Having planted perennials, the florist can forget about seeds, seedlings and caring for small seedlings that require special attention and care for several years. Already in the second year, the leaves are the first to unfold in spring, the corollas are the first to open and become a decoration of the garden until the frost. Their life in one place lasts more than one year, and, it would seem, does not require human participation. But to get the full benefit from any, even the most non-capricious culture, without regular and attentive care will not work.
Like all plants, perennial flowers need watering and fertilizing. Weeds, pests and diseases can interfere with them. And in the fall, you should make sure that green pets are protected from the coming winter frosts.
Watering perennial flowers
With water, plants receive all the nutrients for growth and flowering, so the flowers are watered abundantly and regularly, Special attention devoting this issue, in hot dry summer days, as well as during the period of active growth, that is, in spring and during flowering.
You can verify the need for watering by checking the condition of the soil in a flower bed at a depth of 5–10 cm, that is, where the bulk of the moisture-absorbing roots are located. The frequency with which perennials should be watered and the amount of water per square meter depends on the crops planted and the type of soil.
On average for square meter flower beds, the florist pours out 20 liters of settled, heated moisture:
- If the flower garden is in the shade, it is moistened much less often than the one that is broken in the sun.
- On sandy soils, water holds worse than on loam or chernozem, which is why perennials on sand like to drink more.
- Planting perennials with a tap root system, such as delphiniums, poppies, lupins, or aquilegia, requires the grower to pour more moisture under these flowers than under plants of rudbeckia, coreopsis, or pinnate carnations.
More than others, young plants that have not yet overwintered with a weak root system, as well as lushly flowering specimens that spend all their energy on maintaining flowers and buds, depend on the regularity and quality of watering.
Watering flowers is carried out early in the morning or in the evening, when the sun is not so active as to leave burn marks on wet foliage. If the weather is cloudy, there are no restrictions for watering.
Weeding and loosening the soil under perennial flowers
So that the flowers get all the moisture, the roots breathe and do not experience nutritional deficiencies due to the abundance of competitors nearby, the soil under the plants must be loosened and weeded. The complexity of this procedure is related to high risk damage to flowers with a chopper or other mechanical tool. A similar situation is not excluded when using chemicals fight against unwanted residents of the flower bed.
Therefore, weeding of group plantings of overgrown perennial crops is carried out manually. The work is quite laborious and experienced growers prefer to thickly mulch the gaps between flowers. For this purpose, crushed mowed grass, and crumbs from coniferous bark, small pebbles or expanded clay are suitable. The latest materials, in addition to holding back the growth of weeds and protecting moisture, create an additional, decorative effect and can be used as an independent garden decoration.
Perennial fertilization rules
The life of perennials in one place leads to the natural depletion of the soil. Therefore, such plants need competent support with the help of mineral and:
- The first term for feeding perennial crops occurs immediately after the snow melts.
- Then the plants are fertilized when buds appear, during flowering and the field.
- The last time organic matter is applied in the last days of July, and from the second half of September this care is completely stopped.
The addition of organic matter improves the quality of the soil and provides the plants with nutrition, but this happens very slowly.
So that the flowers do not feel a shortage of the “food” necessary for the development, the entire area of \u200b\u200bthe flower bed that is not occupied by plants in spring and autumn is covered with a layer of well-rotted humus cleaned of foreign inclusions. Mineral top dressing is conveniently done using granular mixtures, which, when dry, crumble under crops and penetrate into the soil with irrigation water.
At the same time, in the first half of the growing season, flowers need more, and closer to the end of the season, phosphorus and potassium predominate in fertilizers.
Pruning and gartering flowering perennials
To ensure the decorativeness of flower beds with perennials, in some cases, plants have to be tied up and pruned. Tall species with large inflorescences need supports, which, under their own weight, fall apart on the sides of the center of the outlet and lose their shape. Therefore, such flowers are tied up as they grow, and faded or dried shoots are cut out in a timely manner.
For climbing crops be sure to equip trellises or arches that can support the weight of the plant and ensure its growth during the summer.
