Night violet perennial planting and care

A bright flower with an intoxicating aroma adorns many flower beds and garden plots in central Russia.

This plant is a “night resident” . With the onset of dusk, when nature freezes, waiting for the rain, its bright inflorescences on long stems, opening, fill the air with a delicate enchanting aroma.

We will tell you in detail about the unpretentious, easy to grow, ideal for creating group compositions for landscape design Night Violet flower: photos, planting and care and other aspects of cultivation.

Night violet

The night violet (another name is “Matrona’s hesperis”, “mattiola”, “Matrona’s evening violet” ) “moved” to our latitudes from warm Mediterranean Europe. The homeland of some varieties is the foothills of the Caucasus, Central Asian territory.

Vegetarian is a perennial (life period exceeds 2 years). This is a herbaceous plant from the cruciferous family. Under natural conditions, it “loves” to settle both along roads and around rivers and lakes.

A cut bouquet retains its beauty and freshness in its original form for a week and perfectly complements any flower arrangement.

Bright fragrant inflorescences decorate the garden all summer - opening their heads at the end of spring, they say goodbye to the sun at the beginning of autumn.

The pointed leaves, shaped like an elongated oval, delight the eye with the richness of their greenery and the softest “fluff” to the touch.

For risky farming, gardeners prefer mainly selective varieties of night violets with a lifespan of 1 year (the length of the above-ground part does not exceed 0.8 m, the greenery is abundant and dense):

Matthiola two-horned. Annual, height up to 0.5 m. Well-developed branched stems. The shape of the leaves is an elongated oval, with large teeth along the edges. Does not require pollination by insects. Flowering period – 40 – 50 days. The inflorescences are small (no more than 3 cm), collected in racemes. The color of the petals is pink, lilac-pink;

What does matthiola look like, what family does it belong to?

Night violet is a spreading or erect plant grown as an annual or perennial. Grows up to 0.9 m. Belongs to the Brassica or Cruciferous family.

Stems are pubescent or bare. The leaves are narrowed, elongated-elliptical in shape, lanceolate, notched or entire.

Small flowers fit perfectly into the landscape

The flowers range from snow-white to dark purple or yellow, collected in spike-shaped panicles. They emit a pleasant aroma that intensifies at night. In place of the buds, a fruit in the form of a pod is formed. The seeds are gray-brown, very small, weighing no more than 1 mg.

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.

Diseases and pests

The plant has few pests and diseases, but they do exist. The most famous are clubroot and fusarium. These diseases belong to fungal diseases and reproduce using spores that overwinter well.

Among the pests, we can note the cruciferous flea, cabbage and whiteweed. Fleas and caterpillars can destroy the plant. To prevent death, it is necessary to inspect the seedlings. At the first signs of illness or the appearance of pests, you need to spray the flowers with certain compounds that can be purchased at a specialty store.

Planting and caring for seedlings at home

To decorate part of the selected garden area or loggia with a night beauty, you can use seedlings obtained independently from collected or purchased seeds.

Levka in the garden.

Read on to learn how to grow this delicate flower from seeds at home.

Priming

The planting substrate is a two-component mixture: turf and sand (ratio 3:1) .

Be sure to use drainage:

foam chips;
mid-fraction expanded clay.

To save time and effort, you can purchase a ready-made mixture for growing night violets.

Deadlines

How does it grow from seeds and when to plant them for the best results?

The optimal planting period is the first spring months:

last ten days of March;
beginning of April.

The seed is placed in a shallow planting box. An alternative is small containers designed for one seed.

Technology

Since the size of the seeds is very small, they are not deeply buried; the depth of the planting hole should not exceed 10 mm. Sprinkle earth on top.

If a seedling box is used, the distance between the holes should be at least 30 mm.

For proper development, plants create a favorable microclimate: provide watering and lighting. You can organize a mini-greenhouse using plastic film (until 3 leaves appear, after which the seedlings dive).

