Basil flowers: planting and care, varieties, useful properties
Gardeners love to decorate their site with unusual plants. Therefore, basil flowers, planting and caring for which does not require much effort, will not leave anyone indifferent. Elegance, beauty, sophistication and unpretentiousness are combined in these perennial plants.
General description and useful properties
The flower is part of the buttercup family. It has an erect stem, not covered with leaves, a creeping root system. Triangular, openwork leaves are located in the root zone. Basil can grow up to 200 cm in height. Depending on the variety, inflorescences can be racemose, corymbose or paniculate. The color range is varied: from white to greenish.
In addition to the aesthetic benefits, Vasilisova herb has a number of healing effects:
- disinfects;
- stimulates the work of the gall and urinary bladder;
- has a laxative effect;
- strengthens the immune system;
- slows down the development of tumors.
The main pharmacological value lies in the ability to produce lithium. This component has a beneficial effect on the nervous system. Using the plant in the manufacture of alcoholic tinctures in compliance with the rules allows you to normalize pressure in a short time.
Before using medicinal tinctures, you should study the contraindications and consult your doctor.
Characteristics of varieties
The rich family of buttercups includes about 150 varieties of basilis. Of these, several types are in high demand among gardeners:
- Basil is water-collecting. A perennial herb, reaching a height of 1.2 m. The leaves are large openwork. Basil water-collecting, planting and care of which is carried out according to all the rules, will bloom from early June to late August. Its inflorescences are white or lilac in a panicle. The selection varieties are dark red, purple and pink in color.
- Smelly Basil. A small plant, the height of which does not exceed 65 cm. The flower owes its name to the unpleasant smell emanating from it. The inflorescence is collected from individual flowers with yellow stamens and lilac sepals. Cirrus leaves are rounded with serrated lobes. The flowering period is from mid-summer to early August.
- Basil Rochebrunsky. The newest variety that gardeners love due to its visual appeal. The plant will begin to delight with flowering in the second year after planting, forming lavender-colored inflorescences, gradually becoming two-colored. Burgundy stems can grow up to 260 cm.
- Hybrid basil. Quite tall plant - up to 250 cm. Stems have no leaves, or a small amount of them are red-brown. The panicle-shaped inflorescence includes small two-color flowers of yellow and lilac color. The flowering period is in July.
- Basil of Delaway. The plant is an upright shrub reaching 1.5 m in height. Flowers of lilac or pink color are collected in a spherical inflorescence, reminiscent of terry pom-poms.Flowering occurs in the last summer month in parallel with the ripening of oblong fruits. According to the Dutch architect, this particular species must be present on a personal plot.
- Lesser basilist. The erect or curved stem is characterized by a knobby root system and evenly distributed foliage. The peculiarity of the variety lies in the different shape of the leaves: sessile-on top, pinnate-in the middle, trifoliate-below. Blooms in the first two months of summer.
- Basil Yellow. A flower with evenly distributed sharp-toothed foliage on an erect stem. Its height varies between 60-100 cm. Flowering occurs in the first summer months, delighting with aroma and bright yellow paniculate inflorescences.
Basil flowers: planting and care
Choosing basil flowers, planting and care is carried out on a previously prepared area. Here the bush will grow for about 10 years. The plant does not grow rapidly and reacts painfully to transplants.
If there is a sunny area, the flower will have straight stems and need regular watering. The best place for planting is a shaded area under a tree, on the shore reservoirs... The natural habitat for the growth of uncultivated plants is river valleys, humid forests, and mountainous areas.
A strong shadow on the site will negatively affect the decorative indicators, so it is better to give preference to a site in partial shade.
Vasilisova grass feels good alone, so when planting, you should keep a distance from other plants of at least half a meter.
Landing features
The flower is not picky about the soil, however, before planting, you should take care of fertilization. Add to the previously dug hole:
- compost;
- decayed foliage;
- mineral fertilizer - 50 g.
For the plant to take root quickly, pre-soak the roots for 5 hours in a solution to stimulate root growth. If you have a potted plant, the time should be reduced to 30 minutes.
Having placed the flower in the prepared hole, it should be sprinkled with soil and thoroughly watered with the solution in which it was previously soaked. When the soil subsides, it is poured to the same level as the root collar. Mulching with sawdust, pine needles or peat will help ensure the preservation of moisture and a favorable environment.
Care
Planting and caring for basil flowers does not require much effort. Young seedlings need abundant regular watering. Older plants can be watered much less frequently in extreme heat. If flowers grow in a summer cottage where there is no possibility of regular watering, you can group flowers when planting. They will create partial shade without suffering from a lack of moisture.
The first three years after planting in open ground, the bush does not need fertilization. After three years, it is necessary to start applying nitrogen-containing fertilizing intended for flowering plants.
With the onset of autumn, 35 g of organic fertilizers, pre-mixed with mulch, are applied under each root.
During the summer season, weeding, loosening and pruning of the bush should be done regularly if required by the variety.
Reproduction methods
There are three ways to propagate a plant:
- Planting seeds.
- Dividing the bush
- Cuttings.
To choose the best option, you should study the features of each of them.
Planting seeds
The most laborious and time-consuming method. To do this, you need to collect planting material during the fall. Since the seeds ripen in August, the inflorescences should be bandaged with gauze at the end of July. This will prevent them from scattering.
It is necessary to plant seeds in early spring, after drying them and holding stratification... Plants planted in this way will begin to bloom only in the second year, while losing the characteristics of a particular variety.
Cuttings
The easiest method for divorcing Basilist.For its implementation in the spring, you should cut off the shoot or part of the rhizome, leaving the heel. Before planting, the stalk must be soaked in a growth stimulator.
For planting, a semi-shaded place with loose soil is selected. A young seedling is covered with a plastic bottle, or a mini greenhouse is built from a film.
To avoid decay, the plant should be given daily air baths for at least 30 minutes.
Dividing the bush
Reproduction by division is carried out as follows: in early spring, you need to dig up a bush, divide it into several so that each of them has at least two buds. Planting is carried out in a shaded area, followed by mulching, loosening and regular watering.
Choosing a Basil to decorate a garden plot, you can create unusual compositions, planting them both in groups and in rows along the curbs. Unusual compositions are obtained by combining bushes with irises, castor oil euonymus, phlox.
Plants are quite self-sufficient, so they look good alone. The correct choice of a planting site and minimal timely care will allow you to get a fragrant bush on the site for many years.