Night beauty landing and care. Mirabilis planting and care in the open field propagation by seeds

Mirabilis (lat. Mirabilis) is a genus of flowering plants in the Nyctaginaceae family, which includes over 50 species native to temperate and tropical regions, mostly in North and South America, although one species is native to South Asia. Translated from Latin, "mirabilis" means "amazing." The mirabilis flower of the Jalapa species, which is widely popular, is called the night beauty. This plant combines simplicity and mysterious appeal, filling the garden with an amazing aroma. It is unpretentious to growing conditions and unpretentious in care. Mirabilis is often used to form a low but colorful hedge.

Planting and caring for mirabilis (in a nutshell)

• Bloom: from July to autumn frosts. The flowers open in the evening and close in the morning.
• Landing: sowing seeds for seedlings - in early or mid-April, planting seedlings in open ground - in the second half of May. Sowing seeds directly into the ground - in early May.
• Lighting: bright sunlight.
• The soil: fertile clayey or loamy soils of slightly alkaline reaction.
• Watering: intermittent but abundant. In extreme heat and drought - from 1 to 3 times a week, but in a season with normal rainfall, you can not water the site at all.
• Top dressing: 2-3 times per season with complex mineral fertilizers: before the start of bud formation, in the middle of summer and at the end of August. From organic fertilizers humus and compost are used, and mineral compositions introduced in the second and third terms should contain a minimum amount of nitrogen.
• Reproduction: seed.
• Pests: is not struck.
• Diseases: root rot, rust, spotting.

Read more about growing mirabilis below.

Mirabilis (night beauty) - description

Mirabilis Jalapa is native to Mexico. This is perennial with swollen tuberous roots, grown in annual culture. Its elongated-rounded bushes reach a height of 30 to 80 cm. On erect, densely branched reddish stems, lignified in the lower part, elongated-ovate, bare, entire green leaves are oppositely located on petioles. Jalapa flowers - funnel-shaped, up to 25 mm in diameter, white, crimson, purple, orange, yellow, purple, bright red or two or three colors, opening after 16 hours and closing at dawn - are collected in apical fragrant corymbose inflorescences. In cloudy weather, flowers can be open all day. The night beauty plant has the ability to form flowers of different colors on one bush. For example, one plant can have flowers of all shades. color pink from salmon to crimson, and sometimes the petals of the plant are decorated with multi-colored stripes. The fruit of mirabilis is large, one-seeded, dark brown in color, with sharp ribs. The seeds of the night beauty remain viable for up to 3 years.

Sowing mirabilis for seedlings

The flower of the night beauty propagates by seeds, which must be scarified before sowing, that is, slightly damage their hard shell with a needle file or sandpaper. Then the seeds of the night beauty are placed in a thermos with warm water. When to sow mirabilis? Mirabilis seeds are sown in early or mid-April in cups filled with light neutral or slightly alkaline soil: available at the store ready ground, or you can make the substrate yourself by mixing two parts of soddy soil and peat, one part of humus or compost, half of the washed sand and adding half a glass for every 5 liters of the resulting soil mixture wood ash or 2 tablespoons of dolomite flour. The cups are filled ¾ of the volume, the mixture is compacted and poured abundantly with a fungicide solution. Two seeds are placed in each cup, sprinkled with a layer of loose soil 1-1.5 cm thick and sprayed with water from a fine sprayer.

Crops are placed in a greenhouse and kept at a temperature of 18-20 ºC.

Growing mirabilis at home

Seedlings will begin to appear in 5-6 days, and once this happens, remove the cover from mirabilis and move the crops as close to the light as possible. When the seedlings develop their first true leaf, cut off the weaker seedling in each pot at ground level so that it does not interfere with the development of the strong one. Around the same time, you need to make the first top dressing, for example, Mortar, Fertik or Krepysh.

Mirabilis at home needs watering only after the earthen coma has completely dried out, since it does not tolerate waterlogging. When the seedlings reach a height of 10-15 cm, they are transplanted into large pots by transshipment and fed a second time with complex mineral fertilizer. As soon as the seedlings of mirabilis recover from the pick, proceed to the hardening procedures: within two weeks, you need to accustom the plants to external environment. To do this, seedlings are taken out daily to the balcony or courtyard, gradually increasing the time the seedlings stay for outdoors until the beauty of the night can stay there all day.

