Godezia

The godetia plant (Godetia) is a representative of the Cyprus family. This genus includes about 20 (according to other sources - 40) different species living on the North American continent. Godetia are also found in South America. California is considered the birthplace of flowers, which is why godetia is sometimes called the "California rose".

The flower received its scientific name in honor of the botanist Gode, who studied the plant. Today, godetes are often included in another genus of the same family - Clarkia. Godets became widespread in the European garden environment in the middle of the 19th century. The popularity of godetia is associated not only with its delicate beautiful flowers of bright colors, but also with its high unpretentiousness.

Description of godetia

Godetia is a herbaceous plant that forms a bush from 20 to 60 cm high. Its straight shoots can branch. Lanceolate foliage is arranged alternately and is painted in a rich green color. In some species, leaf blades have subtle pubescence.

Silky flowers resemble azalea flowers and have a faint pleasant aroma. They have the shape of a bell or a bowl, and their maximum size can reach 10 cm. Most often they are simple, 4-petal, but there are also terry hybrid varieties. Flowers of godetia are located on short peduncles and form an inflorescence-brush. As new buds open, it stretches.

The color of the petals includes tones of red and carmine, pink, peach and white, as well as their various two-tone combinations. The yellow color is found only in some varieties in the form of inclusions. Despite the external fragility, godetia flowers tolerate the vagaries of the weather quite firmly and retain their color even under bright rays. Each flower stays on the plant for only a few days, but new buds bloom to replace it.

Breeders have bred many hybrid varieties of godetia, differing in the size of the bushes, as well as the shape, structure and color of the flowers. The inflorescences of tall godetia can be used for cutting.

Flowering begins in mid-summer and lasts about 2 months, sometimes until the very frost. The flower is not afraid of temperature changes. After flowering, capsules with 4 edges are formed, filled with many small seeds. Their germination can last up to 4 years.

Godetia can be not only a flower garden decoration, but also looks great in flower arrangements. You can even cut off stems with unopened buds. They will surely delight you with their bright and fragrant flowers.

Brief rules for growing godetia

The table shows a short rule of thumb for growing godetia outdoors.

Growing godetia from seeds

Sowing seeds

The plant does not reproduce by vegetative methods: it will be possible to grow godetia only from seeds, but such reproduction is not difficult. The flowering of seedlings occurs approximately 2 months after the emergence of sprouts.

Godetia seeds can be sown directly into the soil or use the seedling method. In the second case, flowers will appear a little earlier (in June), but direct sowing will insure against damage to seedlings during transplantation, and will also increase the percentage of germination.

Seeds can be sown in the ground in the second half of April. In southern regions with moderately cold and very snowy winters, winter sowing can be carried out. Before sowing, it is necessary to soak the seed in a pale solution of potassium permanganate for about half an hour: this will insure the sprouts from diseases.

Godetia grows well in neutral or slightly acidic soil. Loam is ideal for flowers. Sandy or too heavy soils should be avoided. The planting site should be sunny or slightly shaded. It is good if the site is well lit only in the first half of the day: the bushes will not appreciate the too hot sun. In partial shade bushes, the color of the flowers may be more intense, although their number will be slightly reduced.

A plot to accommodate future plantings should be prepared in advance. The earth is dug up, introducing mineral additives, ash and humus into it (up to 5 kg per 1 square meter), and then watered.

The seeds are buried 0.5 cm, trying to sow them not too thickly. For convenience, small seeds can be mixed with sand. Cover the crops with a thin non-woven material as protection. When the seedlings grow up to 10 cm, the cover can be removed. Young plants are able to survive a short-term temperature drop down to -2. From longer or severe cold snaps, the sprouts should be protected with a denser shelter.

The distance between adult bushes should be about 25 cm, so too abundant seedlings will have to be thinned out. If you wish, you can try to plant extra bushes in another place with a soil clod.

Seedling godetia

Godetia seeds are sown for seedlings from late March to mid-April - 1.5 months before transfer to the ground. The containers are filled with loose and nutritious soil. They, like the substrate itself, should be disinfected in advance. A drainage layer must be laid on the bottom of the containers. Seeds are scattered over the surface of the soil, and covered with a thin layer of earth on top. The containers are covered with a film, not forgetting to remove it daily for ventilation, and also to monitor the maintenance of soil moisture. Seedlings appear in 3-10 days. After the formation of shoots, the shelter can be removed.

Seedlings should be kept at a temperature of about 16 degrees. After the appearance of a pair of true leaves, the sprouts dive, trying not to injure the fragile roots too much. The long central root can then be pinched by about a quarter. 3 sprouts are placed in each pot at once. To prevent the seedlings from stretching, you should keep them in a brighter place or use additional lighting.

Planting godetia in open ground

Spring planting

Seedlings of godetia are planted in a permanent place at the very end of May or at the beginning of summer. By this time, the height of the seedlings should be about 5-7 cm. The bushes are moved into the holes along with the soil clod, trying not to damage the roots.For planting, the morning of a cloudy day or evening is optimal. A distance of 20-25 cm is maintained between the bushes. The greater the height of the variety, the greater the distance should be.