Watering

Watering is regular, moderate (to prevent drying out of the earthen coma) . Soft water (settled tap water at room temperature) is ideal.

Matthiola seedlings need regular watering.

When 2 leaves are formed on the sprouts, it is necessary to fertilize with a solution of mineral fertilizers.

How and when do shoots appear?

If all conditions have been met, then the first shoots will not take long to appear. Literally after 2 weeks, young shoots appear.

If weather conditions permit, grown shoots (over 7 cm in height) can be taken outside (loggia).

At what age is it better to transplant into open ground?

A young, mature plant with more than 3 leaves and reaching a height of more than 10 cm is ready to be transplanted into open ground.

Thus, from sowing to the moment when planting in open ground in a permanent place takes from 3 to 4 weeks.

How to transplant seedlings?

The pre-selected location is prepared:

dig transfer holes corresponding to the diameter of the plant with an earthen lump;
planting holes should be spaced at least 30–40 cm apart from each other.

Next, the sprout is carefully, without damaging the root, moved along with the earthen ball to a new place, watered abundantly and appropriate care is provided with the obligatory root loosening of the soil.

Flowering of a young plant occurs in the second year of life.

How to care

Caring for a plant in a flower bed is quite simple and consists of regular watering, loosening the soil and removing weeds.
Night violet loves water and does not tolerate drying out of the soil at all, but watering must still be adequate . You should not over-moisten the soil ; stagnant water can cause rotting of the root system.
If, nevertheless, intense precipitation has oversaturated the soil with moisture, then it is necessary to loosen .
For fertilizing, a full complex of mineral fertilizers intended for flowering species is used. And wood ash , which always has a beneficial effect on the growth and development of plants.

Discuss the video

Uninvited guests

Night violets have no special enemies. Unless the cruciferous flea beetle can settle on flowers during prolonged dry weather . If you see small holes on the leaves, it’s her, my dear, who “had lunch.” The same wood ash will help get rid You need to sprinkle both the plant and the ground underneath it.
cabbage butterflies also covet matthiola. Wood ash should help again. If it doesn’t work out, you can’t do without “chemistry”. You can use any insecticidal agent intended for these purposes.

Night violet not only gives us a charming, delicate scent . Decoctions and infusions based on it are used in folk medicine for gout, arthritis, rheumatism, as well as diuretics and diaphoretics, and treat the respiratory tract. Prepared with alcohol, they have an antibacterial effect.

In a word, a priceless flower that you can’t do without. It’s nice when the garden pleases you not only with a riot of colors, but also with a sophisticated night aroma.

Growing a flower

On the balcony

Night violet can decorate even a limited balcony space. Planting and caring for this plant on the balcony does not require the creation of any very special conditions.

In order for a young plant to feel good after transshipment and gain strength and growth, the following requirements must be met:

planting is carried out when the street temperature during the day does not fall below 15 degrees. In the evening and at night, it is better to cover the young plant with polyethylene until the flower takes root;
it is necessary to ensure regular ventilation if the loggia is glazed;
in summer, the plant must be protected from prolonged exposure to direct sunlight ;
carry out regular moderate watering and loosen the soil .

Mattiola in a pot on the balcony.

ATTENTION! Since the night violet blooms only in the second year after transshipment, to ensure annual flowering in the selected area of the garden or balcony, the planted plants are renewed gradually.

History of appearance

Mirabilis flower (night beauty) - plant propagation

Mattiola comes from Asia Minor and Greece. It began to be grown as a garden crop in the 16th century. It was used to decorate houses for the holidays because of its wonderful aroma.

It got its name in honor of the botanist from Italy Andrea Pietro Mattioli

general information

And not only these plants have similarities with violets. There are others where we find the word violet in their names.

