out the plantings so that the distance between the seedlings is at least 10-15 cm. This applies to any varieties of lobularia, even dwarf ones.

Attention! When plantings are thickened, lobularia is more susceptible to diseases and blooms much worse.

When is the best time to plant

You can sow lobularia in open soil both in spring and in autumn before the onset of cold weather. For its landing, one of two periods is used:

• from mid-April or in the first half of May, depending on the climate and weather conditions;
• in October-November before the onset of stable cold weather.

When choosing the time of planting these flowers, the spring period is more often used, since when autumn sowing plants get sick more. In addition, when planting lobularia in autumn, plants sprout early, when it is still quite cold. Therefore, so that young seedlings do not die, they need shelter.

For an earlier start of flowering, you can also use the seedling method, which is used mainly if the plants are later planted in garden flowerpots and containers. When grown through seedlings, lobularia is planted in March. A few days after planting the seeds, shoots appear. When they grow up, they are thinned out or dived into separate containers. In open ground, young plants are planted in small separate pits with a distance of 15-20 cm between them.

Lobularia should be planted in the spring

flower care

Lobularia is unpretentious to the conditions and requires minimal care. It consists of:

• watering in dry weather;
• top dressing if necessary;
• plant cut.

When growing on poor soils, if necessary, you can feed the plants. Just avoid oversaturating the soil with nutrients. And these flowers are watered very moderately, without waterlogging the soil. They do this not too often, mainly in hot and dry weather. You can even completely do without watering, this does not greatly affect the flowering of plants.

The flowering period of lobularia is long, throughout the warm season, but with a break during the strongest heat, and then its resumption with the onset of autumn. It often re-blooms even more luxuriantly than in the first part of summer. And this period continues until the very cold.

When the first flowering period ends, and this happens around the end of July or the beginning of August, lobularia bushes are pruned. This stimulates the resumption of even stronger flowering in the fall. The plants are cut low, leaving about 5-6 cm of the shoot. For some varieties of lobularia, pruning may not be required. This point is better to check with the seller when purchasing seeds or seedlings.

Lobularia require minimal care

Reproduction and disease

Lobularia reproduces by seeds that germinate in the light. After the end of flowering, small pods are formed on the plant, in which the seeds ripen. Often in the area where lobularia were planted, it self-sows. As a result, new shoots appear next year, while the varietal characteristics of flowers are preserved. Young seedlings will only need to be thinned out if they have risen too densely, or transplanted to a new place. Lobularia tolerates transplantation very well. It can be transplanted without fear even during the period when it is in bloom.

As for diseases, lobularia can be called a fairly stable plant in this regard. Among the diseases of these flowers can be distinguished powdery mildew, which often occurs with thickened plantings, and root rot, which appears mainly from waterlogging of the soil. When the first signs of the disease appear, the flowers must be treated with the appropriate preparation, and with root rot, in addition, it is better to transplant the affected plants. Lobularia is practically not subject to attacks by pests.

In addition to pleasant appearance, this plant has a honey aroma, and thanks to its unpretentiousness, its flowers delight others until the very frost.

Botanical description

Sea lobularia (Lobularia maritima), or otherwise called sea alissum, is one of the species of the genus Lobularia and belongs to the Cabbage family.

You can still hear folk names: beetroot, lawn, mason - it's all the same plant, it has no lack of popularity. The origin is Mediterranean, but the species is widely naturalized in areas with a cooler climate.

The best place for lobularia is a well-lit, warm area. Accordingly, damp and cool places for planting should be avoided. In partial shade, the plant feels good, but the number of inflorescences decreases.

Important! It is always necessary to take into account the possibility of cross-pollination of lobularia, so its various varieties are planted separately to avoid mixing, at a distance of at least 200 meters from each other.

Soil selection

Growing from seeds

The process of growing lobularia from seeds is simple. Both planting seeds in open ground and preliminary germination at home are possible. The seeds themselves do not need special care during storage. It is important to know when to sow seeds or plant seedlings.

