Levkoy

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

Levkoy (lat. Matthiola) Is a flowering and very aromatic plant from the Cruciferous family. Its second name is mattiola (this name was given by Robert Brown to the levkoy in honor of Pietro Mattioli, a famous Italian botanist and physician).

Description

Levkoy is a spectacular herbaceous plant with a height of twenty to eighty centimeters. Its stems are erect or slightly curved, with dense foliage and slightly branched, and the leaves of the levkoy are characterized by a lanceolate shape and can be either whole or serrated.

Levkoy flowers are collected either in spike-shaped or racemose inflorescences, and they all boast a characteristic pronounced smell, and their color can be yellow, lilac, white or pink. As a rule, levkoy begins to bloom after 70 - 110 days from the moment of sowing. As for the fruits of this plant, they look like flat dry pods with tubercles protruding from the seeds.

In total, the genus Levkoy has more than fifty species.

Where grows

In nature, Levkoy grows mainly on the territory of Eurasia and Africa. This plant is especially widespread in southern Europe, as well as in the Mediterranean and in a number of neighboring regions.

Usage

Some species of Levkoy are rather successfully cultivated in the open field, in addition, this plant can also boast of the presence of excellent ornamental varieties, however, in the conditions of the middle lane, it is mainly grown Levkoy gray and Levkoy two-horned. Some varieties of Levkoya have proven themselves well in balconies landscaping, and non-double garden flowers allow honey bees to extract impressive volumes of nectar. In addition, Levkoi are actively used for decorating flower beds, as well as for cutting and forcing.

Growing and caring

Levkoy will feel best in sunny areas with sufficiently fertile and absolutely non-acidic soils. Good garden soils will be especially preferred for the full development of this plant. Ideally, the soil should be well drained, sufficiently moist, neutral, free of fresh manure, medium to light loamy. And it is recommended to enrich it with the introduction of compost, lime, ash and various mineral fertilizers since autumn.

Since the drying out of the soil is detrimental to the levkoy, in dry weather it must be watered regularly. Timely weeding, as well as loosening of the soil and its mulching, will not be superfluous. And so that a beautiful plant does not lose its decorative effect, the lower flowers that have had time to wilt must be promptly plucked out of the inflorescences. If there is a threat of a sharp cold snap, it will be necessary to properly cover it with levkoy.

Reproduction of Levkoy is carried out mainly by seeds - they are usually sown for seedlings with the onset of March. However, this plant can be planted directly into the ground, only this is done already in May, only after the threat of possible frost has passed. And after about ten days from the moment of planting, it is recommended to feed it with a solution of ammonium nitrate, spending 15 grams of the product for each running meter of the garden.

Sometimes levkoy can affect the keels of cruciferous plants - the spores of this dangerous fungal disease can persist in the soil for a long time. In order to avoid this disease, it is categorically not recommended to plant levkoy in those areas where any other cruciferous crops previously grew.

As for pests, sometimes cruciferous fleas can attack with levkoy, as well as some butterflies (for example, whites or cabbage).