It’s like with night violets. Let's get to know their prominent representative in more detail. With Lyubka:

This plant was already known in the ancient civilizations of Rome and Greece;
Perennial. Herbaceous. Grows in the wild. Without cultivated crops: Peduncles grow almost half a meter in height (usually up to 45 cm);
The small stem is straight. Even short;
Light green leaves with a narrow oval shape. There are two large ones near the roots. Their length is from 8 to 22 cm. And their width is only 3-6 cm. Rarely one or three. They grow in opposite directions. In the upper part they are even smaller;
The root system consists of an oblong shape of two undivided tubers (ovoid) and several roots;
The inflorescence is a rare spike. From 10 to 40 white flowers bloom on it. Perianths are slightly greenish;
Their flowering time is from June to July. And the fruits ripen in August-September;
Propagated by tuber roots. Instead of the old two tubers, new ones ripen by autumn.

The vast territory of our globe is its habitat: Europe;
On the Russian flat expanses: Residents of the entire European part are well acquainted with it;
Western and Eastern Siberia;
In the amazing forests of Altai, Sayan, Caucasus.

Important! But it’s becoming increasingly difficult to meet. Because of the aroma and beautiful inflorescences, outdoor vacationers do not refuse to have them in their bouquets.

Although they know that this plant is in the Red Book of certain regions.

More often found in coniferous and mixed forests: In numerous shrubs;
At the edge of the forest;
Decorating the meadows.

Unpretentious plant:

Grows in dry soils. And with no less success in swampy areas. But it prefers more acidic soils;
Blooms best in well-lit areas. Also in the shade. But worse.

Reproduction methods

Mattiola rosea reproduces exclusively by seeds. Neither cuttings nor dividing the bush will give any results; on the contrary, they will lead to the death of the bush.

If two-horned gillyflower is not yet growing in the flowerbed, it can be propagated by seedlings. It is recommended to purchase seed material at garden centers.

When the shrub has already established itself on the garden plot, in early September, seeds are collected, which will be suitable for growing seedlings next spring. In addition, matthiola rosea reproduces well by self-sowing. It is enough to thin out or transplant the seedlings to another prepared place next year.

What plants does it go with?

Landscape designers recommend planting pink matthiola in places where the whole family likes to gather in the evenings. They also practice cultivating plants in flowerpots, which are displayed on terraces, balconies, and loggias.

The combination of matiola rosea (night violet) is presented (pictured).

When grown in open ground, flowers are combined with low-growing shrubs

The plant looks good against the background of bergenia, hosta, or in combination with ferns.

Levka bicornuum is planted in group plantings with other decorative flowers (lavender, phlox, mignonette, thyme)

Classification of varieties of indoor violets

Saintpaulias are divided into:

Variegated with brightly colored foliage of any shade, with edging. The first varieties had small flowers, later new hybrids with large inflorescences were developed.
Collectible with voluminous flowers. Almost all of them are terry, with folds. Plates and inflorescences come in various colors. Such Saintpaulias participate in exhibitions and are collected by collectors.
Industrial, used for large-scale cultivation on special plantations. They are sold wholesale to decorate holidays, offices, and administrative buildings. They do not require special care; they bloom for a long time.

By leaf type:

boy - absolutely green;
girl - there is a light spot at the base of the upper part;
lance - elongated, with a pointed end;
spoon - with edges folded up.

There are also plates:

smooth, with folds or teeth along the perimeter;
plain or variegated;
strongly or weakly pubescent, smooth.

Saintpaulias with inflorescences of different sizes in cm:

mini (up to 6);
semi-mini (up to 15);
medium (20-40);
large (40-60).

Classification by the number of additional petals:

semi-double - 1-2 pieces in the middle;
terry - many, have different arrangements, can be spherical or flat.

There is also a division according to the type of petals:

Pansies: 2 in the top row, 3 in the bottom. Moreover, the apical ones are smaller.
Star: equal length, spaced evenly from the center.
Bell: connected at the base. Because of this feature, Saintpaulia cannot open its inflorescences completely.
Bowl: unfused, but the plant does not open them completely.
Wasp: completely disconnected. Two are rolled into a tube, and three are elongated, hanging down.

