Convolvulus

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

Convolvulus (lat. Convolvulus) - a flowering shade-tolerant plant from the Bindweed family. Another name is bindweed.

Description

Convolvulus is a flowering perennial or annual (the latter is much less common). As a rule, its height ranges from ten centimeters to half a meter, as for the length of the creeping bare stems of a convolvulus, it often reaches one hundred and twenty centimeters, and these stems very often curl around other nearby plants. And the long rod roots of the convolvulus are capable of penetrating the soil to a depth of three meters!

Highly decorative convolvulus flowers are characterized by a funnel-shaped or bell-shaped form. Blooming approximately in the second half of July, these beautiful flowers delight with their abundant flowering until the onset of late frosts.

In total, the genus of convolvulus has about one hundred and ninety species, while only one single species has found application in culture.

Where grows

Convolvulus grows mainly in subtropical and temperate regions. It can be seen growing along roads, and in fields, and on wastelands, and on dumps of land.

Usage

Konvolvulyus is ideal for planting in flower beds, mixborders, slides and ridges. In addition, it is often planted on balconies and used for ampel cultivation. By the way, in culture, this plant is most often used as an annual.

Growing and caring

It is best to plant a convolvulus in areas well-lit by the sun (in partial shade it will not bloom so abundantly), on solid garden soils, while it is important not to forget that this plant is a calcephil, that is, alkaline soils enriched with lime will be most preferable for it … But highly waterlogged, acidic and heavy soils for growing this handsome man are not at all suitable.

Watering, as a rule, is necessary only for young plants, while moisture should be moderate. However, this plant will not refuse regular watering even if the weather is too dry and hot. And in order to significantly increase the abundance and duration of the flowering of the convolvulus, during the growing season it will not hurt to pamper it with good feeding two or even three times - full complex fertilizers are best suited for these purposes. It is especially important to feed a beautiful plant with such fertilizers before its flowering, as for flowering plants, they need fertilizing with reduced amounts of nitrogen.

Convolvulus is very unpretentious in care, and its cold resistance simply cannot fail to impress - it tolerates both autumn and spring frosts equally well. Nevertheless, the convolvulus will not hibernate in the middle zone. In addition, this plant is very drought tolerant! And, despite the fact that, in general, the convolvulus is very photophilous, at the same time it is quite shade-tolerant.

Convolvulus is propagated in early spring by sowing seeds into the ground, and after ten to fourteen days you can see the first shoots of a beautiful plant. If you want to get flowering plants as early as possible, it makes sense to sow seeds for seedlings in advance. By the way, before planting, it will be useful to soak the seeds throughout the day, in addition, growing seedlings invariably need bright diffused lighting. And when planting seedlings in a permanent place, it is important to try to maintain a distance of about twenty centimeters between the flowers.