Helipterum

Helipterum has a second name - Acroclinium. The plant is characterized by small, pink-tinged flowers - chamomiles. This culture blooms throughout the summer. Dry bouquets are formed from it, which stand for a very long time - during autumn and winter and continue to remind of a beautiful blooming summer. Despite the fact that Helipterum's inflorescences are very small, they have a very bright, delicate color. The petals are pointed at the tips and grow in several layers, which makes the flowers lush. If you touch such an inflorescence, then it will be hard to the touch.

Helipterum is very popular among gardeners and florists, and it is also actively used by landscape designers, florists, since bright small flowers fit into any composition, both in a bouquet and in a flower bed. In addition, the plant is completely unpretentious.

Gelipturum: flower description

Helipterum: photo of a flower

Helipterum (Acroclinium) belongs to the Asteraceae family. The stems here are about half a meter long and look very graceful due to their small diameter. The leaves grow in a rosette from the roots, each no more than 4 cm in length. The shape is similar to an elongated oval. Further on the stem are also symmetrical small leaves. The color of the leaves is green.

The petals of Helipterum have different shades. They can be white, yellow, pink, and even cherry. The villi located on the stems and leaves of the plant from the side create a barely noticeable overflow.

The name of the flower, if translated from Greek, will mean "sun" or "wing". So the flower is called because of its type of inflorescence. The birthplace of culture is Africa or Australia. In Europe, the plant has spread about 2 centuries ago. Although the flower loves warmth, it is possible to grow it even in the Siberian territories.

The bloom of Helipterum begins in early summer and lasts until about mid-autumn. The timing here will depend precisely on the weather conditions and the climate where this person grows. After the flowering period is over, fruits begin to form, which are additionally covered with fluffy bristles.

Helipterum: flower reproduction

Helipterum is propagated only by seeds. They are planted either directly to a permanent place, or grown through seedlings. Thus, the grown plants will be much stronger, and the flowers will be even more beautiful.

The right time to plant Helipterum is mid-spring. You must first prepare spacious containers and fill them with nutrient-rich, light soil. After watering the land, it is necessary to carefully distribute the seeds over the entire surface, without deepening them, but slightly pressing on them from above. After that, the container is covered with foil or glass can be used. The temperature where the container will be located should be about 20 - 22 degrees, and the room itself should not be very actively illuminated by the sun. The container is ventilated daily to prevent seeds from rotting.

Watering Helipterum is carried out by spraying from a spray bottle. As a rule, the first shoots should appear after 2 weeks, after which it is necessary to remove the shelter.

When about two true leaves appear on the seedlings, they are planted in separate containers, keeping the earthen lump intact.

If you sow Helipterum seeds directly into open ground, then May is the right time for this.It is necessary to choose a place for planting and sow the seeds of Helipterum evenly, after making small holes. The soil is also moistened at the beginning, after which the seeds are carefully distributed and covered with a thin layer of earth. Landings must be covered with material or paper. In about a week, the first shoots will appear, which will need to be periodically thinned out. Excess plants can simply be transplanted to another place or thrown away. Before you start thinning, you should water the seedling and dig a little in order to preserve the integrity of the root system.

Acroclinium: tips for growing

Helipterum: photo of a flower

Since this crop is a summer plant, it is necessary to provide it with a bright, lit all day, open area of ​​land. Being constantly in the sun, the flower will bloom brighter, more luxuriant and longer. In addition, this will protect the plant from common diseases and insect pests.

There is no need to overfeed Gelipterum, since the abundance of nutrients stimulates the growth of green mass. Flowers in this case will be small.

It is not necessary to plant the plant in soil where the alkaline reaction predominates. It is better to choose neutral and slightly acidic soils. A slight deficiency of nutrients in this case will have a positive effect on the growth and flowering of the plant.

Helipterum: landing

Helipterum: planting and care

Around the end of spring, when a stable daytime temperature has already been established and a positive temperature at night, the acroclinum seedlings should be transplanted into open ground.

It is first necessary to make small holes sufficient for the root system of the seedlings. Keeping a lump of soil on the seedling as much as possible, it is necessary to plant the plant and compact the soil around it. The root collar should be approximately level with the soil surface.

After transplanting, the plant is watered, and in order to grow better, it is necessary to pinch the stem. If several flowers are planted, then it is necessary to maintain a distance of about 20 cm between the seedlings.

Helipterum: flower care

Acroclinium is undemanding to care, so all care here comes down to loosening and weeding. The flower tolerates drought well, so watering and feeding is practically not needed here.

