Lavatera is a flowering annual or perennial plant from the family Malvaceae. In the wild, it can be found in southern Europe or North Africa. In addition to the main species, there are many more interesting varieties with the most varied color of the petals. Easy to maintain, unpretentious plant forms dense thickets, abundantly covered with large flowers similar to gramophones. The people of the Lavater can be found under the names "hatma" or "wild rose". Bushes always have a well-groomed decorative appearance and are suitable for a garden in a natural style and for pot cultivation.
Plant description
Lavatera has a strong branched rhizome. Erect, branched shoots covered with a rough dark green bark rise above the ground. Their height is 30-150 cm. Powerful branches are covered with petiolate lobed leaves, divided into 3-5 shares. Between the veins, the leaf plate is rather soft, rough or pubescent. It is painted in dark green color. In diameter, the leaf is 15-35 cm. The leaves grow oppositely along the entire length of the stem. Upper specimens are much smaller than basal ones.
Lavater is appreciated for its long and abundant flowering. It begins in June and lasts until the autumn cold weather. The funnel-shaped corolla 5-10 cm long consists of five wide petals. They can be painted in one color or have a gradient color. The petal tapers toward the center and has a corrugated surface. Bisexual flowers are collected in loose racemose inflorescences in the axils of the leaves and on the top of the stem. They bloom in several pieces and gradually replace each other. In the center of the flower is a short and fairly thick column, covered with long filiform stamens and ovary.
Flowering is accompanied by a pleasant tart aroma that attracts insects. Lavatera is a good honey plant. After pollination, oblate, drum-like seed boxes mature. Inside are oblong gray-black seeds that, when shaken, beat against the walls of the box.
Species and decorative varieties
The genus Lavatera consists of 25 species. They can be divided into annual and perennial plants. More often, gardeners prefer decorative varieties, so in fact only two varieties are popular in culture.
Lavatera annual (three-month). The plant forms lush bushes with a height of 50-120 cm. Bladed light green leaves are located along the entire length of the shoots and are smaller up. In July, single funnel-shaped flowers bloom in the axils of the leaves. Their diameter reaches 10 cm. Flowering is very long and plentiful. Varieties:
- Beauty - a tall sprawling bush with large white, pink or carmine flowers;
- White Sherub - a dwarf variety (up to 35 cm) with large snow-white inflorescences;
- Silver bowl - a bush up to 70 cm high is covered with silver-pink flowers with burgundy stripes;
- Tweens Hot Pink - bright pink flowers bloom on a bush up to 40 cm high;
- Tanagra - scarlet flowers adorn a sprawling bush up to 50 cm high.
Lavatera perennial (Thuringian). A shrub up to 2 m tall grows upright branched shoots covered with a heart-shaped or rounded foliage. On leaves and stems there is a hard grayish pile. Loose racemose blossoms bloom from the axils of the leaves in mid-June. The diameter of the tubular nimbus is 1.5-7 cm. Leaves of this species have healing properties. Varieties:
- Mystic Marilyn - a bush up to 180 cm high is covered with purple or violet flowers;
- Bregon springs - pink flowers with raspberry stripes bloom on powerful shoots 1.3 m high;
- Barnsley Baby - a bush of medium height is covered with white and pink buds.
Growing Lavatera from Seeds
All types of lavatera are very easily propagated by seed. Moreover, the plant gives a large self-sowing. Therefore, it is enough to plant it once and you will not have to take care of the planting more. In a temperate climate, the lavater is planted immediately in open ground. They sow to the Lavater at the end of April. Pre-dig the site with compost and nitrophos. Dry seeds are distributed without preliminary treatment in grooves to a depth of 1 cm. Crops are sprinkled with soil and covered. It is useful to cover them with foil.
Towards the end of the first week, lavatera shoots appear, after which the shelter is removed. When the seedlings grow to 5 cm in height, they are thinned out. Between adult plants it is necessary to observe a distance of 20-25 cm. Seedlings of annuals bloom the earliest. After 2.5-3 months, the first buds appear on them. To flowering began at the end of May, seedlings are pre-grown.
It is necessary to sow seedlings for seedlings in early March, then by May large plants will be ready for decoration of the flower garden. Boxes with light fertile soil are prepared for planting. Seeds are distributed at a depth of 1 cm. The surface of the earth is sprayed with water and covered with glass. The greenhouse is placed in a bright, warm place. After 10-15 days, seedlings appear. After that, the cover is removed and the soil is regularly moistened. Lavater is very sensitive to freezing temperatures, so you can’t rush into an open ground. Directly from the box at the end of May, seedlings are planted in a permanent place.
Landing and care
In the open ground, the lavater prefers loose fertile soils and open sunny areas. Hatma grows worse on clay moist soil than on chernozems or sandy loam. Also, the thermophilic plant does not respond well to gusts of cold wind.
Immediately after transplanting the seedlings, the soil is watered, and after a week the first top dressing of the potassium-phosphorus complex is carried out. Young plants need more careful care. They need regular weeding and weed removal. High grades immediately think over the support, since the stem can break from wind and heavy rain.
You need to water the lavater regularly. Large leaves evaporate a lot of moisture and, when insufficiently watered, wither. Lack of water also reduces the number of colors. In this case, all the liquid should go deep into the soil, and not stagnate at the roots. On hot days, watering and sprinkling is carried out in the evening, so that burns do not appear on the foliage.
From the moment of planting until the end of summer, the lavater is fed twice a month. While the plant is building up green mass, nitrogen and potassium should prevail in mineral complexes. In early June, their level is reduced, but the phosphorus component is increased.
As the flowers wither, they are recommended to be trimmed. This contributes to the laying of new flower buds. It is noted that wilted flowers in contact with rainwater emit mucous substances that burn leaves.
In autumn, the entire overgrowth of annuals is cut, and the site is dug up. They try to bend perennial hut to the ground and cover with foliage or spruce branches. In the spring, shelter is removed, and part of the shoots is cut off.
Very rarely, a lavater can suffer from leaf rust when red or brown shapeless spots and swellings appear on the foliage. Treatment from "copper sulfate" or "Bordeaux liquid" saves from the disease. Parasites on the plant rarely settle, only if an infected bush grows nearby, aphids or whiteflies can move to the laureate. Treatment with an insecticide ("Actara") allows you to quickly get rid of pests.
Plant in landscape design
Lavater is very decorative, so it is often planted independently. High grades are good alone, they can hide ugly buildings or other unattractive objects. Low-growing species are used to frame paths or zoning a site. Having planted a mix of varieties of lavatera, you can create a colorful ornament on the ground.
When combining lavatera in the flower garden with other plants, you need to focus on the color of the flowers. White Lavatera goes well with purple petunia and ageratum. Pink - with verbena, sage, iris and delphinium.
Healing properties
The leaves and roots of perennial lavatera have healing properties. Leaves are collected during the flowering period, and the roots - after its completion. The collected raw materials are dried in a cool, shaded place and stored for a year in paper or fabric bags.
A decoction from the roots strengthens the immune system, helps fight colds, dilutes sputum and has an expectorant effect. Ointment and lotion from the leaves are used to treat depriving, as well as to relieve symptoms of neuralgia and rheumatism.