Direct sowing

After flowering, lobularia fruits are formed - these are oval-shaped pods with sharp tops. The seeds are very small and different color, depending on the variety. In purple lobularia, the seeds vary from orange to brown. Whites have yellow seeds.

Seeds should only be harvested after the pods have turned yellow. harvested seeds do not lose their properties three years and all this time they are excellent planting material.

It is recommended to plant lobularia in the spring with a stable warm temperature air (end of April - May) or in late autumn, but before the first snow (mid-October). Seeds should be sown in open, dug up soil, on which calcium flour for the plant can be pre-scattered. They are sown evenly over the entire sown area, after which they are gently, lightly tamped by hand.

You should not sprinkle the sowing with additional soil, as this will close it from sunlight and significantly slow down the process of seed germination. It is necessary to water the site evenly and carefully, without flooding the crops.

After waiting for the first shoots, the lobularia should be allowed to grow for another two weeks, and then thinned out. The distance between shoots should be approximately 15 cm - this stimulates the flower to grow, and also has preventive action against possible diseases.

At favorable conditions lobularia is able to reproduce by self-seeding. But even in this case, once every 2-3 years, plants have to be replanted.

seedling way

This method allows you to significantly accelerate the flowering of the plant. To do this, planting material is sown in small boxes filled with drainage and loose.

After sowing, the seeds should be pressed firmly with the palm of your hand, but they should not be pressed too deeply. Next, sowing must be covered with a film or glass. Comfortable temperature regime for the plant is 16-20 °C.
Sprouts appear in about 7-10 days. After the sprouts sprout, the protective film should be removed. For normal growth, lobularia sprouts need to create additional lighting. In May, germinated sprouts are recommended to be taken out into the open air - this contributes to the hardening of seedlings.

When three leaves appear on the stem of the plant, you should start diving, transplanting seedlings. Individual specimens can be transplanted into pots or other areas.

Lobularia is planted in open ground at the end of spring. Approximately two weeks before planting seedlings, it is recommended to fertilize the soil with top dressing. In heavy clay soil it is desirable to add sand and gravel.

The size of the holes should slightly exceed the size of the rhizome so that the plant feels comfortable in the new place. After planting, flowers should be plentiful.

Do I need to care for lobularia?

Lobularia is a very unpretentious plant and does not require special conditions, but gardeners need to know about some of the nuances of growing this species.

For normal growth, the plant is planted on sufficiently moist nutrient soils. But it should be remembered that an excess of humus will lead to a loss of flowering, as the plant will increase its green mass.

Did you know? It is assumed that the word "alissum" comes from the Latin "a lyssa", which means "devoid of canine rabies." There is a version that this name is associated with the use of this plant in the distant past as a remedy. At present, alissum is not used as a medicine.

Lobularia refers to frost-resistant plants and does not need winter shelter, and also easily withstands seasonal drops in air temperature. When flowering stops, the lobularia bushes are trimmed, thus causing a second wave of flowering. In this case, the stems of the plant are cut to 8 cm, no more.

The plant does not need additional

Every year, lovers of garden flowers create bright plant compositions. When creating a territory design own house or suburban area you can plant a flower such as lobularia. These garden plants effectively transform the look of any garden, making it more festive and elegant. Lobularia will not only delight the gardener with its picturesque flowers, but also with its unique aroma, and will also be a wonderful decoration for a garden, flower bed, even an alpine hill.

Characteristics of lobularia

The homeland of a beautifully flowering garden flower is Canary Islands and Mediterranean. This favorite belongs to the genus of flowering from the Cabbage family.

These are beautiful low-growing, abundantly branching plants, their leaves are fluffy, dark green in color. Tiny fragrant flowers consist of four inflorescences. They are small fragrant, collected in dense inflorescences, most often white in color, rarely purple, violet, pink or lilac. Starting from June, lobularia blooms profusely for a long time until October, reaching maximum height, depending on the species, up to 30 cm.

Lobularia, or it is also called alyssum, is perennial and annual, but in Russia one-year is more often used, since this garden flower does not always withstand severe frosts and dies.