The purpose of pruning perennials is not only to maintain their sanitary condition, but also, if possible, to prolong flowering. This method is effective against mallows, lupins and other species that set a lot of seeds and spend energy on their ripening.
You can prune perennial flowers in spring or autumn. Specific dates are chosen depending on the timing of flowering of a particular crop. Often pruning is combined with transplanting and dividing adult plants.
Preparing perennials for winter
In late autumn, perennials prepare for wintering. To do this, cut out all the dry parts, cover the ground with mulch or other insulating materials, make shelters for large specimens, or dig out the most heat-loving species for storage in the basement or at home.
If necessary, flower beds in winter are additionally covered with snow, which creates a powerful air cushion and actively protects perennials from freezing.
Video about caring for perennials
Watering flowers is carried out in order to create the most optimal water regime and is one of the most important agricultural practices.
Both excess moisture and its lack negatively affect growth and development. flower crops. It is no secret that the need for watering plants is determined by the state of the weather and the properties of the soil. In dry hot weather, almost all garden flowers need watering. Their frequency depends on the needs of the plant and the mechanical composition of the soil. In hot weather, watering is recommended before 8 o'clock or after 17 o'clock.
Sandy, sandy loamy and light loamy soils dry out faster than heavy loamy and clayey soils, as well as peat bogs. Plants on quickly drying soils are watered more often, consume a little less water than on slowly drying ones, because in the first case, it seeps into the root layer of the soil faster.
Such irrigation is considered good if, after a certain time, the irrigation water has closed with the moisture of deeper layers (for example, at a depth of 20-25 cm) and there is no dry layer of earth left. After watering, the soil surface must be loosened to a depth of 3-5 cm to avoid spoilage and evaporation. Heavy soils, as well as soils prone to swimming and crusting, should be mulched after watering.
The best water for irrigation is rain, river or pond water. Water from wells and wells is usually highly mineralized, and its systematic use for watering flowers often leads to salinization of the soil, which causes most plants to slow down growth, change the color of the leaves, such plants often get sick.
It is best that the water is settled and warm. Most good way watering flower crops is sprinkling, watering from a watering can is equated to it. If watering is carried out from a hose, then the water jet should be directed not from the side, but from above to the plants. In this case, the earth is better soaked, and the plants are not washed out.
At different times in the life of a plant, different watering. After planting, all plants (seedlings, petioles, layering, tubers, bulbs) should be watered immediately abundantly, regardless of the degree of soil moisture. Seedlings of annuals are watered daily until it takes root, and then, depending on the weather, 2-3 times a week, spending 0.5-1 l of water per well. Perennials in the first year of life (planting) are watered frequently. In the future, when the plants grow, watering is carried out only during the dry period. In moisture-loving flower crops, if they are not watered in dry, hot weather, flowering will decrease or completely stop.
Consider what kind of watering is needed for some flower crops.
Roses are very moisture-loving plants, they must be watered at least 20 liters per bush 1-2 times a week.
Irises do not need watering, as their rhizomes easily rot from excessive moisture.
Peonies are watered 15-20 liters per bush, especially during the flowering period and after, when the shoots of future years are laid, and in September, when the secondary growth of the roots takes place.
Dahlias and tuberous begonias require regular watering (the soil between the bushes must be constantly moist).
Gladiolus in dry weather is watered 1-2 times a week - abundantly, so that the water penetrates to the entire depth of the roots. Frequent light waterings are undesirable, since they contribute to the development of roots in the surface layer of the soil and, as a result, the deterioration of the conditions for growth and development of plants.
Tulips need watering at the time of the emergence of the flower arrow, for better flowering.
Daffodils during the growing season consume a lot of water, its lack reduces the intensity of their growth and size, especially in April-May (during the period of intensive plant growth). After flowering, the soil should also be moist, because. at this time bulbs and children grow intensively.
Around the chrysanthemum, the soil should also always be moist, with a lack of moisture, the lower parts prematurely lignify, and this negatively affects the quality of flowering.
