Osteospermum: 26 varieties with a description, planting and care in the open field with a photo

Osteospermum is a perennial flower that came to the CIS countries from South Africa, planting and care are quite simple, the plant is cultivated in open soil in almost any region. The plant belongs to the group of aster flowers. Below are all the features of African chamomile that will help even beginner gardeners grow it.

Description and features

Osteospermum is an evergreen plant reaching up to 100 cm in height. Bushes have erect stems, but there are species and creeping. The edging of the leaf blades is unequally serrated.The flowers are like baskets, 5-10 cm in diameter. They are purple, pinkish, yellow, white, purple, blue or orange.

The plant differs from its relatives in that the median tubular inflorescences are barren, and the seeds tie reed flowers. The culture is widely used to decorate patios, flower beds, grown in tubs and pots. Lush bloom ends only in November. Osteospermum is resistant to hot weather, dry periods, frosts. In mid-latitudes, the crop is grown as an annual flower.

Types of osteospermum

There are about 60 types of osteospermum. Each of them differs in flower color, size, frost resistance. Planting and care technology is the same.

Ampelous

The ampelous species is the most thermophilic of the aster family. It needs to be covered for the winter, occasionally watered. The culture takes root safely in pots on window sills, hanging flower beds.

Eklona

Plants have straight shoots 0.5 meters high. Inflorescences in the form of baskets grow up to 8 cm in diameter, their middle is purple-scarlet, and on the lower part there is a mass of pinkish veins.

Shrub

The variety is distinguished by creeping shoots covering large areas. The bush grows up to 1 meter. The buds are reed, painted in a pale lilac or scarlet shade.

Conspicuous

Perennial blooms all year round, reed inflorescences of pinkish-purple tone. The color darkens towards the middle. The shrub grows up to 0.8 meters.

Terry

The variety is a well-leafed shaggy bush of emerald color. Lilac buds with darkening towards the middle. The petals are corrugated, rounded towards the end, oblong.

Aquila

Akila variety is a shrub from 41 to 51 cm. It is widely grown in pots, flower beds, flower beds, as a decoration for a loggia or balcony. Inflorescences in the form of baskets, brownish-purple, placed on short stems. Black and purple in the middle.

Coolness

The variety is resistant to frost, the bush grows up to 0.5 meters tall. This is an annual, bred by dimorphotheca. Panicles white, deep purple in the middle. The stems and leaves are rich green, strong.

Bamba

Osteospermum Bamba is characterized by wider inflorescences, unlike other species. When they bloom, the color is white, with time the shade changes to purple. Bushes grow up to 75 cm tall.

Mix

Osteospermum is grown as an annual plant due to climatic conditions. In warm countries it is a perennial. Buds of various colors: lavender, pinkish, white, yellow. The bush grows to a compact size, up to 0.4 meters high.

Passion

This is an annual, low-growing shrub growing up to 45 cm. It is usually grown indoors, but can be grown in vegetable gardens. Flowers in different tones: pinkish, lavender, purple and white.

Buttermill

Shrubs grow up to 0.6 meters tall. The castings are greenish-gray, and the inflorescences are light yellow, darkened towards the middle.

Congo

Congo osteosperm buds are small, 4 cm in diameter. The flowers are violet-pinkish, and the stem and leaves are bright green. The bush grows up to 0.4 meters high.

Zulu

This is a popular hybrid that is used to decorate home gardens. It differs from its counterparts in rich yellow flowers. The plant is similar to calendula. The height of the bush is approximately 0.5 meters.

Volta

The hybrid changes color in the process of development. The petals are initially pinkish with a lilac tone, then turn white. The bush grows up to 1 meter tall. The leaves and stem are erect, deep green in color.

Silver Sparkler

The plant reaches 0.4 meters in height. The buds are white in color, there are dots of a light shade on the leaves.

Cannington Roy

Short bush creeping, emerald color. The diameter of the baskets is 8 cm, they contain white corollas, tips of a purple color. Over time, they become lilac-pink.

Pemba

The buds of the variety grow together into a tube to the middle, lilac color. The stem and leaves are turquoise, small. The bush grows up to 0.5 meters in height.

Lusaka

Reed inflorescences, pale purple. The height of the shrub is about 75 cm.

Sandy Pink

The bush grows up to 0.4 meters in height. Baskets of a pinkish hue, the shape of the petals is similar to a spoon.

Starry Eyes

The plant reaches 50 cm in height. The lower part of the reed flowers, folded in half lengthwise, is bluish-gray. The top of the inflorescences is white.

Color Mix

The annual variety is a bush that grows up to 25 cm in height. Inflorescences with a diameter of 5 cm, different tones: lavender, white, cream, pinkish. The leaves are glossy, deep green.

Ballad

Annual grows up to 25 tall, the bush is abundantly covered with lavender and purple basket flowers. Inside are orange or gray-purple centers. Leaves and stem deep green.

Purple

This is a low-growing variety, the bush reaches 16 cm in height. Buds up to 6 cm in diameter, densely cover the plant. They are lilac with an orange center.

Grand Canyon Mix

Shrub grows up to 16 cm tall, strewn with small inflorescences 6 cm in diameter. Flowers are white, pinkish, lavender and light yellow.

