When I needed an unpretentious beautiful plant for a balcony box, I chose the Dimorphotheca. Why her? And now I’m telling you.
Dimorphotheca belongs to the Asteroideae family, there are 20 species in nature, growing mainly in southern Africa. This is an unpretentious annual or perennial plant.
Dimorphotheca is attractive not only for its attractive flowers, but also for the fact that during the summer it does not lose its decorative effect-it luxuriantly blooms “carpet” from June to August. In height, it grows up to 60 cm (2 foot); the inflorescence is a simple basket, the diameter of which can reach 6-10 cm (2.4-3.9 inch). Among the abundance of flowers, Dimorphotheca is easily lost even for an experienced florist: yellow, apricot, orange, bright pink and light pink, lilac, white and even pale blue.
Growing
When growing a dimorphotheca, please note that its flowers open only in the sun, so on cloudy days the plant will not please you with its beautiful flowers.
The best soil for growing it is well-drained light soil, well-fertilized with organic fertilizers. If you can not place the dimorph library in well-lit areas, do not worry: the plant will feel no less comfortable in a slightly shaded area
Most importantly, remember that the plant is drought-resistant, so the place for its cultivation should be protected from rain as much as possible. But dimorphotheca is not afraid of the winds. In an excessively hot climate, you need to shade the plant a little, otherwise during a strong heat, flowering may simply stop.
The flowers of the dimorphotheca are self-pollinated. By mid-August, the pods are then sown; the seeds will need to be collected as soon as they begin to darken and crumble (the plant gives a very good self-seeding). The seeds should be collected selectively, as they ripen at different times. If you cut the boxes unripe at some time (before full maturation), they should be stored in room conditions
Once I bought Dimorphotheca seeds, I grow this beautiful plant for several years in a row, each year collecting my own seeds for future planting. Like every gardener, I have my own secret to growing Dimorphotheca: I only take seeds from bushes that have bloomed earlier than others, with larger flowers. Thanks to this uncomplicated approach, I manage to preserve the decorative varieties.
It is best to plant dimorphotheca together with bright annuals. In rock gardens, it is better to plant dimorphotheca next to other drought-resistant plants.
Growing dimorphoteca exclusively as a houseplant, I prepare a special soil mixture consisting of leaf soil, humus, turf earth and sand (1:3:1:2).
Last year, I decided to try to grow a dimorphoteca as a perennial plant — the experiment was a success: in the fall, I transplanted a bush from the open ground into a small flower pot and kept it in the room until spring.
Dimorphotheca seeding
Dimorphotheca is sown directly into the soil in May. To get stronger plants that will delight you with flowers from the beginning of June, it is better to grow seedlings.
In early April, I sow dimorphotheca seeds in a small cold greenhouse under a film. A few years ago, I bought a couple of plastic boxes that carried early strawberries and grapes. Fill these boxes with a universal substrate, sow seeds, cover with a homemade greenhouse film. Within 2-3 weeks (at a temperature of about 15 °C/59°F), the seeds germinate. When the dimorphothecae germinate a little, they are dived into small (about 6 cm (2.4 inch) in diameter) plastic pots.
If you have not yet had the opportunity to sow the seeds of dimorphotek on your own (and this is quite often the case with gardeners, that whole houses, vegetable gardens and homesteads with vegetable crops are made), then you can buy ready-made seedlings. When buying, pay attention to the following:
- each plant should be kept in a separate container;
- the sprouts should be strong;
- the root system should not grow into the drainage hole.
On a permanent place, seedlings are planted only in late spring, when the warm weather is finally established. Do this very carefully, replanting the plant with a lump of earth, trying not to disturb the roots, which even with the slightest damage are poorly restored. The distance between the plants should be 20-30 cm (7.9-11.8 inch). Flowering begins 7-8 weeks after germination and lasts about 35-70 days.
Care dimorphotheca
Care of the dimorphotheca consists of weeding, fertilizing, watering and loosening the soil after it. To stimulate and prolong flowering, feed the dimorphotheca with mineral fertilizers (using superphosphate or potassium nitrate), cut off the faded flowers in a timely manner. Regularly water every 4-5 days. But in any case, do not allow stagnation of water in the soil, otherwise the plant will die.
The types of dimorphotheca
Dimorphotheca sinuata
Height 30-40 cm (11-1.3 foot), with branching stems from the base, the foliage is fragile, elongated, emarginate.
On each stem, the plant produces about 30 inflorescences, the diameter of the petals is 5-7 cm (2-2.7 inch), the length is yellow-orange shades, the base has a dark brown spot. Dimorphotheca dentata blooms very profusely, but the flowers open only in sunny weather.
Dimorphotheca pluvialis
It reaches a height of 15-20 cm (5.9-7.9 inch), the leaves are oblong, pubescent. The flowers are on thin petioles, the petals are white or cream on top, and purple — purple on the bottom.
And now the most interesting varieties of Dimorphoteka.
“Tеtra Golath”
An annual plant with very large baskets of golden-orange flowers, reaching a diameter of 10 cm (3.9 inch), numerous inflorescences are located on long peduncles.
Use for planting in flower beds, mixed borders.
Tetra Polarstеrn
An annual variety with beautiful large pure-white flowers, reaching a diameter of about 8 cm (3.1 inch). The height of the bush is about 40 cm (1.3 foot). The variety is suitable for growing in balcony boxes.
At night and on cloudy days, the flowers are closed.
Giant Mixed
Perhaps one of the most interesting varieties of Dimorphotheca: on a lush bush, the height of which is about 30 cm (1 foot), yellow, orange and even pink flowers appear at the same time.
The most abundant and long-lasting flowering you will have from June to September .