Sowing mirabilis seeds in open ground

Planting Mirabilis with seeds can be carried out directly in open ground. The seeds are prepared for sowing in the way we have already described, and they are sown in late April or early May. Try to distribute the seeds in the furrow in increments of 7-8 cm. After planting the seeds in the soil to a depth of 3 cm, the area is watered with warm water and covered nonwoven fabric or film until germination. As soon as the threat of frost has passed, the shelter is removed. Subsequently, the seedlings of mirabilis will have to be thinned out.

Planting mirabilis in open ground

When to plant mirabilis in the ground

Mirabilis seedlings are planted in open ground in late spring, when the soil warms up and the likelihood of frost passes. The area under mirabilis should be well warmed up and illuminated by the sun, since the plant is very thermophilic. Do not spare space for mirabilis, otherwise it will take it away from other plants: mirabilis is quite aggressive. Mirabilis grows best in fertile clay or loamy soil containing lime, so acidic soils must be limed before planting. Mirabilis doesn't like excess moisture, so do not plant it in lowlands or on wet soils.

How to plant mirabilis in the garden

Mirabilis is planted at a distance of 40-50 cm in a row. The depth of each hole should be such that the root system of a seedling with an earthen clod, that is, the entire contents of the pot, fits into it. An hour or two before planting, seedlings in pots are watered to make it easier to remove them and transfer them to the hole. After planting mirabilis and sealing the holes, do not forget to water the site.

Mirabilis care in the garden

Caring for the night beauty is not at all difficult, since mirabilis in open field surprisingly undemanding. In order for flowering to begin in a timely manner, Mirabilis needs to be watered abundantly from time to time. In a strong dry land, watering is carried out 1-3 times a week, but if the summer is rainy, then it may well be that you do not have to water the night beauty at all. After watering or rain, loosen the soil around the bushes and remove weeds.

Growing mirabilis involves fertilizing the soil two or three times over the summer. The first feeding is carried out at the beginning of the growing season, before the formation of buds, the second - in the middle of summer, and the third - at the end. It is undesirable to use fresh organic matter as a fertilizer, only humus and compost. Mirabilis also responds well to complex mineral fertilizers, and the second and third top dressing should contain a minimum of nitrogen.

Mirabilis pests and diseases

To harmful insects and diseases, the night beauty is very resistant, but from regular waterlogging, it can get root rot. The affected plant will have to be removed, and the soil in which it grew should be shed with a fungicide solution, for example, Fundazol. And so that history does not repeat itself, adjust the moisture regime of the site.

Sometimes mirabilis can be affected by rust or some kind of spotting - fungal diseases, which can be fought with a solution of fungicidal preparations, but first cut off the affected leaves and flowers on the bushes.

Mirabilis after flowering

If it is difficult for you to part with the plant in the fall, dig up its tubers that look like black carrots, cut the stems at a height of 10 cm: after drying, they will fall off on their own. Wrap the tubers in thick paper, or better, fill them with sand and store at a temperature of 3-7 ºC. With the onset of spring, the tuber is planted in warm soil or germinated in a pot on the windowsill, and when it is warm, it is transplanted into open ground.

As you can see, planting and caring for Mirabilis is simple and not laborious.

Types and varieties of mirabilis

As we already wrote, mirabilis jalapa, or laxative mirabilis, or night beauty, is most often grown in culture. We gave a description of this species at the beginning of the article. by the most famous varieties mirabilis jalapa are:

• Iolanta- a rounded bush up to 50 cm high with thick and strong knotted stems that branch strongly in the upper part. Medium-sized funnel-shaped flowers of bright color with strokes-stripes throughout the corolla bloom from late June until frost;
• red lollipop- a large plant up to 90 cm high with thick and smooth light green stems, branched in the upper part. The leaves of the plant are oblong-oval, simple, wavy at the edges. Funnel-shaped flowers up to 6 cm in diameter are painted bright red;
• Elvira- a medium-sized dense shrub with strong and smooth branched stems, dark green oblong leaves with a pointed top and bright flowers diameter up to 35 mm;
• T Time Red- medium-sized bushes with smooth knotted, very branched stems in the upper part, oval-oblong dark green leaves and medium-sized flowers of rich pink color;
• T Time Fomyula Miksche- a spherical bush 70-90 cm high with simple oblong leaves with pointed tops on branched, smooth and bare stems at the bottom. The flowers of plants of this variety series are funnel-shaped, smooth, with wavy edges, variegated colors, 25 mm in diameter.

