Lychnis (Lychnis) is an elegant bright-blooming representative of the Clove family. Separate classifications also classify Likhnis as a member of the Smolevka genus. The genus includes several dozen different species found on the continents of the Northern Hemisphere, while only 15 of them are used in floriculture. Its scientific name has Greek roots and means "lamp". It is assumed that it refers to the bright color of lychnis inflorescences, but there is another theory - in ancient times, the leaves of one of its varieties could be used as a wick.
In our country, lychnis is better known as adonis. In common people you can still hear "Dawn". This name is quite justified. On flower beds and flower beds, the plant looks very impressive: its flowers literally "burn" with shades of red and white in contrast with the gray stems. The adonis looks good both alone and in "company" with other plants. In our country, most often you can see two varieties of lychnis: crown and chalcedony.
Although mentions of the plant are found in the texts of ancient philosophers, they began to use it in culture only from the 16th century. Due to its unpretentiousness, this flower is especially popular with novice gardeners.
Lichnis description
Lychnis is grown as a perennial flower. This genus includes herbaceous species with a leaf rosette at the roots. Lichnis bushes can grow in height from 40 cm to a meter. The stem is usually slightly pubescent. The leaf blades have an elongated ovoid shape, they are rough to the touch. Their color can be deep green or gray-silver. The capitate or corymbose inflorescences consist of small (up to 2 cm) tubular flowers. Their petals have 2 lobes and a fairly varied color. The color palette includes bright red, pink or reddish orange, as well as white and light yellow. The later ripening nuts contain small dark seeds. They can maintain their germination for up to 4 years, you just need to store them in a dark and very dry place.
Growing lychnis from seeds
Boarding time
Seed propagation of lychnis is considered to be very simple. Usually, its seeds are sown directly into the soil in late autumn or from April to June. Moreover, regardless of the sowing period, such bushes begin to bloom only in the second year. The only exception is a part of winter crops - subject to ideal conditions, they can bloom the next summer, but much less abundantly.
In order to surely admire the beautiful inflorescences in the same season, it is recommended to grow lychnis through seedlings. In this case, the best time for sowing is March, but the seeds will need to be stratified beforehand. To do this, they are left in the cold (or in the refrigerator) for about a month.The seeds treated in this way are buried no more than 1.5 cm into the ground and the container with them is placed in a warm place, where it keeps about +20 degrees. Usually, seedlings are shown in a couple of weeks.
Adult seedlings need to be hardened two weeks before planting in the ground. Disembarkation usually takes place at the end of May. When planting, plants should be placed at a distance of up to 30 cm from each other. With proper care, lychnis bushes can be grown in the same place for up to 5 years.
Landing in open ground
Lychnis is quite unpretentious in terms of planting in open ground and does not require special care measures. A sunny corner and moderately nutritious soil with a drainage layer that prevents moisture stagnation is perfect for a flower. Certain types of plants, for example, crown lichnis, will grow well in a shady place.
Before sowing, you can further improve the soil by adding river sand (about a bucket), potassium magnesium (40 g) and superphosphate (about 50 g per square meter). Clay soil can be supplemented with humus or compost. But it is not worth choosing a soil too rich in organic matter for lychnis, this can have a bad effect on the duration of its flowering.
As with growing lichnis seedlings, before planting in the garden, the seeds will have to be stratified by keeping them in the refrigerator for about a month. The prepared material is sown on the beds and lightly covered with soil. If the weather is consistently warm outside, the seedlings will appear together within 2-4 weeks. Too dense plantings should be thinned out.
Lichnis care rules
Lichnis growing in the garden needs to be watered regularly, especially in hot and dry weather. On average, the soil next to the flower can be moistened once a week. It is best to do this in the morning, so that the lychnis can absorb the necessary moisture during the day, and by the night the roots do not remain in the cold and damp soil. After watering or rains, the soil around the bushes is loosened and the weeds that have appeared are removed. On a neglected bed, lychnis is easily drowned out by weeds, so its removal should be taken responsibly.
The plant needs periodic feeding - over the summer it can be watered several times with mineral compositions with a small dose of nitrogen. During active growth, seedlings are fertilized 2 or 3 times, and then every 2-3 weeks. Systematic removal of wilted inflorescences will help to extend the flowering period.
Sometimes lychnis bushes try to rejuvenate, but this flower can self-seed, forming fresh shoots. In addition, if necessary, the bushes can be transplanted even during the flowering period. If the overgrown bushes of lychnis are nevertheless decided to be divided, for this they usually choose specimens from 5 years old and older. The rhizome is divided into parts so that each has its own growth point. Such divisions can be seated in new places at the end or at the beginning of the season, retreating a 30-cm distance and maintaining the old level of deepening.
Terry species of lychnis are most often propagated by cuttings - the method allows you to preserve the maternal traits, which are often lost with the seed version. Usually, cutting of cuttings begins in June, when the plant forms sufficiently long shoots. Cuttings up to 25 cm long are cut from the bush and planted in the ground. For better survival, they should be provided with greenhouse conditions. By the fall, when the plants take root, they are transplanted to their final location.
Post-flowering care
Lychnis is frost-hardy enough and does not require shelter for the winter, only terry varieties of this plant are considered an exception. In autumn, when the bushes begin to turn yellow and dry, all the stems of the lichnis are cut to the very base. Terry species are then additionally sprinkled with fallen leaves, dry soil or peat.
