Each person tries to make their vacation spot unique and cozy. It is largely thanks to flowers that our apartments, houses and summer cottages are transformed.
But not only bright buds and lush inflorescences can create a unique environment - the expressive aroma of plants also plays an important role in this difficult work.
One of the most famous representatives of the flora with a delicate bright aroma is matthiola bicornata, better known as night violet . It has long been used by flower growers to create green corners on plots and balconies.
Peculiarities
Matthiola, otherwise known as gillyflower, belongs to the Brassicaceae (Cruciferous) family . Double-horned matthiola is an annual plant with a bright, rich, pleasant aroma.
It should be noted that the plant does not have any bright decorative qualities, and during daylight hours its corollas are completely closed.
Therefore, experienced flower growers recommend planting night violets among a flowering flowerbed in order to balance the decorative qualities of the flower garden and a pleasant aroma.
During the daytime, the aroma of matthiola bicorne is felt very weakly, but closer to night, when the buds open their petals, the smell becomes much more intense.
The stems of the plant are oriented vertically, but in some varieties they are spreading. The average height of shoots can reach half a meter in height, but taller plants are also found - up to 0.8 m.
The leaves are elongated oval in shape, have a serrated edge and are distinguished by a pleasant to the touch, velvety surface.
Flowering occurs in the first half of summer and can last until frost . But with such a long flowering period, you most likely won’t be able to admire the flowers of the night violet.
The fact is that the flowers of Matthiola bicornuum are quite small and do not have a rich color.
After flowering, in place of the buds, a seed box is formed, filled with a large number of small grayish seeds. their germination for 2–4 years .
Description and characteristics
Night violet is also called matron's noctule, levka, and matthiola. Formally, they are all correct and belong to plants from the genus Matthiola. This is where a little confusion occurred. To date, there are more than 50 species of the genus Matthiola in horticulture.
The two most common types of plants are Matthiola longipetala and Matthiola incana, often called simply night violet. Although the differences between these colors are obvious.
On the left is gray-haired or left-handed matthiola, on the right is two-horned matthiola, also known as night violet.
The bicorn violet, being a typical representative of cruciferous plants, has all their characteristics:
- height - 15–40 cm, the stem is branched, bare or (in some varieties) covered with thin hairs;
- leaves - elongated, with jagged edges;
- flowers are small, 1.5–2 cm in diameter, with symmetrical petals;
- flowering period - July-August;
- the fruit is a pod, inside of which there are small yellowish-green seeds up to 1.6 pcs./1 g.
Popular varieties with photos
About 50 varieties are found in the natural environment , many of them are grown as ornamental plants. Thanks to the efforts of breeders, many varieties of night violet have been developed.
Star Light
A mix of several varieties, differing in different colors and shades of smell. The average height of plants is up to half a meter.
Evening scent
The color of the small flowers is a delicate shade of lilac. The dimensions of a highly branched, erect bush do not exceed half a meter.
Starry sky sensation
The variety of English selection is suitable both for open ground and for growing on a balcony, since the height of the plant does not exceed 30 cm.
Mattiola rosea
The variety refers to varieties that can be grown on the balcony. The height of the bush does not exceed 25 cm. The color of the petals is soft purple, the light aroma of the plant is not irritating.
Lilac
The variety has a very pleasant, unobtrusive aroma and belongs to the group of frost-resistant varieties. For cultivation, you should choose only well-lit areas.
Summer evening
This variety is characterized by a pronounced bright aroma and a beautiful pale purple color of the petals. The bush is quite tall, it can reach half a meter in height.
Growing seedlings
Due to the fact that gillyflower does not have a very strong root system, its seeds should be immediately sown in the ground in a permanent place .
But in regions with a cold climate, this method of planting does not always give good results, because due to the late spring, matthiola will begin to bloom 2 or even 3 weeks later than for plants grown by seedlings.
Growing from seeds: when to plant
The standard time for sowing seeds for seedlings (late February - early March) is also suitable for night violet seeds.
However, some gardeners sow in both February and March in order to increase the flowering time of matthiola by a couple of weeks.
Preparing for sowing seedlings
Pre-sowing preparation requires not only seeds, but also soil and growing containers .
The container must be prepared several days before planting: it is thoroughly washed, rinsed with a solution of potassium permanganate and dried well.
Loose nutrient soil must be calcined in the oven to exclude the presence of harmful insect larvae and fungal spores.
Attention! Plan about three days for pre-sowing preparation - this will be enough time to process the seeds and prepare the soil and container.
Seeds are also prepared in advance:
- Soak the seeds for 24 hours in warm boiled water. This will allow the seed coat to swell, making it easier for the sprout to break through.
- The soaked seeds are placed on a damp cloth, wrapped, and put in the refrigerator for another two days.
This preparation will allow seedlings to appear earlier.
Important! Be sure to place a drainage layer on the bottom of the container - it will help remove excess moisture from the roots of the sprouts.
