When creating a piece of paradise in a summer cottage, it is necessary to choose the right garden plants.
At the same time, gardeners try to give preference to bright exotic perennials, which amaze with their unusual appearance and at the same time are quite unpretentious.
An excellent choice would be Ixia, planting and caring for which in the open field is quite simple.
Content:
Read also: Perennial flowers (TOP 50 species): garden catalog for giving with photos and names | Video + Reviews
Origin and description of the plant
African perennial fan Ixia
Exotic herbaceous plant Ixia (Ixia) is a perennial and belongs to the Iris family. Its Greek name translates as "bird glue", the flower got it because of the extremely sticky juice. The homeland of the perennial is South Africa, where it was first discovered in the Cape region at the end of the 17th century. The plant began to actively spread and cultivate in the 1800s, and today this species takes root well in the middle temperate latitudes.
Ixia belongs to corm plants and can reach a height of 30-70 centimeters. This fragile perennial has slender, leafless stems, narrow ensiform leaves that grow straight from the corm, and star-shaped flowers.
The period of active flowering falls on the end of May-mid-June. On the peduncle usually grows up to 10 buds, which contain 6 petals of bright color, completely closed at night and in cloudy weather.
The inflorescence of the plant is spiky
During the opening period, the flowers reach a diameter of 2.5-5 cm and have a pleasant delicate aroma that attracts bees. At the same time, some varieties have a gradient color - the closer to the peduncle, the richer and darker the bud petals become (dark red or black).
Read also: Projects of country houses for 6-10 acres: 120 photos, description and requirements | The most interesting ideas Popular types and varieties
Ixia sinensis is endangered
Exotic ixia has a fairly large number of species, which allows landscape designers to create incredible compositions. The most popular types of ixia that amaze with beauty are:
- green-flowered (Ixia viridiflora) - thin petals of a funnel-shaped flower are painted green and blend perfectly with a black-purple middle
- spotted (Ixia maculata) - buds with a diameter of 4 cm of various shades, with lanceolate-shaped petals, the core is dark. Maculata is the most common type of perennial.
- Chinese (Ixia chinensis) - orange, yellow or dark red inflorescences. Petals are covered with dark spots inside
- hymenocallis - the flowers of the plant are round in shape and look like a bell with arched petals that emit a tart strong aroma. It should be noted that it grows well in the winter garden and greenhouses.
Over the past 2 centuries, biologists have developed a variety of hybrid varieties of Ixia (Ixia x hybrida), which grow well in temperate latitudes and are resistant to pests. They are the most popular and differ from each other only in shades of buds. Among the hybrids:
Blue Bird - inflorescences of white and blue shades.
Blue Bird
Castor - Ixia with red petals.
Castor
Giant - a delicate plant whose buds are creamy and snow-white.
Giant
Hollands Glory - this variety with yellow crayon flowers, like the Market variety.
Hollands Glory
Volcano - a variety whose inflorescences have a brick-red tint.
Volcano
Rose Emperor - a variety of delicate pink color.
Rose Emperor
Most often, a decorative tropican is planted in garden compositions as a single group in order to draw attention to it. Some gardeners use it as a bright frame for a flower bed or an alpine slide - the ixia is placed around the edges, creating a border for the entire composition. Both a color mix and a monochromatic perennial are actively used.
Read also: How to grow tulips by March 8 at home? Planting, distillation, storage and other subtleties
Landing in open ground
Only planted large and resilient bulbs bloom in the same year
When planting ixia in the ground, it is important to remember that it is a tropical plant and too low a temperature can kill it. Therefore, gardeners recommend:
- In a warm, mild climate, bushes can be planted in the ground in the last week of April - the first week of May or in November
- In middle latitudes, it is better to land in the second week of May (the air temperature should be at least 10-12 degrees). In the spring, delenok is planted - tubers cut in half for reproduction. You can't plant them in winter.
It is very important to choose the right landing site, as it must be sufficiently illuminated. It is best to follow the basic recommendations:
- choose a site where there is a lot of lighting, no wind, preferably away from tall trees
- on the flower bed take a place in the foreground - thanks to this, the ixia will be able to provide the necessary watering, and it will look spectacular
- the soil is well drained beforehand - stagnant moisture will destroy the roots of the plant
- choose loose, aerated and humus-rich soil with neutral acidity
ixia flower
After choosing the time and place, you should start planting the perennial. The whole process can be divided into several stages, detailed in the table.
| Planting ixia in the soil | |
| Soil preparation | The earth is dug up in advance, freed from lumps and stones, leveled. If the soil is very heavy, river sand can be mixed into it (1 bucket per 1 sq. M). |
| Feeding | Fertilize the soil in a complex: per 1 sq. m contribute 70 g of superphosphate, 20 g of magnesium and 300 g of wood ash. |
| Planting material preparation | Only the most elastic and dense bulbs are suitable for planting. All dryish and moldy specimens must be destroyed. Selected tubers should be treated with a fungicide - it will protect them from mold. |
| Creating holes | Depressions in the soil are made by 50-80 mm. In this case, the distance between the holes should be 10-12 cm apart if whole bulbs are planted. When propagating bulbs by dividing them, they are planted in the ground to a depth of 4-5 cm. |
| disembarkation | It is advisable to pour a handful of river sand into each hole - it provides soil drainage. Corms are placed in the prepared holes, gently sprinkled with loose soil. Immediately carry out mulching of the soil by 2-3 cm. |
| Watering | Planted tubers are not watered. The first time this can be done only after 15-18 days, when the sprouts are already visible. |
It should be remembered that in autumn you can plant ixia for wintering only in the southern warm regions and only with corms - delenki sit down in the spring, because they are not able to survive even a slight cold snap.
