When to sow Carpathian bluebell. Growing bells from seeds When to plant

For for long years Bluebells are the favorite flowers of millions of gardeners in the middle zone. Cute and tender - can you imagine a summer flower garden without them? People affectionately call bells “bells”, “chenilles”, “chebotkas” - like a quiet chime in each name, do you hear?

The most popular among flower growers typical representative genus - Carpathian bellflower, which is a dense perennial bush 25–30 cm high, blooming with large (up to 5 cm in diameter) funnel-shaped flowers, the color of which, depending on the variety, can be snow-white, purple, sky blue or bright blue. Matching the modest, exquisite beauty of the Carpathian bell is its meek, unpretentious character, thanks to which it is pleasant and not at all difficult to grow it.

When to plant

Sowing Carpathian bell seeds can be done directly into the soil in the second ten days of May or at the end of October, before winter. However, only the seedling method allows seedlings to flower already in the current season. Seeds for seedlings are sown in the first week of March, and permanent place Plant growth is planted in late May–early June.

Growing seedlings

First of all, a nutritious, permeable substrate is prepared for Carpathian bell seedlings. To do this, mix turf soil (6 parts) with humus (3 parts), and coarse sand (1 part) is added as a leavening agent. For disinfection purposes, the resulting mixture is placed in a hot oven for 30–40 minutes or water bath. Culture seeds are not needed preliminary preparation, so sowing work will not take much time.

• A low bowl is filled with sterilized soil mixture.
• Bell seeds are scattered evenly over the soil surface, lightly pressed and sprayed warm water from a spray bottle.
• The crops are covered with glass or polyethylene and kept in the light at a temperature of +18–22 °C.

The emergence of seedlings takes about 15–20 days. As soon as the first shoots appear from the ground, the shelter is removed and the bowl is removed from the direct rays of the sun. Caring for bellflower crops comes down to carrying out procedures that are usual for any flower seedlings– water the soil as it dries and periodically gently loosen it. 3 weeks after emergence, when the seedlings develop their first true leaves, they are transplanted into a spacious container at intervals of 9–11 cm. 12–15 days after picking, feed the plant with a weakly concentrated solution of complete seedling fertilizer.

Location of the Carpathian bellflower on the site

As a “place of residence” for the light-loving Carpathian bluebell, they choose a sunny, draft-free place, located away from bushes and trees. The crop prefers loamy, well-drained soils with a neutral or slightly alkaline reaction.

When preparing the site, the soil is dug deeply and humus or garden compost is added. Note! Do not use peat and fresh manure– they can provoke infection of seedlings with harmful fungi.

Transplanting seedlings into open ground

Carpathian bell seedlings are planted in a permanent place of growth with a small lump of earth, keeping a distance of about 10–15 cm between the seedlings. The soil under the bushes is thoroughly compacted, watered abundantly with water heated in the sun and the soil under the plantings is mulched with a layer of humus.

Features of care

Bells that are unpretentious in maintenance are not presented high requirements to the surrounding conditions, so caring for them will not be difficult for you.

• Water the plantings only during prolonged heat, spending 5–10 liters of water on each adult bush. After watering, the soil under the bells is loosened and weeded.
• Feed the plants twice per season - in early spring, nitrogen-containing fertilizer is applied while still in the snow, and at the beginning of budding, the bushes will respond well to fertilizing with complex mineral fertilizer.
• To ensure the flowering of the Carpathian bell is abundant and long, regularly pick off the wilted inflorescences.

These simple activities will be enough for your pet. The Carpathian bell can grow comfortably in one place for 5-6 years.

Protection from diseases and pests

The owner of the Carpathian bell will not have to worry much about the health of the pet. The crop is not susceptible to pests and fungal infections, so high-quality care will be a reliable guarantee of the plant’s well-being. But! Over time, numerous pathogens accumulate in the soil under the bells that can destroy the bushes - sclerotinia, botrytis, fusarium. To prevent the massive development of harmful microorganisms, it is recommended to spray plantings in spring and autumn with a weak (2%) solution of the drug “Fundazol”.

