Black-eyed Suzanne - Garden Decoration

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

The official name of this unusually bright curly flower with a black "eye" in the middle is Tunbergia. This plant is named after its discoverer Karl Peter Thunberg. This plant came to us from the south, Madagascar, Africa (tropics) and southern Asia are considered its homeland. Despite its exotic origin, tunbergia can be perfectly grown here, in Russia, using it as a hedge, a shed, a gazebo or a summer house decor. Bright flowers with an almost black center will perfectly fit into any landscape

We sow the seeds

The first seeds, in order to get strong seedlings in a timely manner, must be sown in the ground between February 15-20 and March 10-15, that is, at the very end of winter or the very beginning of spring. Focus on these dates for your region: northern residents need to sow seeds later, southern ones earlier.

For planting, we take equal parts of sand, peat and humus or sod land, mix, moisten. We process the seeds with special antibacterial and antifungal agents, then sow, carefully spreading them over the surface and sprinkling them with a thin layer of soil.

After planting, close the container with film or glass and put it on the windowsill on the side where direct sunlight will not fall on the seed pot, but there will be enough light. At an optimal temperature of 22-24 degrees Celsius, the first shoots will appear in 7 days. After the seeds have germinated, the glass or film can be removed.

Important! While the seeds are sprouting, carefully monitor the moisture content of the soil, do not let it dry out, otherwise the seeds that are just beginning to hatch will die.

Shoot care before planting in the ground

After the shoots have appeared, we remove the film and continue to observe the growth, periodically watering the plants. If the seeds have sprouted too thickly, then be sure to thin them out, removing the weakest. You can open it after the tunbergia has at least two main leaves, or you can just throw away the unnecessary. Be sure to leave the strongest and most powerful shoots!

After Suzanne stretches out to 14-15 centimeters, be sure to pinch the top. This is done in order for the plant to branch better and cover a large area.

Then, if you need a lot of greenery, fertilize the future seedlings weekly with nitrogen fertilizers. If you want less greenery, but more flowers, then water the tunbergia with plain water.

By the way, if you do not like extra work in the form of picking or thinning the planting, then you can plant the seeds immediately in peat pots or tablets, observing the rule: no more than 3 seeds in one container.

Landing in open ground

The dark-eyed Suzanne is planted in open ground after the threat of spring frosts has completely disappeared and a steady heat has come. Time varies by region.

We prepare the site for planting in advance, given that tunbergia grows best in nutritious calcareous soil, so if your soils are poor and contain little lime, apply fertilizer and lime when digging. Choose a place for planting a plant that is shaded, sheltered from the wind, but at the same time light.

If you plant tunbergia not near a mesh fence or the wall of an arbor, then before planting, be sure to install a support for the plant on which it can curl. Plant, keeping a distance of thirty to forty centimeters between plants. Be sure to water after planting.

Care

Caring for the plant is extremely simple: before flowering, water Suzanne sparingly, and after she blooms, watering should be abundant, do not spare the water and the plant will not forget to thank you with a beautiful flowering. Top dressing with complex fertilizers must be carried out during the period of bud formation, and then repeated once a month.