Lobelia

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

Lobelia (lat. Lobelia) - an annual or perennial plant, less often a subshrub, shrub or undersized tree of the Bellflower family. Lobelia got its name in honor of the Dutch botanist Matthias de L'Obel. Lobelia is found naturally in subtropical and temperate climatic zones. The plant is native to South Africa.

Common types and their characteristics

* Lobelia long-stemmed, or lobelia erinus (Latin Lobelia erinus) - the species is represented by perennial plants 10-25 cm high. Stems are thin, densely leafy. The leaves are small, ovoid, the edges are serrated. The flowers are small, located on long petioles, up to 1-2 cm in diameter, can be white, purple, light blue or blue.

* Purple lobelia, or cardinal lobelia (Latin Lobelia cardinalis) - the species is represented by perennial plants up to 90 cm high. The flowers are spectacular, red, collected in spike-shaped inflorescences. They grow on the banks of water bodies and wetlands.

* Lobelia blue (Latin Lobelia siphilitica) - the species is represented by perennial herbaceous plants up to 1 m high. Flowers are small, blue-violet, collected in spike-shaped inflorescences. Lobelia blue blooms in the middle of summer.

* Lobelia Dortmanna (Latin Lobelia Dortmanna) - the species is represented by perennial plants. Leaves are linear, up to 5-7.5 cm long, collected in a basal rosette. The flowers are bell-shaped, white, blue-white or purple in color, collected in one-sided racemose inflorescences located at the top of the stem. Flowering takes place in July-August. Grows on the coast of coastal water bodies.

* Beautiful lobelia (lat. Lobelia speciosa) - the species is represented by perennial plants up to 90 cm high. The flowers are large, bright, spike-shaped inflorescences are collected, can be dark red, scarlet or pink in color. Lobelia blooms beautiful in July.

Growing conditions

Lobelia is a light-loving plant, grows well and develops in sunny areas, protected from cold gusty winds. The soils for growing lobelia are preferable to light, loose, moist, sandy loamy or loamy. The optimum growing temperature is 18-20C.

Reproduction and planting

Lobelia reproduces by seed. Species grown in coastal areas and water bodies reproduce by dividing the bush or by cuttings. Lobelia is grown most often through seedlings. Sowing is carried out in February-April in special seedling boxes filled with a mixture consisting of turf soil, humus or compost, loose peat and river sand (in a ratio of 2: 2: 2: 1). Two to three days before sowing, the soil in the boxes is disinfected with a fungicide solution. The dried soil is carefully leveled, compacted by hand and seeds are sown on the surface. It is advisable to mix the seeds with a small amount of fine dry sand.

You should not sprinkle the seeds on top, the boxes are covered with glass or plastic wrap. Once or twice a day, crops are sprayed with warm, settled water from a spray bottle. Seedlings appear in 10-15 days. The picking of seedlings into separate containers is carried out after 2-3 weeks. Since the lobelia seedlings are very small and delicate, they are planted in several pieces in one hole. For a dive, it is recommended to use a dive stick. Immediately after diving, the seedlings are fed with liquid complex fertilizers. In open ground, seedlings are planted in the second decade of May. The distance between plants should be 10-15 cm.

Care

Lobelia care consists in regular and abundant watering, weeding of weeds, loosening of the stem zone and top dressing. Lobelia is a moisture-loving culture, with insufficient moisture it develops poorly and blooms poorly. In the complete absence of watering, lobelia stops blooming. Systematic fertilizing is desirable, it is impossible to use fresh organic matter, an excess of humus leads to strong growth of shoots and weak flowering. After flowering, the plants are cut off, and after a while new shoots are formed and the lobelia begins to bloom again.

Application

Lobelia is a highly ornamental crop used as an ampelous plant. Hanging pots and baskets with a cascade of small flowers of blue, white, blue and lilac color will decorate the wall of the gazebo, the openings of the terrace or the porch of the house. Lobelias look spectacular in carpet flower beds and borders. Lobelia Dortmann, lobelia cardinal and glittering lobelia are used for landscaping the shores of artificial reservoirs and ponds with fresh water.