In rainy years, the Carpathian bluebell can be annoyed by voracious slugs and slobbering pennies. Gastropods will have to be removed and destroyed manually, and the plants will have to be treated with hot pepper infusion. Slugs will not return if granulated superphosphate or dry mustard is scattered under the bushes. Garlic water helps a lot against slobbering pennies.

Popular varieties

IN garden culture Carpathian bellflower has been known since 1970. During this time, many promising varieties of the crop were developed, the best of which are recognized as:

• Alba - amazingly beautiful snow-white flowers;
• Klip is a dwarf (up to 20 cm in height) plant, suitable for growing in the garden and on a home windowsill;
• Isabelle is a popular variety with bright sky blue flowers;
• White Star - bright white, very delicate bells;
• Celestina is a form of culture with bells the color of the spring sky;
• Karpatenkrone - lilac and pale lilac flowers;
• Blaumeise, Centon Joy, Riverslea - deep blue, amazingly beautiful bells.

Be sure to pay attention to hybrids with double flowers– in the design of a flower garden they look amazing.

Preparing for winter

In average climates, the Carpathian bell successfully winters without shelter. However, if weather forecasters predict a frosty winter with little snow, it would be advisable to insulate the plantings. To do this, the stem shoots of plants are cut off at the root and the flower garden is covered with fallen leaves or securely covered with spruce paws.

Reproduction methods

If you plan to expand the planting of your favorite plant, then at the end of the season do not forget to collect seeds for the next season. As soon as the boxes begin to turn brown, cut them off and ripen in a dry, ventilated place. Ripe seeds are scattered into small bags, labeled with the name of the variety and stored until next spring. In March, the seeds are put into the refrigerator for two months of stratification. In addition, you can sow seeds before winter, which is very convenient - the material is stratified under natural conditions and will delight you with friendly sprouts in the spring, which you just have to pick up.

The crop is propagated vegetatively by dividing the rhizome or by cuttings. In the first case, adult bushes that have reached the age of 3-4 years are dug up, shoots are cut and divided root system into several parts. The sections are treated with crushed coal, after which the sections are planted in separate holes. In April, bell cuttings are cut from young stems or root shoots and planted under a film for rooting.

Carpathian bellflower in landscape design

Suitable neighbors for cute bells would be equally unpretentious bright daisies, charming, fragrant alyssum, and lush aubrietta. The composition of multi-colored Carpathian bells looks incredibly attractive. In alpine hills, the culture is successfully combined with saxifrage, juvenilia, periwinkle, and sedum. When decorating a rockery, plant the Carpathian bell against a background of fescue, geranium, grass carnation, Iberis and subulate phlox.

Currently, more and more gardeners are expressing a desire to plant summer cottages alpine coaster, which delight the eyes of others with their beauty. The Carpathian bell, which is a dense bush with large flowers, looks very elegant on an alpine hill.

The advantage of the bell is that it is a perennial plant that does not require annual sowing. Moreover, it attracts many multi-colored paints- blue, purple, and also soft white. Carpathian bellflower is most often grown from seeds.

Ways to grow a plant

• Sowing seedlings. This method the most common, which is why most gardeners use it. It is worth noting that the seeds of the Carpathian bell are very small, so in order for them to grow evenly, it is recommended to sprinkle them with dry sand. In addition, they are quite capricious, so they need to be prepared in early February so that they undergo thermal hardening.

It is worth preparing the boxes for planting in advance and filling them with a soil mixture that is designed specifically for flower seedlings. Its advantage is that it has everything for flower growth. Of course, you can prepare the soil yourself. To do this, you need to combine the soil with humus and sand. After about 2 weeks you can see the first shoots.

Do not forget about the hardening of flowers; this is an important factor, since seeds, when planted in open ground must be prepared for the vagaries of the weather. When the first leaves appear on the flowers, they need to be picked out, and at the end of May the bells should be planted in open ground.