Mirabilis (Mirabilis) - is one of the representatives of the genus Nyctaginov, which also includes about 60 species of other ornamental plants. These flowers are widely distributed in areas of North and South America. As wild plant they can often be seen in the southern United States, where they grow freely and do not need special care.

Mirabilis Yalapa is a flower that is different from other ornamental plants that prefer bright colors. sunshine, and feels good at night. Due to this feature of development, the plant is called in another way " night beauty". Mirabilis - beautiful flower, the aroma of which is revealed only in the moonlight. Its cultivation does not require special knowledge and does not cause difficulties, however, mirabilis is still quite rare in an ordinary flower bed. To begin with, consider the structure of the plant, the features of its planting, the rules of care and flowering time.

Many gardeners admire the beauty of this flower during the flowering period. Not every plant in your flower bed has a similar palette of colors. Next to mirabilis, any other types of flowers are perfectly combined.

After sunset, it begins to bloom its small buds, which have a diameter of about 3 cm. Below we will talk about the features of planting a flower in the middle latitudes, where a temperate climate prevails.

Where to plant mirabilis?

To achieve successful cultivation mirabilis, its full development and growth in a flower bed, it is necessary to choose the right place for planting. In our area, the plant is exclusively annual, therefore, among all representatives of this family, only Yalapa mirabilis is grown.

The flower prefers areas of soil that are in a warm and well-lit dry place. The plant does not tolerate excess and retention of moisture in the soil. It is recommended to choose fertile loamy areas as landing sites. Another option would be to grow a flower in a greenhouse, where they can be planted in special containers.

Mirabilis propagation methods

Often used seed method of breeding this type of plant. To do this, it is necessary to collect dry seeds from an adult bush of a night beauty after its flowering is completed. Another breeding method is considered to be the cultivation of Mirabilis Yalapa using cuttings and tubers.

Sowing seeds

A favorable time for sowing seeds is early spring. For this, seedling boxes are used, which can be placed after planting in greenhouses or on the windowsills of the house. The room must be maintained at a constant temperature and humidity. To achieve rapid germination of seeds, you can pre-soak them for several hours in a wet piece of cloth. In this case, you can observe the first shoots a couple of weeks after sowing. When planting seedlings in open ground, the depth of the hole should not exceed 2 cm. Transplantation of young plants from seedling box be carried out only when warm spring weather is established and there are no night frosts.

All sowing work must be carried out taking into account climatic parameters for this region. To protect seedlings from death and protect them from unpredictable frosts, you can cover them from above with a special protective material. If you want to grow from flowers hedge in a flower bed, thinning is a mandatory care measure. Due to the fact that the plant is able to reach a height large sizes, thinning makes it possible to get a high slender beautiful wall from fresh flowers.

Reproduction by tubers

A common planting method is to propagate mirabilis using tubers, which are easy to find at any garden store or fairs. Alternatively, you can use the tubers of your own seedlings grown on your site. They are carefully dug out and placed in sawdust or sand, where they are stored at a temperature not lower than +5 degrees. Spring transplantation of tubers in open ground can be done only if they are fully germinated.

This method of flower propagation is not widely used among gardeners, since it is believed that such planting material in the form of tubers can dry out during storage. In this situation, for propagation in the spring, the tubers will no longer be suitable for planting.

Reproduction by cuttings

Occasionally, a method of flower propagation using cuttings is used, since planting and isolating vegetative parts from a plant is a rather laborious and not always effective process.

For these purposes, semi-lignified processes are used. They are cut off, and the sections of the cuts are thoroughly dried. The shoots are lowered into a special solution, which accelerates the growth process, and then planted in prepared seedling containers. After a couple of weeks, their root system will get stronger, and the young shoots will fully take root. Seedlings must be constantly watered and kept at room temperature in the room. If conditions do not allow this, then containers with shoots must be heated from below. The grown and strengthened cuttings are planted in warm spring weather on the prepared section of the flower bed.

