Cornflower is a flower of the Asteraceae family from Southern Europe. Grassy crops often grow like weed in fields, meadows, forest glades. Due to the aesthetic properties of ordinary cornflowers, plants are grown for cultural purposes on the territory of school, preschool institutions, kindergartens and vegetable gardens. In Russia, centaurea is associated with heavenly blue, but in nature there are lilac, yellow, pink, white and combined variants. Three varieties: pine forest, Dubyansky, Taliev, are listed in the Red Book.
The origin of cornflowers
Cornflowers flowers got their name from the Greek word "basilikon", which means "royal culture". The plant is nicknamed the Southern Slavs, who use the culture in funeral rituals and funeral rites. The Latin meaning of cornflower or cornflower "centaurea" is translated as "one hundred yellow flowers."
Cornflower inflorescences
The botanical "centaurea" is borrowed from the Greek word "kentaureion", its meaning is associated with the centaur Chiron, a mythological healer who owns information about the healing properties of herbaceous plants, including wildflowers.
Flower description
Externally, cornflowers look like elegant lying or upright shrubs up to 120 cm high, the leaves grow alternately, have a whole or mottled dissected shape, inflorescences form baskets of spherical and cylindrical shape. Bare or pubescent scaly wrappers prefer to grow in groups or single elements in panicle and corymbose inflorescences. The flowers at the edges are folded into tubular funnels.
The description of the root system of the cornflower flower of various varieties indicates characteristic features:
- the presence of numerous root thickets;
- powerful recessed rod;
- long branched processes;
- short branches;
- thickened roots.
On a note. Distinguish between annual, biennial, perennial varieties of centaurea.
The beneficial properties of the blue cornflower are extensive: as a honey plant, the plant attracts pollinators to flower beds or orchards, the therapeutic diuretic effect determines the use of a flower for the manufacture of medicinal decoctions for fighting kidney diseases. The rich aroma of the petals of the culture has been recognized among culinary specialists and manufacturers of perfumes and cosmetics. Essential oils normalize digestion, cheer up.
Types and varieties of cornflower
The cornflower of the Astrov family has 500 varieties. Plants differ in the size of the stem, the structure of the flowers (terry, not terry) and the type of root system. The most common field, garden, meadow, musky species of cornflowers.
Bright combination of cornflower varieties
Wildflower
A field cornflower is easy to identify by a long stalk of 80 cm, accommodating bright blue flowers. Green leaf plates are thin and elongated. The biennial culture is most often found on the rye fields of Russia.
In English variations, the cornflower field stands apart from the Black Ball flower with a basket of chocolate tones. The Blue Diadem variety is widely popular with rich shades of buds taken as the basis for creating rip-stop fabric, Florence Pink is a compact bush of pale pink color.
Yellow grade
The large-headed Centaurea translates from Latin as 100 yellow cornflowers. In vivo, an individual is found in Siberia, Kamchatka, and the Urals. Wild-growing varieties decorate fields with cereals (wheat, rye, flax) and vegetables. The birthplace of the plant is the Mediterranean. The flower grows to 1-1.5 m in length, forms large inflorescences. Coloring bright yellow or light yellow. Diameter - 7 cm. Due to large baskets, the culture is confused with thistle.
Interesting. In folk medicine, yellow cornflower is assigned medicinal properties in the treatment of the upper respiratory tract.
Flower pink
The Baby Pink variety (translated as a pink baby) delights lovers of dwarf plants with flowers of pale pink or two-tone color. The meadow variety is also able to decorate the flowerbed with white, purple, pink cornflowers. Perennial grows up to 80 cm. On long stems there are green leafy plates covered with milk fluff.
Cornflower white
In nature, white cornflowers are common in the rocky areas of the Caucasus and Northern Iran. The culture forms dense bushes 55 cm high. The lower leaves on a long stalk are dissected, painted with dark green tones on top, and the lower part of the leaf is bleached.
The cornflower inflorescences are single white, have a diameter of 4 cm. Among the main varieties of the cultivar, John Coutts is distinguished, which has large inflorescences painted with soft pink paints along the edges. The plant blooms from July to September.
Oriental variety
On a perennial cornflower with an eastern height of 120 cm, large yellow flowers grow. The stems of the culture are particularly massive. The variety is decorative and is often found in flowerbeds of Russia.
