Lobularia is an annual groundcover that pleases with colorful stars all season. Like colorful clouds or soft air cushions, lobularia decorates the garden from the beginning of summer until the first frost. It is used to decorate the foreground of a flower garden, decorate balconies and verandas. Lobularia belongs to the cruciferous family. The natural habitat for her is the Mediterranean. The plant prefers rocky terrain, mountain crevices and slopes with pebble embankments. The people call it "lawn", "alyssum" or "alissum".
Botanical Description
Lobularia is a genus of annual or perennial plants with herbaceous shoots 8-40 cm high. Soft, highly branched stems grow vertically or lie under their own weight. They form a solid green carpet. By the end of the growing season, the lower part of the stems is lignified and covered with a smooth gray-brown bark. On the young processes are the next pubescent leaves of an oblong or lanceolate shape. The entire terrestrial part of the plant is painted in a saturated bright green color.
Already in May, racemose inflorescences grow on the tops of the stems, which are densely dotted with tiny flower asterisks. Initially, lobularia was covered with white or light purple flowers, but today there are many varieties with petals of various shades.
A cup with four petals and a lush yellow-green core in diameter is only 3-10 mm. The buds begin to unfold from below. Flowering continues throughout the summer and is accompanied by a rich honey aroma. During this period, some inflorescences fade and hide under new ones. The smell attracts bees and other beneficial insects.
After pollination, the fruits ripen - round or ovoid pods with many dusty seeds of a tan color. About 3,5 thousand units fall on 1 g of seeds. Germination is maintained for 3 years.
Types and varieties of lobularia
The genus of lobularia includes only 5 species of plants. In culture, only one of them is used - marine lobularia. It forms a spherical dense bush with a height of not more than 30 cm. Soft branched shoots are covered with gray-green lanceolate foliage, pubescent with a short silvery pile. In May-October, bushes cover panicle inflorescences with an intense aroma. Tiny white flowers after pollination form oval pods with a pointed edge. They contain yellowish or brown seeds. Decorative varieties:
- Bentam - snow-white lobularia with a height of not more than 40 cm;
- Compact - a bush with white inflorescences does not exceed 15 cm in height;
- Variegata - yellow-green leaves with a white border adorn a curtain up to 15 cm high, blooms with white flowers;
- Open - a clump of 8-10 cm tall grows in breadth and is covered with dense pink or purple inflorescences;
- Royal carpet - a mixture of dwarf plants, whose height does not exceed 8-12 cm, with purple, raspberry, purple inflorescences;
- Eastern night - on a bush up to 15 cm high, dark lilac flowers with large yellow anthers blossom;
- Tiny Tim - creeping shoots up to 8 cm high are decorated on the tops with dense milk inflorescences;
- Salmon - bushes 10 cm high are covered with dense salmon inflorescences.
Seed cultivation
Lobularia, like any summer, is propagated by seeds. They are sown immediately in open ground or pre-grown seedlings. Seeds are sown in the ground at the end of November or in April. Autumn plantings must be insulated to protect from frost and to protect from excessive soil moisture after snow melt. Shoots will appear when the soil temperature reaches + 12 ° C. This method of growing relieves of the hassle of transplanting, however, flowering will come a little later (40-50 days after emergence), than when planting seedlings. It should also be borne in mind that thinning or transplantation of young lobularia is needed so that the flower garden is more uniform.
To grow seedlings at home, prepare a container with moist sand and peat soil. Seeds are distributed in shallow grooves and sprinkled with soil or wet sand. The container is covered with a transparent lid. Crops are aired daily and sprayed from a spray bottle. The optimum air temperature is + 15 ... + 17 ° C. Shoots appear very quickly, at 2-6 days. With the advent of sprouts, shelter is removed, but not immediately. As the seedlings grow, they are thinned out so that the distance between plants is 3-5 cm. Plants with 4 real leaves are distributed in separate pots. Landing in open ground is planned for late May. By this time, the bushes are growing quite strongly and are able to withstand a slight cooling. However, frost is fatal for them.
Outdoor Care
Lobularia is planted in a well-lit area with protection against drafts. The flower can grow in partial shade, but the number of inflorescences will decrease. The soil for planting should have a slightly acidic or slightly alkaline reaction, be loose, well-drained and fertile. When digging, you can mix the soil with a small amount of gravel and small stones. In order for lobularia to feel spacious, it is important to maintain a distance between plantings of 20-40 cm. The rhizome is easily damaged, so a plant with a large lump of earth is planted and shallow.
Lobularia prefers cool content. Often in the summer heat, a break in flowering occurs, and new inflorescences appear when it gets cooler on the street.
Water lobularia with caution. This drought tolerant plant is susceptible to fungal diseases. Usually it has enough natural rainfall and only with prolonged drought the soil is irrigated with a moderate amount of water. During the growing season and flowering, lobularia is fed with mineral and organic complexes for flowering plants.
In mid-summer, when the first inflorescences wither and dry shoots form, they can be trimmed. Sprouts are cut to a height of 5 cm. Lobularia is excellently restored after pruning, it branches better and forms many new flowers.
Diseases and Pests
Due to the dense vegetation, lobularia can suffer from fungal diseases. On dense, wet soils, the roots are affected by rot, and with increased humidity, powdery mildew or a black leg develops on shoots and leaves. Having found a problem, the bushes are sprayed with a solution of colloidal sulfur and green soap. When signs of brown rot and white rust appear, it is necessary to immediately tear out and destroy the diseased plant.
Of the pests, caterpillars, whiteflies, aphids, and cruciferous fleas usually settle on lobularia. Insects are disposed of with insecticides. At the beginning of the season, it is recommended to carry out preventive treatment, which will reduce the risk of infection.
Plant in landscape design
Fragrant carpet from lobularia will decorate the border plantings, rock garden and rockery. Despite its miniature, the plant forms a very elegant, rich carpet. The flower delights with saturated colors. An experienced gardener can experiment with the pattern using different varieties.
Honey aroma will please near arbors and verandas. The insects attracted by him will not leave fruit trees aside. Lobularia is actively used for ampel plantings, decorating terraces and balconies. It is good in combination with phlox, tulips, forget-me-nots and irises.
