Salpiglossis

Introduction

Salpiglossis is a very beautiful and attractive garden plant that no florist or gardener would refuse to have in his possession. It attracts not only with its appearance and aroma, but also with an incredible variety of species, varieties, sizes and shades. Therefore, in this article, we decided to tell you more about this stunning flower, so that you never have any difficulties in growing it.

Brief description of the plant Salpiglossis

Salpiglossis: photo of flowers

Salpiglossis - a very motley flower of the nightshade family. It combines more than twenty species, which, it would seem, is not such a huge figure, however, given the huge number of different varieties that are bred every year, any flower grower will definitely be able to find Salpaglossis to their liking.

Among the flowers of Salpiglossis, you can find both annuals and biennials and perennials. It grows in South America and is practically not found in the wild anywhere except in Chile.

By the way, the name of this plant also has a rather interesting origin. From the Greek language it is translated as "pipe" and "tongue". And, if the word trumpet in this name is really justified, because the flower itself is very similar to a musical trumpet, then the word language is rather unclear, since nothing in the structure of the plant hints at the presence of any language in it. Nevertheless, the people called this flower a pipe-tongue, and it has been widely used in gardening and landscape design since the 1820s.

Flowers Salpiglossis - peculiarities

                                                                 Salpiglossis: photo of flowers in a flower bed

Unfortunately, despite the rather wide variety of species of this genus, only one of them managed to become really popular and widely used among gardeners, and it is called Salpiglossis notched. All other species grow mainly exclusively in the wild, but many gardeners-collectors still value them very much and devote a special place in their plots.

Nevertheless, we will describe exactly Salpiglossis notched, since, most likely, if you decide to have this flower, your site will be replenished with a representative of this species. In height, the shoots of Salpiglossis notched can reach a meter, but the length still varies, and therefore can be either more or less. The shoots themselves are quite thin, especially for such dimensions, and they also have a branched structure. In addition, small hairs can be found on their surface.

As for the leaves, they are rather narrow and facing downward. This is especially true for those leaf plates that grow closer to the buds. In addition, it should be noted that they are quite narrow, and therefore, in the early stages of growth, it may seem that the young leaf is a new branch of the stem.

Flowers, as already mentioned, have the shape of a musical trumpet. Also, for many, their shape can be characterized with a gramophone tube. They are small and reach no more than five centimeters in diameter, but the color can be completely varied: from sky blue to scarlet red. There are also pink and purple buds.

Flowering is quite long: it begins in early summer and continues right up to mid-autumn.At the end of flowering, boll fruits are formed at the tips of the peduncles, which contain seeds, with which you can fairly easily propagate the plant.

As we have already said, this plant is found both as an annual and as a biennial or perennial. However, unfortunately, in our latitudes with our climate, it is simply not possible to grow perennial Salpiglossis, and therefore in garden stores you will most likely be able to find seeds of only one-year or two-year-old individuals.

Salpiglossis: growing from seed

Salpiglossis: photo of cultivation from seeds

As already mentioned, the seeds of Salpiglossis are one of the easiest and most effective ways to propagate Salpiglossis. In addition, no other method is practically used either by novice gardeners, or, even more so, by experienced flower growers, and therefore we will consider exclusively the seed method.

When to plant Salpiglossis for seedlings?

The best time to plant seeds is in the very beginning of spring: mid to late March. For Salpiglossis seedlings, you will have to pick up special pots: they should not be too deep, since at the initial stages of development the plant will not have a too developed root system, but they should be wide enough so that more seeds can be planted and, accordingly, more seedlings can be obtained.

A fairly loose soil is used as a soil mixture, preferably with the addition of peat. However, the soil for growing Salpiglossis seedlings is sold in any store, and therefore there should definitely not be any problems with it.

After the pots are filled with soil, the seeds can be spread over its surface. To do this, you will have to place them as far away from each other as possible, since otherwise neighboring sprouts will interfere with each other's growth and development.

It is also important that the seeds of Salpiglossis flowers do not need to be buried in the ground at all. In order for them to germinate well, it is enough just to press them a little into the ground. After all the above procedures have been done, the pot can be covered with foil or even glass in order to form an artificial greenhouse effect, due to which the seedlings will develop much faster and more willingly.

It is also important to observe the temperature regime. For sprouts, temperatures between fifteen and twenty degrees are best, and therefore have to be placed in the coolest place in your home. It is advisable to place it closer to the floor, since this is where all the cold air collects.

In addition, it is desirable to provide the salpiglossis seeds with protection from the scorching sunlight. It would seem that plants love the sun, but its excess can have a very detrimental effect on them, and therefore a thin piece of paper can be put on top of the film or glass (depending on what you decide to cover the pots with).