Regular watering requires aquilegia, large-leaved brunner, delphinium,
Many modern summer residents, trying to decorate their plots in an original way, choose annual and perennial undersized flowers for flower beds that bloom all summer or most of it. If you are one of these people and want to create your own inimitable masterpiece flower garden, check out the descriptions and photos of the most interesting, popular types of low plants. Understand for yourself the criteria for their selection, planting methods, view design options for impressively beautiful flower beds.
Flowerbed of permanent flowering
Types and varieties of undersized plants that bloom all summer
Plants with a stem height of up to 30 cm are considered undersized. Lovely flower beds are made up of both one variety of such flowers, and using several species. Multi-tiered compositions bordered by miniature flowering specimens and borders with a border of compact bushes look great in summer. Many varieties of perennials are long-flowering, even more among annuals.
Blooming border is gorgeous Annuals or perennials - selection criteria
Many gardeners the best option decorations of their plots are considered annual low flowers for flower beds, which:
- Quickly (during the landing season) they allow you to ennoble the territory by compiling an excellent composition.
- They have an incredible number of varieties, which makes it possible to pick up specimens for any zones on the site: sunny and shady, arid and waterlogged, with fertile soil and poor.
- They do not need special care, top dressing, frequent watering in the summer.
- They give space to creative natures for exciting experiments with the annual update of garden design.
- Allows correction of mistakes in the selection of varieties, colors already next season.
- Suitable for growing by novice gardeners, as they are mostly unpretentious.
Bright flowerbed of annuals Fans of perennials refer to the unjustified loss of time, money, and effort in the annual selection of plants for a flower bed, the hassle of seedlings or sowing seeds in the ground. Of course, perennial undersized flowers for a flower bed, blooming all summer, make it possible to avoid these worries for several years. But gradually they lose their decorative effect, and once every 5-7 years they have to be updated, while spending more effort than planting annuals.
Perennials allow you to create flower beds with a special charm, but they do not please with such brightness and variety as annuals. It is also disputable that weeds cannot develop under the mats of perennial plantations. Yes, under thick curtains the germination of weed seeds, the development of emerging weeds is suppressed. But if they have already managed to make their way to the sun, it is much more difficult to destroy them than in the plantings of annuals.
perennial shaving It is your choice to give preference to annual or perennial flowers, and perhaps a combination of both. In any case, it would be useful to get to know some of their species better.
The most popular unpretentious annuals
Purslane- one of the most beautiful annual undersized flowers for a flower bed is known to many simply as a "mat". In fact, its creeping succulent shoots with peculiar leaves that look like fleshy needles form a continuous carpet, covering the ground. Numerous flowers of various tones can be simple and double, depending on the variety. The most popular are terry species that open buds in early summer and are decorative until autumn frosts:
- Pun;
- Cream;
- Mango;
- Flamenco.
Motley purslane rug Purslane is unpretentious, easily takes root on sandy, stony soil, does not need top dressing, frequent watering. But he needs the sun: in the shade, the shoots stretch out, become thinner, the flower loses its attractiveness. Moreover, the buds of most varieties of purslane open only in bright light, which is why it, even planted in a sunny place, is not so picturesque on a rainy day. However, there are varieties with flowers that do not close even in cloudy weather:
- Sundance;
- cloud beater.
Charming Flamenco And if you are planning to use annual low-growing white flowers to decorate a flower bed, it is difficult to find anything more suitable than a purslane variety with the speaking name White-flowered.
This purslane should be called Snow White Tagetes (marigolds)- an exceptionally unpretentious undersized flower, which even a child can grow. Marigolds do not require specific soil, regular watering. But for all their non-capriciousness, they demonstrate excellent decorative qualities, which is rare. From the first days of summer to autumn frosts please bright flowers various colors of warm tones, which makes the flower bed "sunny" even in bad weather.
Compact bushes are distinguished by two types of marigolds: rejected and thin-leaved. Both groups are incredibly cute and attractive.
Undersized tagetes in the design of the border 
Marigolds rejected 
Marigolds thin-leaved Examples of other long flowering annuals
Petunia- a rather capricious favorite of landscape designers and gardeners in growing, there are many varieties that differ in various shapes and colors. It is possible to distinguish luxurious large-flowered and modestly, but plentifully flowering species petunias. It is worth noting that the latter suffer less from rains that are detrimental to terry specimens. But you can also find terry petunias, not afraid of rain (Butterfly F1, for example), which will become garden favorites.
