Cineraria silvery - a beautiful ornament of any flower garden

Many growers with love equip recreational areas and flower gardens, on which ornamental herbs are planted . One of these plants - cineraria, which preserves decorativeness before frost, can often be found on various flower beds.

Cineraria silvery (Mediterranean's crucifix) - is an ornamental-deciduous plant, the main ornament of which is delicate velvety silvery leaves.

The adult bush reaches a height of not more than 25 centimeters. Cineraria is unpretentious in care. It is not demanding on the fertility of the soil, and it can be said, even acquires a better view of not too wet and nutritious lands. In such conditions, the bush remains compact throughout the season, and the foliage acquires an almost white color. The plant likes sunny places and soil with good drainage. Despite the resistance to drought, silver cineraria poorly tolerates frosts and can die with a drop in temperature.

For cultivation, no special care is required, watering is carried out as needed, when the soil dries, weeding - when weeds are formed. Do not need to make fertilizing and fertilizer.

In the first year of life, rosettes of leaves are formed in plants, and on the second in the cineraria appear peduncles with small yellow inflorescences at their ends. Since flowers do not bring special ornamentation, it is appropriate to remove them at the stage of bud formation. Such a measure will allow the plant to retain its beauty.

Cineraria reproduces silvery seedlings, seeds. Since the grains are very small, they are sprinkled on the surface of the compacted moist soil during sowing (February-March), and then covered with film or glass and exposed to a bright spot, for example, a window sill. The air temperature should not be below 20 degrees. Seeds can be lightly sprinkled with fine sand.

The first shoots together appear after two weeks. When they develop, and small sheets will appear, shoots dive into a separate container. In the open ground, the seedlings are transferred after the probability of frosts has passed. Arrangement scheme: 20 cm between the holes and 25 between the rows. Exceptions are those cases where silvery cineraria is used as a carpet or curb plant, then the intervals can be reduced. Due to the property of the plant it is good to tolerate transplants, and in summer it can be moved to another place for the formation of conceived compositions.

Cineraria silvery is perfectly combined with any flowering or ornamental plants, with its slow growth, a neat compact form remains throughout the entire vegetation period until the first frost. Thus, the grass is perfect for decorating curbs, ornamental flower beds and various garden compositions.
Today, varieties of cineraria with pretty beautiful flowers, similar to chamomile or daisies, are derived. Such species of the Compositae family are usually used as pot flowers.

Dried leaves of the plant are a valuable material for florists, which make up whole pictures of flowers. Openwork foliage is easily dried and for many years does not lose its properties and colors, it is convenient to work with.

Cineraria silver dust is not only a beautiful background for other colors of red, purple, purple tones (begonia, petunia, geranium, etc.). In addition, it looks intricate when planting on the Alpine hills, because its homeland is Africa, Madagascar. In nature it is often found between rocks in the southern part of the Crimea.

Unusual silver-blue coloring acquires a flower bed, on which the silver and bright-purple lobelia are planted together.