Bell Carpathian - a unique plant that will delight with lush flowering for several months. Gardeners have a positive attitude towards the cultivation of such a crop, as even a beginner can cope with it. Such species grow on Belogorye.
What does the bell of the Carpathian look like?
Home flower beds can be decorated with almost wildflowers, namely bells from the Carpathian mountains. The species is unpretentious in leaving, is not afraid of frosts and blooms almost all summer. Lush bushes are actively used in landscape decoration. Many gardeners prefer this particular crop, as the bushes can do without transplanting up to five years.
The appearance of the plant
It is an ornamental plant and belongs to the Bellflower family. The natural habitat of growth is the calcareous rocks of the Carpathians, which is why the name of the bell has a corresponding. Many gardeners use the second name Alpine bells, as the culture is additionally common in the mountains of Central Europe.
For your information! The second name was attached to the plant also because it is used in the decoration of alpine slides.
The cultivated plant is used to design flower beds and garden plots.
The culture is a herbaceous perennial plant. Outwardly, the plant practically does not differ from wild-growing bells, but still there are its own characteristics. There are several especially popular varieties that are found in flowerbeds and gardeners. Flowering occurs in early June and lasts until late autumn. Flowers are located along the peduncle and are replaced by abundant flowering.
External data of a flower:
- bush with thin stems and pedicels;
- the height of the aerial part reaches 30 cm;
- the shape of the bush is spherical;
- leaves are collected in air sockets in the root zone;
- cup-shaped flower with a diameter of 5 cm;
- color buds from white to purple.
Note! The colors of the buds may also be different, since many hybrids of this culture are selected.
Popular types of bell for growing in the garden
The Carpathian bell type appears to be a perennial type of herbaceous plant, which is represented by a huge variety of varieties. The most popular are:
- blue;
- white;
- Gnome;
- blue.
Variety of varieties
These varieties are characterized by miniature bushes. Many other plant variations are less relevant - these are Ballad and Elf. Clips are considered a less relevant variety.
Bell Carpathian white
In botanical circles they call it still just white. The variety is distinguished by the color of the buds. Petals are white. Their edges are slightly wavy, which gives the flower elegance. This is a compact plant with a unique appearance and a long flowering period.
Blue bell Carpathian blue
The second name is the variety Goluba, or Weiss. Blue buds with a diameter of 4 cm. Bushes of rounded shape with a height of about 20 cm. On one instance, about 20-30 buds can bloom at a time.
Variety of bell Carpathian
Bell Carpathian Gnome
The bell Gnome has one distinctive feature - it is a low bush of about 15 cm. The color of the buds can be pale blue, purple, white.
Note! The flowering period is about 6 months.
Blue bell Carpathian blue
The blue variety is most similar in appearance to a wild relative. The buds are painted in deep blue. In this case, the flowers are in harmony with the dark green color of the leaves.
Blue
Blue bell growing conditions
You can grow a flower in any climate. It is important to properly propagate the plant. The only effective method is sowing seeds and planting sprouts. But the procedure must be done correctly.
Growing a bell from seeds
Carpathian bell will bloom in the first year. It is worth choosing the right time for sowing, painstakingly caring for the sprouts. Next, landing in open ground.
The main thing is to choose the right time for sowing. It is advisable to prepare containers with the substrate in early February, and the landing itself at the end of the same month. If you plant the planting material later, respectively, and the seedlings will have to be planted on a flowerbed not at the beginning of spring. This can lead to the fact that timely flowering will not occur.
Growing a flower from seeds
Seedling Care
It is not enough just to plant the seeds in the correct soil, they need constant and thorough care. Often it is difficult for beginners to cope with this principle of growing bells, so they get already grown bushes.
Normal growth conditions:
- air temperature should be 20 ° C;
- a box with planting material must be installed on the windowsill from the sunny side of the house;
- daily airing of the room and spraying the soil from the spray gun;
- a week later, go to seed hardening - move the box to a cool place where the temperature can drop to −4 ° С. So that the material does not freeze, you need to cover the ground with snow.
Note! You can simplify the hardening - move the seeds into a bag by mixing the material in advance with sand and peat.
It is difficult to sprout seeds because of their whimsicality to temperature, watering and lighting. A mandatory step is hardening.
Seedling Care
Caring for seedlings is also not easy. When the first sprouts appear, you need to place the container in a room where the temperature will not be higher and not lower than 15 ° C. The first sprouts must be planted separately so that they do not clog the remaining seedlings. Seedling care is identical to seed care in the first week after sowing, plentiful lighting, good watering, airing of the room, temperature not lower than 15 ° С.
Seedlings are planted in open ground at the moment when there are at least three leaves on the bushes. Previously, it is worth preparing a place for landing, the ground should be well fertilized. If possible, turf land and sand should be added.
Seedling Planting Time
Further care
To grow lushly flowering bushes, you need to organize the correct watering regime. In spring, watering the plant is not necessary. On hot days of summer it is worth organizing mulching. In the fall, abundant watering can be stopped.
Top dressing
Once a month, organic or phosphate fertilizers can be applied. The mineral complex is also suitable for a flower. Sometimes you can add mullein, but in small quantities.
For your information! Many flower growers recommend refraining from applying complex fertilizers, so as not to aggravate the situation with the drying of buds.
Features of care during the flowering period
At the time of flowering, it is desirable to produce periodic watering. Additionally, carry out feeding, but do it carefully. If you go too far with fertilizers, then the leaves will grow, and the flowers will begin to dry.
Flowering period
Dormant care
Caring for a plant during dormancy is simple: you need to stop completely or partially watering, top-dressing and remove gradually faded buds. In accordance with the degree of yellowing of the leaves, they also need to be removed.
Winter preparations
The main condition for preserving the plant for the next year is the preparation of the bell for winter. There will be no difficulties in this regard. It is necessary to “knock down” the aerial part, namely to cut off the stem before frost and cover the ground in the region of the root system with leaves.
Flowering before dormancy
Possible pests and diseases when caring for a bell
If the bush grows for a long time in one place, then harmful microorganisms can accumulate in the soil between the root processes. If the weather is rainy, then you should wait for the invasion of slugs, salivary pennies. Mustard powder or a special tool will help get rid of them.
The culture looks very attractive. Too painstaking care of the plant is not required. Only the process of growing seeds can be problematic. During the flowering period, you need to carefully monitor the condition of the flowering bush. A bell of this kind is used to decorate flower beds, alpine slides, gardens.
