Tradescantia stands out as a bright spot from the variety of gorgeous flowers. In flower encyclopedias it is called Anderson's Tradescantia. Another name for it is Virginia. Tradescantia got its name from the great learned gardeners, father and son, who brought it from Virginia at the beginning of the 17th century. The names of these outstanding botanists are the same: John Tradescant. Tradescantia is the first plant that came to us from America.
Garden Tradescantia is a perennial shrub, it can reach 60 cm. Its leaves are narrow, bright green, dark green with a silvery shade. There are a lot of shoots on the bush with beautiful flowers hanging on them. Prefers to bloom from early spring to September from blue to red shades of flowers. There are also varieties of Tradescantia with a double color of flowers.
There are various hybrids of Tradescantia with different colors of flowers: "Virginian", "Innocence", "Karminglut", "Blue stone", "Charlote". Almost all types of tradescantia are thermophilic, therefore they are used by flower growers for growing in the house. But with the same success they can be grown in the open field.
Tradescantia care
Tradescantia loves soft sandy soils more, but can grow on any. It does not require special care, only regular watering. Garden pests do not like this plant. There is no need to buy insecticides for Tradescantia, because it has a high resistance to diseases.
The best place to plant Tradescantia is a shaded and fertilized flower bed on the site. Tradescantia does not really like the sun: it will stop growing, shed flowers and eventually die. Therefore, we must not forget about watering this plant. An even better option would be to plant a tradescantia near a reservoir, if there is one on the site. Tradescantia flower looks great alone in a flower bed, but in composition with other plants it becomes even more attractive.
Tradescantia will thank you with long flowering if you feed it with mineral fertilizer. This must be done two times: when the plant is picking up shoots and at the beginning of bud formation. You can buy fertilizer at the store. Before the onset of winter, it is recommended to cover the plant with fallen leaves - this will prevent the plant from freezing during cold weather.
In spring, the plant may appear late from the ground. Thus, it is saved from late frosts. Sometimes the plant bends to the ground under the weight of the flowers. This problem can be solved by tying it to a special support.
Reproduction of tradescantia
It is not difficult to propagate this plant. You can cut off any tip of the shoot and put it in a glass of water. After a while, thin and fragile roots will appear on the shoot. Then plant this cutting in a flower pot, remembering to water it moderately. If the soil is too wet, mold will develop and the plant may die. After proper rooting, you can plant the Tradescantia on open ground.
Tradescantia also reproduces by dividing the bush. In early spring, you need to dig out the bush and carefully divide it into several bushes, trying not to severely injure the root system.The resulting plants can be immediately planted in the right places in the flower bed.
Bloom
The buds are very reminiscent of clusters pressing on top of each other. It is impossible to guess which bud will open first. There are usually a lot of large flowers on the bush. Usually, in rainy weather, the flowers seem to hide inside the bush, wrapping themselves in seed pods. Tradescantia flowers have three petals. Beautiful bushes almost never stop blooming throughout the summer.
It is imperative to remove faded flowers and shoots, this will give strength to the plant and the formation of new shoots. Flowering on these shoots will be even more abundant. Tradescantia are honey plants, therefore they attract bees and butterflies. But the flowers of this plant are odorless.
The healing properties of Tradescantia
Tradescantia has a huge number of healing properties. Its leaves have a pronounced antibacterial effect. Tradescantia has a very good effect on the respiratory organs, fights colds and coughs. It is also an assistant for gastrointestinal diseases.
- In case of nasal congestion, you need to rinse your nose with a decoction of these magic leaves. To do this, pour 50 grams of leaves with a liter of boiling water, boil for 3 minutes and leave for two hours.
- For gum disease, chew a tradescantia leaf after eating.
- To get rid of colic, you need to take a tincture of the leaves. To prepare it, you will need to pour the leaves with vodka in a 1: 2 ratio. Leave on for one week, strain and apply 3 times daily before meals.
- If the skin is damaged, you can apply tradescantia leaves instead of plantain. It also has a hemostatic effect.
- For boils, you can apply mashed leaves and cover with a bandage.
- As you can see, Tradescantia can be grown both at home and on the street. In addition to its beautiful appearance and medicinal properties, Tradescantia will definitely bring a good mood.
