Tigridia is an unpretentious bulbous perennial with beautiful flowers. The flower got its name for its colorful coloring at the base of the petals. This exotic plant is just beginning to appear in the gardens of our country, although it is distinguished by its beauty and ease of care. The plant belongs to the Kasatikov family. His homeland is the American subtropics. To fill the garden with new colors and aromas, you should definitely pay attention to this charming flower.
Botanical Description
Tigridia is a grassy, flowering perennial. Its rhizome has the shape of a corm with a dense structure. Irregular seals of irregular shape are rich in glucose and starch, so several centuries ago they were used for food along with potatoes.
The height of the plant is 30-70 cm. A rosette of leaves in the shape of a fan opens directly from the ground. Belt-shaped sheet plates with a corrugated surface are painted dark green. In the center is a simple or branched erect stem.
The flowering period begins in July and can last until autumn frosts. The flower remains open for only 8-10 hours during the day, after which it fades. Long flowering can be achieved only in group plantings. Each peduncle carries several buds. On the bulb, up to 6 peduncles are formed. Corolla consists of three large outer petals and three smaller ones. Thanks to this, the flower takes the form of a triangle, less often a square. The diameter of the corolla reaches 8-10 cm. The outer edge usually has a monotonous color of white, yellow, red or pink. The central part of the flower is additionally painted with contrasting stains.
After pollination, oblong seed capsules mature. They contain several angular seeds. Their smooth skin is brown.
Popular types and varieties
About 50 species are registered in the genus tigridia. However, in our country so far you can meet only a few of them. The most popular is tigridia peacock. The thermophilic plant lives in Mexico and Guatemala. Shoots grow 25-70 cm in height. The length of the corm is 6 cm and the width is up to 4 cm. During the season, the old bulb forms several children and completely dries. The wide xiphoid leaves are light green in color and have longitudinal folds. The plant forms 3-5 shoots, each of which carries up to five flowers. The buds open in turn. Corolla with a diameter of 10-15 cm consists of scarlet or purple petals. Flowering occurs in the second half of summer and lasts 15-25 days. Popular varieties:
- Alba - the base of the white petals is densely covered with red spots;
Alba - Karminea - a yellow pattern is located on the orange petals;
Carminea - Rosalind - has light pink petals;
Rosalind - Aurea - yellow petals with carmine stains at the base.
Aurea
Tigridia is tubular. The plant lives in the mountainous regions of Mexico and is more compact in size. The outer petals are rounded and painted in light pink. The diameter of the flower is 5-7 cm.
Chess Tigridia. The plant attracts with unusual coloring of flowers. On the light part of the large petals, small fawn spots are staggered.
Tigridia multiflorous. The plant has medium-sized flowers with burgundy petals. Darker shades prevail at the base. The outer petals are strongly bent outward.
Growing and planting
Propagation of tigridia is done by sowing seeds or planting corms. Seeds are recommended to be sown on seedlings in greenhouses or at home. Plants are very sensitive to lower temperatures. Seed material without preliminary preparation is sown in a sand-peat mixture and periodically moistened. Shoots appear quite amicably within 1-3 weeks. In May, seedlings are planted in open ground, and by autumn, young onions are enough to pour and get stronger for wintering.
Each maternal onion forms several children per season. In the fall, with the onset of cold weather, they are dug up and freed from the ground. For several weeks, the plants are stored in a cool room until the shoots are dry. They are later kept in a refrigerator or other cool place. In spring, when the soil warms up to + 20 ° C, tigridium bulbs can be planted in open ground. To do this, dig holes with a depth of 10-12 cm at a distance of 15-20 cm from each other.
To achieve earlier flowering, it is possible to carry out distillation. For this, the bulbs are planted in greenhouse conditions in small pots. Soils are made up of the following components:
- turf land;
- peat;
- sand.
During the first weeks, the bulbs need plentiful ascending watering. When the roots come to life and shoots appear, the plants are watered as necessary.
Choosing a place for tigridia
Tigridia is undemanding in care, however, when planting in open ground, it is important to choose the right place for it. A flower loves sunny places. Even with light partial shade, the stems begin to thin, although abundant and bright flowering persists.
It is important to choose a plot of the garden where there are no drafts and gusts of cold wind. To prevent tall specimens from drooping, you may need a support or a garter.
The soil for tigridia should be fairly light and nutritious. Water and air should freely penetrate through the soil to the roots. A small amount of lime should be added to the ground for the flower garden. Heavy clay soils are mixed with sawdust, sand and small pebbles. During the season, it is useful to loosen the top layer of the earth several times.
Care Features
All care for tigridia comes down to watering, fertilizing and periodic weeding. So that the soil does not dry out and remains light, after planting it is recommended to mulch it with leaf humus or peat.
For the normal development of tigridia, frequent watering is important. In dry weather, the soil is moistened daily, and foliage is also sprayed. Water should be supplied in sufficient quantities to soak hard roots. It is important to allow excess fluid to completely go into the ground, otherwise rotting of the bulbs cannot be avoided.
If the bulbs are planted in fertile or pre-fertilized soil, fertilizing during the summer is not necessary. On poor soils, fertilizers will benefit. The first time a solution of mineral fertilizer is applied a month after planting the bulbs. The second top dressing is carried out during the budding period. It is useful to spray part of the solution on the foliage.
After all the flowers on the stem have withered, it should be pruned. This will increase the attractiveness of the bush and allow young corms to ripen for the upcoming wintering. Tall plants are recommended to create a support so that they do not lie down.
Possible difficulties
If bulbs are not properly maintained and stored, tigridia may suffer from rot, scab, rust, or mosaic virus. To prevent the development of diseases, it is necessary to carry out preventive treatment of all parts of the plant with antifungal drugs. All affected specimens should be isolated from healthy ones and destroyed.
The shoots and bulbs of tigridia often suffer from attacks of bear cubs, thrips and slugs. It is recommended to pickle the bulbs before planting and carry out preventive tillage with insecticides.
Using
Tigridia are interesting in group plantings, then flowering will be longer and more plentiful. You can make a mix of different varieties of tigridia to get a multi-colored flower garden. The plant is used to decorate rockeries, mixborders or high banks of the reservoir. Tigridia is good in the neighborhood with conifers, as well as phlox, thyme, stonecrops and arabis. But next to other brightly flowering plants, it loses its appeal.
