Description of the bartonia plant, tips for growing in the open field, recommendations for do-it-yourself reproduction, possible difficulties in leaving, facts to note, types. Bartonia is found under the name Mentzelia and belongs to the Loasaceae family. These representatives of the green world have two cotyledons in the embryo of the seed and are included in the order of the Cornales. The native lands of these plants are considered to be the southwestern regions of the United States (California), they can be found in Mexico and the West Indies. The genus in itself has up to 60 varieties, but in the culture only one species is considered known - Bartonia aurea, which in the scientific literature is called Mentzelia lindleyi.
| Family name | Loazovye |
| Life cycle | Perennial, one-year or two-year |
| Growth features | Shrub, semi-shrub or herbaceous |
| Reproduction | Annuals by seeds, to perennials, seed and vegetative |
| Landing period in open ground | Saplings are planted at the end of May |
| Disembarkation scheme | Distance between seedlings 20 cm |
| Substrate | Loose, drained, light, dry |
| Illumination | Open area with bright lighting or partial shade |
| Moisture indicators | Drought-resistant, moderate watering, drainage applied |
| Special Requirements | Unpretentious |
| Plant height | 0.25-0.8 m |
| Color of flowers | Bright orange, yellow or whitish |
| Type of flowers, inflorescences | Loose corymbose |
| Flowering time | July-September |
| Decorative time | Spring-autumn |
| Place of application | Rock gardens or rockeries, stone gardens |
| USDA zone | 5–9 |
The plant got its primary scientific name "Bartonia" in honor of the scientist William PS Barton (1786–1856), who serves as a professor of botany at the University of Pennsylvania. He was also the author of works describing the local representatives of the flora "Compendium Florae Philadelphicae" (1818). So for the first time this sample of the green world appeared before the botanical community in 1909. The second name "Mentzelia" was given to honor the botanist and physician kürfürst from Berlin Christian Mentzel (1622-1701). And under this term the plant has been known for over 200 years. People can hear what they call "evening stars", "moon flowers" or "flaming stars."
All bartonia are both perennials, so they can grow no longer than one to two years. Plants take the form of shrubs, shrubs, or grasses. In height, it can vary in the range from 25 cm to 0.8 m. Shoots are branched, wide, growing erect and free, the cover is dense, harsh. The foliage that forms on succulent stems is opposite, for the most part lanceolate. There are not many leaves on the stem and it can form a basal rosette in the lower part. The edge of the leaves with large denticles. The color of the leaf plates is light, medium green. Their shape can be simple, lobed or pinnately incised.
In the process of flowering, which stretches from mid-summer to September, flowers are formed that have poppy-like contours. The corolla has 5-10 petals, colored in bright orange, yellow or white colors. The surface of the petals is glossy, as if made of satin. In their appearance, mentzelia flowers are somewhat reminiscent of St. John's wort of miniature size. Multiple anthers emerge from the corolla, crowning with long filaments.
Flowers can grow both singly, so inflorescences are collected from the buds, which have the outlines of loose shields, which crown the tops of the stems. The diameter of a flower in full disclosure can reach 5 cm. In the evening, a light pleasant aroma is felt. It is curious that if the weather is cloudy, then the plant does not reveal its flowers, in what way it resembles representatives of the Aizoaceae family.
In the garden, it is recommended to grow bartonia in places with sandy soil, such plantings are used for landscaping rock gardens, rockeries or various stone gardens. Due to its bright colors and its attractiveness, it is used by florists to draw up small bouquets.
Tips for growing bartonia, outdoor care
- Choosing a landing site. Since the plant loves the sun's rays very much, a flowerbed with a southern or western location is chosen, since mentzelia will need a couple of hours of direct sunlight. If there is no way out, and the plant is planted in shade, then it will not die, although flowering will not please with abundance.
- Watering. Since the "flaming stars" are famous for their drought resistance, there is enough natural precipitation for plants. But if there is no rain for a long time in the summer, then watering should be done in moderation. It is important to remember that waterlogging of the soil threatens with diseases. While the seedlings are young, their watering requirements are higher, and as they mature, they become more hardy.
- The choice of soil. It is recommended to choose a substrate with increased drainage, sandy or stony. You can mix regular garden soil with a lot of river sand. Clay substrates are rarely used.
