Many phlox varieties have been developed, each of which is beautiful in its own way. But the Laura variety stands out especially. This variety is characterized by its unpretentious nature, frost resistance and a long flowering period. In this material you will find a description and photo of Phlox Laura. And also we will share the rules of care and the secrets of growing this attractive crop.
Grade description
Phlox Laura, the photo and care of which is given in the material, is a vivid representative of the Sinyukhov family. This herbaceous perennial plant reaches 80-110 cm in height. It has dark green stems collected in a semi-sprawling bush. They are densely covered with narrow matte leaves that set off bright buds.
The variety blooms in July and lasts until the end of September, and even longer in the south. At this time, a magnificent cap of buds collected in inflorescences-brushes forms on the top of the head. It reaches up to 20 cm in diameter. Each flower is up to 4.5 cm in diameter. They are painted in saturated violet or purple tones. Moreover, the base has a lighter and even white shade, due to which the “core” of the flower resembles a star.
Based on the original variety, a miniature variety of phloxes Little Laura was developed. She has the same two-tone lush buds, but she is notable for her short stature - sprawling bushes reach no more than 60 cm in height.
Seat selection
Laura's phloxes, the description of which is given above, prefer protected places in partial shade. Here the shrubs will become the most lush and dense. In addition, the color of the petals in the shaded areas remains saturated, while in the sun it quickly fades and fades. But remember that you can not plant plants in complete shade. Here, the stems of the bushes are very elongated.
As for the soil, the culture prefers light, loose, fertile soils with good air permeability with a neutral reaction. If the land on the plot is acidic, then first add slaked lime or dolomite flour. Heavy loams should be diluted with sand, peat or organic fertilizers.
When choosing a place for a flowerbed, keep in mind that phloxes do not like neighborhood with large trees and shrubs with a developed root system, since the latter take away nutrients from the soil, and the flowers do not have enough strength for development. And also the phlox is not suitable for a site in a lowland and with a close occurrence of groundwater. In such places, the roots of the flowers rot and they die quickly.
Seed cultivation
Laura panicled phlox is sown in open ground from mid-November to early December. If there is already snow on the site at that time, then remove it from the garden. Then scatter the flower seeds on the surface of the soil at a distance of 4-5 cm from each other. Fill them with 1-1.5 cm of sifted soil, and cover the landing with snow or peat on top.
When the seedlings hatch, and they will have 2 leaves, dive them to a permanent place. Plant crops at a distance of 50–55 cm from each other.
Landing
If you have already grown plants, then plant them in open ground in late April - early May. Landing Rules:
- On the prepared site, dig holes with sizes exceeding the volume of the earth lump. Put organic fertilizers at the bottom and fill them with water.
- Keep a distance of 50-60 cm between plants.
- Carefully remove the flowers from the container and transplant them into the recesses along with an earthen lump.
- Fill the voids with a substrate so that the rhizome is 3-4 cm below the ground.
- Compact and water the soil.
After planting, be sure to mulch the flower bed with a 2-centimeter layer of peat. So you protect crops from freezing. In addition, the mulch will not allow weeds to grow.
Watering
Phlox Laura - hygrophilous plants. And they need regular, frequent, but moderate watering. Moisten the soil only in the morning or in the evening, as in the daytime, irrigation is detrimental to the flower. Also, never use cold water. From it, the stems of the culture crack. Water the flowers strictly under the root. For 1 square meter of flowerbed, use 1.5-2 buckets of water.
After watering, do not forget to loosen the soil. So you improve air access to the roots. But remember that you need to loosen to a shallow depth. Otherwise, you damage the root system.
Top dressing
To achieve long and lush flowering from Laura phloxes, you will need to apply fertilizer several times per season:
- Spend the first dressing at the end of May. At this time, add liquid manure at the rate of 25 g per bucket of water.
- Feed flowers for the second time in early June. Add liquid potassium salt or superphosphate to liquid manure.
- In early July, feed the flowers a third time with liquid manure without any additives.
- At the end of July, add potassium-phosphorus fertilizers to the flower bed at the rate of 20 g of superphosphate and 10 g of potassium sulfate in a bucket of water.
Add the last top dressing during seed formation in boxes. This time also use potassium phosphorus fertilizers.
Perform any top dressing only after watering and in the evening. When applying fertilizers, try not to get solutions on the foliage of shrubs.
Wintering
Laura phloxes, the photos of which are given in the article, belong to frost-resistant varieties. Nevertheless, they can freeze when the temperature drops to -20 ... -25 ° C. And in snowless winter, even mild frosts at -10 ... -15 ° C are destructive for them
To prevent freezing, be sure to prepare the flowers for the cold period. To do this, cut the stems of plants in autumn, when the tops turn yellow and dry. Then sprinkle the root collar with a 3-centimeter layer of soil mixed with peat. From above, cover the flower bed with fallen leaves, straw or lapnik.
Reproduction by dividing the bush
This method of breeding phlox Laura is the simplest, but suitable only for adult plants. The event is held in the fall from late August to the first decade of September. To do this, dig out the mother bush and divide it into parts with a sharp knife. If the culture is old, then remove the middle part, since it degenerates much faster than the lateral processes.
Be sure to make compost in the soil before planting. If the soil is clay, then add sand. Delenki planted at a distance of 50 cm from each other. During planting, straighten the roots of the flowers horizontally and sprinkle them with a layer of soil, 4-5 cm thick.
If the autumn turned out to be arid, then irrigate the flowers every 2-3 days for two weeks. Pour 2 liters of water under each bush. After watering, be sure to loosen the dried soil and also mulch the surface of the flowerbed with a 4-cm layer of peat or humus.
Growing from leaf cuttings
Start a similar method of reproduction of phloxes in late June - early July. To do this, pour light nutrient soil into the container. On top of the substrate cover 1-1.5 cm with a layer of sand or vermiculite. How to root cuttings:
- Cut the leaves with a axillary point and a small piece of the stem from adult shoots.
- Plant the cuttings in moist soil to a depth of 2 cm, while trying to keep the axillary point in the substrate. And the leaves themselves were located at an angle to the surface of the soil. Keep a distance of 5 cm between cuttings.
- Cover the landing with glass or polyethylene and place the containers in a place that is bright but protected from direct sunlight.
Plant care consists of daily spraying with warm water, airing the greenhouse and removing condensate. After 30 days, when the cuttings take root, pinch their tops to enhance the bushiness of the flowers. After that, accustom the flowers to the open ground. To do this, remove the shelter first for an hour, then for two and gradually increase the time.
After a week, dive the grown plants on a special bed with nutrient soil. Maintain a distance between seedlings of 15 cm. Before winter, cover the plants with semi-prune soil, peat or fallen leaves. Plant flowers in a permanent place next spring.
If you want to grow flowers, pleasing long and lush flowering, be sure to plant phlox Laura. These attractive plants will decorate the flowerbed and fit into any landscape, and caring for them will not cause much trouble.