Mirabilis Yalapa - a flower that does not require special care and is a picky culture. To achieve abundant flowering and the rapid growth of the plant, it is necessary to follow several recommendations for growing:

• The right choice of landing site in the garden
• Compliance with the rules of irrigation regime
• Apply top dressings as needed
• Soil loosening
• Weed removal

Mirabilis bushes can be fed several times during the year. As a rule, the usual complex fertilizers, which affect the formation of buds and accelerate the growth of shoots.

Do not forget to do regular weeding and loosening of the soil and get rid of weeds, as well as water the plant in dry weather. However, you should not miss the fact that excess moisture can lead to rotting of the roots and, consequently, to the death of the flower.

Based on all of the above, we can conclude that the cultivation of mirabilis is not special work. Even novice gardeners who have little practice in breeding rare ornamental crops, are quite capable of handling this task. It is worth making a little effort and patience, and the result will exceed all expectations. Mirabilis Jalapa flower will delight not only with its exquisite aroma, but also with a long bright bloom. Such a plant will be a wonderful decoration for your garden and vegetable garden.

How to grow mirabilis (video)

Planting mirabilis and caring for it in the open field is a simple process. The plant pleases with lush flowering all summer, without demanding in return special attention. "Night beauty" is what people call this flower enthusiastically respond to minimal watering and several complex dressings for the entire season.

Mirabilis flower in landscape design

An unusual flower will decorate the garden, balcony, loggia. Depending on the variety, the height of the plant and its place in the total landscape composition. Tall bushes are planted in the background, low bushes in the foreground. Daisies, lavender, marigolds, bluebells will make friends with the night beauty. Those who do not know what mirabilis looks like should pay attention to hedges - high grades form amazing decorative railings. Saturated inflorescences look spectacular in single landing. Mirabilis is grown in pots on terraces and balconies.

Mirabilis - varieties

Mirabilis pleases residents of warm regions of America and Mexico with its diversity. About 60 varieties of this flowering plant grow here at home. Our climatic zone proved to be suitable for only one species - mirabilis Jalapa or laxative. However, Yalapa also appears before gardeners in different roles - the most popular varieties of this species are:

Mirabilis - landing

Mirabilis, planting and care in the open field is done in several ways. Seeds give excellent shoots, less often the plant is planted with tubers. The site for it is better to choose a well-lit and spacious, with clay or su clay soil. The flower will not like acidic soil, and the night beauty will not feel comfortable in a lowland or an overly moist place. Planting and caring for mirabilis is not difficult for experienced gardeners. However, some subtleties of the process must be taken into account.

How to plant mirabilis?

In warm climatic zones, the answer to the question of how to plant mirabilis implies direct planting of seeds in open ground. As soon as the soil warms up, the previously prepared planting material is placed in the soil. In the furrow, the seeds are distributed evenly with an interval of 7-8 cm, each seed is deepened by 3 cm. Then the area is watered and covered with non-woven material to protect the first shoots from frost. When the threat of the latter passes the shelter, they are removed, and the seedlings are thinned out.

In regions where spring does not indulge in warmth, the night beauty is planted with seedlings or tubers. This method is considered more laborious, but the result is guaranteed. Seedlings are germinated in advance - in early April, the seeds are prepared and sown in special cups filled with slightly alkaline soil. The first seedlings at home appear after 1-2 weeks, at this stage they make the first top dressing and start hardening.

When to plant Mirabilis in open ground?

An individual question - when to plant mirabilis in open ground? In this case, you need to focus on weather and readiness planting material. It is believed that having reached 10-15 cm, Mirabilis seedlings are ready for planting. But before transferring the seedlings to open ground, you need to make sure that the soil has warmed up well and the threat of frost has passed.

Mirabilis - cultivation

Sowing for seedlings or direct planting in the ground - the seeds of the night beauty require preparation, and the seedlings of special care:

1. Growing mirabilis from seeds begins with soaking the planting material in warm water and scarifying it (slight damage to the hard outer shell).
2. If a we are talking about the germination of seedlings, the seeds are distributed two by two into a separate container with a slightly alkaline substrate, watered with a fungicide solution and covered with a film.
3. Cups contain at a temperature of 18-20°C.
4. After the appearance of the first shoots, which occurs no earlier than 5-6 days after planting, the film is removed and the crops are moved closer to sunlight.
5. If the seedlings produced both seeds, after the appearance of the first leaflet, the weak sprout is cut off so as not to interfere with the development of the strong one.
6. At the same stage, crops are fertilized with special preparations (Mortar, Fertik, Krepysh).
7. Mirabilis seedlings are watered after the earthen clod has completely dried.
8. When the seedlings grow up they are in large pots.
9. For hardening, young mirabilis are taken out to Fresh air gradually increasing the residence time.