How to care for seedlings

The most important thing for growing, let's say, seedlings under the hood is far from watering, but airing. Therefore, you should provide your salpiglossis seeds with fresh air as often as possible, thanks to which you will not let them "suffocate" in your own pots.

If you did everything correctly, then the first shoots will be noticeable in fifteen days. However, do not worry if you find a delay of, for example, three to five days. This is totally normal.

Of course, it seems to us intuitively that as soon as this happens, it is better to remove the film immediately and, at the same time, permanently, but this is fundamentally wrong, since it is still better for young borers to stay under its protection for some time. Nevertheless, it is still necessary to gradually prepare seedlings for life in the open air, and therefore the protection will need to be removed only for a while. First - for an hour, after a week - for three, and so on.

After most of the seedlings show their first true leaves, you can plant them in your own pots. Given the size of the plant, it is not necessary to take a whole pot for this. Even a small glass will do.

It's also important to be careful. The fact is that the Salpiglossis seedlings have not yet formed a powerful root system, and therefore it is very easy to damage it. Try to grab a large clod of earth with the roots so that they are sure not to suffer.

For some time after the pick, the growth of Salpiglossis seedlings will slow down significantly, but this is obvious and understandable - you just need to let it get used to the new environment. In about a week, growth will continue at the same rate, and then, by the way, the flower can be pinched at its very top. Thus, you will make the future bush much more lush and branched.

In addition, young Salpiglossis sprouts, of course, need regular and fairly abundant watering, but excessive moisture can destroy the root system of the flower, so be careful.

Salpiglossis flowers: planting and growing in the open field

As already mentioned, Salpiglossis flowers are grown mainly in the garden, and therefore, of course, all gardeners cultivating this plant have reasonable questions related to how, where and when it is better to plant seedlings of this flower. We have tried to answer all these questions and we hope that you will not have any more problems with the planting of Salpiglossis.

When to plant Salpiglossis?

The only condition that must be observed when planting this plant is the absence of recurrent frosts. The fact is that it is they who most often catch newbie gardeners by surprise and do not allow them to grow a healthy and beautiful plant. Therefore, carefully monitor the weather and plant seedlings only when they are as stable as possible.

For those who are not particularly versed in the weather, but still want to plant Salpaglossis without losses and problems, we can advise you to plant this plant in open ground in the second half of May. If we consider the last years, then it is at this time that the weather completely calms down and no cold weather threatens your plantings.

Where to plant Salpiglossis?

Speaking about the planting site, it should be noted that Salpiglossis is a rather demanding plant for this factor. The most important thing is good illumination of the place in which the flower will grow. In addition, it is imperative to provide protection from the wind, since otherwise the likelihood of a sudden illness that can easily destroy the plant increases significantly.

As for the soil, it should be the most nutritious and neutral in terms of acidity. All other factors are not so important, and therefore it is rather useless to engage in the production of an ideal potting mix on your own. Salpiglossis takes almost any composition of soil very well, and therefore it can simply be bought in a store.

How to plant Salpiglossis?

In fact, the planting process begins long before the Salpaglossis sprout hits the soil directly. About a week before, you need to completely dig up the area and rid it of weeds and large stones. If you did not use a ready-made soil mixture for planting Salpiglossis, then at this stage it is advisable to add peat, sand and humus to the soil.

Now that the soil has been dug up, it is necessary to dig holes for seedlings in it. In order for Salpaglossis not to compete with each other for water and nutrients, and also so that they do not interfere with the growth of each other's root systems, it is necessary to place them at a distance of at least thirty centimeters from each other.

Now we turn to the direct planting process.During it, you must be careful and careful, as you are still working with plants, the root system of which is not yet sufficiently strong. Therefore, the earthen lump formed around the sprout must be kept carefully and carefully.

After the earthen lump is inside the hole, it must be thoroughly covered with earth. Of course, for the first time several weeks or even months after planting, the plants require very close care, which, first of all, implies a fairly abundant and regular watering.

It is important to remember that all of the above procedures and operations must be done as carefully and accurately as your ability allows. Salpiglossis, as an extremely delicate and fragile plant, does not tolerate transplantation very well, and this is especially true at an early age. It is advisable not to touch its roots at all, well walled them up in an earthen lump.

Salpiglossis: care

Salpiglossis: photo in the flowerbed

Of course, far from only planting this plant is teeming with small nuances, non-observance of which can lead to unpleasant consequences. Salpiglossis also requires very careful attention to self-care, and therefore you should definitely follow the instructions below:

Watering

Salpiglossis should be watered as often as possible, since this plant does not tolerate drought at all and prefers to always be humid around. Nevertheless, of course, like any other plant, Salpiglossis reacts extremely negatively to excessive stagnation of fluid, as this can lead to such an unpleasant disease as root rot.