White

The flowers are white, in the middle there is a dark purple hue. The height of the bush is about 30 cm, it is usually grown in pots.

Sky and ice

The plant is painted in 2 colors - white and blue, according to the name. The middle of the inflorescence is blue, with whitish petals. The height of the shrub is 75 cm, the leaves and stems are emerald green.

Cultivation and care of osteospermum

Osteospermum should be planted according to the scheme, observing the correct time and place. Caring for the crop is simple, all you need is timely watering, pest control, fertilizer, loosening the soil.

Choosing a seat

It is advisable to plant the plant in a loosened area, well lit by sunlight. In the shade, it also takes root, but the pollen will be short.

Preparation of soil for osteospermum

Before planting, fertilize the soil with humus, sand and soddy soil. The components are taken in equal proportions. Soil should be prepared 2-3 days in advance.

Landing

Before planting in a flower bed, they dig up the ground to a depth of 30-40 cm, improving its structure. The soil will be saturated with oxygen, the plant will take root better.

The distance between the bushes should be 25-35 cm when planting medium varieties. Low-growing plants should be placed at a distance of 10-15 cm from each other. Tall species of the Coolness type are planted at a distance of 40-50 cm .

Seedling material is transferred with an earthen clod into the pits. From above, young plants are sprinkled with soil mixture. It is made from such substances: humus, turf and leafy soil, sand in equal proportions. The surface of each recess should be rammed.

Water osteospermum

Planted seedlings should be watered abundantly immediately, 0.5 buckets of water are taken for 1 bush. Further, irrigate as the soil dries up, usually 2-3 times a week. Do not overmoisten the soil, this is fraught with rotting of the root system. Drought is also dangerous, the flower fades, and it will be impossible to revive it. Pour the settled water, as the icy liquid stimulates the folding of the petals.

Pinching

Pinch the tops to increase the density of the bush. The procedure is carried out 2-3 times during the life of the bush. Pinch off 5-7 cm of the upper stems using a disinfected pruner. In addition, it is important to remove wilted or dried flowers.

Self-growing osteosperm seedlings at home

Seeds should be sown on seedlings at the end of March or early April. Use peat tablets or pots filled with a combination of peat and sand. To make seedlings appear faster, it is better to place them in a moistened napkin for 2-3 hours before sowing.

It is necessary to put one seed on a damp surface of the earth with a toothpick, deepen 0.5 cm into the ground. They are placed in a warm place with a temperature of 20-22 degrees Celsius. The first shoots will appear after 7 days, after which they are placed in a well-lit place. If the seedlings are planted in a container, they form 2-3 true leaf blades. Then the picking is carried out. When high varieties are grown, they are pinched before transplanting in order to obtain abundant flowering in the future.

Soil preparation

Earth in a pot should be loose, moist. Experienced gardeners recommend growing seedlings in peat containers.

Hardening

It is necessary to start hardening seedlings in early May. In the room, a window is periodically opened or seedlings are taken out to the balcony. For the first time days they should be in the fresh air for 15 minutes.Then the period is increased. Before planting, the seedlings are outside during daylight hours.

The timing of planting osteosperm in open ground

Seedlings are planted in a permanent place after May 25th. The air temperature should warm up to 15-20 degrees Celsius, because the plant is exotic, loves heat.

Propagation by cuttings

Most of the osteosperm varieties are propagated only by cuttings. This is the most reliable method that allows you to save all the properties of the plant.

When sowing, there is a risk of getting flowers different from the desired variety. Petioles are taken from the top of the bush, in February. They should be rooted within 1 month. The air temperature in the room should be +20. They are planted in pots.

If you plant petioles in a container in the fall and hide them indoors for the winter, they can become perennial.

Harmful insects and pathologies

The flower is famous for its high resistance to diseases and harmful bugs, but sometimes they overtake the culture. If it blooms in the shade, watered abundantly, immunity weakens. This leads to fungal infections. The rhizome rots, the plant dries up. Affected specimens should be treated with fungicides.

Aphids still appear on the leaves, sucking juices out of them. The plant turns yellow, the leaves fall off. To destroy insects, they resort to Aktara, Karbofos, Aktellik.

After pollen

When winter sets in, annuals die. Perennial plants overwinter in greenhouses, indoors. To save the bushes, they are collected in pots along with an earthen clod. When spring comes, they are planted back in the garden.

Tips for successful osteosperm planting

Experienced gardeners recommend planting osteospermum in a sunny place so that it blooms as profusely and for as long as possible. The culture prefers well-drained, moist soils. These secrets will help grow her as blooming and he althy as possible.

Reviews

Feedback from gardeners about osteospermum, mostly positive.

Aleksey Tulsky, 69, Moscow

Hello! I have been planting osteospermum for more than 5 years in the garden. I preferred Passion and Cool. Pollen is plentiful, lasts until the first frosts.

Victoria Ivanova, 66 years old, Dnipro

Hello everyone! A neighbor shared seedlings of osteosperm Ballad. I grow flowers in a flower bed, they decorate the garden with purple and purple flowers until the first frost.

Maria Vakulova, 58 years old, Zaporozhye

Hi everyone! They have been growing osteospermum for 4 years already, I bought seedlings on the market on the advice of the seller. Variety White grows on the windowsills of the cottage in pots.

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