Butterfly F1 - tenderness itself Lobelia- these purple, white, and more often blue undersized flowers are quite suitable for a flower bed that comes to life in early summer and fades only by October. Spherical miniature (10-20 cm) lobelia bushes love sunny places with loose, but not very fertile loam-type soil. Timely watering is important in care, especially in hot weather; the ground under the lobelia should be constantly wet.
Lobelia, grade Blue Calceolaria- an unusual undersized plant that will decorate a flower bed in a shady place. Calceolaria is not just shade-tolerant - direct sunlight is generally contraindicated for it. This exotic loves high humidity soil, but it should be watered with caution: when water gets on velvety leaves, they significantly lose their decorative effect.
exotic calceolaria Iberis grows equally well in the sun and in a shady place, the soil loves light, breathable. It has small fragrant often snow-white inflorescences, but there are varieties with pink, carmine, lilac color. Flowering lasts two months, starting in May. Perfectly combined in combined flower beds. For example, the neighborhood of white iberis and small red carnation flowers for a flower bed is a very advantageous option.
Delightful snow-white iberis carnation annual(Chinese). A charming neighbor of Iberis can please not only with red, but also with pink, white, purple flowers that have pleasant aroma. Loves the sun, resistant to frost. Being a perennial by nature, it can sometimes overwinter.
Chinese Carnation Scarlett Beautiful perennials - charming constancy
If one day you successfully pick up perennial species low-growing long-flowering flowers for a flower bed, you can get rid of spring troubles for its improvement for a number of years and from the first days of summer enjoy the beauty on your site. Various carnations, hardy asters, saxifrage and other beautiful representatives of the flora are popular. It is worth paying attention to at least a few favorites among them.
Beautiful flower beds- site business card Astra alpine- herbaceous plant 10-30 cm high. The best place for her - openwork penumbra, well-drained soil. Flowering can last up to three months, it is the longest in Rosea.
Aster Alpine Rosea carnation grass- an unpretentious undersized perennial, the dark green of which is completely covered with purple or pink during the summer months and a half. small flowers. Along with perennial arabis, pyrethrum, primroses, it can act as beautiful border flowers for edging flower beds or paths.
Carnation grass as a border Everblooming begonia is rightfully the leader among the flowers for flower beds that bloom all summer. Plantings of begonias blaze with a variety of elegant inflorescences from May-June until late autumn. It can bloom almost all year round if transferred to a warm room for the winter. Exceptionally decorative are not only flowers, but also begonia leaves, pleasing to the eye in shape and color.
Terry Everblooming Begonia By the color of the leaves, green-leaved, bronze-leaved hybrids are distinguished. The height of undersized bushes, as a rule, is in the range of 15-30 cm. Begonia is not indifferent to growing conditions. The soil for the flower bed should be rich in humus, slightly acidic, moisture-intensive, but not waterlogged - excess moisture in summer causes root rot.
About 600 hybrids of ever-flowering begonia are known. Among them are medium-sized (up to 25 cm) series of varieties:
- Ambassador;
- Bada bing, bada boom;
- Senator.
Everblooming begonias in a flower bed Dwarf varieties:
- Queen;
- Cocktail;
- Luchik.
Ground covers Ground cover contenders for a place in the flower garden
Among the low-growing perennials, there are many ground cover or carpet flowers for flower beds. continuous flowering. It is useful to get acquainted with several representatives of this group.
Phlox subulate. It is extremely unpretentious, forms curtains up to 10 cm high. It loves the sun and dry land, it is afraid of stagnant water. Already from the beginning of May, for two months it is covered with inflorescences of red, white, pink, lilac shades. The second wave of flowering occurs in September.
Phlox subulate sedum(sedum). Among half a thousand varieties, you can pick up sun-loving (most of them) and shade-loving specimens. Stonecrop does not need watering, top dressing, hibernates without shelter - isn't it a godsend for summer residents with limited time? Moreover, there are so many varieties of sedum that only one of them can make a motley colorful flower bed.