Important: In order for the soil to be constantly moistened, at first the seeds need to be covered with glass or film. But from time to time it should be removed in order for ventilation to occur.

• Growing Carpathian bell from seeds at home can be done in another way. It consists in the fact that the seeds are placed before planting in open ground in a mixture with wet sand, which is located in a plastic bag.

First, the seeds in the bag are heated, then hardened in the refrigerator. After this, they are sent to boxes with prepared soil without deepening. The temperature for this stage should not be below 15 degrees.

Watering the seeds should be done carefully, using a spray bottle, in this case they will not wash out. At this time, you need to ensure that the seedlings are not only moistened, but also well lit, then the seeds will germinate in 25 days.

Bellflower seedlings are quite thin, so in order not to injure the seeds, they should be planted in 4 seedlings in special peat pots. After about 2 weeks, it is worth fertilizing the plants.

Carpathian bellflower: photo

Varieties of Carpathian bellflower

Blue or white Gnome is very beautiful flower, which grows in a flowerbed in small bushes, on each of them single flowers bloom for a whole season.

Carpathian bell Gnome, growing from seeds which is a simple process, prefers exclusively loose soils.

Around the end of April or beginning of May, the seeds should be planted under the film. At regular watering the first shoots will be noticeable after 20 days. In August, the sprouts are planted in a permanent place, in open ground.

Plant care and planting: main points

• The Carpathian bell grows well both in partial shade and in illuminated areas. It is advisable to provide the plant good drainage and neutral acidity.
• In order for the Carpathian bell to bloom and delight the eyes of others throughout summer season, it needs to be watered regularly.
• From time to time it is worth loosening the soil around the plant, freeing it from excess weeds, and trimming it a little in early October. To prolong the flowering of the Carpathian bell, dried flowers need to be removed.

In conclusion, it is worth adding that this plant will great decoration any garden or balcony. It, even with minimal care, will delight others with its magical beauty all long summer.

Planting the Carpathian bell and growing it in the garden

The Carpathian bell is decorative flower, native to the mountain slopes Central Europe and the Carpathians. In Russia, it is most often used to decorate flower beds or borders, and is also planted in one’s own garden. He is quite unpretentious, but it doesn’t hurt to know some rules of care.

Description of the Carpathian bell

Source: Depositphotos

Carpathian bellflower has several varieties

During the flowering period, the bell is covered with smooth or double flowers with a circumference of about 5 cm. They can be heavenly in color, purple, blue and snow-white. Externally, the flowers resemble porcelain cups.

The bell begins to bloom in the first half of summer and ends in September. The length of the period depends on the specific species.

Planting Carpathian bellflower

The mountain flower can be planted outdoors in the ground. It will not be difficult to plant it in your own garden and care for it. A bell can grow in one place for 5 years and feel comfortable. But for this it is important to properly prepare the soil and plant the flower bed.

When landing and further cultivation, you need to focus on the following rules:

• Bluebell loves sunlight, so you need to choose a sunny and warm place for it. If there is not enough sun, the bell will lose its saturated color, And decorative look. It is undesirable to place bushes in a draft, as they do not like the wind.
• Moisture should not accumulate in the selected location. If there is too much water, the roots will begin to rot and the plant will eventually die. It is best to plant flowers at a slight elevation.
• IN suitable soil you need to make a drainage layer. To do this, you can use small pebbles and river sand. The soil should be light and non-acidic.
• When the planting site has been chosen and the soil has been prepared, form a flower bed. To do this, dig up the ground and add dry lime with humus or compost to it. Fresh manure should not be used.
• Plant flowers at a distance of at least 50 cm. They should be planted in spring.
• After planting, the flowerbed should be watered and the perennial should be lightly compacted. The soil around the bush should be sprinkled with a little peat.

Even an inexperienced gardener can plant a mountain plant. This will not require much work and will take very little time.

