Ratibida is a large flowering plant with spectacular inflorescences, for which it was called the Mexican hat or Sombrero. Open spaces of North America from Mexico to Canada are considered her homeland, but she also takes root well in our climate. The favorite of butterflies and carduelis will decorate the garden with bright colors and fill it with a unique aroma.
Description
A perennial plant has one or several straight stems up to 120 cm tall. Strong rod roots are able to extract moisture from the depths of the soil, because the plant lives in sunny and arid areas. In the wild, it can be found on wastelands, roadside mounds, or on the prairies.
Foliage is gray-green, pubescent, divided into shares. The length of leaf plates ranges from 3 to 12 cm. Flowers on long stems open in mid-July and delight gardeners until late autumn. The flower has a pronounced protruding core in the form of a cylinder or cone 2-3 cm long. In the lower part, the core is framed by soft hanging petals of a circular shape 1-3 cm long. In nature, you can find plants with yellow or burgundy petals, as well as mixed colors.
Varieties
There are two main types of ratibida:
- columnar;
- cirrus.
Ratibida Colony
It differs in large flowers up to 8 cm in diameter with a pronounced core in the form of a column. The core is dotted with many greenish hard flowers that fall as the seeds bloom and ripen. Burgundy, yellow, orange petals sometimes have a yellow border. Often blooms only in the second year after sowing seeds. In October, in each flower, a box with well-marked seeds matures. The stems are woody straight, grow a small bush from one root.
Cirrus Ratibida
It features a special structure of leaf plates. They are lanceolate or cirrus, strongly elongated. Foliage exudes anise aroma when rubbed. Reed petals, pointed, painted yellow. The core is less elongated, rounded.
Breeding
This perennial can be propagated by cuttings or sowing seeds. It does not grow for so long, only 4-5 years. Fortunately, the plant gives abundant self-sowing, which contributes to self-renewal.
When propagated by seeds, sowing for seedlings is carried out in early February, so that the ratibida can bloom by the end of that summer. Seeds are collected at the end of October or November, when the cone boxes are completely dry and turn dark brown.
Before sowing, the seeds are kept for a month at cold temperatures (+ 5 ... + 7 ° C), that is, cold stratification is carried out. Then they are sown in a moistened substrate with neutral acidity and placed on a lighted window sill at an air temperature of + 20-25 ° C. To prevent moisture from evaporating, cover the pots or box with a film.
After 2 weeks, friendly shoots appear, which dive and transplant into separate containers with the appearance of two true leaves. Fortified seedlings are transferred to a cool place or greenhouse for 10-15 days before the onset of sustainable heat. In mid-May, the ratibida is planted in open ground, maintaining a distance between plants of 20-25 cm.
In warmer areas, you can sow ratibida immediately on the open ground. They do this early, in the south - at the end of February, and to the north - in March. The earth is first carefully dug up and leveled. At a distance of 30 cm make small grooves, 2 cm deep. As germination, seedlings are thinned out in particularly dense places.
You can propagate the plant by the age of 2-3 years by dividing the bush, but this process is difficult due to the rod type of the root system.
Adult Care
Ratibida prefers neutral or alkaline soils. Loam or clay soil with lime added is well suited for it. It is also important to provide the plant with good drainage and to avoid stagnation of water. In the garden, sunny places or a slight shade are chosen for her. The plant tolerates drought and frost very well, so watering is necessary only in very hot, dry weather. For winter, the roots do not require shelter, and seeds can be sown even on frozen ground.
Ratibida is unpretentious and does not require special care, is well dispensed with top dressing. With an excess of fertilizers, pasture of greens and a decrease in flowering are possible. She receives all the necessary substances from the depths of the earth thanks to the developed rhizome.
The plant grows old quickly, stiff stems after 4-5 years lose their attractiveness. To rejuvenate the bushes, use new seedlings or more often divide and transplant.
Using
Ratibida goes well with other flowering plants. It can be used in rabatki, massive flowerbeds, decoration of hedges and decoration of unattractive buildings. During the flowering period, it actively attracts insects. Flowers on long stems are suitable for bouquet compositions and drying. Cut flowers will stand in a vase for 7-10 days.