Sedum prominent Dyusheneya. A fast-growing ground cover, sun-loving, great on any soil. But in order for the Duchenea rug to be dense, the ground under the bushes must be constantly kept moist. The original leaves and fruits of duchenea are very decorative in summer. However, it is worth remembering that berries, somewhat reminiscent of strawberries, are inedible.
Duchenea Indian aubrieta. Bright representative of carpet, ideal for rock gardens. It can be used as a frame for flower beds and in independent plantings. It blooms for a month and a half from May, and after pruning it can repeat this process. Winters with leaves that look attractive in early spring. It must be borne in mind that shaving grows aggressively, like duchenea - both of these species can suppress, even survive neighbors.
Aubrieta Light Blue 
Aubrieta Lucas Small garden - undersized bushes in a flower bed
V garden design often used not only herbaceous plants but also beautiful trees and shrubs. If you have the idea to use them in landscaping the site, then perennial undersized bushes that bloom all summer are suitable for a flower bed in the form of a miniature garden. And creeping and dwarf conifers will bring an elegant green note to a motley composition. Among them are the following types.
Mini-garden of begonias and conifers Heather. evergreen shrub with a low growth rate. Needs well-drained moist soil, thrives well in full sun or partial shade. For the winter, it is recommended to mulch and cover it.
Heather Gualteria recumbent. Creeping evergreen ground cover shrub, beautiful blooming in summer including September. Dark green leaves are very decorative, by winter they become bronze-red. Gualteria prefers partial shade, fertile acidic soil with good moisture capacity, does not tolerate drought.
Gualteria recumbent creeping willow. Attractive dwarf slow growing shrub with thin, elastic shoots. In early May, before the foliage blooms, it is covered with silvery, and in summer with yellow, earrings. Light and moisture-loving, loves fertile sandy soils, does not tolerate heat and dry air.
creeping willow Cotoneaster Dummer. Dense spreading undersized shrub. In mid-May it is covered with numerous white flowers. Later, the decorativeness of the bush is supported by multiple light red fruits. He loves the sun, partial shade, undemanding to the soil, drought-resistant.
Cotoneaster Dummer Japanese spirea. Compact creeping shrub. Numerous pinkish inflorescences formed in the middle of summer adorn the bushes for a month and a half. Original golden yellow leaves. Spirea is undemanding to conditions, winter-hardy, sun-loving.
Japanese spirea Juniper horizontal. For a flower bed, dwarf forms are good, for example, the Blue Chip variety. This is a slow-growing conifer with a bluish coloration of dense, prickly needles. Photophilous, undemanding to the soil, frost-resistant.
Juniper horizontal Planting low-growing flowers that bloom all summer
If you are going to create a colorful, constantly pleasing corner on the site, you should understand how to properly arrange a flower bed so that they bloom all summer and even part of autumn.
imitation stream The principles of arranging flower beds
For a competent approach to the arrangement and filling of the future garden masterpiece, it is important not to miss such moments:
- Before running to the store for seeds of low-growing flowers for a flower bed, you should clearly determine the place of its possible location, study what the illumination and shade are, the characteristics of the soil, and its moisture content. This is necessary for right choice plants that will be comfortable in this place.
- Beginners should limit themselves to two or three types of plantings - this is enough for registration beautiful flowerbed. For your first flower bed, it is better to choose unpretentious varieties of flowers that do not need special care.
- It is important to choose species for one flower garden with similar requirements for growing conditions.
- It is advisable to use group plantings of the same type of undersized plants in order to avoid indiscriminate mixing of different species.
- It is necessary to take a responsible approach to the selection of color combinations for flowering plantations. Excessive brightness, variegation are inappropriate, may indicate poor taste. Combinations of various bright and white colors look organic.
- To flower composition looked spectacular all summer, for her you need to choose plants with different flowering periods.
- When arranging flowers, you need to consider the viewing angle. If the flower bed is viewed from all sides, higher specimens should be placed in the center. If its view is possible from one side, the background should become a place for tall specimens.
