Description of the best varieties of perennial cornflower, cultivation and care

Among the wildflowers, cornflowers stand out with their bright blue heads. The plant has been cultivated for a long time, and perennial cornflower has firmly occupied its niche in decorative floriculture. The popularity of the plant is associated with the unpretentiousness of the ornamental crop, the variety and brightness of the colors of the flowers.

Description and features

The herbaceous plant of the Asteraceae family is interesting for its baskets of finely cut petals. The annual and perennial plant has a tall, erect stem reaching a height of 80-100 centimeters. The stem branches in the middle. Thin lanceolate leaves of cornflower are covered with hairs below.

Cornflower blooms all summer. During this period, the marginal asexual petals are colored blue, white, and red. In the middle of the basket they are tubular and dark purple.

The garden type of cornflower has a greater variety of colors than the field type. Breeders have developed varieties that have not only a simple flower, but also double and semi-double flowers.

If in the wild you have to fight cornflower like a weed, then in the garden bushes take their place in landscape design. It is interesting that the crop grows everywhere, as it is unpretentious to growing conditions, climate, and soil.

Kinds

Decorative perennials differ little in the structure of the inflorescence. The differences lie in the splendor of the petals, their color, and the height of the stem.

Blue

A plant with a branched, rough stem is considered a weed. It grows in Europe, especially likes to be in fields where cereals grow. Flower baskets with blue petals at the edges are wrapped in filmy plates laid in tiles. In the middle of the inflorescence there are tubular petals of a purple tone. It is this type of cornflower that is used for medicinal purposes.

White

A rare species of cornflower is listed in the Red Book.It is found in the wild in the mountainous areas of the Caucasus, Iran. Dense bushes with a height of 30 to 55 centimeters have dissected leaves. The leaf blades are dark green above and whitish below. The diameter of the inflorescences reaches 4 centimeters.

Mountain

This type of herbaceous plant is found in the mountains of Western Europe. The flower has an erect stem without lateral branches, the height of which is from 30 to 70 centimeters. Whole leaves of lanceolate type are collected in a basal rosette. The stem is crowned with a basket with an inflorescence diameter of 6 centimeters. Externally, mountain cornflower is similar to blue, but it is a perennial herb, unlike field grass.

Yellow

The bright yellow inflorescences of the plant are quite large, up to 7 centimeters in diameter. The perennial blooms from July to August. It can become a decoration of the site thanks to its lush bushes. In nature, yellow cornflower is found in the territory from the Urals to the Far East.

Large-headed

The cornflower is called Grossheimia macrocapitatum. The inflorescences have the shape of a ball, they are large, and the bottom is wrapped in scales of green plates. Cut flowers last a long time and can become a decoration for a room.

Oriental

For a perennial:

• short rhizome;
• hairy stem 40-90 centimeters high;
• pinnately divided leaves on long petioles;
• a basket of inflorescences with a diameter of 3 centimeters;
• intense yellow color of the corolla.

The species grows across the steppes, reproducing by seeds.

Lugovoy

The weed is found along roadsides and forest edges. Lilac-pink inflorescences-baskets consist of 2 types of flowers. The edges of the petals are asexual, funnel-like. In the center are modest tubular ones, which are needed for cornflower propagation.

Field

The herbaceous annual or biennial is used medicinally.Its blue or blue heads are found in fields sown with cereal crops. As the weed grows, it destroys part of the crop. Cornflower is actively used in folk medicine.

Whitened

The flower is famous for the beauty of its petals and leaves. Bright pink flowers sit solitary on tall stems. The basal leaves are collected in a rosette. The plates are green on top and covered with whitish felt underneath. Designers value cornflower for the neatness of the bush, its sphericity and silvery shades.

Spreading

The plant's stem branches at the very base. The bush is distinguished by small baskets of flowers. The color of the petals is pale pink or white. Cornflower is a biennial crop and blooms from June to autumn. It grows abundantly in vacant lots, near railroads, and near highways.

Pink

The perennial reaches a height of one meter. Large flowers of rich pink color appear on top. A special feature is the swelling of the stems under the inflorescences.

American

An ornamental cold-resistant species grows in the prairies of North America. On erect stems 1 meter high there are single flowers with a diameter of up to 8-10 centimeters. The color of the petals is pale lilac.