- Landing. It is recommended to plant bartonia (seedlings or cuttings) throughout May, when return frosts have already passed, that is, the average heat indicators should not fall below 15 degrees Celsius. At the same time, the distance between plants is maintained up to 20-25 cm, otherwise the root system will not be able to fully develop. Drainage can be laid in the holes, if mentzelia is not planted in rocky soil, this will be a guarantee that the soil will not become waterlogged.
- Fertilizers for bartonia can be used only two or three times during the growing season, as the rest of the time the "flaming stars" will have enough nutrients that they get from the soil. You can use universal complex preparations like Kemira-Universal (Fertika) or Kemira-Plus. It is better to select funds released in liquid form so that it is possible to dilute them in the water that is being irrigated. But if there is no desire, then there is no need to fertilize the plantings.
- General advice on care. Since the plant is winter-hardy, perennial species of bartonia can not be covered for the winter, but to preserve young seedlings in the first winter, it is recommended to use fallen leaves. After each watering, the soil must be loosened, since Bartonia has a very negative attitude towards compaction of the substrate. If seed reproduction is carried out, then it is worth checking the expiration date of the planting material, despite the fact that germination is not lost until three years. If possible, then flower growers recommend purchasing already grown seedlings and then, with the arrival of May, plant them in a permanent place in the garden.
- The use of bartonia in landscape design. Since the plant prefers open sunny places, with the help of its plantings, they decorate rock gardens and rocky gardens, plant in rockeries or mixborders. Green curbs or garden containers can be used. The best "neighbors" in the flowerbed are plants with flowers of lilac-purple or blue-blue shades.
Recommendations for multiplying bartonia from seeds and dividing rhizomes
Since mentzelia can contain annual and perennial species, the former reproduce by seeds, in the latter case, reproduction can be carried out by sowing not only seeds, but also dividing the rhizome or rooting offspring.
With the arrival of April, they are engaged in the cultivation of bartonia from seeds, which are sown for seedlings. After they are placed in a loose substrate, the first shoots can be seen after four days. When germinating indoors, heat indicators should not be less than 15 degrees. Seedlings will require picking, only when a pair of real leaves are deployed on them, then hardening behavior will be required. When leaving, it is important to remember that the soil in the pots must be constantly moist, but the bay will quickly kill the young seedlings of "moon flowers". The container with seedlings is exposed to the open air, first for half an hour in the daytime, gradually bringing it to a round-the-clock content on the street. At the end of May days, such seedlings are planted in open ground, maintaining a distance between the seedlings of at least 20 cm. The seedlings will delight with flowering this year.
In the southern regions, you can form a bed in May by sprinkling the seeds with a small layer of soil. In this case, it is possible to see the sprouts after 3-4 weeks. The grown seedlings will need to be thinned out, leaving 10-15 cm between them. It is important not to allow the soil to flood, as immature plants will inevitably die.
On May days, the overgrown bush of perennial bartonia is divided. To do this, the plant is dug out of the ground, and separation is carried out with a sharp garden tool. It is not necessary to make the divisions small, as the adaptation will be long-term. All sections are sprinkled with crushed charcoal or activated pharmacy. Delenki of mentzelia are planted immediately in a prepared place, preventing the root system from drying out.
When the cuttings are rooting in May, a healthy shoot is selected, after which a hole is dug up to a depth of 20 cm and a branch is placed in it, which is attached with a rigid wire to the soil, then the shoot must be sprinkled with earth mixture. After rooting takes place, the cuttings are separated from the mother bush and planted in a prepared place in the garden.
Possible difficulties when growing mentzelia outdoors
The good news is that the plant is very rarely affected by pests and even more so by diseases. However, with excessive watering, there is a possibility of damage to bartonia by gray rot or gall nematodes.
Gray rot can affect the weak parts of the plant, but if you do not fight it, then healthy leaves and branches will also deteriorate. The cause of gray mold is the fungus Botrytis. If the first symptoms of the disease are found (leaves, buds and flowers begin to hide with a brown spot with a whitish bloom, which then takes the form of grayish-ash specks, with a fluffy coating on top), it is recommended to remove all affected parts of the mentzelia. If the scale of the defeat is large, then it is better to destroy the entire bush. But when the disease has spoiled only some leaves or flowers, then spraying with systemic fungicides (for example, oxadixil, cymoxanil or allet) is carried out. In some cases, these drugs are replaced with a copper-soap solution, which is made on the basis of 2% laundry soap (rubbed) and 0.2% copper sulfate. You can apply a 0.2% solution of foundationol or 0.1% Topsin-M. After several weeks, this treatment is repeated.