The size of the bush depends on the substrate: on a nutritious soil mixture, even low-growing Saintpaulias grow to an average size.

There are also Saintpaulia chimeras with a pronounced line of contrasting color on the main background. Such varieties are in demand among collectors.

The buds are pink, with a frame of strawberry shade. Covered with dirty lilac spots and dots. Blistered greens.

Melody Kimi

The foliage is embossed around the perimeter. The flowers are simple. The 2 upper petals are bluish, the rest are cut in the same shade.

Austin's smile

The plates form volumetric rosettes. The flowers are star-shaped, single, lilac-coral with a dark purple center and a crimson cut.

There are many varieties of violets, varying in size, flower shape, number and color of petals. Moreover, the same variety can belong to several groups. Now we will try to understand the classification of indoor violets.

According to socket size

Micromini. They have a rosette diameter of up to 8 cm. Against their background, ordinary Saintpaulias with a diameter of 20-40 cm look like giants. They are grown only in compact pots with wick watering. Otherwise, the risk of them drying out is too high - if left without moisture, they dry out and die quite quickly.

Mini. The diameter of the rosette of such a violet does not exceed 12-15 cm. Just like microminis, they are grown, most often, with wick irrigation. They tolerate propagation well and therefore take root faster than larger varieties. During flowering, they form many attractive, bright and original inflorescences.

We invite you to familiarize yourself with Tomato Mikado: Black, Sibiriko, Red

Half mini. They have a rosette diameter of up to 20 cm. Most of these varieties were bred with the participation of Russian botanist Igor Milekhin

It is important to know that excess light is harmful for semi-mini violets! In a short time, all the foliage may turn yellow, and the rosette becomes flat in shape.

Standard - rosette 20-40 cm in diameter.

By flower size

Based on flower size, violets are divided into the following groups:

small-flowered - up to 2 cm;
medium-flowered - from 2 to 4 cm;
large-flowered - from 4 to 6 cm;
especially large-flowered - more than 6 cm.

Depending on the size and location of the petals, there are 5 types of indoor violets:

Pansies;
Star;
Bell;
Bowl;
Wasp.

Let's get to know them in order.

Description

Matthiola, or gillyflower, belongs to the perennial plants of the Cruciferous family. Night violet looks modest and laconic during the day, but smells divine. Unprepossessing plants transform at night when their flowering time arrives. Due to its subtle aroma, matthiole is forgiven for its simple appearance.

A bush representative of the flora can be either annual or perennial. The structure of the stem is straight, it is very dense and densely branched. The skin covering the stem is the thinnest; it can be either smooth or covered with short hair.

The foliage is lanceolate, entire, and may have a jagged edge. The leaves are downy, very soft, at the bottom at the root they gather in rosettes, which are also covered with fluff. At the end of spring, brush-shaped inflorescences appear from standard or double-type buds.

The petals of the flower are round and can be:

white;
sky blue;
violet-violet;
lilac;
lemon yellow;
raspberry.

Which variety of gillyflowers should I choose for planting?

It is not necessary to know all the nuances of classification

When choosing seeds, you must carefully read the description of the variety, paying attention to the following parameters:

plant height;
size and shape of the inflorescence;
flower size;
flowering time;
best before date.

Popular varieties with photos

Variety Mammut Excelsior (Mammut is the most excellent).

Belongs to the group of single-stem varieties, usually reaches a height of 70-80 cm, forms a long dense inflorescence on a powerful stem, consisting of double flowers up to 5 cm in diameter. It has many shades: red, yellow, white, apricot. Good for cutting. Tall varieties: Fox (pink), Step (red), Excelsior (different shades), Miracle.

Variety Thumbelina.

Belongs to dwarf varieties. The height of the plant is no more than 30 cm. Dense pyramidal inflorescences consist of large double flowers. Shades from white to dark purple. Beautiful in a flowerbed, due to its compactness it feels great in pots. Dwarf varieties: Gnome (various colors), Sunny Bunny (yellow), Lapis Lazuli (blue), Ten Vic (various colors), Intuition (20 cm high).