The delicate, beautiful Carpathian bell is business card every gardener. With it you can decorate an alpine slide on your site. It is considered an ideal plant, as it is unpretentious in care and can adapt to any living conditions. Growing Carpathian bell from seeds is not difficult, but some tips can be useful even to professionals.

Popular varieties

The Carpathian bell is a perennial decorative dwarf species. Prefers to grow on mountain slopes. Perfectly complements flower beds, path perimeters, alpine slides. The height of the Carpathian bell is from 25 to 30 centimeters, and the diameter is about 30 centimeters. The leaves have a round shape. They are small on the stems and larger near the roots, collected in a basal rosette.

The palette of the Carpathian bell is varied; the flowers can be white, blue, lilac, blue or violet. Funnel-shaped flowers have a diameter of up to 5 centimeters. Flowering lasts from June to September. After the plants bloom, fruit boxes are formed, which have an oval-cylindrical shape.

There are several well-known varieties:

The most popular Carpathian bell at the moment is the white or blue Dwarf. The plant has the shape of a round, compact bush with single, funnel-shaped blue or white flowers. This plant is grown only through seedlings. In April or May, they begin to grow seedlings under glass or film. After three weeks, shoots appear.

Plants are planted in open ground only in the first half of August. The soil for this type of Carpathian bell should be fertile and loose.

Most often, the flower is used to decorate mixborders or rock gardens. The duration of flowering depends on the proximity to other plants. Goes well with geraniums, peonies, irises, and carnations. The Carpathian bell can also decorate a balcony, terrace or loggia.

Features of sowing

The Carpathian bell has many distinctive features, one of which is slow growth. Therefore, if you want luxurious flowers to grow on your site in the summer, you need to start germinating seeds at the end of February. For this you will need a container or wooden box.

A mixture of:

• peat,
• humus,
• river sand.

Fill the container with the mixture and water generously. Pre-soak the seeds in warm water in order to increase germination (4-5 hours). It is necessary to pour the seeds onto damp soil, lightly press them down, but do not bury them. Cover the top of the container with glass or plastic film. It is necessary to periodically (once or twice a day) remove the film so that condensation does not accumulate inside.

Water for irrigation should be warm and settled. You should add a little ash to it. The container with seedlings should be in a lighted place. Since the seeds are sown in February, it is worth providing them with additional artificial lighting.

Seedling care

After about 10-12 days, the first shoots will appear, but the hardening procedure should be carried out only after 3 weeks. By that time, the Carpathian bell will already have 2-3 leaves. Initially, the film is removed for 10 minutes and the plant is left in the open air, then the time is gradually increased, and after a few days the flower can be left without film for 20 minutes. At the time of picking, which is performed at 11-12 weeks, the plant should not be covered with glass or film.

Watering the seedlings is carried out as the soil dries. After picking, the Carpathian bell can be planted in open ground or in a separate container. They place 3-4 plants in one container in order to get a large one in the future, lush bush ik.

Planting in open ground

The Carpathian bell is planted in open ground in early May, when the threat of frost has passed and the plants will not die from constant temperature changes. It is also worth considering some subtleties when planting perennial bells in open ground:

• A flower can grow magnificently in the same place for no more than 5 years (provided it is properly cared for and a well-chosen place for planting);
• The bluebell loves to grow on sunny side. If you plant it in a darker place, the color of the flowers will fade, and the stems will become thin and weak;
• Flowers need good drainage, as they do not tolerate stagnant water. The ideal place for a bell is a rocky hill;
• If in winter period there will be a lot of water near the roots, they will freeze and the plant will die;
• The soil should be slightly alkaline or neutral. Before planting in open ground, you should dig up the soil well and add humus to it. It is also necessary to carry out agrotechnical measures in order to reduce the acidity of the soil.

