Characteristic features of the lavater plant, how to plant and care for a hautma in the garden, advice on breeding, possible diseases and pests, interesting notes, species and varieties.
Lavatera can also be found in multiple sources under the name Khatyma. The plant belongs to one of the most beautiful families - Malvaceae (Malvaceae), which bears a synonym name for Bombacaceae. In the genus scientists, there are about 25 species, whose native habitat is found mainly in the Mediterranean territories, as well as the lands of the Australian continent, the central and eastern regions of Asia. It can also be found in North America (this includes California and Mexico), many species have already been naturalized in these lands.
| Family name | Malvaceae |
| Growing period | Annual, biennial and perennial |
| Vegetation form | Herbaceous, shrubby, sometimes in the form of a tree |
| Breeding method | Seed (sowing directly into open ground or growing seedlings) |
| Landing period | End of May or beginning of summer |
| Landing rules | The distance between the seedlings is kept 20x25 cm |
| Priming | Lightweight, loose, dry and nutritious |
| Soil acidity values, pH | 6, 5-7 - neutral |
| Lighting degree | Bright |
| Humidity parameters | Watering is needed during the summer drought once a week. |
| Special care rules | Drought tolerant |
| Height values | 0.5-3 m |
| Inflorescences or type of flowers | Racemes or spike inflorescences or single flowers |
| Flower color | Snow white, red, pink, yellow, crimson or crimson |
| Flowering period | From the beginning of summer to the first frost |
| Decorative time | Spring-autumn |
| Application in landscape design | Rockeries and alpine slides, flower beds and flower beds, behaves well in cutting |
| USDA zone | 4 and more |
The plant got its name in the scientific world thanks to the famous taxonomy of flora Karl Linnaeus, who decided to perpetuate the surname of the brothers Johann Heinrich Lavater (1611-1691) and Johann Jacob Lavater (1594-1636), who had not only medical practice, but also engaged in natural science in the 17th century, the scientists themselves were originally from Switzerland. The people can hear such names-synonyms of Lavatera as wild or dog rose or hautma. Many of the species that were previously placed in the genus Lavatera have now been transferred to the genus Malva. Often all these plants are found under the name of woody or royal, as well as pink or annual mallow.
The family includes hautmas that have a one-year, two-year life cycle or can grow as perennials. They are characterized by herbaceous, shrub or tree-like growth. Shoots can reach 0.5–3 m in height. The root system is quite branched to support straight and strong shoots that form a spectacular crown. The outlines of the stems are powerful, their color is greenish, greenish brown or brown. The foliage on the stems grows in a spiral or sequential order, it can have a simple palm-like or deep-lobed shape. The color of the leaf plates of a rich dark emerald color, their surface is characterized by pubescence in the form of hairs.
It is clear that it was the flowering that gave the reason to call the lavender a wild rose. The buds grow on pedicels singly in the leaf axils or on the tops of the stems, and inflorescences are formed from them, taking racemose or spike-like outlines. When opened, the flower reaches 4–12 cm in diameter. Its color includes snow-white, red, pink, yellow, crimson or crimson shades. Flowers have a subset formed by several leaves spliced at the base. The shape of the corolla is funnel-shaped, there is a division into petals overlapping each other.
The flowering process of the lavatera begins from the first days of summer and stretches until the second half of autumn, almost until the first frost. After pollination of flowers, single-seeded fruits ripen, placed in a regular circle. They differ in that they do not open after ripening.
The plant, for all its effectiveness, is characterized by undemanding care and is suitable for beginners or lazy growers.
Growing a lavater - planting and care in the open field
- Choosing a landing site should be in accordance with the natural preferences of the hautma, that is, the plant should receive enough light - southern, southeastern or southwestern location. You should not choose a place with close-located groundwater or where moisture stagnation is possible from spring melting of snow or precipitation.
- Primer for Lavater should be light, loose and well-drained so that water and air can flow freely to the root system.
- Landing Lavater. This time directly depends on the area where the dog rose will be grown. So in the southern regions, plants can be moved to a flower bed in the last week of April, and in more northern regions - at the end of May or early June, when the threat of night frosts will be over. If a hautma bush with tall shoots is planted, then it is recommended to immediately install a support in the hole. When planting tree mallow seedlings, experienced gardeners recommend adhering to the following scheme, leaving 20x25 cm between the plants. This will help the bushes grow unhindered without thickening each other.