Yellow cornflower
Cornflower purple
A special place in the ranking of purple cornflowers is given to the Amberboa musky variety - an annual plant 70 cm high with a pleasant aroma. The stem is branched, the leaves are bright green with serrated edges. The basket is formed by funnel-shaped flowers with carved edges. The place where the individual grows determines what flowering period the crop will have, usually buds form from June to October. The plant is drought tolerant.
Phrygian (Centaurea phrygia) cornflowers - perennial plants that are popular in Russia, due to a number of advantages:
- a wide variation in size - 30-130 cm;
- large, 5 cm in diameter flowers;
- middle leaves;
- wrappers at the top with a constriction and black dissected appendages.
False Phrygian variety looks like Phrygian cornflower. The difference lies in the brown color of the appendages and the absence of constriction on the leaves of the wrapper. The flowering of the perennial Centaurea preudophrygia is observed in the summer and early fall. It grows in central Russia.
Red variety
An annual plant is found in the steppe and agricultural areas, is clearly visible from small flying vessels at an altitude of 1 km. Stems erect, branching from below. Leaves are corrugated, pubescent. The plant has red and purple, pale pink, shimmering in the sun. Flowering lasts May-June.
Interesting. Centaurea tchihatcheffii generates a taxonomic interest in light-reflecting corrugated petals with an even cut. A wild crop in arid and badlands will grow to a height of 40-50 cm.
Cornflowers Centaurea tchihatcheffii
Landing
The main varieties of cornflower are divided into 2 groups: xerophytes and mesophytes.
The former have an important feature: they lose the ability to reproduce when fed abundantly after planting and growing on fertile soil. Xerophytes prefer harsh living conditions. They grow well on bare sand, make their way through asphalt and cement. In the garden, sandy and depleted areas are assigned to the flower, following the main rule: the soil must be loose and have good water, and breathability. Acidic soils are not acceptable. Before sowing seeds, it is advisable to neutralize the pH with dolomite flour and lime.
On a note. Mesophytes are delicate meadow plants (cornflower meadow, soft, Phrygian), preferring moist soil. Soil acidity is recommended neutral.
Optimal place
For planting cornflower blossoms, an even area flooded with sunlight is suitable. To enhance decorativeness, perennial cornflowers are planted with other undersized shrubs in open soil. Bushes placed along the edge will receive the maximum amount of sunlight and increase resistance to diseases, begin to multiply well, and planting and growing will not cause difficulties.
Step-by-step process
Sowing seeds
It is not necessary to prepare seedlings for cornflower crops - the plants germinate well when sowing seeds in open ground. The best time for planting seeds is April or September. The soil is first loosened and holes for seeds 1.5 cm deep are made.
The distance between rows for large varieties is 10 cm (you can pre-draw a diagram) - at the indicated interval, individuals will support each other as they grow. When planting undersized varieties, between the holes they withstand 20 cm - compact bushes have the property of scrubbing and developing in width. The lack of space for development causes the degradation of flowers, the stems become thinner, the buds grow small and faded.
Important! Annual crops sown in spring will bloom after 2 months. Perennials sown in early November will please with bright colors of inflorescences for the second year.
Terry cornflower seeds
Bushes division
Perennial cornflowers have the property of greatly expanding and losing decorative properties, dividing and planting the bush once every 3 years will help prevent this phenomenon. When separating perennial garden cornflowers, bushes with 3-4 buds are placed in a new place, observing a gap of 20-50 cm.
Note! Cornflower bushes successfully propagate by self-sowing, if you leave the peduncles on the bush to wither.
Care for garden cornflowers
Depending on the variety, the period of growing cornflowers in one place reaches 10 years. Perennial individuals winter without shelter, withstand severe frosts (many designers quite rightly decorate warm jackets with cornflowers). However, excessive irrigation, stagnation of water on the site, excessive soil moisture - the main enemies of the culture, provoking fungal diseases.
Watering mode
Wildflowers do not tolerate an abundance of liquid, even moisture-loving varieties grow well with moderate irrigation of the earth.
Top dressing
Feeding cornflowers with Kristallin prolongs the flowering period. Recommended frequency of application - 2 times / month. Fertilize the culture in the calculation of 20-30 g / m². Exceeding the dosage causes yellowing of the leaves and the death of plants.
Mixborder with annuals
If you provide the cornflowers with proper care, delicate flowers will for a long time give beauty and good mood to the owners. More often, crops are planted in group plantings, against the background of large white daisies, bells and gravel. Plants look good in tubs and volumetric flowerpots. Flowers are used for cutting and in rock gardens.