Thumbelina, mixture of shades

Variety Ten Vic.

It has lush inflorescences of densely double flowers. Height – 30 cm.

Ten Vic pink

Variety Snowflake.

It has racemose inflorescences and large snow-white flowers. Its height is no more than 25 cm.

Bush varieties (different shades).

The bush form of the flower bush is suitable for decorating flower beds. The plants are highly branched, the inflorescences are loose, the flowers are very large (up to 5 cm). Looks like a blooming cloud.

Bush, mixture of shades

Varieties Buketny and Victoria.

They form a group of bouquet gillyflowers, which are characterized by an equal-level arrangement of the main inflorescence and lateral ones.

Levka is gray-haired.

A garden group of varieties with a height of about 60 cm, pyramidal inflorescences, various shades. Varieties: Gray-haired giant.

Grey-haired giant purple

Aida variety.

It has a bush height of about 50 cm, large double flowers of delicate colors, collected in racemes. They form very beautiful borders.

A close relative of the gillyflower is matthiola bicornuata, also known as night violet. This flower is invisible during the day, but at dusk, like little stars, they open up and exude a wonderful aroma. Since matthiola is much closer to wild forms, it is much hardier. It can be sown directly into the ground in early spring and even before winter near those places where people spend time in the evening.

Possible problems in growing matthiola in open ground

Night violet is a robust plant, but is sometimes affected by diseases and insect pests.

Diseases

Night violet can be affected by clubroot (a disease of the root system). The flower develops poorly, the leaves dry out and fall off, and matthiola dies. The diseased bush must be burned and the soil treated with special disinfectants.

With clubroot, large growths on the roots can be found during transplantation

Sometimes downy mildew, a fungal disease, appears on the bushes. On the outside of the leaves, yellowish-green oily spots of round or angular shape are observed. A grayish-purple coating appears on the bottom of the plates. The drugs Fitosporin-M, Gamair, Planriz can cope with the fungus.

When viral mosaic occurs, white, dark green or yellow spots form on the leaves. After a while, such foliage dries out and falls off. Fungicides Maxim and Lamador help.

Pests

The night violet grows cruciferous flea beetles, white flies, and caterpillars. If the damage is not severe, you need to spray it with wood ash and tobacco dust (1 to 1). In case of severe damage, use poisonous drugs Fury, Kinmiks, Arrivo.

How to sow seeds: step-by-step instructions

Sowing of seeds is carried out no later than the beginning of March. It is necessary to prepare for this work in advance. The steps must be performed in the following order:

Preparing containers. To sow seeds, take containers with holes to remove excess water.
Preparing a soil mixture that must be moisture- and breathable. It is necessary to prepare the soil substrate by mixing turf soil with sand in a 3:1 ratio. No humus, compost, or other organic matter should be added to this mixture. If you purchase ready-made soil, it is recommended to add sand to it to prevent excessive soil compaction. Nevertheless, there remains a risk of seedling death from blackleg. To be on the safe side, pour the finished substrate with a solution of potassium permanganate and then dry it.

Seed stratification is not necessary, but this technique will increase seed germination and speed up their germination:

Place the seeds in a flat dish covered with a napkin, add water, cover slightly, and leave for a day.
After swelling, place the seeds wrapped in a moistened napkin in the refrigerator on the bottom shelf, where the temperature is from 2 to 5 ° C. Stratification should last several days to a week.
Ready seeds should be sown in moist soil, deepening them half a centimeter and placing the seeds at a distance of 3 cm.
There is no need to water. Cover the container with the crops with glass or film and place it in a warm place where the temperature is 20-22 °C.
Shoots need to wait from 4 days to 2 weeks.

Seed stratification is carried out taking into account the conditions of the region

Night violet flower. Growing night violet. Night violet care