Diseases and pests
Abundant watering in the absence of a drainage layer in the garden can lead to the appearance of rot, rust or leaf spot. To prevent these diseases, it is recommended to water the plant a little less often, trying to focus on the peculiarities of the climate and weather.At the first signs of the disease, lichen bushes must be treated with fungicides. As a preventive treatment, preparations containing copper can be used.
If aphids or leafworms have settled on Lyhnis, a decoction of tomato tops or tobacco, mixed with crushed soap, will help to destroy the pests. Large foci of pests are removed with insecticides. Bushes heavily affected by aphids do not disappear, but do not bloom, therefore, it is recommended to prevent the appearance of a pest by carrying out foliar preventive treatments before budding begins.
Types and varieties of lychnis with a photo
Of all types of lychnis in floriculture, the following are especially common:
Lychnis arkwrightii
Forms low bushes up to 40 cm in size. Shoots and oblong leaf blades are painted in greenish-burgundy tones. Forms rare inflorescences or single flowers of a fiery orange color. They reach about 3 cm in diameter. Flowering lasts from late June to the second half of August. One of the especially popular varieties is Vesuvius. It is distinguished by more lush inflorescences of reddish-orange flowers, as well as green, heart-shaped foliage.
Lychnis alpine (Lychnis alpina)
In natural conditions, it lives in the forest-tundra and tundra areas of the North American continent, in Greenland, in the Alps and in a number of Scandinavian countries. Dwarf bushes reach only 20 cm in height. They have a basal rosette made of opposite leaf blades. Panicle inflorescences have a red-pink or crimson color. The variety "Lara" is especially famous, it blooms profusely with pale pink.
Lychnis viscaria
Inhabits European countries, in the foothills of the Caucasus, found in the Crimea and southwestern regions of Siberia. Lychnis viscaria can grow up to one meter in height. The upper part of its shoots has a sticky coating, due to which the plant is also called "tar". Panicle inflorescences consist of a group of whorls, each with about 7 flowers. Usually the flowers are white or crimson. Flowering lasts about 2 months. Some of the main varieties:
- Flore pleno - forms small bushes up to 30 cm tall. The leaf blades are basal, colored in dark green tones. The cluster inflorescences are lilac in color, while the sizes of the double flowers vary from 2 to 3 cm.
- Rosetta - has double flowers of a bright crimson hue.
Lychnis coronaria (Lychnis coronaria)
In height, the bushes can reach almost a meter in size, but there are also more miniature specimens. Foliage is not numerous, concentrated in the outlet. It has a silvery hue, against which bright flowers look especially impressive. Lychnis coronaria (coriacea) forms single flowers. Most often they are colored pink, but there are also white variations. Flowering lasts from the first month of summer to early autumn. Main varieties:
- Angels Blush - the color of the flowers can change depending on the time: when opened, they are lighter, and then the middle of each flower begins to turn pink.
- The mysterious island is a medium-sized biennial with inflorescences of deep pink, cherry or white color. Foliage and stem are slightly pubescent.
Cuckoo adonis (Coronaria flos-cuculi)
This species predominantly lives in European countries. Its second name is Kukushkin's color. It can grow quite strongly: the plant forms a wide, but loose bush of branched shoots up to 1 m in height. As it approaches the top, its narrow foliage, located on the stems, becomes smaller. Inflorescence scutes include large flowers with thin pink petals. In width, each can reach 4 cm. The petals have not two, but as many as 4 lobes, while each is capable of twisting a little. There are also white-flowered varieties. Popular varieties include:
- Alba - with snow-white flowers.
- Nana - forms low bushes up to 15 cm in size.
- Rosea captivity - has double pink flowers.
Lychnis sparkling (Lychnis fulgens)
It lives in the countries of East Asia, as well as in the Far East and in the regions of Siberia. It has an average height of about half a meter. The foliage of this species is greenish. On the tops of straight stems are reddish-orange inflorescences, while each flower can reach 5 cm in diameter. Each petal is divided into 4 parts, while the middle ones can be much larger than the lateral ones.
Lychnis Haage (Lychnis x haageana)
A hybrid of medium (up to 45 cm) height with high frost resistance. Inflorescences can include up to seven flowers, each of them up to 5 cm wide. On the sides of each petal there is a long thin denticle. The flowers are orange-red in color. The main of the varieties - "Molten Lava" - has umbrella-shaped inflorescences of bright red color. At the same time, the foliage is painted in a bronze tint.
Lychnis chalcedonica (Lychnis chalcedonica), or dawn
It is this species that is most often called the dawn. It is found in some regions of Russia, in the Central Asian states, as well as in Mongolia. Frost-resistant and relatively tall (about 90 cm) species. It has an interesting property - the rhizomes and petals of lychnis can "wash" a little, which is why it is sometimes called a soap box. The size of the inflorescences can reach 10 cm. Their main color is red. The sizes of each flower reach 3 cm, their petals can have two lobes or a notch. Chalcedony lychnis has both simple and double flowers, sometimes with a two-color color - a red heart on a pink background. Other well-known varieties include:
- Albiflora is a spectacular form with snow-white flowers about 2 cm in diameter.
- Maltese Cross - has numerous bright red cross-shaped flowers.
Lychnis Jupiter (Lychnis flos-jovis)
This species is found in the Alpine mountains. Forms stems about 80 cm tall. Green shoots and foliage have pubescence, giving them a silvery shade. The flowers are pink or pale purple. Their size is about 3 cm. The species has several garden forms, including those with white or double flowers.