In order to provide Salpaglossis with a carefree and pleasant existence, watering should be carried out at least once a day. In addition, not only moisture in the soil, but also around the plant, is of particular importance, and therefore, especially if there is unbearable heat outside, in the evening the leaves of the plant should be moistened. Otherwise, they will dry out very soon.

However, all of the above related to summer watering. As for spring or autumn, you need to water the flower at this time significantly less often. In fact, two or three waterings per week should be enough.

Speaking about the quality of water, it should be noted that it must be soft and settled. The flower reacts very negatively to other water, as it can harm its root system. By the way, you can also collect rainwater and water Salpiglossis with it.

However, the procedures associated with watering do not end there. The fact is that after you have drunk the plant, you also need to loosen the soil around it, at the same time, getting rid of overgrown weeds.

However, this procedure can be completely avoided by resorting to mulching, which performs several useful functions at once: it retains water in the soil, protects the plant from weeds, and also prevents various snails and slugs from crawling onto it. However, of course, having resorted to this procedure, you will have to significantly change the watering schedule for the flower.

Pruning and pinching

Of course, pinching is not a mandatory procedure, which simply cannot be dispensed with when growing this plant. Nevertheless, it is very useful if you want to see the most lush and branched bushes on your site.

Pruning is required in the fall. It starts small, namely, with cutting off dead flowers, which will gradually fade even a month before the end of flowering, since they also bloomed unevenly.

Why is this procedure so important? The fact is that if you do not do it, the flower will still spend its energy and resources to maintain an already dead flower. And, therefore, still healthy and flowering buds will receive a much smaller share than they could.This, of course, reduces the overall flowering time, and therefore pruning wilted buds is necessary.

Also, of course, if you observe sick or drying out shoots and branches, they also need to be cut off in time.

Top dressing

As a fertilizer for Salpaglossis, it is best to use a complex mineral fertilizer, since it, for the most part, will receive all organic matter directly from the soil. Fertilization is carried out several times per season, depending on how the growth process is going.

If you are a novice gardener, then it is better to consult with a more experienced craftsman about when and how much fertilizer it is better to give to your particular Salpaglossis variety. Unfortunately, since the dosage and timing vary greatly from variety to variety, we can only give an average value: from two to four dressings.

Salpiglossis: photo

Diseases and pests of Salpiglossis

You, of course, have already guessed that a plant that loves water so much will certainly get sick with various ailments, one way or another associated with an excess or lack of water.

The first such disease, of course, is root rot. This is a very unpleasant disease that, fortunately, never occurs on its own. The cause of its occurrence is too abundant watering, in which water lingers in the soil for too long and inevitably causes root rot.

It is quite easy to detect root rot: the plant instantly becomes very sick, it fades and wilts. In this case, Salpiglossis should be treated with a fungicide, because, as you probably know, it is the fungi that multiply very well in humid environments that cause this unpleasant ailment.

However, sometimes it is not always possible to detect the disease in time. The reasons are different, but your actions in such a situation should be exclusively as follows: the plant must be immediately dug up and burned, and all neighboring plantings are treated with a fungicide to prevent further spread of the infection.

A completely different question is pests. They do not arise at all by mistake of the gardener and not due to some external factors. The plant is simply an excellent breeding and feeding environment for them, and therefore they strive for it. The most frequently visited pest of Salpiglossis is aphid, and if left unchecked, it can destroy the entire planting by itself.

In order to prevent aphids from eating all your Salpaglossis, you should inspect the leaf axils as often as possible, as well as the back of the leaves, since the aphid knows that you do not like it and is hiding. When a parasite is found, the plant is necessarily treated with acaricide.

What to do after flowering?

Salpiglossis: photo

As already mentioned, how the perennial Salpiglossis in the garden can be cultivated far from everywhere, namely, in regions with a fairly mild and predictable climate. You, however, most likely will grow far from perennial and not even two-year, but one-year Salpiglossis. And this means that after flowering, you need to do something with it. Now you will find out that.

First of all, it should be said that simply leaving the bush in the ground to fend for itself is an extremely irresponsible and stupid idea. In winter, of course, he will die, and in the spring, when you want to plant something else on the same site, you will have a huge number of problems. Therefore, a completely faded bush must necessarily be dug up. Nevertheless, he still has a chance to continue living.