Sowing scheme for seedlings at home
The soil filling the container is slightly moistened with a spray bottle. There is no need to water abundantly: the soil is moistened at this stage so that the seed furrows do not crumble and keep their shape well.
The seed furrows are drawn at a distance of 40 mm from each other. Night violet seeds are placed in them in 3 cm increments and sprinkled with soil. After planting, you can water the soil well .
The container is covered with film or glass and placed in a warm, shaded place. The plantings are left there for about a week.
After this period, the container must be moved to a well-lit place, but with a lower temperature (optimal mode - 12...14 ° C). This temperature difference allows you to accelerate the formation of flower buds.
After emergence of seedlings, the cover is removed from the container.
Bloom
It is not necessary to remove fading flowers on gillyflowers ; the procedure is more of an aesthetic nature. Withering of flowers and formation of fruits does not affect the duration of matthiola flowering.
Deadlines
Among the decorative varieties of gillyflower there are:
- summer gillyflower , annual, flowering July-August;
- autumn , can be one- or perennial, flowering from the last ten days of August to November;
- winter biennial , blooms in April-May.
Autumn and winter varieties in the middle zone are cultivated only as greenhouse plants.
Peculiarities
Simple matthiola flowers are characterized by short flowering, no more than five days .
Terry varieties bloom for 15-20 days.
Caring for seedlings and planting in the ground
In general, caring for matthiola bicornuum seedlings does not cause any difficulties. The only operation that may raise questions for a beginner is picking , since the root system of the sprouts is superficial and weak, and can be easily damaged.
Picking seedlings
When the sprouts have formed 2-3 true leaves, the seedlings must be planted into individual pots.
Give preference to pots that will allow you to plant the plant in the ground without damaging its root system. These can be plastic pots with a removable bottom, peat or paper pots.
Abundant watering helps facilitate the replanting process. Some gardeners generally recommend placing a container with seedlings in a basin filled with water so that the soil is saturated with moisture and the sprouts are easier to remove from the soil.
For replanting, prepare a substrate from a mixture of loose turf soil, peat and sand.
Timing for planting seedlings in the ground
To plant seedlings in the ground, you need to choose a time when the threat of return frosts has completely passed. The optimal time for planting will be the second half of May - early June .
Soil requirements
Preference should be given to loose nutrient soils . On the one hand, it is necessary for the soil to retain moisture, preventing it from immediately seeping into the deep layers, but, on the other hand, retaining moisture in the soil for too long will lead to rotting of the root system.
Therefore, experienced gardeners recommend choosing soils with good drainage qualities , and filling the space between plantings with mulch. Mulching helps reduce natural moisture loss through evaporation.
Selecting a location
Matthiola bicornuum is a light-loving plant, but can also grow in a slightly shaded area.
You can choose a corner of the garden where there will be enough sunlight in the morning and evening hours, but in the midday heat the area will be in the shade .
In the first week and a half, young seedlings will need to be shaded from direct sunlight, especially at midday. Excessive amounts of ultraviolet radiation will lead to burns on the leaves of the sprouts and even death of the plants.
Specifics of growing matthiola bicornuum from seeds in open ground
Among flower growers there are many adherents of sowing seeds of flowering plants directly into the ground. Mattiola bicorne will not be an exception to this rule - it sprouts quite successfully when planted directly in the ridge.
Before planting, prepare the area:
- dig up;
- remove weed roots and stones;
- the soil is spilled with a weak solution of potassium permanganate to kill parasite larvae and fungal spores;
- the soil is enriched with humus and watered with a solution of complex fertilizer for flowering crops.
Then planting furrows are marked on the flowerbed (their depth should not be more than half a centimeter, and the distance between them should be about 30 cm).
The seeds are not planted too often, but they are guided by the need for further thinning of the plantings, so a distance of 5 cm between the seeds will be quite enough.
The furrows are sprinkled with soil and watered. The flowerbed can be covered with covering material, but you don’t have to do this. The first shoots will appear by the end of the second week .
Attention! If the seeds were sown in the ground in the fall, then seedlings should be expected only in the second spring after planting.
Seedling care
Caring for plantings consists of weeding, watering and regularly loosening the soil after the moisture has been completely absorbed.
Seeds
Seed ripening begins at the end of the summer period (the last ten days of August) and continues until the beginning of autumn.
The seed material has a high germination rate; sowing does not require deep burial (it is small in size).
When planting, it is necessary to maintain a distance to ensure a comfortable existence for future seedlings.
What do they look like?
The seeds are in a box - a pod (about 5 cm). They have a dark brown almost black color, oblong shape, about 2-3 mm long. A sign of ripe seeds is a uniform shiny color (well visible under a magnifying glass).
Where is the best place to buy them?
If you are a beginner gardener and have not grown night violet before, then it is better to purchase plant seeds in specialized stores or from trusted breeders (it would be optimal to purchase a whole seed box indicating the parent subspecies and varietal).
You need to pay attention to:
- packaging integrity;
- shelf life of the product (at least 12 months must remain before the end of the sales period);
- compliance with storage conditions: storage temperature – 12 – 15 degrees;
- choose seed material prepared by well-known agricultural producers.
Can I get them myself?
If your dacha or balcony area is already decorated with this plant, then you can prepare the seed material yourself:
- Seeds (located in seed pods - pods) are collected at the end of the growing season, after the onset of the first frost;
- The removed pod is left to dry for up to 2 weeks;
- To store an intact pod, use a paper envelope (the seeds do not lose their viability for 3 years, you can decide for yourself when to plant the night violet) in a cool, well-ventilated area (for example, the bottom compartment of the refrigerator);
- The extracted seeds are wrapped in undyed cotton or linen cloth, or placed in match boxes and stored under the same conditions, but not more than two years.
ATTENTION! The peculiarity of violets is that they spread well by self-sowing, forming abundant thickets. To avoid overgrowing the area, it is recommended to thin out the plant every 2 years.
Garden care rules
Although matthiola does not raise any questions as a houseplant, when planted in a flowerbed it requires some procedures .
Features of watering
Matthiola bicorne is a moisture-loving plant, so you need to make sure that the soil does not dry out .
But it must be borne in mind that excessive soil moisture is just as harmful as lack of watering. Therefore, focus on the condition of the top layer of soil: if it is dry, it’s time to water.
The best time to water is early morning or an hour before sunset .
Top dressing
Feed the night violet with mineral complexes for flowering plants three times a season . The first application of fertilizing should be done approximately 21 days after planting, then fertilizing should be done once a month.
Loosening and weeding
To prevent the formation of a hard, airtight crust on the surface of the flowerbed, the soil must be loosened after watering .
There is no point in loosening still wet soil - you need to wait until the moisture is absorbed. Along with loosening, it is convenient to weed out weeds that have crept into the flowerbed.
Mattiola in open ground - features
Levkoy is easy to care for, but you should still pay attention to the recommendations of flower lovers before going to the store to buy seeds of such an incredible plant.
- Lighting
The night violet is so named because it is undemanding to light.
But if you want to enjoy its dense flowering, it should take a place in the sun in the garden bed.
- Watering
Does not tolerate drought well. It is important not to skip watering time. Watering should be systematic, preferably in the morning.
An important feature is that it is advisable to water in two passes, with a break of 10 minutes.
- Spraying
Reproduction methods
Night violet is propagated by seeds. The procedure is carried out in two ways:
- planting in the ground;
- growing seedlings.
Read about other annual plants:
Mallow flower: lovely gramophones
Phlox Drummond - the star of any garden
Diascia - types and photos of long-flowering exotic
Diseases and pests
Night violet has high immunity, but can suffer from diseases such as clubroot and fusarium .
In case of isolated manifestations of the disease, you can try to save the flower by treating it with fusarium, but in case of mass disease, the flower bed will have to be destroyed.
Among the pests that are dangerous for matthiola bicornuum are:
- caterpillars;
- slugs;
- cruciferous flea.
While fleas can be killed using insecticides, slugs and caterpillars are collected by hand. These pests are attracted to high humidity, which must be taken into account when planting night violets.
In landscape design
Since matthiola bicornus cannot boast of bright flowers, and during the day its buds are completely closed, it will not be possible to use the plant as a decorative one.
The flowerbed is arranged in such a way that the delicate aroma of night violet complements the bright composition .
What flowers goes with matthiola bicornuum?
Night violet goes well with herbs; it can be accompanied by:
- thyme;
- verbena;
- sage;
- basil;
- mint;
- Melissa.
From decorative flowering plants, choose:
- petunias;
- nasturtiums;
- tea rose.
Beneficial properties of night violet
Probably the main useful property, which is clearly visible in the photo of the night violet , is its attractive, but not too pretentious, appearance. It will always delight the eye and organs of charm with its wonderful aroma.
Violet also has medicinal properties; the flower is used in the treatment of bronchitis and as a rub for pain in muscles and joints. Baths with violet flowers are also used. They heal skin from rashes, relax and soften rough areas of the body.
Of course, the use of violet flowers is not a panacea; it cannot cure completely, only provide a temporary effect or relieve symptoms. Treatment with matthiola is considered as complementary to other means.
Analogue flowers
If for some reason it was not possible to plant matthiola bicornuum on the site, then it can be replaced by its closest relative - grey-haired left-handed grass. The noctule, otherwise hesperis, is also suitable as a replacement .
You can plant lupine, clove or clover on the site. These plants have a less pronounced but pleasant odor.
Matthiola bicornuum is a modest plant, but once planted on the site, it is difficult to refuse the rich aroma that accompanies the plant.