- Watering hatymas are held only when there is a need for it, that is, when the weather is very dry, hot, and there has been no precipitation for a long time. Despite the fact that the plants are quite drought-resistant, it will be difficult for them without a certain amount of moisture. In such dry periods, it is recommended to pour up to 20-30 liters of water under one such bush once a week. If in the spring-summer months precipitation falls normally, then watering the lavater is less frequent.
- Fertilizers for wild rose applied for the first time, as soon as the seedlings undergo adaptation after planting in open ground. For this, it is recommended to use a composition based on nitroammophoska and urea, which are taken one large spoon at a time. This mixture must be thoroughly dissolved in a bucket of water and poured over the lavater bush. If fertilizers were introduced into the soil during the digging period, such dressing can not be used. When the budding period begins, it will be necessary to fertilize the hautma bush a second time with a solution of potassium and sodium sulfite, which take one large spoonful and dilute in a bucket of water for irrigation. If the leaves turn pale green, then fertilization with nitrogen-phosphorus compounds should be carried out.
- Collecting Lavatera Seeds carried out by the rhinestone after the withering of its flowers. Fruits are formed in the place of wilted buds and are represented by green bolls. They are waiting for their complete ripening, when the box acquires a brown color. Only in this case will the seeds be suitable for reproduction. An indicator of the complete ripening of the fruits of the hautma is their easy opening and the color of the seed material is grayish-brown. Usually this time falls on the first days of September. The seed boxes are carefully cut, the seeds are removed from them and laid out on the newspaper for complete drying. The place where the seed will be dried should be well ventilated. After drying, the seeds are poured into cloth bags or paper bags.
- Wintering lavater. If the cultivation of annual plants is carried out, then with the arrival of autumn their shoots are completely cut off and burned, and the soil where they grew is subject to digging. Since the khatma has the peculiarity of self-seeding, in the spring you can find young shoots of a dog rose in this flower bed. Wintering of perennial lavater is also possible in our latitudes, but it requires shelter. In this case, the shoots of the plant are bent to the soil surface and in this position they are fixed. Dried foliage is poured on top or spruce branches are laid, however, many gardeners use non-woven material, which covers bent tree mallow bushes for the winter.
- General tips for caring for a dog rose. After each watering or rain, it is necessary to carefully loosen the substrate in the area around the bush. Such procedures stop only at the moment when the plant reaches 1 meter in height. All due to the fact that the location of the root system is superficial and it can be accidentally damaged. If the shrub is the owner of sprawling outlines and large sizes, then the shoots must be tied to the supports set in advance in order to give the hautma a compact shape. When flowers start to wilt, they should be removed immediately, as if they are exposed to rain, their petals become slimy and when they are on the leaves, they can leave significant burnt spots.
- Application of lavater in landscape design. The plant can be placed in flower beds, filled with soil in rockeries and alpine hills, the plant shows itself well in garden pots and containers. Many decorate the loggias, balconies, gazebos and pergolas with shoots, it is good in flower beds and flower beds. Dog rose flowers are also loved by florists, as they stay fresh in bouquets for almost a week.
See also the rules for watering and caring for pavonia in indoor conditions.
Outdoor breeding tips for Lavater
Basically, the hautma is propagated by sowing seed material, while the seeds can be placed directly into the soil in the garden bed or seedlings can be grown from them:
Sowing Lavater seeds in open ground
If the cultivation of a dog rose is supposed to be in areas of a warm climatic zone, then sowing can be done in the last week of April or with the arrival of May days. To do this, the area where sowing is supposed to be prepared is first prepared - they dig up the substrate and add humus or compost to it on the basis that a bucket of the preparation is needed for 1 m2 of the area. Several large spoons of fertilizer are added there - nitroamofoska, containing in its composition all the substances necessary for growth: nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
After that, the soil is leveled and grooves are made in it no more than 1 cm deep. Then they are poured over with water at room temperature. Dried seeds are carefully placed in such grooves and sprinkled with an earth mixture mixed from garden soil and humus, in a 1: 1 ratio. The crops should be covered with transparent plastic wrap on top to create greenhouse conditions, but also not to stop the access of light to the sprouts.
The first sprouts of Lavater can be seen after only a week from the moment of sowing, but the film does not need to be removed in a hurry. The shelter is removed only when the height of the seedlings becomes approximately 5 cm. The crops are then thinned out, the soil around is loosened and young dog roses are slightly spud. If, when sowing seeds, fertilizer was not applied to the substrate, then when the shelter is removed, you can carry out the first feeding of the seedlings with a full mineral complex, such as, for example, Kemira-Universal.