- To achieve a decent result, a preliminary layout of the flower garden is required with the help of a landscape designer or on your own.
Combinations of bright and white tones are spectacular Schemes of continuously flowering flower beds
For self-planning of the flower bed since the winter, you will have to arm yourself with colored pencils and draw its plan in detail on paper. The sketch should show:
- the contours and dimensions of the flower garden on a scale;
- location of dominant and complementary plants;
- the distance between them;
- color scheme (adjust if necessary).
Important! It must be borne in mind that undersized perennials, growing, will eventually take up more space - on the plan, and subsequently, when planting, leave free space between them, temporarily filling it with annuals.
Perennial flower garden By deciding to do the layout of the flower bed yourself, you will save a substantial amount on the services of a landscape designer. However, for this you need to have a certain artistic taste and flair.
For a beginner in design matters, the task may seem daunting, but at first, you can use ready-made diagrams and plans found in gardening books, or offered below. Here, for example, is a scheme for filling a flower bed only with perennials.
Below is a simple flower bed for beginner gardeners, where blue delphinium (1) and red phlox paniculata (2) act as dominant undersized plants. When making a flower bed, they are planted first. In front of them is placed a garden geranium (3) of purple color. Frame the flower garden with a ground cover, a yellow cuff (4).
Scheme for beginners When deciding how to choose perennials and annuals that bloom all summer for your flower bed, you can use the information about them presented above, as well as study the range of plants presented in the diagrams and choose samples to your liking. The most flexible filling option - joint landing bulbous, annuals and perennials. Below you can get acquainted with a few more simple schemes.
Scheme of a mixed flower bed of continuous flowering 
Landings in pink 
Flowerbed of annuals Ready-made projects are not a dogma; it is not necessary to implement them with the utmost accuracy. Don't give up if you can't buy planting material any plant shown in the diagram. Replace it with similar characteristics, coloring and bring the selected scheme to the ideal. And for creative inspiration, watch short videos.
Shaded flower garden plan Flowers need not only love and attention, but also proper care, only in this case your eye will please bright green, rich inflorescence and healthy appearance your plants. The ability to properly water flowers is one of the essential conditions their successful cultivation.
How often should flowers be watered
Flower growers with experience recommend watering plants infrequently, but with high quality. It is necessary that as a result of irrigation, water reaches the root system. If you water the flowers superficially, their roots remain dry, which will negatively affect the growth and general condition of the plants. It should always be remembered that plants that receive insufficient water will lose their flowers. Their leaves are colored yellow, curl up and eventually fall off. If there is too much moisture, the growth and development of plants slows down, frequent fungal diseases.
Annual plants such as lobelia, nasturtium, calendula and sweet pea, especially sensitive to watering. Demanding for the irrigation process are also 2-year-old and perennials: forget-me-nots, hosta, daisies, lily of the valley, aquilegia, daylily, dahlia, violets, clematis, delphinium and gladiolus. Scabiosa, escholcia, alyssum, cornflowers, ageratum, zinnia, verbena, marigolds are not so whimsical for watering. Drought-resistant species include gaillardia, mallow and gypsophila.
Water the flowers carefully. The jet of water should be diffused, in no case should it be directed directly to the roots of the plant. "Outside" watering can lead to sunburn leaves, so flowers are best watered in the evening or early morning. If water gets on the buds of flowers such as lupins, cornflowers and phloxes, they will lose their inherent decorativeness and beauty.
When to water the flowers
It is important to determine the time of watering plants throughout the day. You need to start from when during the day the plants in your garden receive the most sunlight. If the flowers get more light and heat in its first half, then start watering the garden plants in the evening - by the end of the day the flower garden will cool down a bit. In the event that your flower bed is intensively lit only in evening hours, watering in the morning. If it is cloudy outside, start watering at any time convenient for you.
Flowers that long time did not receive moisture, start watering moderately. Water should flow to their root systems gradually, over 2-3 days. It is especially important to take this into account when watering drought-resistant plants, abundant watering can threaten them with stress or even death. Remove dry and yellow leaves from overdried plants, loosen the ground, and these plants also need to be treated with a growth stimulator.
