Clarkia

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

Clarkia (lat. Clarkia) - flowering culture; a genus of plants of the family Cypress. In appearance, the genus Clarkia is similar to the genus Godetia. The genus got its name in honor of the American captain (according to other sources - the priest) William Clark, who brought plants to Europe from California. The genus includes about 40 species. Natural habitat - northwestern and western regions of North America, less common in Chile. In the culture, clarkia is grown as an annual. It is actively used in ornamental gardening.

Characteristics of culture

Clarkia is represented by annual herbaceous plants up to 1 m in height (in culture it does not exceed 60-70 cm) with dense, thin, pubescent, erect stems, lignified at the base by the end of the growing season. The foliage is bluish-green, often with reddish veins, oval or elongated-oval in shape, rarely toothed along the edge, sessile, alternating.

The flowers are medium or large, simple or double (depending on the species and variety), regular, white, purple, lilac, red-pink, pink, single or collected in spike-shaped or racemose apical inflorescences, equipped with a tubular calyx and a corolla, consisting of four lobed petals, narrowed at the base.

Fruits are elongated poly-seeded capsules. The seeds are small, 1 g contains from 3000 seeds. Clarkia is an attractive garden plant with long flowering and variety of colors. The culture is represented by a huge number of varieties that amaze with their beauty, uniqueness and elegance.

Common types

* Clarkia graceful, or marigold (lat. Clarkia unguiculata) - the species is represented by annual herbaceous plants up to 70 cm in height, forming sprawling densely branched semi-bushes during the growth process. The flowers are blue, red-pink, red, pink, purple, no more than 4-4.5 cm in diameter, single or collected in a brush, can be either simple or double. Fruits are polyspermous tetrahedral capsules containing small, rough, brown ovoid seeds. Clarkia graceful, or marigold blooms from July to September.

* Clarkia pretty (lat. Clarkia pulchella) - the species is represented by annual herbaceous plants no more than 40 cm in height with narrow, pointed at the tips, long, whole leaves of green color, often collected in a basal rosette. The flowers are regular, simple or double, have petals, divided into three lobes widely spreading from each other, single or collected in several pieces in the axils of the leaves.

* Clarkia terry (lat. Clarkia elegans) - the species is represented by annual highly branched plants up to 65 cm (sometimes up to 90 cm) high with dark green foliage and large double flowers of lilac, pink, white, purple or lilac color, collected in a brush. One of the most attractive and striking species, it contains many varieties.

The subtleties of growing

Clarkia is a cold-hardy, moisture-loving and light-loving culture. It is recommended to grow it in sunny or slightly shaded areas, protected from cold and piercing winds that can damage the thin stems of plants. Clarkia is demanding for soil conditions. Abundant flowering and active growth can be achieved only on fertile, moist, loose, permeable and slightly acidic soils.

Cultivation on heavy soils is possible only under the condition of high-quality drainage, on highly acidic soils - preliminary liming. Will not tolerate the culture of the community with waterlogged, dry, poor, weedy and waterlogged soils. Clarkia is sown in open ground in the first decade of May. Plants are frost-resistant, but it is better to cover the seedlings with plastic wrap at night. As a rule, seedlings appear 14-20 days after sowing.

In the phase of two true leaves, thinning is carried out. The optimal distance between dwarf compact varieties is 20 cm, tall and branchy varieties - 25-30 cm. Caring for clarkia is simple, it consists in moderate watering (with an increase in water consumption during a drought), applying mineral fertilizers every two weeks, removing weeds and loosening as needed, as well as managing pests and diseases that infrequently annoy the crop.