After planting the Carpathian bell, you need proper care. This is not difficult to do. In spring, the plant needs to be watered regularly and moderately. During extreme heat, to preserve moisture, it is recommended to mulch the soil with plants. If the Carpathian bell grows on rocky hills, then it does not need such a procedure.

Growing Carpathian bell from seeds quite labor-intensive, but interesting process. These flowers grow beautifully in middle lane, which made them one of the favorite plants of gardeners. Cute and small flowers, different delicate color, always fit into the decor of the summer flower garden and delight with their beauty for a long time.

The Carpathian bell belongs to the group perennial plants. The flower is a lush bush that can reach a height of approximately 20-30 cm. The size is influenced by soil, care and the amount of sunlight received.

The average size of one bell is 5 cm. It has the shape of a funnel. The color scheme of the bell depends on which variety was chosen for planting. The bush can delight you with blue, blue, white and purple inflorescences.

There is one flower on each base. The usual time for the appearance of the first blooming plants is early to mid-June. Flowering is long lasting. At the end of the period, a cylindrical seed box is formed at the base of the plant.

Attention! Although it is a little difficult to grow bluebells from seeds, once germinated they require a minimal amount of care and maintenance. Wherein long time pleases the gardener with bright flower stalks.

Successful plant varieties

The bell belongs to the class herbaceous plants, which can be planted in open ground in flower beds or a greenhouse, or directly room conditions. When growing a plant on small areas or at home, it is better to choose varieties that are not very voluminous, have bright colors and long flowering.

Table 1. Successful varieties Carpathian bellflower and their features.

Attention! Despite the fact that the Carpathian bell germinates well in the middle zone, when choosing seeds, pay attention to additional comments on them. Sometimes the variety requires higher temperatures and longer summer period due to fear of low temperatures.

Soil and place for planting

When growing Carpathian bellflower, you should take into account its fragility and fear of drafts. Therefore, the place for its cultivation should be selected with great responsibility, also paying attention to the land. In one place, without re-planting, a bell can produce bright and lush bushes for five years, if the soil and planting site are selected correctly.

According to the experience of flower growers the best option For flower propagation, soil is enriched with nutrients, loose in nature and has good water drainage. It is important that the soil is neutral or slightly alkaline. Acidic and highly alkaline soils have a detrimental effect on the root system of the flower.

Also, the Carpathian bell will not suit clay soil, since the liquid stagnates heavily in it, which also provokes rotting of the roots and can lead to disease damage to the stem and foliage parts.

The ideal option would be to place a flower bed for the Carpathian bluebell on a small hill. If the area is flat, you should choose places with rocky soil. It is important to dig up all the soil well first; this should be done in the spring; only after this is the plant allowed to be planted. If the area has heavy soil, it can be improved by mixing it with fine sand. It is best to take river water.

Attention! Additionally, fertilizer must be added to the soil. For this purpose, rotten leaves are used if the soil has a sufficient amount nutrients, or mineral fertilizers when soil is scarce. You cannot use manure or peat substrate as a top dressing for the bell, as they may contain fungal spores.

Growing a plant from seeds

Most gardeners resort to simple way growing Carpathian bellflower from collected or purchased seeds. They plant seed directly into the ground. But this should be done only if the earth has already warmed up well in May. The first stems appear 10-20 days after placing the seeds in the ground.

As soon as the first leaves have formed on the bushes, all shoots are plucked and placed at a distance of at least 10 cm from the neighboring bell.

You can also plant seeds in the autumn, if for some reason it was not possible to do this in May. The best time The second or third week of October is the best time to plant Carpathian bellflower in cold weather. The first shoots with such planting appear immediately after the snow melts, as soon as the ground warms up.

Attention! The seeding material of Carpathian bellflower is different small size, so the seeds are simply placed in the soil, which has previously been well loosened. If you comply temperature regime, placing the seedlings in warm soil, even 1 g of seeds will give almost 100% germination.