Types of alyssum:

Due to its unpretentiousness, the plant is easy to grow even for a novice gardener.

How to grow lobularia from seeds at home?

Garden flower seedlings can be easily obtained from seeds purchased in specialized stores or independently harvested in the fall.

There are 2 ways to grow alyssum at home:

Having considered two ways of growing a plant from seeds, the gardener chooses the right one for himself and, following all the rules, will be able to enjoy lush flowering in summer.

Planting and plant care

When planting a plant is also important take into account the requirements of the flower. Fine lobularia refers to light-loving plants, so it must be planted in a well-lit place. When planting seedlings, it must be taken into account that the plant does not tolerate drafts and crops must be sparse, otherwise the alissum will not bloom well. 40 days after planting garden plant the gardener can expect flowering.

In the heat, beautiful lobularia should be watered abundantly. It is advisable, when the garden alissum blooms, cut off its withered shoots, so new growth and beauty will happen faster. unpretentious plant soon it will again please the eye with its graceful flowers.

The main secrets of successful flowering of lobularia:

• Providing necessary sunlight.
• Do not allow the plant to overflow and dryness.
• Do pruning faded shoots.
• Carry out timely top dressing with fertilizers during flowering and after pruning.

Some species of this plant give excellent self-seeding, therefore, having sown once, garden flowers will sprout next spring, the main thing is not to destroy them during the spring tillage.

Diseases and pests

Like all garden plants, alyssum is susceptible to disease and pests. For long flowering, a garden flower must be regularly inspected to avoid death.

Diseases and pests affecting lobularia:

Collection of seeds of lobularia after flowering

In the period when the garden plant has completed the flowering period (early October), it is necessary to start collecting seeds in non-rainy and calm weather. For this you need take cloth and spread under the inflorescences of garden alyssum, gently rubbing the flower brushes over the planted cloth with your hands. When all the seeds are collected, they must be taken to a dry, well-ventilated area and dried. After drying, fold into a cloth bag and store until next spring.

If the seeds of lobularia have already crumbled on their own, they should be collected with a broom and then, as described above, prepared for storage.

Preparing the plant for wintering

If the plant is perennial, needs to be prepared for the winter. Garden lobularia will be able to endure frost not lower than 15 0С, therefore, in order to save herbaceous plant, it is necessary to sprinkle the bushes with dry foliage.

Cut alyssum when preparing it for wintering should not be.

Excellent lobularia is unpretentious with constant care and attention to the soil in which the alissum grows, and with the timely destruction of pests, treatment for the disease, you can achieve a chic appearance of a garden plant. Alyssum is a unique flower, because with the help of it the design of your site can be made unusual. And the area where the lobularia is planted will dazzle with its excellent, beautifully flowering carpet.

Among the popular summer flowers that grow only one season, lobularia can be distinguished. These tender annual plants with lush caps of flowers come in different colors and look very beautiful, as can be seen in the photo. They are easy to propagate and are often used in landscape design for planting in open ground. But they require, like any plants, some care and protection from diseases.

plant description

Among the varieties of this flower, mainly sea lobularia is used to decorate suburban areas. The plant is low, forms a compact and lush bush. It can reach a height of up to 30-35 cm, but due to spreading and strong branching it looks very lush. The leaves are small in size. The flowers are small and very fragrant, with a bright honey aroma. There are white, purple, lilac colors. The inflorescences are densely arranged along the branches. As a result of this, the plant looks like a beautiful flowering cloud from the side. It blooms luxuriantly from early summer to cold weather, taking a break in dry and hot weather.

Lobularia is not only a beautiful flower, but also quite unpretentious in cultivation. In landscape design, the plant is widely used for:

• creating borders;
• framing flower beds;

Lobularia maritime

• registration of flower beds, rabatok;
• decoration of recreation areas;
• filling voids in decorative compositions on the site.

Necessary conditions for growing

These flowers are completely undemanding to conditions. They do not need frequent watering, they can do without top dressing, they grow well on almost any land. But it is better if the soil is loose, light, moderately fertile.