Growing seedlings of lavatera
If you want to enjoy the flowering of a wild rose early, then in this case you cannot do without a seedling propagation method. When young seedlings are planned to be planted in open ground on May days, the seeds must be sown at the very beginning of March. To do this, use seedling boxes, which are first filled with a layer of drainage (expanded clay or pebbles), and then with soil mixture for seedlings or peat-sandy soil. After that, the substrate is moistened with warm water and dry seeds are embedded in it no deeper than 1 cm. After that, to create conditions of high humidity and heat, it is recommended to cover the containers with plastic wrap or put glass on top.
With this care, it will be necessary to regularly remove the collected condensate from the shelter and water the crops if the soil begins to dry out. At this time, the ventilation of the seedlings will also take place. Only after two weeks you can enjoy the first sprouts of the lavater. After that, the seedling container is transferred to a well-lit place or backlighting is used, otherwise the lack of lighting will lead to stretching and thinning of the stems. As soon as the seedlings grow a little more (its height is equal to 5 cm), then the shelter must be removed. Further care will be regular watering and for uniform growth of seedlings and systematic turning of the box with the other side to the light source. This will be the key to the future formation of a symmetrical plant.
Usually, they are not engaged in picking seedlings of the hautma, because after the seedlings grow up and gain strength, they are immediately transplanted into open ground. But if the time for planting has not yet come, and the second pair of real leaves has already developed on the seedlings, then you can cut the plants into separate small pots with a diameter of 5 cm. Feed the seedlings three times with an interval of 14 days, using complex mineral fertilizers. The first time the tool is applied 10 days after the picking.
See also the rules for propagation of thesesia from seeds and cuttings
Possible diseases and pests when growing lavater in the garden
The plant is unpretentious, but you can please flower growers, as the hautma is quite resistant to diseases. However, it is rarely affected by fungal diseases such as rust. With this ailment, a spot appears on the reverse side of the leaf plates, which takes on a yellow, brown or brown hue. It is recommended to remove all leaves marked with such spots, and then spray with a fungicidal agent. The latter can be Bordeaux liquid, copper sulfate, cuproxate or Topaz. However, if the lesion has gone very far, then it is better to dig up the lavater bush and burn it, since it can no longer be cured, and the infection can spread to the rest of the garden plantings.
Of the pests, the greatest problem for the dog rose is aphid, which sucks nutritious juices from the leaves and leaves behind a sticky sugary bloom. It can lead to another disease - sooty fungus. It is recommended that when such pests are detected, treatment with agents with a combined effect is recommended. Aktellik and Aquarin have proven to be the best on the market, but insecticides of systemic action, such as Aktara, Fitoverm or Biotlin, are also suitable.
Read also about the fight against diseases and pests of malopa when growing in the garden
Interesting notes about the flowers of the hautma
The plant is associated with the Lavater brothers because these naturalists not only studied the flora of the planet, but also worked in the field of traditional therapies and research into traditional medicine. They followed up with patients who were treated with plant-based drugs.
If we talk about the hautma as a medicinal plant, then its variety of Lavatera mauritanica is used for medical purposes. Preparations based on it are prescribed for coughs and colds, they relieve headaches and bowel disorders. They can relieve pain symptoms of aching joints and muscle tissue. Such funds are recommended for use in gastritis and gynecological diseases. If there are non-healing wounds, furunculosis or any purulent formations on the skin, then fresh foliage of Lavatera thuringiaca should be applied.
Types and varieties of lavatera
Usually, for cultivation in the gardens of our latitudes, the following varieties of lavaters and their varietal forms are used, which are:
Three-month lavatera (Lavatera trimestris)
which is an annual, the stems of which reach a height of 1, 2 m. In the lower part of the shoots, leaf plates have a heart-shaped or rounded shape. The edge of such leaves is characterized by serration. The surface of these leaves is elastic, the color is green. At the top of the stems, the leaves can be distinguished by the presence of three or five lobes. As the plant matures, its deciduous mass takes on a richer hue.
When flowering from the leaf sinuses, single flowers originate in large sizes. The corolla is funnel-shaped. Gradually, towards the top of the shoots of the bush, the number of flowers increases, but at the same time, the flower-bearing stems are shortened. Corolla is composed of five lobes with outlines of lobes. Their color is carmine, snow-white or pinkish, they are found with lilac, salmon or blue colors. Flowering occurs in mid-summer and is characterized by many formed buds. The smallest flower diameter is 7 cm. The first time the plant was grown as a crop was in 1620.
Reproduction is mainly carried out with the help of seed material, which is placed directly into the soil or seedlings are grown. Gardeners love the following varieties of this species:
- Silver cap or Silver Cap characterized by pink corollas, on the surface of which there is a silver tint and burgundy veins. The stems reach a height of approximately 0.7 m.