If for some reason you planted a two-year or perennial Salpiglossis on the site, you still have a chance to save it from severe frosts. You have probably already guessed what we are talking about: the plant can be brought into the house. Nevertheless, this procedure will be transferred by the plant extremely negatively, and the chances that it will survive depend solely on your experience and skills.

However, despite the fact that this operation should be carried out with maximum knowledge of the matter and only experienced gardeners can do it, you can still try to crank it. You may even succeed, but continue to carefully monitor what type and variety you buy. By the way, about this:

Types and varieties of Salpiglossis

Salpiglossis: photo

As mentioned above, the only species that takes root relatively well in our harsh regions is Salpiglossis notched. We have already given its description, and therefore we see no point in repeating it.

Nevertheless, despite the fact that this is just one species, our domestic cultivators and breeders have done very well to ensure that this single species is as large and numerous as possible. Thus, many garden forms appeared, among which are:

Large-flowered form... Of course, only after reading the name, anyone can understand how this subspecies of Salpaglossis differs. Of course, its large flowers, which are almost one and a half times the size of the flowers of the parent species. However, the rest of the large-flowered notched Salpiglossis practically does not differ from its ancestor.

Salpiglossis Superbissima... The differences between this subspecies and the maternal one, in contrast to the previous one, are rather difficult to understand by the name. Therefore, obviously, explanations are required. Firstly, the superbissima salpiglossis also has enlarged flowers, well, and secondly, these Superbissima flowers are significantly different from those that crown the peduncles of Salpaglossis champlevé. The difference is that these have corrugated petals, and therefore look much more elegant and interesting.

Salpiglossis short... And again the obvious name. Of course, the difference between this subspecies lies in its size. And, of course, it is not suitable for all gardeners, because among us there are both those who adore miniature plants and those who prefer larger sizes. Nevertheless, in addition to dwarfism, this garden form of Salpaglossis has another distinctive feature: it blooms very luxuriantly.

Salpiglossis: photo

Now let's talk about varieties, both natural and hybrid, since they sometimes represent a much greater variety than even subspecies. Among the most popular varieties are the following:

• Kew Blue... This Salpiglossis is short, and therefore, of course, not everyone will like it, as we have already said. Its height reaches only a third of a meter. However, this variety also has something for which almost any grower will definitely like it, and this is a palette. Kew Blue buds are painted in completely different colors, from sky blue to purple. In addition, on the surface of absolutely any petal, you can find a beautiful pattern in the form of a grid.
• Casino Mix... This variety is also quite short, and its height does not exceed half a meter. Nevertheless, this variety is simply vital for support, as its stems are very delicate and fragile. As for the color of the buds, it can be completely different: pink, blue and even yellow.
• Festival and Flamenco... This variety is very similar to the previous one in terms of color, but significantly different in terms of height. Its stems do not grow higher than a third of a meter, but they do not require support.
• Bolero... In height it reaches more than six tenths of a meter, but the stems are quite strong and strong, and therefore do not need any support. The color is still extremely varied.
• Salpiglossis Ali Baba... Quite an exotic variety, which differs from the rest in very unusual and variegated patterns on the surface of the petals. It should also be noted that the height of Salpiglossis Ali Baba reaches up to eight tenths of a meter, and its stems are stable.
• Corduroy dolly... This variety is distinguished by its beautiful, as if lacy flowers. In addition, they are quite large and reach a diameter of six centimeters. Their coloration, however, is rather limited and ranges from blue to purple. As for the height, the Velvet Dolly stems do not grow more than half a meter.
• Fireworks... Salpiglossis Fireworks is distinguished by its incredible splendor and branchiness. Despite its height of sixty centimeters, Salpiglossis Fireworks has a simply stunning width and a lot of buds. It is thanks to its splendor, by the way, that this variety got its name. As for the colors, it is quite interesting, since one Salpiglossis Fireworks can be painted in several shades at once, passing into each other with a gradient.
• Magic... This is a pretty cute name that fully describes this variety. Its height is never less than half a meter, and its color is truly snow-white. There are also purple specimens, but they are rare.

Of course, there are still a huge number of varieties, but they are either very similar to the ones listed above, or do not deserve attention at all.

Conclusion

Salpiglossis: photo

Salpiglossis in the garden - extremely whimsical flower, for which you need an eye and an eye. Nevertheless, if you are a fairly experienced gardener and are ready to fulfill all his requirements, Salpiglossis will definitely reward you with a very bright and long flowering, and the eyes of anyone who enters your garden will definitely be riveted on this particular flower.

We hope you have learned a lot of useful information from this article, and you will no longer have any problems with growing Salpiglossis. All that remains is to wish you good luck.

Salpiglossis: video