Sowing

Blue cornflower is a sowing species. It tolerates wintering well and is easy to care for.

Popular varieties

Garden types of cornflowers have many varieties. But all varieties are resistant to drought and sudden temperature changes. They can bloom profusely in barren areas.

Pindian

Low ornamental bushes will decorate any flower bed. In May, lemon-yellow flowers appear on the stems. The feathery cut leaves change shade from light green to dark during the growing season.

Blue Angel

The slender, branched plant delights all summer with its double flowers of sky-blue color. The crop tolerates drought well and is frost-resistant. Prefers sunny areas and is unpretentious to soil maintenance.

John Coates

The plant has large lilac-pink inflorescences with a white center. The variety belongs to honey plants. It is used for planting in mixborders and mixed flower beds.

How to plant in open ground

If you want to improve abandoned areas in the garden where nothing grows, then it is best to plant cornflowers there. The garden variety of plant varieties allows you to make a corner of the garden bright and spreading fragrance.

Deadlines

Planting cornflower seeds requires warmth. It is best to sow an ornamental plant in late April or early May. The dates are shifted if the soil has not warmed up well.

Cornflowers are planted by cuttings in the fall, in mid-October.

Selecting a location

They note the unpretentiousness of garden perennial species. The main thing for cornflowers is that the site has:

• good lighting;
• loose light soil;
• neutral acidity;
• humus layer.

You can plant flowers in flower beds where partial shade does not last long. But the plant blooms better in the light.

Soil requirements

Sandy, dry soils are suitable for cornflower. The flower grows worse on clay soil. Before sowing seeds, they dig up the area and harrow it, breaking up large lumps of earth. If nothing grew in this place, then you need to apply fertilizer. You should scatter humus or compost before digging the flower bed.

Planting scheme

Flower seeds are planted to a depth of 2-3 centimeters. The distance between them should be 20-30 centimeters. Bushes should be planted so that the growth bud is at the level of the soil surface.If the roots of the cornflower are horizontal, then the bud is lowered 2-4 centimeters deep when planting. The distance between seedlings is not less than half a meter.

Reproduction

Plants are replanted in order to reproduce flowers. There are several methods of reproduction. The vegetative method is suitable for beginner gardeners. It gives good results if the transplant rules are followed.

Root cuttings

This method involves choosing a healthy bush with developed side shoots. At the end of September, an operation is carried out by digging up the cornflower roots and stems. Cuttings should be 10 centimeters long with 2-3 buds. Then they are planted in moist and well-fertilized soil. The cuttings will take root well before the start of winter.

Dividing the bush

You can divide the bush by carefully freeing part of it from the soil. It is necessary to shorten the ground part of the cornflower. Then the shoots are separated from the mother bush, planted in a prepared place, and the rest is covered with nutritious soil and watered. It is better to choose sunny weather with stable temperatures for breeding.

Seeds

The seeds collected in the fall are dried. In the spring, they need to be soaked and placed on a prepared bed. In regions with cold springs, seedlings should be planted in April. In May, after warming, cornflower seedlings are planted in a permanent place.

Abundant self-seeding

For lazy summer residents, this is the best way to propagate cornflowers. Flowers drop seeds to the ground in autumn. In spring you can detect the appearance of young shoots. They are carefully dug out along with a ball of earth on the roots and placed in a flowerbed.

Care

There is nothing complicated in caring for decorative perennials. You just need to carry out the usual procedures on time so that the plants have enough moisture, light, air and nutrition.

Watering

Moisture for flowers is necessary in moderation. Water the flower beds with cornflowers as the top layer dries. Plantings cannot be flooded, otherwise the root system will rot.

The plant tolerates a lack of watering better than its excess.

Loosening and weeding

It is necessary to constantly loosen the soil around the bushes. This is especially important after heavy rains and heavy watering.

Flowering bushes grow poorly if there are a lot of weeds nearby. It is necessary to pull them out as a source of spread of diseases and pests.

Trimming

To create a neat bush, cornflowers are pruned, removing faded buds. In spring, diseased and damaged stems are removed. Such operations will help the flower garden or flower bed look beautiful and well-groomed.

