In addition to the use of the perilla plant in landscape design, this herbaceous culture is widely used to produce printing inks, drying oils and varnishes. Perilla is known to culinary experts as shiso – its leaves are added to salads and others to give them a spicy flavor. In some Asian countries, the oil of this plant is used as a medicine.
Perilla leaves and seeds
This is an ornamental deciduous plant. Perilla Nanking semi-shrub is the only species used in floriculture.
It grows wild in the Himalayas, China, and Japan. In the genus perilla, there are 6 species of annual and perennial herbaceous or semi-shrub plants that live in temperate warm, subtropical and tropical regions of Asia.
Its rich dark purple carved leaves accentuate the flower arrangement.
Height no more than 20 cm – with a double pinch, the plant acquires a squat, bushy appearance.
The seeds of the plant are nutty, gray-brown, less than 1 mm in diameter. Since the plant is best grown through seedlings, in mid-March it was sown in a box with light soil, in a greenhouse, along slightly deepened grooves, without sprinkling them with a substrate.
Perilla leaves are opposite, larger than basil leaves, pointed, serrated-corrugated along the edge.
As you can see in the photo, the leaves of the railing plant in the seedling stage can be greenish, gradually gaining a purple color:
Strong dissection of the leaves manifests itself in the older seedlings.
Perilla leaves are rich in essential oils and anthocyanins, which contain P-active substances that increase the elasticity of vascular walls, normalize capillary permeability, and also contain a large amount of mineral salts and vitamin C, they are an additional source of carotene.
Growing perilla from seeds and using the plant in landscape design
Plants are moisture-loving and very thermophilic, so they need to be planted after frost.
Depending on the height of young plants, the distance between them is regulated from 20 to 35 cm.
Perilla tolerates light partial shade, but at the same time, the color of the leaves brightens, so it will still be even more elegant in a sunny place.
When growing perilla from seeds, the soil needs light, fertile soil, when planting plants, humus should be added to the holes, when the plants take root, it is necessary to cover the soil under them with humus or any other mulch.
Look at the photo – the perilla flower, in addition to curb plantings, is planted in groups, containers and flowerpots are decorated with it:
Try to grow perilla, get to know her better! In the garden and in the flower garden, she will bring an interesting color scheme to the solution of compositions, and a simple garden bed will attract your attention every time you visit the site.