Trachelium (Trachelium) is a perennial shrub from the Bellflower family. The homeland of the plant is Greece, but it can be found throughout the Mediterranean. Today, the trachelium is known to many gardeners around the world.
The name of the flower comes from the Greek word for throat. It is associated either with the healing properties of the plant, which can be used to treat certain diseases, or with the shape of its flowers.
Description of the trachelium
The evergreen herbaceous subshrub trachelium can have different heights - from 35 to 80 cm. The diameter of an adult bush is small - only about 30 cm. It is made up of elastic branched shoots of brownish-green color with alternate leaves on petioles. The oblong foliage has jagged edges at the edges, and a sharp point at the top. The length of each leaf is about 8 cm. The leaves are colored dark green, but sometimes they can have a lilac hue.
Inflorescences-scutes are located in the upper part of the stem and consist of many small flowers. They can be blue or purple, but there are also white and red flowers. Because of the fused petals, they resemble bells. Each flower has small stamens and a prominent ovary tube about 0.5 cm long. This gives the inflorescences extra volume and makes them more spectacular.
In garden conditions, the flowering of trachelium begins at the end of summer, continuing until the arrival of frost. The inflorescences exude a pronounced pleasant aroma and attract insects. Sometimes shrubs are grown in greenhouses or greenhouses using cut flowers. In this case, you can get beautiful bouquets in the spring, in March, but the plant can bloom, as well as bear fruit, only once a year. After the flowers wither, bolls with small dark seeds, covered with a thin film, are formed on the bushes.
Any work with a flower is recommended to be carried out with gloves - otherwise dermatitis may develop.
Breeding methods of trachelium
Trachelium can be propagated in two ways: by dividing the root or by seeds.
Growing from seeds
In regions with mild and warm winters, you can sow seeds directly into the ground. In more northern regions, in order for the trachelium bushes to bloom in the first year of planting, they must be grown through seedlings. Sowing is carried out from the end of winter to March. The seeds are sown superficially on loose soil. Instead of deepening, you can lightly press each seed into the ground. The containers with crops are covered with foil and placed in a well-lit, but slightly cool (from +15 degrees) place. In such conditions, seedlings can appear in 2-3 weeks. After the first shoots appear, the film is removed and the container is transferred to a warm place. The optimum temperature for seedlings is +20 degrees.
After the formation of the first 3 true leaves, the tops of the shoots must be pinched.This will promote the growth of side shoots and the formation of a beautiful bush. The seedlings are moved to the garden after warm weather is established outside. They are placed in flower beds in 30 cm increments.
Rhizome division
In the garden, the trachelium can grow quite quickly. If the bushes are grown as perennials, they will have to be divided periodically. This is usually done in the spring. In addition, small shoots with their own roots are formed in adult plants older than 3 years. They can also be used for breeding. In the spring, the shoot is separated from the parent bush, treated with potassium permanganate and immediately planted in the chosen place.
This method allows you to get a new flowering bush in the same season. But such a division is feasible only if the plant is cultivated as a perennial: at home or in a warm climate. In middle latitudes, tracheliums do not hibernate, so they most often have a one-year growing cycle. Such processes are not formed on young bushes.
Planting and caring for the trachelium
Planting and watering regime
An adult trachelium bush does not require careful maintenance. This is an unpretentious and rather tenacious plant. Light nutrient soil of slightly acidic or neutral reaction is best suited for it. In shallow planting holes, you can add a sand-peat mixture, having previously laid a drainage layer on the bottom - the bushes are sensitive to water stagnation at the roots. If the trachelium grows in a pot, a drainage layer will also be created in it. The container must be deep enough. At the same time, the trachelium is drought-resistant, so it will not need frequent watering. Typically, water the plant sparingly a couple of times a week. The soil should be abundantly moistened only during prolonged drought and during the flowering period. To do this, use soft and well-settled warm water.
Before planting a seedling in a hole or pot, the soil must be moistened. When the bush is moved to a new place, the ground next to it is tamped a little and watered again.
Choosing a landing site
Sunny areas are most suitable for the trachelium, but young plants should be shaded in hot hours. To do this, you can place them in a corner in the afternoon in a light shade, or use awnings. When grown as a home crop, trachelium will also need shelter from bright light in the afternoon. The southeast and southwest directions are considered optimal for it. At the same time, potted plants also need fresh air. If possible, for the summer, it is recommended to transfer them to an open place - to a balcony, veranda or even a garden. For periods of heavy rainfall, the pots are brought back.
