Mimulus, popularly known as the lipstick, is a beautiful flowering plant that is very popular among lovers of indoor and garden flowers. Its decorative qualities are appreciated by professional flower and landscape designers. The plant easily propagates with seeds in the open field and at home, especially two of its types - "Leopard" and "Winter Sunset".
Mimulus belongs to the Norichnikov family. The homeland of the flower is North and South America, Australia and New Zealand. In nature, the flower grows in humid and swampy places. Mimulus bloom in spring and autumn, and in summer during drought they are at rest. The genus Mimulus includes more than 150 species of annuals and perennials.
Popular types of mimulus
Mimulus leopard
The plant blooms with unusual colors and large in size (up to 6 centimeters in diameter) yellow flowers with many burgundy specks that resemble a leopard body. Hence the name of this hybrid species. A small shrub, reaching a height of no more than 25 centimeters, will easily fit in a flower container on a windowsill or in a long box on a loggia or balcony. The compact flower has a rounded shape and a large number of flowers. It attracts most flower growers with its early flowering. After all, the first flowers on the bush appear within 40-50 days after sowing the seeds.
Mimulus "Winter Sunset"
In this species, flowers have an even more complex shape and bright color. On the main white background of flowers, numerous spots of pink (light and dark), red and burgundy are scattered. The popular name of mimulus "lipstick" is very suitable for this species, since its lower and largest petal resembles a protruding lip.
The plant belongs to early hybrid varieties. An artificially bred species is able to withstand even small frosts at night (up to about 4 degrees below zero). A flowering plant can decorate a flower bed from May to October, starting its active flowering as early as 1.5 months after sowing seeds in the ground.
Sowing and growing seedlings from seeds
A favorable time for sowing lipstick seeds for seedlings is the first 2-3 weeks of March. Seeds at this time are recommended to be sown in flower containers or planting boxes on a glassed-in balcony or veranda. In size, the seeds of "lipstick" are even smaller than a poppy seed. Such a miniature planting material has a light or dark brown shade.
The seeds must be sown at a shallow depth (no more than 0.5-1 centimeters) so that they can ascend faster, and after sowing, be sure to cover the soil surface with a dense transparent film. If the seeds are sown in small containers, then the cover can be built from an ordinary plastic cup, which should sit tightly on the soil.The first sprouts will appear very soon - after 7-10 days, and after another week it is recommended to pick young seedlings, as they will interfere with each other's full development.
It is possible to transplant grown mimulus plants into individual containers (before planting in open ground) not one at a time, but 4-5 pieces at once in one pot or glass. In this form, they will grow at home until about May 15-20. During this month and a half, the seedlings will get stronger and grow a few centimeters.
The soil for sowing Mimulus seeds requires high-quality soft, with good air exchange and moisture permeability, it is better to use soil mixtures from specialized stores. For the "lipstick", a common universal potting soil mixture with a small addition of sand, which can be purchased at the pet store and added on your own, is suitable. It is desirable that this soil contains wood ash or ash, as well as dry dressing. One large bucket of earth will require about two hundred milliliters of ash and fertilizer. In order for such a soil mixture to be loose and "breathe", coconut milk is usually added to its composition.
It is necessary to water the plants every day, and possibly in the morning and in the evening, because the light soil will dry out very quickly, which should not be allowed. To maintain humidity, daily spraying from a sprayer is also added to irrigation.
Sowing seeds in open ground
Since the survival rate and germination rate of mimulus seeds is quite high, many growers prefer to sow them immediately in open soil. This planting method is considered no less effective than seedling.
The optimal time for sowing planting material occurs when the air temperature in the daytime rises to 16-18 degrees Celsius. On average, this occurs after about April 15th. The common procedure for soaking the seeds before sowing these flowers does not apply. The main thing is that the soil when planting was slightly, and not excessively moistened. An excess of moisture in the planting soil will lead to rotting of the planting material and low germination.
Seeds are sown in the prepared area to a minimum depth and immediately cover all the beds with a transparent polyethylene film, which is left until mid-May. After the appearance of the first shoots, 2-3 weeks should pass, and then it is recommended to thin out all grown and strengthened plants.
In the large family of "lipstick" (about 150 species), there are a large number of different species and hybrid varieties, among which there are annual and perennial specimens. Annual plants occupy a large part - there are about a hundred varieties of them.
Perennials are usually propagated by cuttings, and annuals are propagated only by seed. Each grower can easily collect the planting material by himself. Mimulus seeds can be harvested after the end of the flowering period, around the end of September. It is at this time that the seed pods on the plants finish their ripening.
Watering of plants is carried out only as needed. An excess of moisture in the soil, like a lack, will negatively affect the development of a flowering bush. Watering in the evening is usually sufficient, but additional moisture may be required during particularly hot summer days. The plant will signal its sluggish appearance. But the appearance of small holes on the leafy part of the bush indicates the need to reduce the volume and frequency of watering.
Transplanting plants growing in containers is carried out as the root part grows and only by transshipment.