And if it's filled...
Did the plants get too much moisture? Be sure to find out to what extent it hurt the flowers and whether it hurt at all. Sometimes, to correct the situation, you just need to not water them for several days. However, this method does not always save the situation. If the overfilled flower began to lose its decorative effect, fungal diseases appeared, dig it out, remove the affected roots. After that it would be nice to process root system any fungicide. Cut also that above-ground part flower that has suffered, transplant the flower into new ground. It is also advisable to treat it with a growth stimulator and leave until fresh leaves appear.
Summer is the best season for flower lovers. However, high temperatures and erratic weather can make it difficult to care for both geraniums on the balcony and plants at home. Do you know how to water them properly?
In the summer, give your plants more water, but don't water them every day.
Do you think that if you drink more and more often on hot summer days, then the plants in the apartment and on the balcony will be fine with the same procedure? Wrong! If every day you run to them with a watering can, only harm them. And there may be more such errors. We have prepared five tips for you, thanks to which your plants will survive the summer and even summer weather fluctuations and be healthy.
Tip 1: More Water, Less Watering
It is not true that in the summer, caring for green plants in an apartment should take more time than in the rest of the year. "It's true that you need to increase the amount of water, calmly and double compared to winter, but water not more often. Even at these temperatures, you should only water once or twice a week," says florist Vlasta Cerna-Ripachkova.
Tip 2: Water Properly
Make sure you are watering the right way, i.e. whether you are pouring water into a bowl, just on the substrate, or on the leaves as well. Ideally, plants should be watered with settled or at least warm water directly onto the substrate, but lifting the leaves so that not a drop remains on them. This is especially important for violets, begonias, gloxinia and all other flowers that have "hairy" leaves - they cannot be watered from above, the water on the leaves harms them, they cannot grow and die. Pelagonia has the same requirement for watering. You see yellow spots on their leaves and I don’t know why, it’s from improper watering or from raindrops, but you won’t do anything with the rain.
Tip 3: Choose good time
Do not water the plant at noon, the water evaporates to a large extent and goes to the roots where it is needed. perfect time for watering mainly flowers on the balcony in the evening after sunset, when the temperature drops at night, the water does not evaporate like that and the plants can absorb the maximum amount. If you don't have time in the evening, the second good time is early in the morning, before the sun begins to shine on the plant.
Tip 4: Universal fertilizer not ideal
Fertilizer during this period is recommended to be done often, about once a week. But be careful what fertilizer you use. If you want blooming violets, begonias or balcony flowers to become your pride, then fertilizer for green plants is not suitable for them. "It contains more nitrogen than potassium. And while nitrogen helps green leaves grow, potassium helps bloom," says Vlasta Cerna, and continues: you will receive little or none at all."
Tip 5: First aid after vacation
Have you returned from vacation and found that all the plants withered? Place the flower or flowers in a bucket or tub, and run enough water to keep the flowers as submerged as possible. Leave the plants for an hour or two to drink properly. Then put them back in their place. According to the florist, it is not worth watering them again or fertilizing more after two hours. They simply cannot use more water and nutrients.
A similar rule applies to balcony flowers, although a lot depends on the box you have chosen. Experts do not like classic boxes for a simple reason - they are small for mature plants. And therefore, they have little soil, and the plants lack nutrients, which, of course, you can give with the help of fertilizers.
But above all, the roots quickly overheat here. First aid for flowers on the balcony is the same as for indoor ones - immerse them in water and let them "get drunk". If you cannot do this, water them as usual. It makes no sense to pour liters of water into the boxes, since the substrate will not hold water when the substrate is completely dry and it will simply flow out.
Another problem is for flower growers who have purchased self-watering pots or boxes. If you choose those where the proportion of soil and water is half and half, or in a ratio of 1: 2 for without outflow of excess water, then after a few days of heavy rains a swamp forms in them, in which the roots of plants begin to rot. In this case, pour out the water by hand and start watering only after a few days.
How do your plants cope with these weather fluctuations?