Mirabilis is an annual or perennial plant with beautiful tubular flowers. It belongs to the Niktaginov family and comes from the warm mountainous regions of North and Central America. Sometimes mirabilis is called "mirabillis" or "night beauty." The fact is that almost all day bright flowers remain closed, and in the evening they bloom, spreading a strong, pleasant aroma around. In the afternoon, mirabilis decorates the garden with a spreading bush of bright green growth.
Plant description
Mirabilis is a genus of annual or perennial herbaceous plants. Its twisting rod rhizome, like a rope, feeds it. It forms long palmate tubers, covered with a yellowish skin. Tuber nutrients in the natural environment help the plant survive drought and the cold season.
Strong upright stems have many lateral processes, so the plant forms a sprawling bush 80-100 cm high. Opposite petiole leaves of oval or ovoid form grow on shoots. Smooth shiny sheet plate is painted dark green. A lighter vein is clearly visible in the center. Over time, the lower part of the shoots becomes lignified and covered with a denser brown-green bark.
In May-June, in the axils of the leaves and at the top of the shoot bright flowers bloom with a diameter of 2-3.5 cm. They are located singly or collected under one bell-shaped bedspread. The corolla in the form of a bell or dome with fused petals is painted in white, yellow or various shades of pink. There are varieties in which flowers with different colors bloom on one bush. Petals can also be plain or variegated. In the center are long thin stamens with large anthers. They may have a contrasting color with respect to the petals. After flowering, the fruits ripen - black single-seed boxes.
Types of mirabilis
The genus of mirabilis has about 60 species of plants. In domestic gardening, Yalapa mirabilis and its varieties are most often used.
Mirabilis Yalapa. The herbaceous perennial 30-80 cm high consists of upright, highly branched shoots. They are covered with large bright green foliage. In June, corymbose inflorescences with night funnel-shaped flowers up to 2.5 cm in diameter bloom. They exude an intense sweet aroma and are colored white, pink, yellow or red. Variety mixes "Tea time" are popular among gardeners. It is characterized by abundant flowering and includes plants with buds of the most diverse colors (orange, raspberry, white, red, pink and yellow).
Mirabilis is multiflorous. A herbaceous perennial about 80 cm high consists of bare upright stems, covered with elongated, ovoid foliage with a smooth surface. In May, inflorescences containing up to six buds bloom at the top of the shoot and in the axils of the leaves. They ripen in one bell-shaped bedspread and open in turn. Tubular flowers are purple. Their diameter reaches 4-6 cm.
Mirabilis is round-leaved. A compact perennial up to 30 cm high is covered with sticky oval leaves 5-7 cm long. Up to three purple-pink flowers bloom at the tops in the bell-shaped bedspread. The diameter of the corolla is 1 cm. The flowers open in the evening and close in the late morning.
Seed cultivation
Although mirabilis are perennials, they hibernate poorly. Therefore, in gardens grown as annuals. It is most convenient to propagate plants by seeds. They give a good self-seeding and in a temperate climate the flower bed is renewed independently. In the southern regions, seeds are sown in April immediately in open ground. To do this, select well-lit, open areas with loose, fertile soil. Mirabilis grows best on neutral or calcareous soils.
In areas with colder climates, seedlings are pre-grown. Seeds are sown in March, distributing large seeds one at a time in disposable pots or a deep box. Since the rhizome is pivotal, the capacity should be deep. The soil mixture for seedlings is made up of coarse sand, peat and soddy soil. Previously, the seeds are soaked overnight in a solution of manganese, and then planted to a depth of 1.5-2 cm. The earth is watered and the containers are covered with a film. Contain crops at a temperature of + 18 ... + 20 ° C and higher in a well-lit place.
Shoots will appear in 2-3 weeks. Seedlings in separate pots can not be dived. In May, on warm sunny days, they take her outside for hardening. When spring frosts pass, plants are planted in open ground.
Vegetative propagation
Sometimes the night beauty of decorative varieties is propagated by tubers. The method allows you to save the signs of the mother plant. Tubers are dug up in the fall and placed in a container with sawdust. It is stored until spring in a refrigerator or other place at a temperature of about + 5 ° C. In spring, nodules are planted in open ground sprout up.
Plants propagate well by cuttings. Semi-lignified shoots are cut in the summer and dried for several hours in the air. Then the slice is treated with "Kornevin" and plants are planted in sandy-peaty moist soil. Rooting takes 2-3 weeks. At this time, carefully water the cuttings and keep them at a temperature of + 20 ... + 24 ° C. It is useful to warm the soil from below. Rooted plants are often grown indoors before spring, and then transplanted into the open ground.
Planting and plant care
For mirabilis, intense lighting is important. It grows well in open areas and is not afraid of drafts. But in partial shade or under the crowns of trees, plant growth will slow significantly, and flowering may not occur. The soil for planting should be loose and nutritious. Too acidic soils are dug with dolomite flour and lime. The distance between adult plants depends on the height of the bush and is 25-60 cm.
Seedlings are planted by transshipment so as not to damage the long rhizome. Immediately after planting, the soil surface is mulched with ash or peat.
Mirabilis loves warmth. With sufficient watering, he is not afraid of even intense heat, but he does not tolerate frosts. Already at -5 ° C the plants die. Since the roots are close to the surface, perennial conservation is rarely possible until spring. In the southern regions, vegetation is cut off for the winter, leaving only small stumps. The ground above the roots is covered with fallen leaves and spruce branches to a height of 10-15 cm.
Mirabilis prefers moderate watering. It is resistant to slight drought. In the absence of rainfall, one watering per week is sufficient. Even if the leaves lose turgor, immediately after irrigation they will be restored. Watering during the flowering period is especially important, as the buds may fall without ever blooming.
A fast-growing mirabilis needs regular fertilizers. In the spring after planting, seedlings are fertilized with a mineral complex for flowering plants. Top dressing is repeated 2-3 more times during the summer. Using organics is undesirable. After watering and top dressing, the earth near the plant must be loosened and weeds removed.
Possible difficulties
The stems grow very quickly, so mirabilis is prone to thickening. With insufficient air movement powdery mildew, rust, root rot develops. Prevention of the disease is compliance with the irrigation regime and thinning thickets. Affected plants are treated with fungicide ("Fundazole"). Mirabilis is resistant to attack by pests, so you do not have to worry about protection from them.
The use of mirabilis
Spreading bushes covered with large green leaves will be an excellent background in the flowerbed. Since the flowers close during the daytime, mirabilis is used as a green base for other inhabitants of the flower garden. But in the evening and early in the morning he leads in beauty and aroma. Rabbits and mixborders decorate with mirabilis, and hedges are organized in large bushes. The aroma of the plant is very intense, so people who are sensitive to pungent odors are advised to plant the flower further from the resting place. In a mixed flower garden next to mirabilis you can plant petunia, marigolds, cloves, daisies and daisies.
Having high decorative qualities, mirabilis has a medicinal purpose. Decoctions of leaves and stems are used externally as anti-inflammatory and antibacterial. Tubers are brewed as a laxative, and fresh juice is used as a wound healing preparation.