Winter sowing and disembarkation

In warm southern regions, they often resort to winter sowing of seeds. This solution allows you to get more hardened and disease-resistant bushes, as well as avoid injury to seedlings during a pick or transfer to the garden. Godetia seeds are sown closer to November, when the soil has time to freeze a little. In this case, the sprouts will definitely not have time to hatch before the onset of spring. Crops should be mulched with a layer of peat up to 10 cm thick. In the spring they remove it, water the garden bed and cover it with non-woven material. By May, the plants that have appeared are thinned out or planted.

Godetia care

Godetia is a completely unpretentious flower. Even an inexperienced grower can take care of this plant. Godetia bushes should be watered regularly using water slightly warmed up in the sun. The abundance of moisture should be medium - overflow, as well as overdrying, will have a bad effect on the health of the plantings. The land near the bushes is loosened, and the emerging weeds are also removed. A large number of weeds attract insects that gnaw the leaves of the flower. If pests have already attacked the bushes, an insecticide should be applied.

Bushes over 60 cm in height may need to install supports - rods or pegs. Without them, the stems can lie on the ground under the weight of the buds or break from the wind.

Around the middle of summer, you can already see the beautiful flowering of godetia, which lasts until the end of September. The plant continues to bloom even when the first autumn frosts appear. For abundant flowering, the bushes are fed monthly with mineral compounds with a low nitrogen content. For this purpose, you can use a nitrophosphate (solution of 0.5 tablespoons of the composition for 6 liters of water).

To prolong flowering, the forming ovaries should be removed, leaving the required amount for the seeds.

Godetia after flowering

It takes about a month for godetia seeds to ripen. The darkened boxes are carefully removed from the bush and dried. The recovered seeds can be sown directly into the ground closer to winter, or placed in a paper bag and stored in a dry place until spring. Seed germination is maintained for about 4 years.

After wilting, the aboveground part of the plant is removed from the flower bed together with the root and destroyed, and the earth is dug up. It should be remembered that the plant is capable of self-seeding.

Types and varieties of godetia with photos and names

Godetia grandiflora (Godetia grandiflora)

An annual species that forms small, branched bushes ranging in size from 20 to 40 cm. Godetia grandiflora has recumbent or erect shoots, woody by the end of summer. The foliage is lanceolate and tapers slightly towards the base. The flowers are up to 10 cm in diameter and have 4 petals. They form cluster-shaped inflorescences that appear at the ends of leafy shoots. The color of the petals includes shades of red, white, crimson, as well as pink and lilac flowers. Flowering begins in July. Among the varieties of such godetia there are both large tall plants and miniature ones, used for framing borders or the lower tier of flower beds. Famous varieties include:

• Blitzstral - bushes up to 60 cm tall, greenish-brown stems, flowers with wavy petals are painted in a rich shade of red.
• Weisser Schwann (White Swan) - a medium-sized variety up to 35 cm high. The stems are brownish in the lower part, and green in the upper part. The cup-shaped flowers have an average size of up to 6 cm and are white in color.
• Monarch - a widespread variety mixture of compact plants up to 40 cm in height, differing in various colors.
• Orange Room - forms medium-sized bushes up to half a meter high. The stems are reddish-green in color. The foliage is narrower. The size of the flowers reaches 5 cm. Their petals are colored reddish-orange.

Godetia amoena

The height of the bushes of this species reaches 60 cm. Godetia amoena has straight, fragile stems, slightly woody by the end of summer. Narrow foliage has a pointed end. The diameter of the flowers reaches 5 cm. The spatulate silky petals combine red and pink or crimson and lilac colors, there are also tones of red and white. Flowering is shorter than that of the previous species and lasts from July to early autumn. In gardening, the species has been used since the beginning of the 19th century. Among the main varieties:

• Kirshkönigin - with red-pink flowers.
• Rosea - forms light pink flowers with purple splashes.
• Crystal snowflake - bushes up to 75 cm tall with snow-white flowers.

Terry godetia

The existence of such flowers is the merit of breeders; terry godetia does not occur in nature. Hybrid varieties of the above plant species can have both simple flowers and varying degrees of doubleness. So the azalea terry godetia has the following varieties:

• Diamond - forms red flowers with a white speck on the petal.
• Bride - flowers with numerous white petals with a faint pink tint.
• Rembrandt - forms bushes in the form of a hemisphere up to 35 cm in height. The stems are colored greenish-pink, the foliage is narrow. The flowers reach 6 cm in diameter, they have a carved edge and a white-pink color, complemented by a red speck.
• Sybil Sherwood - Plants up to 40 cm high. Shoots are green-pink. The flowers have a semi-double structure and a diameter of up to 5 cm. The color is salmon, fading from the center to the edges of the petals.