To carry out preventive measures, it is necessary to introduce preparations like "Barrier" or "Barrier" into the soil before planting.
Gall nematodes look like microscopic worms that attack the root system of bartonia. There are no chemicals for control, but it is recommended to plant marigolds, aylardia, rudebeni or coreopsis nearby, since the substances released by them do not tolerate these pests.
The following problems when growing mentzelia are:
- with increased moisture in the soil and air, the sprouts become wilted and wither;
- the flowers will not open if the summer is particularly rainy.
Facts to note about the bartonia flower
Bartonia has been known in culture since the beginning of the 18th century, but it has no popularity. Many varieties have great differences in appearance, or they are so similar that it makes it difficult to identify them even among botanical scientists, not like ordinary flower growers. However, this does not prevent mentzelia from being the "star" of flower beds, attracting eyes with bright flowers.
Types of bartonia
Golden Bartonia (Bartonia aurea) or Mentzelia Lindleyi (Mentzelia lindleyi). A plant that has gained particular popularity in Russia, among all representatives of this genus. California can rightfully be called his native land. An annual with highly branching shoots. Plant height does not go beyond the range of 50-60 cm. Sessile leaves unfold on the stems. Leaf plates with lanceolate, pinnately dissected outlines. There is pubescence on the foliage.
When flowering, single buds are formed on flowering stems. Flower buds take their origin in the leaf axils, laying along the entire length of the stems. When opened, the diameter of the flowers can be equal to 5–6 cm. Their outlines are saucer-shaped. Corolla with golden yellow petals. The surface of the petals is satin, shiny. In the central part of the flower there is a red-brown speck. The delicate aroma becomes distinctly audible in the evening. In cloudy weather, the buds may not even open. The flowering process is quite abundant and stretches from early July to early autumn. The shape of the ripened seeds is irregular, the outlines are angular. Their color is grayish brown. The size of the seeds is very small, so in 1 gram they can be counted up to 1700 pieces. Germination is excellent and does not disappear over a three-year period. This species has been cultivated in culture since the beginning of the 18th century.
Bartonia affinis or Mentzelia affinis. Plants native to the southern half of California and adjacent areas of Nevada and lower California. There he prefers to grow in forests, desert sands and similar habitats. Annual grass, stems grow vertically to a maximum height of 5 cm to half a meter. Leaves up to 17 cm long in a basal rosette, divided into lobules, and sometimes serrated, and smaller on the shoots. The flower has five shiny yellow petals, each with an orange spot at the base, often toothed or notched. The fruit is a narrow, curved pouch with a length of 1 to 3 cm. It contains many tiny prism-shaped seeds.
Bartonia densa is found under the names Mentzelia densa or Royal Gorge blazingstar. It is endemic to Colorado in the United States, where it is found in the Arkansas River Valley in Fremont and Chaffe counties. It is a biennial herb or perennial bush that usually grows no more than 30 cm in height. Its hairy white stems are straight and form a ball. The narrow leaves are covered with hairs. The flowers have bright yellow petals with a width of about 2 cm. They open during the day. Serrated fruits reach 2 cm in length and up to 1 cm in width. The fruit can cling to animal hair.
Bartonia albicalis (Bartonia albicaulis) or Mentzelia albicaulis is native to much of western North America, where it grows in mountain, desert and plateau habitats. It is an annual herb, with a stem up to 42 cm long. The leaves are almost 11 cm long in a basal rosette, divided into even comb-like lobes and smaller ones on the stems. The flower has five shiny yellow petals, each 2 to 7 mm long. The fruit is a narrowed straight or curved pouch 1–3 cm long, containing many angular seeds covered with tiny cones.
Bartonia decapetala is called Mentzelia decapetala, Evening Star or Lemon Lily. Herbaceous biennial or short-lived perennial. Large flowers of white color open with the arrival of night. It is native to dry areas in the western United States.
Video about bartonia:
