The tuberose plant (tuberosa), or polyanthes (polianthes) is part of the Amaryllidaceae family, and it comes from Central America. This flowering plant is highly decorative. Its magnificent flowers have a pleasant strong aroma, which becomes brighter in the evening. In mid-latitudes, this flower can be seen rarely, as many gardeners are afraid of not being able to cope with such a capricious plant. But those who decided to decorate their garden plot with it do not regret it at all. Experienced gardeners claim that if you care for the plant correctly and choose a suitable site for it, it will look very impressive and bloom for a long time.
Description of tuberose
Tuberose also has a second, scientific name - polyanthes. This flower comes from Central America, where the tropical climate reigns. That is why even photos of tuberose from Russian gardens or native American lands already impress many.
Somewhere these flowers look like orchids, somewhere like roses, and somewhere like lotuses or irises. This diversity is dictated primarily by the large number of varieties of this plant and the complexity of small inflorescences.
Tuberose is a perennial tuberous plant that lives for about 10-15 years. At the same time, its root or tuber contains many nutrients and is protected by scales. That is, even if something happens to the stems and leaves, the plant will preserve itself at the expense of the tubers.
The huge potential for survival makes life much easier for gardeners - after all, if something happens to the above-ground part of the plant, new stems and flowers can always grow.
The stem of the flower is usually dense and strong, about 40-60 cm high. It is on the stem that elegant and multiple inflorescences are formed. The leaves also grow from the tuber along with the stem and have a ray-like shape. Their length is approximately equal to the length of the stem. Both the stem and leaves are dark green in color.
The flowers are medium in size, on separate stalks. The petals have different colors depending on the type and variety of tuberose and can range from white to dark burgundy.
The most popular colors are white, lilac, pink and burgundy. At the time of flowering, the stem increases to 120 cm, and each stem can contain up to 30 flowers.
Interesting! Each tuberose flower blooms for exactly three days. The flower is stored for several days.
Tuberose care
Caring for tuberose is quite difficult; the plant reacts sharply to all kinds of changes. However, the effort spent on growing a flower will definitely bring results. Tuberose will reward you with beautiful and abundant flowering and fill the garden with a fragrant aroma.
Location and lighting
Without bright diffused light, the plant will quickly lose its decorative effect. During the midday sun, the pots are placed in the shade to avoid burns on the leaves. In the morning and evening, the rays touching the leaves are harmless to the flower. If the pots are in the shade, the bushes will practically stop blooming.
Temperature
The perennial is kept warm, away from drafts and the air temperature is maintained within +20°C, otherwise the budding process will be disrupted and the growth of the crop will slow down. Low temperatures lead to the death of the plant. In the summer months, the tuberose flower can be grown in an open-air area, on balconies and verandas.
Watering and spraying
Air humidity should be no more than 80%. It is recommended to spray foliage daily, but it is important to take into account the fact that splashes of water can cause burns, so it is better to carry out the procedure in the absence of the sun.
Watering tuberose is provided moderately, using settled and purified water heated to room temperature. If the soil is well drained, moisture will not accumulate in the root zone, but will be evenly absorbed by the entire surface of the substrate. Stagnation of water near the tubers leads to rotting and death of the plant.
Feeding
For active growth of green mass and bright flowering, tuberose is periodically fed. The soil is fertilized with dissolved mineral complexes and organic matter every month, starting from May until the end of the growing season.
Dried inflorescences and deformed leaves must be removed from the shoots as they grow. Mature bushes are tied up so that the stems do not break in the wind, and drooping and withered shoots are cut off. After the above-ground part dies, the bulbs go into dormancy.
How to carry out forcing
It is better to force tuberose tubers a few weeks after digging. They are laid out in a bright place and sprinkled with water. To plant tuberose, choose compact pots and fill them with garden soil mixed with sand. Soon green shoots appear. After six months, the stronger seedlings will be able to bloom.
Popular varieties of tuberose
Tuberose flowers look like either orchids or irises, but are collected in large spikelets, which resemble gladioli. Tuberose flowers have several distinctive features:
- Fleshy petals that look like wax
- Smooth and bright color
- Strong, original and delicate scent
The appearance of flowers depends on their variety. There are several main varieties of this beautiful plant, from which hybrid varieties are already created:
- Pearl. The plant has white lotus-like flowers.
- Sensation. It has spikelets of flowers with a large number of small inflorescences of pink or lilac color.
- Pink sapphire. The plant has large flowers of a deep purple color.
- Yellow doll. This species has bright and delicate yellow flowers, somewhat reminiscent of double daffodils.
Description of the plant
Tuberose (Polianthes) or Polyanthes is a historically taxonomically distinguished genus of plants from the agave family, including 13 plant species found primarily in Mexico. Tuberose is usually said to come from Mexico. According to other sources, this perennial is native to Malaysia and the Philippines. The plant came to Mexico a long time ago, during the heyday of the Aztec state.
Polianthes comes from two words of Greek origin:
- Polios – means “gray, almost white”;
- Anthos - means "flower".
Tuberoses are amazing-smelling plants that most likely originate in Mexico. They are among the earliest cultivated ornamental plants worldwide. The flower reached Europe in 1519. Since then it has been a guest in our gardens and is a very aesthetic and decorative element.
At the beginning of the 21st century, according to the results of phylogenetic studies, it was considered a synonym of the genus Agave. This unique plant is also called “tuberiferous polyanthes”.
The underground part of the plant is a tuber with yellowish flesh. In spring, a bunch of long sword-shaped leaves grow on the elongated tuber of the plant.
The peduncle grows from the center of a rosette of basal leaves. The height of the plant varies between 45-90 cm. The shoot is straight and does not branch. The stem is quite densely “strewn” with star-shaped flowers. The color of the flower is white with a slightly waxy tint. Most often there are 2 shoots, but the plant can produce up to 6 shoots (in warmer climates).
The flowers are small (3 cm in diameter) collected in groups of several or even a dozen at the top of a tall peduncle. The flower shoot is tough, and the plant holds its flowers on it for up to a month. The buds are slightly pink before blooming, but when fully in bloom they become creamy white. Pearlescent pink buds open, first at the bottom, then gradually at the top into ivory-colored tubular flowers, thick and waxy.
Tuberose flowering period : the plant begins to bloom in mid-August. Flowering lasts quite a long time, up to one and a half months.
Tuberose flowers do not stand out as anything special, they are not too luxurious and not fabulously colorful, but they have an extremely pleasant, intense, unique, exotic aroma, reminiscent of the aromas of jasmine flowers, lily of the valley, gardenia and citrus flowers at the same time. The aroma is used in famous perfumes, mainly for women. Subtle, voluptuous, oriental notes are very distinctive, even with hints of cocoa and spices. Tuberose is present in many famous perfumes.
For this reason, tuberose is highly valued by flower lovers and specialists in the cosmetics and perfume industry, because the aroma of its flowers is not only pleasant and intense, but also long-lasting. Essential oil is obtained from the flowers, which is the raw material for the production of perfumes.
Tuberose used to be very popular; it often appeared in poetry as a symbol of beauty and sensuality. For example:
- In a poem by Pasternak (quote: “I drink the bitterness of tuberoses, the bitterness of autumn skies”).
- In the poems of Vasily Zhukovsky (quote: “And tuberose is a pure emblem of beauty”).
- In the song of Alexander Gradsky (quote: “The delicate smell of tuberoses evokes the sweetness of dreams”) and many others.
Today, this flower is returning to favorites and is increasingly found in homes and gardens.
Growing methods
Tuberose is grown both in open ground and in greenhouses. In private areas, it is recommended to cover flower beds with tuberose with material in May-April to prevent new stems from freezing.
In any case, before planting tuberose in the soil, the tubers of the plant must be properly prepared. This process consists of several stages:
- The bulbs need to be warmed up. To do this, just wrap them in a warm, damp cloth and leave them at room temperature for a day.
- Before planting, the tubers need to be soaked for several hours in a special solution to stimulate the growth of the bulbs.
- It is necessary to treat the plants with special pest control agents. Tubers are very fleshy parts that retain a lot of moisture and therefore they are often susceptible to fungal diseases or insect attacks.
- Before planting in the ground, the tubers are placed in damp peat or moss. After the bulbs produce small roots, they can be transplanted into the ground.
You can plant tubers in the ground when the soil temperature does not drop below 10 degrees. This is usually the end of April.