- Mont Blanc in height, the shrub does not exceed 0.6 m. It flaunts when blooming with snow-white flowers, the petals of which have a pattern of veins of a dark shade.
- Ruby Queen - a shrub with strong shoots, differing in branching, the height indicators reach a meter. Corollas in flowers are bright carmine.
- Pretty Woman can delight large-sized inflorescences that crown the shoots. They collect flowers with snow-white, pinkish or carmine petals.
- Sun Goddess is represented by a mixture of seed material of varieties with tall stems. The height of the shoots does not exceed 1, 1 m. The leaves have spectacular outlines, the diameter of the flowers reaches 6 cm, the color of the corollas is very diverse.
- Novella - a shrub with undersized shoots, the height of which is 20 cm. These plants are recommended by flower growers as a container crop, but when grown in the garden, the height of such shrubs slightly exceeds the indicated values. Flowers delight with pink petals.
- White herruvim or White Cherub - the bush is short and about 35 cm high. The color of large flower corollas is snow-white. The variety is suitable for growing in pots or containers.
Lavatera thuringiaca (Lavatera thuringiaca)
It is this perennial variety that is popularly referred to as the "Dog Rose". The shoots of the plant are strong, highly branched, can reach a height of up to 2 meters. Leaf plates with hard pubescence and greenish-gray color. The shape of the leaves is heart-shaped or rounded. In the lower part of the stems, the foliage is mainly with a lobed contour, at the top of the leaves are entire. In the process of flowering, the diameter of large flowers can reach 10 cm. The color of the petals in them is pinkish. Buds on elongated pedicels originate from the axils of the leaves. The most popular varieties are:
- Purple lady or Lilac Lady from the name it is clear that the petals are in a rich purple hue.
- Catcher or Ai Catcher when flowering, inflorescences of a dense pink color are formed.
- Burgundy vine or Burgundy Vine flaunts with pink flowers, on the surface of which the veins are painted in a dark ink shade.
- Barnsley Kid or Barnsley Baby the flowers have a whitish-pink corolla.
- Bredonian Springs or Bredon Springs stems can grow up to indicators 1, 3 m in height. The bush is distinguished by its power, shoots with strong branching. The deciduous mass is characterized by splendor, the outlines of the leaves are three-lobed. The color of the foliage is grayish green. The flowering process is distinguished by its duration and a large number of buds formed. The petals of the corolla are painted in a lilac-pinkish tone and veins of a raspberry color are visible on their surface. The variety is drought tolerant, but the plant will have to be slightly covered in the winter months.
Lavatera arborea (Lavatera arborea)
The growing period of this species is extended for two years. The stem is characterized by straight outlines, and can reach a height of two meters. The leaf plates are oval in shape, their length does not exceed 20 cm. The surface of red-purple flowers is decorated with veins of an even more intense color scheme. When flowering, this variety is very similar to a hibiscus. When ripe, the fruits are spherical and resemble cheese heads. Flowering falls in the first week of June, and the buds end to open in 3-4 ten days of September. The forms with variegated color of leaves are described. The favorite varieties are recognized:
- Rosea, whose name reflects a bright shade of colors - deep pink.
- Cotton candy or Candy Floss characterized by flowers, with corollas of a pale pinkish tone.
Lavatera maritime
or Lavatera bicolor recommended for growing in regions with mild winters. The name reflects the color of the corolla of flowers - it has two shades, usually lilac. The height of the shoots does not exceed 1.5 m.
Cretan Lavatera (Lavatera cretica)
This variety is suitable for growing in the middle lane. The form of growth is herbaceous, shoots can reach 1, 8 m. Shoots are branched, erect, characterized by tomentose pubescence. The leaf plates also differ in a fleecy surface, their length is 20 cm. Their leaves can have five or seven lobes. The outlines at the base of the leaves are cordate, and the apex is blunt, the edge is with beautiful small denticles. When blooming, the buds open up to a diameter of 3.5 cm. The petals are lilac or crimson. The flowers take their origin from the axils of the leaves and can form inflorescences, in which there are 2-8 buds.
Lavatera mauritanica
recommended for cultivation in the southern and warmer regions of the Russian territory. In height, such shrubs can reach 80 cm. Shoots are erect, well-branched, their surface has pubescence like felt. The foliage is lobed, rounded, with a pointed tip. The size of the flowers is small, their diameter is about 3 cm, the color of the petals is purple.
Video about growing lavater in the open field:
