Top 10 Tradescantia Perennial Garden Varieties, Planting and Care
For many plant lovers, Tradescantia is best known as an indoor crop. Perennial garden varieties are rapidly gaining popularity due to their impressive variety, easy cultivation, and wide range of landscape applications. Consider the basic rules for planting, selection and care of perennial garden tradescantia, common varieties and medicinal properties.
General description and characteristics of the plant
Tradescantia is a representative of the Kommelinov family. Fleshy shoots stretch up to 1 meter, easily take root in nodes. The narrow, pointed leaves can be colored in various shades of green, purple, often striped or variegated.
Abundant flowering is the main charm of the tradescantia garden. Flowers - with three petals and very contrasting stamens. The color of the petals is blue, white, pink, red. Although the flower lives for a day, a new one immediately blooms to replace it.The bush is literally covered with flowers of medium size (2-4 centimeters) for 3-4 months.
Medical properties
A pleasant bonus for flower growers who love Tradescantia are the medicinal properties of the plant. All species have the following medicinal qualities:
- antibacterial - heals calluses, bruises, boils, is used to treat ulcers with thrombophlebitis;
- anti-inflammatory - to rinse the throat and nose in case of infection;
- eliminates flatulence, is used for colitis, diarrhea;
- relieves bleeding gums with periodontal disease;
- for the treatment of type II diabetes mellitus.
The young leaves of Tradescantia virginiana are used for vitamin salads.
Main varieties
Many varieties and strains of Tradescantia are suitable for growing outdoors. They are unpretentious and can withstand the peculiarities of the Russian climate.
Virginia
In nature, it is a perennial herb with white or blue-violet flowers, common in North America. Virginia tradescantia is a popular and inexpensive garden crop.
The Virginia variety has many impressively beautiful varieties and hybrids - Sweet kate, Billberry ice.
Reference: the favorite of flower growers - Virginia Tradescantia - does not need regular transplants, the bush retains its decorative effect in one place for more than 10 years.
anderson
Refers to varieties with large flowers with flat and regular petals. Color - blue-violet, pink, white.
Flowering from June to mid-autumn.
Giant
Bushes do not differ in special size - up to 40 centimeters.
Giant Tradescantia has wider leaves than other species.
long rhizome
The long-rooted form of Tradescantia pleases with pink and blue flowers.
It belongs to the hardiest species, suitable for all regions.
western
The average height of a bush is 60 centimeters. The color of the petals is pale pink, blue.
Beautiful, narrow, glossy foliage on fragile stems.
Ohio
A guest from Ohio has long (up to 20 centimeters) lanceolate leaves, flowers up to 4 centimeters pink or blue, rarely white.
The Ohio Tradescantia is usually planted near ornamental and natural water bodies.
bracts
Bracts grow in a neat compact bush (60 centimeters). It blooms with buds of pink and blue tones.
The foliage and the stem are smooth, the sepals with glandular hairs.
Subaspera
Tradescantia stems have a zigzag shape, up to a meter long. The color of the flowers is blue.
Large pubescent sepals, hairless stems and leaves.
Ernestine
Tradescantia is distinguished by a magnificent purple hue of flowers.The bush grows up to one meter.
It blooms in early spring, so it is better not to use it for cold regions.
How to plant in the ground
Tradescantia is not considered a capricious culture, even an inexperienced florist can do this. A perennial does not require regular transplants, so it is important to immediately choose a suitable site in order to ensure a comfortable existence and lush flowering.
Seat selection
It is best to choose a planting area under a thin crown of a tree. Partial shading ensures a diffused sunny color that Tradescantia of all species loves. The plant should not be planted in drafts and in places with high groundwater.
Too thick shade is also undesirable - the plant may not bloom, the foliage will be faded and expressionless, the stems will become thinner and stretch towards the sun.
If the flower is planted in a well-lit place, then you need to prepare for abundant frequent watering and regular spraying.
Ground requirements
Tradescantia likes light sandy soils with a high humus content. The soil is enriched with peat and humus before planting. If the soil dries out quickly, you need to make moisture-retaining additives - clay, compost. If the soil is depleted, the top layer is removed and replaced with an enriched soil mix.
Time recommendations
Seedlings and seeds are best planted in the spring, when the soil has warmed up and the threat of frost has passed. Delenki are planted in late summer and early autumn, so that they have time to take root before the cold snap.
Landing scheme
When choosing a planting scheme, they are guided by the recommendations of the variety - Tradescantia bushes vary greatly in size. Basic rules:
- Seeds are sown for seedlings in containers. They make grooves, water them, scatter the seeds according to the recommended scheme, sprinkle them with soil.
- When planting seedlings, they make a hole the size of the cutting, deepen the root collar by 2-3 centimeters.
After watering, the soil is mulched to insulate the roots and retain moisture. It is helpful to cover Tradescantia crops with foil to provide warmth and facilitate root formation.
Rules of care
The plant does not need special care. The most important elements of cultivation are watering and feeding to ensure an active growing season.
watering mode
Tradescantia loves moist soil, reacts painfully to lack of moisture. When watering, it is important to avoid standing water, focusing on weather conditions. In dry summers, they are often watered, supplementing the introduction of water under the root by spraying the bush. The bush is irrigated with warm, settled or rainy water in the early morning or evening, when the sun's rays do not fall on the plant.
At the end of flowering, watering is reduced. The bush is preparing for a state of winter dormancy, the growing season comes to a halt.
Support
A garter is needed for dense, decaying bushes, in which the stems fall to the ground and lose their decorative effect. For tall, upright bushes, decorative supports are built during planting or in early spring, before active growth begins.The shoots are directed to the support and tied to it, since the stems of the antennae do not have and do not cling to themselves.
Loosening and weeding
Tradescantia likes loose soil, as it needs oxygen access to the roots. You need to plow the soil 2-3 times a week, after waiting for the topsoil to dry out. Frequent watering and heat create a crust which must be broken up to hold water and allow oxygen to pass through.
Loosening is associated with the removal of weeds, which can carry away food from the plant, spoil the appearance of the bush, and carry pests and diseases.
top dresser
How to feed Tradescantia:
- in the spring, at the beginning of the growing season - fertilizers with nitrogen content (Azofoska, Nitrofoska), manure;
- at the beginning of budding - phosphorus, potassium fertilizers;
- during the active growth of buds, they are fed with complex preparations for flowering plants;
- in winter, Tradescantia is mulched with humus, which will serve as organic fertilizer.
In the first year after planting, fertilizers are not applied, the bush has enough nutrients. In the future, fertilizing is done after watering, choosing a time when there is no sun.
Size
During the season, bare, leafless stems are cut off, which makes the Tradescantia bush unattractive and bald. They also cut out the forming capsules with seeds so that self-seeding does not occur and there is no need to uproot many young Tradescantia from the ground.
For the winter, the ground part is carefully cut with shears, waiting for the green mass to dry out.
Prepare for winter
Most varieties of Tradescantia are frost-resistant and do not require special insulation.The soil around the cut bush is mulched with organic matter - humus, peat, sawdust, hay.
Need for additional insulation:
- plants of the first year of life after planting or transplanting;
- bushes weakened by disease;
- all bushes growing in cold regions, if the frost becomes stronger and there is no snow.
Dry foliage, spruce branches, wooden shields, films are used as insulation for Tradescantia. In early spring, the shelter is removed so that the plant does not get wet and rot does not develop.
Breeding methods
Tradescantia reproduces easily by any means. Recall that hybrid crops are not bred with seeds, since their own sowing material is defective, so the properties of the parent plant are not transferred.
Seeds
Seed planting is practiced by breeders, since the plant blooms only in the third year. Vegetative methods are faster and retain varietal properties.
Seeds are planted in containers with a laid drainage layer and light nutrient soil. Deepening - 2 centimeters. Containers are covered with foil or glass, put in a warm place (22-24 °). Watering is carried out from a spray bottle.
When 2-3 leaves appear, Tradescantia is dipped into individual pots or immediately transplanted into the ground.
Cuttings
The easiest way to get an exact copy of the Tradescantia grape variety is to plant cuttings. It is carried out in late spring or in the first half of summer, so that the seedlings are strengthened and wintered without problems.
Choose strong and healthy shoots, cut off the upper part with 3-4 knots, remove the lower leaves. You can germinate cuttings:
- on a shady ground in the ground, if it is possible to water regularly;
- in water;
- in a container with sand and peat.
The roots appear quickly (1-2 weeks), the tradescantia is transplanted from a container or water to a permanent place. After 1.5-2 months, the plant takes root on the site and takes on a completely decorative appearance.
Divide the bush
Usually, at the age of 4-5 years, the Tradescantia bush becomes too large, thickens and can be rejuvenated, and the plant can be propagated. In the spring, Tradescantia is dug up or simply parted in the ground with a shovel, and part of the bush is transferred, and cuttings with roots and earth are transferred to a new place. This method gives a quick result - both parts bloom in the current year, the cuttings take root without problems.
Application in landscaping
Tradescantia is valued for its decorative foliage and long flowering period. It can be used to plant trees in shady areas that are not suitable for light-loving plants. How to use in landscaping:
- for landscaping the banks of reservoirs;
- in combination with other crops - ferns, geyhera, hosta;
- along fences and walls of buildings where the sun does not penetrate;
- low grades - in mixborders, on alpine slides.
Large bushes, which can lie down, are planted with decorative supports or are used to support more durable plants.
Garden Tradescantia is increasingly winning the hearts of flower growers, because it does not require constant attention, complex care and special knowledge.In order for the bush to grow quickly and retain its decorative effect, regular watering and weeding is enough. The plant is ideal for small areas where all sunny spots are already taken. Tradescantia reproduces easily and retains its beauty for many years.