Gelikhrizum

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Helichrysum (lat. Helichrysum) - an annual or perennial, belonging to the Asteraceae family, or Astrov. Other names are Tsmin or Immortelle. In nature, plants are found in the tropics and subtropics. Currently, there are more than 450 species, of which only about thirty are used in culture.

Description

Gelichrisums are represented by plants with erect, less often creeping stems, often strongly branching. They bear entire foliage, pubescent over the entire surface, located opposite or alternately. Inflorescences in the form of baskets, they are quite large, single, can be collected in heads or shields, can have different colors.

The receptacle in helichrizum is both flat and hemispherical, less often honeycomb-cellular. Corollas at the apex have several teeth. Fruits are elliptical or roll-shaped achenes, they are equipped with silk nipples. The bloom of helihrizums is long-lasting, beginning in May - June and ending in September.

The subtleties of growing

Gelikhrizum is a culture that is undemanding to soil conditions and location, but prefers areas open to the sun, light shading is welcome. The soils are preferable permeable, moderately moist, fertile, neutral. Sandy substrates are optimal.

Breeding features

The culture is propagated by seeds. Sowing of seeds is carried out in the third decade of March in boxes with a nutrient substrate. Crops are well watered from a spray bottle and covered with glass. With the emergence of seedlings, the stele is removed and the boxes are taken out to well-lit places. The dive of seedlings is carried out 2-3 weeks after the emergence of seedlings in separate pots, you can dive young plants immediately into the greenhouse or greenhouse.

Due to the fact that the plants have a sufficiently powerful root system, helihrizum tolerates transplantation with ease. In open ground, seedlings are planted in the third decade of May - early June, leaving a distance of 20-25 cm, in general, the distance depends solely on the variety of helihrizum.

There are varieties and hybrids of Gelichrizum, which are sown directly into open ground. Sowing is carried out in early May and covered with foil. With the emergence of seedlings, the plants are thinned out, so that the distance between them is 10-15 cm. With this method of growing, helihrizums will bloom only in the second decade of August, but they will delight their owners until the frost.

Care

Caring for gelichrizums consists in regular watering, fertilizing with organic and complex mineral fertilizers, loosening the near-stem zone and weeding. Top dressing is carried out twice per season: the first in early spring, the second in the middle of summer.

Most varieties of gelichrizum are cold-resistant, but some forms (for example, Milfordova's gelichrizum) need shelter for the winter. It is advisable to pinch tall varieties of culture over the fifth or sixth leaf, this procedure is necessary to ensure abundant branching.

Application

Gelikhrizum is a flowering culture, used in single and mixed plantings. It is actively used in landscaping areas, grown on flower beds, ridges, rock gardens and mixborders. Combines well with other flower crops, especially dried flowers

Plants also harmonize with ornamental shrubs. Gelichrizums are also suitable for arranging bouquets. For winter bouquets, they are cut in half-open, hung down with baskets and dried, after which they create magnificent compositions.