Advice. To simplify the cultivation of tuberose, you can purchase seedlings of this plant - already sprouted tubers, completely ready for planting. But this option significantly limits the choice of varieties.
Growing and caring for the garden
If you want to decorate your garden with tuberose, then you need to take into account that this plant is quite demanding in terms of care and growing conditions. Therefore, you should care for it correctly and systematically. However, it withstands various environmental changes, for example, sudden changes in temperature or transplantation. Therefore, if you follow all the rules of care, your efforts will certainly be rewarded. Your garden plot will be decorated with a lush fragrant plant with very spectacular inflorescences for a long time.
Selecting a location
When choosing a suitable place for tuberose in the garden, remember that it is distinguished by its light and heat tolerance. If there is too little light, this will negatively affect the decorative effect of this bulbous perennial. First of all, pay attention to the fact that polyanthes can only grow well in an open area. But on hot days at midday, the bushes should be protected from the scorching rays of the sun, otherwise burns may form on their foliage, which will lead to loss of decorativeness. If the plant is planted in a little shade, then its flowering will not be so spectacular and lush. On tuberose grown in the shade, inflorescences do not form at all.
Getting ready to plant tuberose
Temperature
If you are determined to start cultivating tuberose in your garden, then pay special attention to the fact that this is a very heat-loving plant. It will grow well only in regions with a fairly mild and warm climate. Please note that during the growing season the air temperature should be 20 degrees and above. If it is cooler than 16 degrees outside, this will have an extremely negative impact on the condition and development of the plant. The flower reacts extremely negatively to cold. If it does not receive enough heat, its development, growth and flowering will stop.
Substrate
Fertile and light soil is ideal for growing polyanthes. Its composition should include: turf and leaf soil, as well as sand, taken in equal parts.
How to water
This flower is also distinguished by its moisture-loving nature. It needs high air humidity for normal development. The bush should be watered moderately; for this purpose, use well-settled water, which should not be cold. When the bush is watered, do not forget to loosen the surface of the soil around it. This will help avoid stagnation of liquid in the root system, which can cause rot and death of the plant.
Tuberose not only needs regular watering, it also needs to be systematically moistened with a spray bottle. The bush should be sprayed with warm water in the morning, evening or in cloudy weather. If you carry out this procedure during the day, then direct rays of the sun falling on a wet bush can cause a burn.
Fertilizer
It is necessary to feed the plant regularly so that it blooms luxuriantly and develops properly. The first fertilizing is carried out already in May and fertilizers are continued to be applied to the soil until the end of the growing season. Polyanthes is fed monthly using organic or complex mineral fertilizer, which is dissolved in water.
Wintering
Corms must be removed from the ground before the first frost. They are stored in a dry place, and there is no need to separate the children. With the onset of spring, when the air temperature is from 8 to 10 degrees, it is necessary to separate the children from the parent corms for growing, and this must be done several days before planting.
Forcing
When several weeks have passed after the corms are removed from the ground, they can be used for forcing. To do this, they are transferred to a warm, well-lit and ventilated room, and regularly moistened with water from a sprayer. In order to plant corms, you will need to take small pots; they are filled with garden soil, which is mixed with sand. Green sprouts should appear after quite a bit of time. And soon your home will be decorated with a delightful flowering bush.
Transfer
The plant is highly sensitive to transplants. In this regard, replanting tuberose at the beginning of the growing season is extremely undesirable, since there is a high probability of its death: the bush may rot, dry out, or not take root. Experienced gardeners recommend replanting the bush from early to mid-April, and it should grow in one place for at least one year. If green sprouts have already appeared from the ground, then it is better to postpone replanting until flowering ends. Only in this case will the transplantation and subsequent division of the bush be successful.
Preservation of decorativeness
To ensure that the plant remains spectacular throughout the growing season, do not forget to cut off all wilted leaves and inflorescences from it in a timely manner. This will also have a positive effect on flowering, which will become more luxuriant. Vigorous bushes need staking, as their tall stems can break due to strong gusts of wind. And thanks to the garter, the bush will not fall apart.
Tuberose: why was it banned? Origin, myths and perfumes with its scent.
Soil and fertilizing
Planting tuberose and caring for it in open ground require a special soil composition. Tuberose loves bright places with loose and well-moistened soil. This plant does not tolerate bright sun. The soil should be rich in nutrients and have neutral acidity.
Advice. Before planting, it is better to dilute the soil with turf, moss or peat. This will give the soil more breathability and also help it retain moisture better.
The plant is fed several times a season with mineral fertilizers:
- Before the buds appear
- After the first bud opens
- Several times during the flowering period
In the fall, feeding is stopped.
Growing problems
Tuberose does not tolerate waterlogging of the soil and stagnation of moisture : this provokes rotting of the bulb and leads to the death of the flower.
An incorrectly selected place for growing can result in excessive elongation of the peduncle. Since the stem is very fragile, it can break under the weight of the flowers - tuberose rarely survives such a disaster.
The main enemies of polyantes:
- mole cricket;
- root bulb mite.
Acaricidal drugs are used to control parasites.
Watering
Many people wonder how to water tuberose, because it is a very capricious plant. The main thing when watering is to keep the soil constantly moist, but make sure that it is not too wet.
In sunny and dry weather, watering is carried out every day, in the morning. In moderate weather - once every two days. In rainy weather, this flower is usually not watered.
What does tuberose smell like?
The aroma of tuberose is multifaceted ; no single flower can provide such depth and variety alone. Some people detect notes in the smell of tuberose that are consonant with the aroma of narcissus. The combination of frangipani, gardenia and jasmine is closest to polyanthes, but still differs from it.
Important! The intensity and depth of the aroma of tuberose is not for everyone. Many cannot withstand such “pressure” and complain of headaches.
Propagation of tuberose
Tuberose, like any bulbous plant, reproduces by forming tubers. They are formed after flowering closer to autumn.
For the winter, tubers are usually dug out from open ground, where they can freeze. At the same time, many children can be found on the main bulb. Store the bulbs in dry sand. The following year they are also planted in the ground.
On an industrial scale, tuberose seeds are also used for propagation. However, this method of reproduction is quite complex, as it requires strict adherence to temperature, humidity and lighting conditions.
Most gardeners prefer to propagate this plant by tubers, which brings them great pleasure and joy.
Varieties of tuberose with photos
There are 13 varieties of tuberose , but only 2 of them are widely known.
Tuberous polyanthes (Polianthes tuberosa)
This flower is grown as an ornamental. It is about a meter high; short leaf blades form a rosette at the base, covering the tuber root. It is easy to propagate by separating the “babies” from the bulb.
Interesting! The inflorescence can form up to 30 buds.
Broad-leaved polyanthes (Polianthes platyphillus traub et moldenke)
This variety produces many “babies” that are easy to move to a new place and get new shoots. The root is covered with long leaves. The erect stem is crowned by a spike-shaped inflorescence with several not very large corollas.
Photo of Tuberose (polyantes)
Types and varieties
There are 13 species of tuberose, mostly found in Mexico but rarely cultivated, such as:
- Polianthes germiniflora – 75 cm high;
- Polianthes germiniflora gracilis – height 1.20 m.
In our gardens, the species usually grown is Polianthes tuberosa. This plant, native to Mexico, is important. The plant grows up to 50-100 cm in height and forms an underground tuber from which leaves grow in the spring and flowers in the summer in July-August.
Brief description of the plant:
- The leaves are xiphoid, narrow, green, leathery.
- Flowers - from an erect, thick, hard shoot, a spike-shaped inflorescence grows, consisting of several or a dozen funnel-shaped flowers ending in star-shaped petals. The flowers have a very pleasant aroma. Tuberose flowers are solitary, white in the species and pink in bud, but in varieties they are pink or yellow, as well as larger, more numerous and double.
Interesting varieties of tuberose:
- “Pearl” The Pearl is the most popular variety of tuberose with large, white, pink buds, double flowers. The plant has a shorter shoot with densely spaced and fuller flowers than the natural species.
- “Pink Sapphire” Pink Sapphire – flowers of the variety are pink-lilac, shaded, semi-double.
- “Sensation” Sensation - the variety has white-pink, light, single flowers.
- "Yellow Baby" Yellow Baby - the variety has light yellow, single flowers.
- "Golden Harvest" Golden Harvest - the flowers of the variety are larger.
- "Cinderella" Cinderella is a beautiful variety with delicate white and purple flowers.
- “Super Gold” Super Gold is a variety with dark yellow, double flowers.
