2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Chelone - light-loving and moisture-loving perennial from the Norichnikov family. The second name is helone, and summer residents sometimes call this amazing plant a pink flamingo.
Description
Helona is a short-rhizome herbaceous perennial that forms rather dense bushes, the height of which usually ranges from thirty to eighty centimeters. The rhizomes of the chelon are weakly creeping, due to which this plant grows for a long time. And the opposite pointed and jagged leaves of this plant have an oval shape. They are always very tough and glossy.
Chelon flowers are located in the leaf axils, in plump whorls. Their length reaches about three, a maximum of three and a half centimeters, and they all boast a pleasant pink or pinkish-white color. And chelon blooms usually towards the end of summer, but, unfortunately, you can not admire its magnificent flowering every year.
The chelona fruit looks like a rather nice round bolls of light brown color, and these bolls are located directly on straight and slender shoots.
Where grows
Wet North American meadows are considered to be the homeland of Chelon.
Usage
Helona is ideal for mixed flower beds and flower beds. This plant feels very good in single plantings. However, more often than not, chelonu is still planted in tubs - filling them entirely, this beautiful plant looks very, very impressive in them!
If the chelon is planned to be planted in flower beds, then it is recommended to combine it with other perennials, for which no less decorativeness is characteristic. It will look especially great in plantings together with solidago, echinacea, asters, etc.
Growing and caring
Helona is recommended to be planted in sunny areas with sufficiently moist and rich soils. This beauty will feel especially good near various reservoirs, including artificial ones. The only exception is wetlands - in this case, the roots of the plant can begin to rot. As for the composition of soils, chelon is generally very undemanding to it.
Since chelon is a very moisture-loving plant, it will have to be watered quite often. And this beauty transfers transplants very easily. In addition, experienced florists recommend dividing the chelon into about three to four parts, doing these manipulations every two or three years. In general, the chelon is quite unpretentious in leaving. You don't even need to fertilize it - this beauty grows well without any additional fertilizing! However, ideally, it is still recommended to make feeding three times per season - the chelon responds especially well to complex mineral fertilizers intended for ornamental horticultural crops. The first top dressing is usually given in early spring, when the snow begins to melt, the second - towards the end of May, and the third - at the very beginning of the blooming of the buds.
In general, chelon grows well in the middle zone, however, in years with too harsh winters, this beautiful plant may die. But the slanting chelon does not freeze out in the winter season, even in the very difficult conditions of Siberia!
Chelon is usually propagated in the spring, either by dividing the bushes or by seeds. By the way, the seeds of this plant can be safely planted directly in flower beds, but some gardeners often grow seedlings. The germination rate of chelona seeds is usually excellent, and they germinate well even without prior stratification. And one more important nuance - it is definitely not worth deepening the chelon too much when landing.
As for diseases and pests, this beautiful plant is practically not affected by them.
