Umbrella Abronia

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

Umbrella abronia (lat. Abronia umbellata) - a representative of the small genus Abronia of the Niktaginov family. In nature, the species can be captured in the United States of America. Typical habitats are coastal areas. Now the species is cultivated as a garden and indoor plant. It is famous for its high decorative properties, which are achieved due to bright umbrella inflorescences.

Characteristics of culture

Umbelliferous abronia is represented by perennial herbaceous plants not exceeding a height of 20-30 cm. They are characterized by creeping stems no more than half a meter long. The flowers of the culture in question are very small, pink in color, endowed with a pronounced pleasant aroma. The flowers, in turn, form large umbellate inflorescences that are outwardly similar to vervain inflorescences. By the way, it is for this reason that the people call the culture sandy verbena.

Blossoming of the umbelliferae occurs in the middle of summer, as a rule, in the first - second decade of July. Flowering is long, subject to the rules of care and favorable climatic conditions, the plants delight with their unique beauty until November, less often they fade earlier. Abronia umbellate enters fruiting annually, forming a huge number of seeds.

Today, on the garden market, you can find four varieties of the culture in question, namely var. grandiflora, subsp. acutalata, subsp. breviflora and subsp. platyphylla. However, only one of them won the love of gardeners and florists - var. grandiflora. This form is characterized by large pink flowers with a lilac undertone and a yellowish speck located at the very base of the petals.

Growing features

Umbelliferous abronia refers to thermophilic crops. She prefers a sunny location, sheltered from the cold northerly winds. It is also demanding on soils. It develops well only on light, sandy, moderately moist, neutral soils. Umbrella abronia is infrequently affected by pests and diseases, except in some unfavorable years. In addition, the species gets along well with other cultivated plants, forming incredibly beautiful flower arrangements.

It should be noted that the culture is propagated only by the seed method. In warm countries, seeds are sown in open ground in autumn or spring, in the Urals, umbrella abronia is grown through seedlings. Sowing for seedlings is carried out in the first or second decade of March, the grown plants are transplanted into open ground in the third decade of May - the first decade of June, when the threat of frost has passed.

After planting, it is important to provide the culture with proper care, which consists of standard procedures: watering, weeding and fertilizing with mineral fertilizers. Organic matter is also required, but it is introduced at the stage of preparing the soil for planting, and only rotted fertilizers are used, fresh manure cannot be used in any case.

Due to the fact that the culture is dwarf in size, flower growers successfully cultivate it on their windowsills and balconies. They are sown in separate flower pots, at the bottom of which they form high-quality drainage. The soil is used light, neutral, fertilized; universal mixtures for flower crops are also suitable. Until mid-autumn, the umbrella abronia will delight with its flowering, and then only with green foliage.