Monarda

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

Monarda (lat. Monarda) - flower culture; perennial plant of the family Labiaceae. The native land of the plant is North America. Currently, 20 species are known. The plant was named after the physician and botanist Nicholas Monardes.

Characteristics of culture

Monarda is a herb that forms rather dense bushes 60-80 cm high. The rhizome is long, creeping, with a large number of fibrous roots. Stem erect, rigid, tetrahedral, hollow, strongly branched or glabrous.

Leaves are green or purple-green, oval-lanceolate, smooth, serrated, oppositely arranged on short petioles. Flowers are two-lipped, tubular-funnel-shaped, collected in capitate inflorescences in the axils of the stems or at the apex of the stem. The fruit is a dry nut, cracking into four parts. Monarda blooms in June - October, as a rule, no more than a month.

Growing conditions

Monarda is a light-loving plant, prefers sunny places. Some species grow well and develop in semi-shaded areas. Culture has a negative attitude towards strong and piercing winds. Soils for growing monarda are desirable moderately moist, fertilized, light and drained with a neutral pH reaction. Acidic soils are not suitable for monarda. The plant is frost-resistant, successfully withstands seasonal frosts and winter frosts. A monad can grow in one place for 5-6 years.

Reproduction

Propagated by monarda seeds, cuttings, root suckers and dividing the bush. Sowing seeds is carried out in early spring, or rather in March, in seedling boxes. The seeding depth is 1-2 cm. The crops are covered with plastic wrap and placed in a room with an air temperature of 20-25C. Seedlings appear quickly, but develop extremely slowly. With the appearance of 2-3 true leaves on the seedlings, the plants dive in separate pots. Planting seedlings in open ground is carried out after the end of spring frosts.

Often, monarda is propagated by dividing bushes and segments of rhizomes. These procedures are carried out in the spring before the start of shoot growth. Green cuttings are cut in June-July. The lower leaves of the planting material are removed, the rest are cut by 1/3 part, planted in containers with sand and covered with glass.

Care

Monarda is drought-resistant, but needs regular and moderate watering, especially during budding. To retain moisture, the soil in the near-stem zone is mulched with peat or humus. The culture has a positive attitude towards fertilizing: the first fertilizing with mineral fertilizers is carried out 10-12 days after planting the plants in open ground, the second - after a couple of weeks with organic fertilizers. In autumn, the monarda is cut off and covered with sawdust or any other material.

Application

Monarda is a flowering and highly decorative plant, but it is rarely used in modern gardens, and in vain. The culture retains its decorativeness for quite a long time: at first it attracts the eyes with abundant flowering, and then its flower stalks with fruits adorn flower beds with an unusually exotic look, complementing the autumn landscape.

Monarda is used in both single and group landings. Perfectly complements rustic-style flower gardens. The plant is combined with catnip, rudbeckia, yarrow, phlox, aconite, veronica, sage, astilba, Gaillardia and various cereals. Monarda is not replaceable in the herb garden. The culture is used in cooking as a seasoning, as well as in folk medicine. Suitable for drawing up live and dry bouquets.