By and large, the acidity of the soil, its composition and nutritional value are not of particular importance for growing lobularia. But in the heavy and damp earth, she feels worse and gets sick more often. And from strong waterlogging of the soil, it can develop root rot, which will eventually lead to the death of the plant.

Advice. In too fertile soils, lobularia blooms much worse, so for its planting it is better to choose soil less saturated with nutrients.

But the lighting conditions when planting these flowers need to pay special attention. Lobularia prefers well-lit, sun-warmed places. Therefore, it is better for her to choose an open and sunny area.

Landing lobularia

It is enough to simply dig up the land for planting lobularia and slightly fertilize. But you can also do without fertilizer. It is better to improve the soil further so that it becomes more loose and permeable.

Lobularia seeds

Planting lobularia is often carried out simply by direct sowing in open ground. The prepared soil must be leveled and the seeds planted superficially, their germination occurs in the light. When the seedlings appear and then get a little stronger, it is necessary to thin out the plantings so that the distance between the seedlings is at least 10-15 cm. This applies to any varieties of lobularia, even dwarf ones.

Attention! When plantings are thickened, lobularia is more susceptible to diseases and blooms much worse.

When is the best time to plant

You can sow lobularia in open soil both in spring and in autumn before the onset of cold weather. For its landing, one of two periods is used:

• from mid-April or in the first half of May, depending on the climate and weather conditions;
• in October-November before the onset of stable cold weather.

When choosing the time for planting these flowers, the spring period is more often used, since during the autumn sowing, the plants get sick more in the future. In addition, when planting lobularia in autumn, plants sprout early, when it is still quite cold. Therefore, so that young seedlings do not die, they need shelter.

For an earlier start of flowering, you can also use the seedling method, which is used mainly if the plants are later planted in garden flowerpots and containers. When grown through seedlings, lobularia is planted in March. A few days after planting the seeds, shoots appear. When they grow up, they are thinned out or dived into separate containers. In open ground, young plants are planted in small separate pits with a distance of 15-20 cm between them.

Lobularia should be planted in the spring

flower care

Lobularia is unpretentious to the conditions and requires minimal care. It consists of:

• watering in dry weather;
• top dressing if necessary;
• plant cut.

When growing on poor soils, if necessary, you can feed the plants. Just avoid oversaturating the soil with nutrients. And these flowers are watered very moderately, without waterlogging the soil. They do this not too often, mainly in hot and dry weather. You can even completely do without watering, this does not greatly affect the flowering of plants.

The flowering period of lobularia is long, throughout the warm season, but with a break during the strongest heat, and then its resumption with the onset of autumn. It often re-blooms even more luxuriantly than in the first part of summer. And this period continues until the very cold.

When the first flowering period ends, and this happens around the end of July or the beginning of August, lobularia bushes are pruned. This stimulates the resumption of even stronger flowering in the fall. The plants are cut low, leaving about 5-6 cm of the shoot. For some varieties of lobularia, pruning may not be required. This point is better to check with the seller when purchasing seeds or seedlings.

Lobularia require minimal care

Reproduction and disease

Lobularia reproduces by seeds that germinate in the light. After the end of flowering, small pods are formed on the plant, in which the seeds ripen. Often in the area where lobularia were planted, it self-sows. As a result, new shoots appear next year, while the varietal characteristics of flowers are preserved. Young seedlings will only need to be thinned out if they have risen too densely, or transplanted to a new place. Lobularia tolerates transplantation very well. It can be transplanted without fear even during the period when it is in bloom.

As for diseases, lobularia can be called a fairly stable plant in this regard. Among the diseases of these flowers, one can single out powdery mildew, which often occurs with thickened plantings, and root rot, which appears mainly from waterlogging of the soil. When the first signs of the disease appear, the flowers must be treated with the appropriate preparation, and with root rot, in addition, it is better to transplant the affected plants. Lobularia is practically not subject to attacks by pests.