Loosening the soil where the flower grows is necessary in order to provide it with good air circulation to the roots. To avoid additional procedures, it is better to lay out a good layer of mulch, which will not only allow air to pass freely, but will also inhibit the growth of weeds, as well as retain moisture. Peat, compost, straw, sawdust or hay work well as mulch.

If there is no layer of mulch, then it is necessary to periodically loosen the soil, especially after precipitation, so that a crust does not form on it, since the root shoots are close to the surface, you do not need to loosen the plant too deeply.

In addition to loosening, regular weeding of Helipterum is necessary. If the summer is too hot and there is practically no rain, then it is necessary to water the crop once every 7 days. Moisture deficiency will be noticeable by the small size of the inflorescences. If you are growing a cut plant, you should constantly water the crop once every 10 days.

Organic fertilizers are not at all suitable for Akroklinum. At the beginning of plant growth, nitrogen-containing preparations should be added, and special fertilizers for flowering crops should be applied before flowering. Also, if you grow flowers for cutting, you should use a complex of mineral fertilizers at least once a month during watering.

Common diseases and pests

Helipterum: photo of a flower

If all growing conditions are met, then Helipterums will have good immunity to various diseases and pests.If not all points are observed, then fungal diseases can arise from excess moisture, and in general, waterlogging of the soil can lead to rotting of the root system and the death of the entire plant.

The most common pests for helipterum are nematodes and moth caterpillars. If you notice that the flower has stopped growing, and black dots have formed on the leaves, then the plant has been hit by nematodes. For better protection, you need to plant marigolds or garlic on the flower bed. You can treat the culture with an infusion prepared on the basis of these plants, since the pests do not tolerate their smell. To protect the helipterum from caterpillars, insecticide treatment should be carried out.

Application area

Most often, Acroclinum is grown in containers, in various pots and flowerpots, both as a stand-alone plant, and in composition with other flowers. Landscape designers value culture and often plant it in rockeries, along curbs and mixborders.

In large flower beds where large flowers grow, this plant should not be planted, since it may simply be invisible, and large plants will shade small flowers. Optimal would be a linear landing around plantings, along the perimeter of the beds, along paths and fences, as well as other structures. Acroclinum looks great in composition with crops such as violets, hosts and other small plants.

Helipterum is actively used in floristry. The flower looks very impressive in a bouquet, combined with flowers such as poppies, irises, daylilies or peonies. In addition, Helipterum looks very beautiful in combination with cornflowers and bells, as small as it is.

The flowers are so bright that it retains an attractive appearance even after the inflorescences have dried. If a flower is in a dry bouquet, then it certainly resembles fresh flowers from afar. In a dry bouquet, Gelipterum is often combined with physalis. Various panels, paintings, applications and herbariums are made from dried flowers.

In order for the plant to look spectacular in various compositions or in a dry bouquet, the flowers should be properly cut and dried. It is necessary to cut the plants almost immediately after the buds have blossomed. Usually, all individual branches are cut off, and after that they are combined into a bouquet and hung on a rope. The room where the flowers are dried should be protected from light and well ventilated.

Types of Acroclinium

Helipterum: photo of a flower

There are many varieties of Helipterum, however, only a few plants are adapted to our conditions:

• Pink helipterum. The stem of this plant grows to about 50 cm. The shoot itself is thin, but quite stable even in the wind. The leaves of this plant have a green tint, and the flowers are collected in several rows: five or six and have a pink tint. The central part of the flower is bright yellow here.
• There is also another variety Red Boni... It has a brown heart and red petals.
• Variety Album has a white tint of the petals and a yellow center.
• Round dance. It is characterized by a black core and a completely different shade of petals.
• Goliath has large inflorescences that reach 6 cm in diameter, as well as petals that have shades closer to cherry.
• Humbold's helipterum... This plant is distinguished by yellow flowers, the diameter of which is no more than 3 cm.The height of the stem of this plant does not exceed 40 cm.
• Also, a variety is distinguished from yellow varieties Baby Sun... Here, the diameter of the flowers is already 6 cm.
• Helipterum Mengles. The plant has a stem, about 30 cm high and flowers no more than 3 cm in diameter. The shade of flowers is completely different, mainly pink tones predominate.
• Helipterum corymbose looks very much like a chamomile.

Conclusion

Helipterum (Acroclinium) is a beautiful, unpretentious plant that can be safely planted to give the site a more spectacular look.The plant calmly reacts to the lack of watering and feeding, on the contrary, in "field" conditions the flower blooms better and longer. Helipterum is used for cutting, and also dry bouquets are made from it and herbariums are made.