Mirabilis, planting and care in the open field can be made from tubers. This method is common among experienced gardeners. Night beauty tubers harvested from autumn or purchased in a store are stored in a cool place at a temperature not lower than 5 ° C in winter. They are planted in the ground in late spring, when the soil warms up to a depth of 15 cm. The first shoots of the plant are covered until the threat of frost has passed.

Mirabilis flower - care

Strengthened seedlings or seedlings of the night beauty are not demanding in care. The plant does not need frequent watering and feeding. Mirabilis in the garden will delight bright continuous flowering, if watering 1-3 times a week in case of a dry summer. There is no need to artificially moisten the soil if the summer turned out to be rainy. The plant responds well to top dressing - the first time you need to apply fertilizer at the beginning of the growing season, the second - in the middle of summer, the third - at the end of the season. Mirabilis will like such procedures as loosening the soil and weeding.

What temperature can mirabilis withstand?

With proper care, the plant blooms all summer, until the first frost. Being thermophilic, mirabilis does not respond well to temperatures below 15°C. Detrimental to seedlings and first shoots spring frosts. Dug out tubers in winter can be stored at a temperature not lower than 5-7°C. In the southern regions it can overwinter in the soil. For growing seedlings of Mirabilis flowers indoors, you need to maintain temperature regime within 28-22°C.

Do I need to pinch mirabilis?

The night beauty is not in vain considered the favorite of landscape designers - the plant can be pinched and trimmed, giving the bush the most intricate shape. At the same time, the reaction of the mirabilis perennial to such procedures is pleasing - after pruning, flowering only intensifies and the entire bush is covered with new bright flowers. Gardeners pinch and weak young shoots sprouted from tubers.

Mirabilis flower - top dressing

According to the description, a native of South America - mirabilis - is unpretentious, but the rules for caring for this garden plant supplements are provided. The night beauty responds well to complex ones, but in this case it is better to refuse fresh organic matter. The root zone can be fertilized with humus or. Procedures are carried out during the growing season, in the middle and at the end of summer.

Mirabilis plant - diseases and pests

Among insects, plants do not have dangerous enemies. It is resistant to pests. Waterlogging of the soil adversely affects - the flower is affected by root rot. Therefore, in the process of caring for mirabilis, you should not overdo it with watering or set aside an area where moisture stagnates for planting. Rust or spotting may appear on the leaves - this is the result of infection with fungal diseases. Fungicides will help to cope with them.

All people love beautiful flowers, but necessity stops many complex care behind the plants. In such cases, we recommend that you start growing mirabilis. These brightly scented, tropical flowers are hardy and don't require a Ph.D. in Horticulture.

Description of Mirabilis

Mirabilis - in Latin Mirabilis - is a genus of plants that belongs to the family Nyctaginaceae (Nightflowers). It includes 50 species, but only one of them is common in the Russian Federation - Yalapa, which is sometimes called a laxative.

Among gardeners, this plant is known as "Dawn" or "Night Beauty", because it blooms in evening time and bloom until dawn.

Where does Mirabilis grow?

Homeland Mirabilis - South America. It grows in warm tropical countries, and therefore in our country it is more common in the southern regions. In warm regions, mirabilis is known as a perennial plant, and where it is much colder, it grows as an annual, as the roots freeze through in winter.

Mirabilis is often referred to as "the joy of the budding gardener" because it is so easy to plant and care for. Not only a personal acquaintance with the plant, but just photos - bright, juicy, colorful - make you want to grow such a miracle in your garden. Growing mirabilis from seeds does not require special equipment and complex skills, just follow the seedling care instructions and enjoy the delicious twilight aroma of the Night Beauty.

The buds open at afternoon, after a few hours they fade, but then others bloom to replace them - and this goes on all night. Sometimes mirabilis begins to bloom and in bad weather when the sky is covered with clouds. The season lasts from May until the first frost.

