Good afternoon, my reader. A spectacular garden plant native to North America in the climatic conditions of mid-latitudes - a rare visitor. However, thanks to the high decorativeness of penstemon and long flowering, its popularity is growing every year.
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Flower features
In its homeland, penstemon is known as a deciduous or semi-evergreen perennial of the Plantain family. There are shrub or semi-shrub varieties up to 3 m high.
In the middle zone of the Russian Federation, the flower is cultivated most often as an annual. With proper care, the overseas culture forms many buds of unusual shapes and bright colors. The flowering process begins in early summer and continues until the end of the warm season (2-3 months).
Sowing seeds
In harsh climates, penstemon is cultivated through growing seedlings. Only this method can guarantee early and long-lasting flowering. Sowing is done at the end of winter (all February).
The planting container is filled with a nutrient substrate. Small flower seeds are sown on the surface of a moistened soil, lightly sprinkled with a loose substrate.
The container is covered with polyethylene (glass, plastic) and placed in a warm, well-lit place. The mini-greenhouse is ventilated once a day and it is monitored that the air temperature does not drop below 20 ° C.
The soil is moistened as necessary with a spray bottle. In a couple of weeks, the first shoots of penstemon will appear. When real 3-4 leaves are formed in the sprouts, they are dived into plastic cups (pots).
Outdoor care
Ready-made seedlings are planted in the garden in late spring - early summer, depending on weather conditions. In this case, you should choose a permanent place in advance, take care of drainage and soil quality.
Priming
The plant prefers places open to sunlight with fertile soil that has an acid reaction and good permeability to moisture and air. To make the plant comfortable, the garden soil is diluted with gravel, humus and high-moor peat.
Watering
Penstemon does not need an abundance of moisture, moderate watering is enough for him, which is carried out as the topsoil dries. In addition, an exotic flower does not like stagnant water - the planting hole must be equipped with a drainage system. For this, the bottom of the hole is lined with a layer of broken brick, pebbles, rubble or coarse gravel.
However, the plant does not tolerate prolonged drought. To reduce the evaporation of moisture, the root zone of penstemon is mulched with high-moor peat, needles or sawdust. These components will not only protect the roots of the flower from drying out, but will also improve the structure of the soil, increase its acidity.
Top dressing
The plant develops well if, in addition to watering and loosening, systematic feeding is carried out. For the first time, nitrogen fertilizer is applied 2 weeks after planting in the ground. Later, penstemon is fed twice a month with mineral complexes containing phosphorus - this stimulates lush flowering.
If the climate allows you to grow a flower as a perennial, then in late autumn, in addition to superphosphate, potash is added, which strengthens the root system.
Spectacular, incomparable penstemone can be a decoration for your garden. To do this, you only need to follow the rules of agricultural technology.
Do you plant penstemon at the dacha?
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