Top dressing

During the growing season, cornflowers need fertilizer. Every 2-3 weeks the bushes are fed with mineral fertilizer complexes. Before wintering, be sure to add compost, humus, potassium salt and superphosphate to the soil. You can feed cornflowers with wood ash.

Protection from diseases and pests

Decorative culture rarely suffers, for which it is valued among flower growers and designers. In rare cases, cornflower gets sick with a fungal infection if the air temperature drops and the humidity increases.

Spider mite

The appearance of a pest on cornflowers can be determined by the web on the back of the leaf. In this case, the plant begins to lag behind in growth and development. The harmful effects of insects should be stopped by spraying with insecticides or tobacco decoction.

Fusarium

When cornflower leaves become covered with brown spots, and then there are visible black pycnidia on them, then this fusarium fungus has become active on the plants. Due to infection, cornflowers wither and die. The fungus is combated by spraying with Fundazol or Topsin N.For prevention, you should sprinkle the bushes with wood ash.

Features of cultivation

Growing cornflowers does not require any special knowledge. You need to choose the right place for the perennial. Many people use plants to decorate neglected places on the site. Blooming cornflowers look very beautiful on the site of a former landfill or near a fence where only weeds grew. Depending on the variety, they try to plant correctly. For tall cornflowers with horizontally located roots, more free space is needed. Low-growing cornflowers with vertical root rods can be planted more compactly.

Collection and storage of seeds

Cornflower seeds should be collected after the plants have flowered. Seed readiness is determined by the dryness of the seed capsule. The seeds must be dried in a well-ventilated place. They should be stored in a cardboard box or canvas bag. They are suitable for planting for 3 years.

Application

Cornflower flowers are of great importance in the treatment of many diseases. The herb contains substances that are needed for the preparation of alcoholic beverages and cosmetics.

Traditional and practical medicine

Blue cornflower, which grows in the field, is used for medicinal purposes. For use, the outermost asexual petals must be collected during flowering. The raw materials should be dried in attics, where they are well ventilated.

An infusion of flowers is used in the treatment of:

• chronic kidney diseases;
• inflammation of the bladder, urinary tract;
• heart disease, arrhythmia;
• jaundice.

Cornflower is included in medicinal preparations to increase appetite, improve digestion, and reduce uterine bleeding.

An infusion is prepared from 1 teaspoon of flowers per 250 ml of boiling water.Infuse for an hour in a closed container. He recommends drinking a diaphoretic, diuretic, antifever drug, 50 ml 15-20 minutes before meals, 3 times a day.

Crushed cornflower leaves are used as a compress, applied to wounds. Conjunctivitis, blepharitis, and barley are treated with lotions made from flower infusions. They are used for night blindness.

For decorative purposes

Dried flowers are used to decorate the premises of the house. Cornflowers are plants that can be dried for various crafts and winter bouquets. The flowers must be dried so that the petals do not lose their integrity and color. To do this, use the method of drying between thick sheets of cardboard, in sand or semolina.

Liquor and vodka industry

Blue cornflower honey has a greenish-yellow color, and its taste is comparable to the bitter taste of almonds. Therefore, to create an original composition, this plant component is added to liqueurs and tinctures.

Cosmetology

To improve the condition of the skin, eliminate oiliness, and close wide pores on the face, use an infusion of cornflower flowers. 3 tablespoons of dried petals are poured into 100 ml of boiling water. After cooling, add 50 grams of honey to the liquid. The mask is applied to the face, washed off with warm water after half an hour.

Cornflower ice is also prepared from the infusion, which is used to wipe the face in the morning.

Landscape design

Garden perennials are needed to update the topography of the site and reservoirs. The foreground in the flower garden can be occupied by medium-sized cornflowers: meadow, mountain, whitened. You can dilute the plantings with white daisies and hybrid cinquefoil. In the rock garden, islands of cornflowers look like bright spots. Field plant species are chosen for a rustic garden style.

Natural dye

The coloring matter is found in the petals of cornflower.They can be used for dyeing fabrics and wool. To obtain a solution, pour 100 grams of raw material into a liter of water and bring to a boil. You need to simmer over low heat for half an hour. After straining, pour it a second time and repeat this operation again. Light wool is best dyed with a decoction of cornflower flowers than fabric. It becomes blue, heavenly color.