Read also: Onions - a description of 33 varieties with their photos and main characteristics, ripening dates and other useful information (Video) + Reviews Care
Only with proper care perennial will bloom
Despite the fact that Ixia was brought from warm tropical countries, it is quite easy to care for it - the main thing is to plant it in a warm, sun-filled place and water it on time.
Perennial care is no different from other plants - you need to regularly weed the soil, remove yellow leaves, wilted spike-shaped inflorescences, and also feed fertilizers in time.
Watering
The first watering is done only when green sprouts appear.
When moistening the soil, moderation is important: the first shoots should only be sprinkled lightly, but as they grow, increase the intensity of watering. It is especially important to water the ixia abundantly during the formation of its buds and during subsequent flowering.
Tropical plants are accustomed to moist, saturated air, so Ixia should be sprayed regularly with a spray bottle, especially if there are dry, hot days. For spraying, as well as for irrigation, use warm, settled water. Soil moisture provides good drainage - it fights waterlogging, but keeps freshness at the roots.
After the rain, the damp earth must be loosened, in the process of which all weeds must be removed. As soon as the ixia blooms, its watering is reduced to a minimum, and in rainy, humid regions it is completely stopped.
Fertilizer
Peat, sawdust and part of the humus are used as mulch.
For feeding ixia, mineral and organic fertilizers are used, which are applied every 10-12 days. Because it belongs to the family Lukovichnykh, you can use any fertilizer complexes for this type.
Usually use:
- Mineral nitrogen-containing: urea, potassium, saltpeter, ammonium sulfate
- Organic: chicken manure, rotted compost, peat, sawdust
They begin to feed ixia, as well as gladioli, in the first summer weeks - approximately 2-3 weeks after disembarkation. The plant is fertilized with a nutrient mixture especially carefully during the budding period, and after the fall of all the flowers, top dressing is stopped. If the land is fertile and saturated enough, then ixia can be left without additional nutrients - it will take the necessary minerals from the soil, but in summer the soil around the bushes must be mulched.
reproduction
With mechanical division, even a small onion can be cut into 4-5 parts
In the wild, Ixia reproduces by growing and distributing its seeds and babies. In horticulture, two main methods of its reproduction are used:
- separation of children from the mother bulb
- mechanical propagation
In the first case, gardeners wait until the mother bulb begins to grow shoots - this usually happens at 3-4 years of the plant's life. Rhizomes form children, which are carefully cut with a knife. The cut point is processed with crushed coal or brilliant green, and the resulting seedlings are planted in spring in garden plots.
If you need to propagate ixia faster, then choose the path of division - the corm is cut so that the new part is with root processes and has a root bud (eye). The incision site is also carefully sprinkled with wood ash.
Storage
You can not store the bulbs at room conditions, you need to provide them with coolness
After prolonged flowering, the plant gradually transitions to dormancy. With the onset of autumn and cold weather, you should take care of the ixia bulbs, as they do not tolerate cold well and even a small drop in temperature can kill them. After the onset of autumn, the aerial part of the perennial is cut and removed, and the bulbs are treated depending on climatic conditions:
- If the climate is southern, warm, then the bulbs can be left in the ground, but it is good to insulate them. To do this, the flower bed is covered with a layer of mulch (straw, peat). The thickness of the insulation layer should be about 4-5 cm
- In the temperate zone, bulbs must be dug up for the winter and stored until spring planting: they must be dried well, and then disinfected with a solution of potassium permanganate and dried again. Instances with mold or rot are destroyed. Dry tubers are wrapped in thick paper (a newspaper is perfect), placed in containers, and placed in a dry, ventilated room. You can put them at the bottom in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator
You can plant perennials in flower pots for distillation - but they will not bloom after planting in the ground. With the onset of spring, flower tubers are either released from insulation and fertilized, or re-moved and planted again.
Diseases and pests
The most common problem is waterlogging - this leads to rotting of the bulb.
Ixia is resistant to diseases and pests, especially if all the rules for planting and caring for a perennial are followed. Possible causes of problems with the flower, as well as ways to solve them, are outlined in the table below.
| Disease or pest | signs | Treatment Methods |
|---|---|---|
| Fusarios is a viral disease | The leaves dry out, the shoots grow crooked, and the flowers are deformed. | The bush should be treated with a fungicide that contains copper. |
| Gray rot is a bacterial disease | The tubers become moldy, and the plant begins to wither and dry out. | It is impossible to cure the affected specimens, they should be quickly removed so that healthy ixia do not become infected. For prevention, plants are treated with "Fundazol". |
| Septoria is a fungal disease | Small brown spots appear on the leaves. The bulbs have watery gray spots. | Spray the above-ground half of the plant with Bordeaux liquid. Destroy severely affected specimens. |
| Parasites (aphids, spider mites, thrips) | The flowers lose their brightness, the shoots become crooked. And the leaves appear dots and spots. | The plant must be treated with strong insecticides. |
Ixia is a bright and exotic plant, with beautiful inflorescences, which will decorate any garden. Growing it in open ground is quite simple, the main thing is to properly plant ixia in the soil and timely meet the perennial's needs for water and bait. Indoors, ixia can grow only in special greenhouses and winter gardens; at home, it is rarely possible to maintain the desired temperature and illumination.
VIDEO: Ixia in landscape design Beautiful plants for home and garden
Ixia in landscape design Beautiful plants for home and garden
Ixia: description, types, planting and care in the open field: growing a star perennial in the garden | (60+ Photos & Videos) + Reviews