Obtaining bellflower seedlings from seeds

This method is labor-intensive and time-consuming, but allows you to get good flower sprouts even in cold regions. To obtain dense seedlings, seeds are sown in small boxes (pots can be used) with substrate. Sowing is carried out from February to the end of March.

Container for growing seedlings

1. First you need to prepare containers for future seedlings with a certain amount fertile land. If it is not possible to purchase a substrate specifically for the bell, you can prepare it yourself. To do this, mix turf, organic humus and river sand. It is important to maintain proportions. They are equal to 6:3:1 respectively.
2. Before planting the seed, the substrate is well moistened with water. After this, all the seeds are scattered over the surface of the substrate and lightly patted, but this should be done without sprinkling with earth.
3. All containers are tightly covered with oilcloth or transparent glass. After this, the boxes or pots are placed in a well-heated room with natural light. The window sill of a window facing the western or southern side of the world is best suited.
4. To prevent the seedlings from burning, you should open the inflow boxes for a while every day for 14 days. fresh air. Additionally, the soil is moistened with water room temperature from a spray bottle.

The first seedlings appear in the third week. After it sprouts with leaves, they should be planted in small containers; regular yogurt or sour cream cups will do. 2-3 plants are planted in each, then observing the watering regime. Serious drying out or excessive moisture of the soil should not be allowed. In May, all seedlings can already be planted in the ground. Additional information on growing can be found in the video.

Video - Carpathian bell: growing from seeds

Attention! We must not forget to remove any water droplets that form on the glass or film. Condensation can create an unfavorable environment for seeds, causing them to rot and die.

There is no need for strict watering of the Carpathian bellflower, especially when growing it outside. But during severe droughts or extreme high temperatures It is recommended to pour at least 10 liters of water under one bush. To prevent rotting, the soil should be loosened well after watering. This will also provide additional air flow.

Feeding and mulching

Nutrients should be added to the soil twice during the plant’s flowering season. It is recommended to fertilize the bell for the first time with components containing nitrogen. The flower should be fed in this way in early spring, even before the snow melts. The second replenishment is carried out during the period of active bud formation. For the second stage of nutrition, any suitable fertilizer can be used.

The soil on which the flower grows should always be as loose as possible and allow water to pass through so that liquid stagnation does not form. Be sure to remove all weeds, as they take away useful material and don't let you leave excess water. For mulching bluebells from weed sawdust or dry grass are used.

Attention! If the soil on which the flower is grown is severely deficient in nutrients, fertilizer can be applied three times. This can be done after the end of the flowering season. Gradually, the soil will be saturated with components and processing will be reduced to double feeding.

Inflorescences and seed collection

After the inflorescences have finished their life cycle, they should be removed immediately. A seed pod has already formed on them, which can lead to self-seeding. Because of this, unwanted bell bushes may appear throughout the area, since the seeds take root easily and are quickly spread by the wind, insects and birds. In addition, removing inflorescences allows new ones to sprout.

If you want to collect Carpathian bellflower seeds, you should collect the formed seed material. To do this, leave a few inflorescences and wait until they form a fruit capsule. As soon as it becomes dark, signs of their opening appear, you should immediately cut off the boxes and dry them well. Seed material should be stored in a dry, well-ventilated area.

Attention! If the plant is planted from seeds, flowering of the Carpathian bellflower is usually observed in the third year.

Winter period for the Carpathian bluebell

The flower is quite hardy and practically not afraid of low temperatures, thanks to which it tolerates winter well. If, according to forecasts, there will be extreme low temperatures, it is recommended to cover the bushes with film, insulating them with any material. It is also possible to completely cut off the stem part to the very root, after which the bell is covered with leaves. They will rot and give extra food plant.

Weaknesses of the Carpathian bellflower

The flower is not afraid of pests and, if the rules of care and watering are followed, it is practically not exposed to any diseases. But when growing a bell in one place for six years, it creates unfavorable conditions for the growth of other plants and itself. With prolonged germination in the soil, it forms a large number of harmful bacteria. They can cause death of the root system.