The appearance of the flower

Mirabilis jalapa - herbaceous plant growing in strong compact bushes. In rare cases, they reach more than a meter in height, but usually do not exceed 80 centimeters. Roots swollen, tuberous. Mirabilis flowers look like patterned funnels or a gramophone trumpet. They amaze with a variety of shades: there are white, yellow, pink, red, orange, crimson-purple, lilac, purple.

Many photos of mirabilis show that the flowers are both plain and colored in two or more shades. An interesting feature: on one bush there can be flowers of various tones! Sometimes the petals are striped.

After the plant has faded, ribbed dark brown fruit-boxes appear, each of which contains one seed, which will certainly come in handy when growing mirabilis. Germination lasts up to three years. The seeds are large, oval, dark, the surface is wrinkled and hard.

How to grow a night beauty

Growing from seed is one of the most reliable ways. AT southern region plant the seeds directly into the soil, but do not before the first numbers of May. Then the earth is already warm enough, and the seeds have a chance to take root. If you use a semi-warm greenhouse, then plant mirabilis in early April. Still, this way of landing is risky.

It is more efficient to plant seeds at home.

Planting seeds for seedlings

Take deep cups for seedlings, plant one or two seeds there. The sprouts will be large enough, and if you plant more, then the seedlings will have to be thinned out. In a few days, mirabilis will rise, and after about a month and a half (in June), plant it in open ground.

When planting on permanent place residence, observe the interval between sprouts. The gap is from 25 cm (for dwarf plants) up to 60 (for tall bushes).

It is not necessary to soak the seeds before planting, it is enough to moisten the substrate well. Keep in mind that soaked seeds will sprout much faster - in just 1-2 days.

Yulia Petrichenko, expert

For seedlings, a substrate is needed, consisting of the following parts:

• turf;
• peat;
• river sand or fine gravel.

Take a little more sand than turf and peat. Some gardeners plant seeds in loam or clay soil with the addition of lime - the unpretentiousness of mirabilis allows for variations. Remember: the flower does not tolerate acidic soils!

Cups for growing Mirabilis should be deep, because the roots grow down, not in breadth. Before planting the seeds, add ashes to each of the holes - ash soils favorably affect the growth of the Night Beauty.

Other ways to propagate mirabilis

Mirabilis can also be propagated by budding, but this is more difficult than growing from seeds. To do this, separate the semi-lignified cutting from the plant and dry the place of the cut. Then place in a special growth stimulator to activate rooting, and land in a steamed nutrient soil. With careful care and regular watering room temperature the stalk will successfully take root, and in May you will plant it in open ground.

There is another way to propagate mirabilis - with the help of tubers. Most botanists and gardeners agree that this method is not optimal. Dig up the tubers and place them in sand or sawdust. Store at a temperature of approximately +3-5 until the next sowing season. However, practice shows that this method is unreliable, and most tubers die due to insufficient moisture and lack of nutrients.

Mirabilis Care

Mirabilis - unpretentious flower and does not require constant monitoring and care, it easily tolerates drought.

Important growing principles:

• mirabilis loves warmth;
• organize good lighting, but protect the flower from direct sunlight;
• treat him with top dressing several times a season (no more than 3-4 times);
• fresh compost and manure are detrimental to the plant;
• the soil should not be overdried (mirabilis will react to this by temporarily stopping blooming), but waterlogging should also not be allowed;
• carefully pick off wilted buds.

Useful properties of the plant

Mirabilis in landscape design

Mirabilis is best known as ornamental plant. It is beautiful and fragrant, so gardeners are happy to use it to decorate home gardens. Some fans keep mirabilis at home, in spacious tubs filled with clay soil - this option is not suitable for everyone due to the strong and pungent smell of the plant.

Mirabilis is often used in landscape design. Dwarf bushes are planted in flowerbeds and in flower beds, and colorful hedges are formed from tall, almost meter bushes. The aroma of flowers always attracts large evening and night butterflies.

Application in medicine

In addition to decorative functions, mirabilis has useful properties. Its tubers are often used as a laxative, and the flowers as a food coloring. Some parts of the plant (such as leaves and stem elements) are believed to have anti-inflammatory effects. A decoction of the leaves is a good drawing agent for abscesses. Mirabilis leaf juice is known as a wound healing drug.

In some cases, mirabilis leaves can be eaten, but this is not recommended unless absolutely necessary.