For a beautiful and abundant flowering, before the formation of buds, the plants are fed monthly with complex fertilizer. This is done only during the growth period - in the fall and winter, no additional feeding is required.
Pruning rules
In order to preserve the attractive appearance of the flower for as long as possible, wilting inflorescences are regularly removed.
Wintering features
Tracheliums do not tolerate freezing temperatures, so they can winter only in very warm areas: even a shelter does not save the bushes. Together with frosts, the off-season period is dangerous for plants by waterlogging due to snow melting. To be sure to keep the planting until next year, garden specimens can be dug up, placed in a container and removed in a cool (up to + 10 degrees) room. In the spring, overwintered plants are planted again in open ground.
In domestic plants, a dormant period begins in winter. Watering for this time is reduced, but they try to prevent the soil in the container with the flower from drying out.
The main difficulties of growing
Stagnant water at the roots and high humidity along with cool weather can lead to the development of fungal infections that affect the stems and root area of the plant. In this case, the bush begins to shed its foliage. To avoid this, the soil near the plantings should be loosened more often, simultaneously removing the growing weeds.This will help the soil dry quickly and increase the flow of air to the roots. If the summer is rainy, preventive treatments with special preparations will help protect the plants from mold and putrefactive processes. If the bush has already begun to rot, it is planted in another place, having previously treated the roots with a disinfectant.
Dark spots on the green part of the plant may indicate the development of bacterial infections.
Too small flowers and slow growth of the trachelium in a pot may indicate a lack of space or lack of nutrition. The plant is transplanted into a more spacious container, and after a while they are fed.
A short flowering period, stretching of stems and tarnishing of leaves indicate a short day of light or an overly shady planting site.
Among garden pests, trachelium can be affected by aphids or spider mites. They are fought with the appropriate insecticides. The acquired trachelium bush is kept in quarantine for several days, checking whether it is infected or sick. You can additionally process it for preventive purposes.
Types and varieties of trachelium with photo
Despite the fact that in nature there are only three main types of trachelium, breeders were able to create on their basis a number of decorative varieties that differ in color.
Trachelium blue (Trachelium caeruleum)
The only species suitable for growing in mid-latitudes. Sometimes called blue. The height of the bushes varies from 35 to 75 cm.The size of the lush inflorescences in diameter can reach 15 cm.The most common hybrids are:
- Blue Veil - a bush with branched stems up to 60 cm high. Flowers have a pale violet color.
- Jemmy - bushes up to 80 cm in size. Differs in snow-white inflorescences.
- White Umbrella - weakly leafy bush with many shoots. The color of the flowers varies from white to pink, lilac or purple shades.
Jacquin's trachelium (Trachelium jacquinii)
A miniature variety, the maximum height of which does not exceed 35 cm, and the average is only about 20 cm. The length of the oblong serrated leaves with sharp tips is about 8 cm. The flowers, painted in shades of blue, are quite large - up to 1 cm in length. They form loose, rounded inflorescences.
Trachelium Passion
Small plant about 25 cm tall, suitable for growing as a pot crop. Can be grown as an ampelous plant. In gardens, this variety is most often used in mixed flower beds, it is also suitable for cutting. On the lower part of the stems there are wide green leaves. The top is decorated with umbrella-shaped inflorescences. The species includes a number of hybrid varieties, differing in color of flowers. They can be pink and cherry color (Cream Pink, Purple Veil, Cherry Mist), white (White Veil) or blue-violet (Ultraviolet and Blue Haze).
Woodruff trachelium (Trachelium asperuloides)
The foliage is ovoid or oval in shape. The bushes reach a medium height. The size of lush inflorescences on average reaches 15 cm, but larger ones can also be found.
Application of the trachelium
Due to their decorative effect, tracheliums are often found in group plantings, as well as in rock gardens and rock gardens. You can use these plants as framing garden paths or the perimeter of your home. Combinations of varieties with flowers of different colors look especially impressive.
Bushes can be either planted directly into the ground or placed in flowerpots or containers. Trachelium flowers are also suitable for cutting. When creating bouquets, you should select inflorescences that have blossomed by no more than a third. Such branches will stand in the water for as long as possible. When buying a ready-made bouquet, you need to remove all the foliage from the stems, and the next day, cut them slightly. Spraying or adding nutrients to the water will help extend the life of beautiful flowers. Subject to all conditions, a trachelium bouquet can please the eye for about two weeks.
