Galtonia (lat. Galtonia) from the Liliaceae family belongs to bulbous plants. The birthplace of the flower is the Cape of Good Hope, from where. Galtonia became widespread in Europe at the end of the 19th century. The most commonly cultivated species include snow-white, superb and green-flowered.
Description
Galtoniais a perennial crop with a height of 0.6 m to 1.5 m. It has cone-shaped, slightly flattened bulbs. Leaf plates are belt-like, pointed at the end, smooth, shiny, rich green, bent back. Leaves develop in the root zone.
Peduncles reach 1 m in height. Inflorescences – loose panicles, include several large funnel-shaped flowers, most often white in color. In some varieties, the color of the buds may be different. The plant begins to bloom in the last month of the forest. The duration of flowering is 4 – 5 weeks.
The fruits are formed at the end of September. They are a three-celled box with poorly defined ribs. Inside the fruit are small black triangular seeds.
Kinds
White Galtonia (Galtonia candicans). A perennial variety 1.4 m high. The bulbs are spherical, elongated at the base, reach 7 cm in diameter, covered with membranous transparent scales. The leaves are bright green, linear, formed at the bottom of the plant. Their length reaches 80 cm, width – 7 cm. The surface of the foliage is smooth, glossy. Inflorescences – brushes include funnel-shaped flowers of a snow-white color scheme with a delicate pleasant aroma. This type of galtonia blooms from August and throughout the month.
Excellent Galtonia (Galtonia princeps). Bush about a meter high. The bulbs are medium in size, slightly elongated, pointed, 3-4 cm in diameter. Covered with dense transparent scales. The racemose inflorescence consists of tubular, downward-sloping flowers, white or light green color scheme. The diameter of an open bud is 3 – 3.5 cm. Flowering lasts throughout September. It is found in household plots less frequently than other varieties of this plant.
Green-flowered Galtonia (Galtonia viridiflora). Bush 90 – 100 cm high with numerous belt-like, bright green foliage. Inflorescences consist of 20 – 30 tubular green buds. The species is thermophilic, so in the fall, after flowering, the bulbs are dug up and stored in the room.
These photos illustrate the description of various types of haltonia:
Reproduction
Reproduction of galtonia is carried out using bulbs. When choosing planting material, you should carefully inspect it for damage. It should not have any signs of disease or rot. Bulbs suitable for planting should be dense, elastic.
If you want Galtonia to bloom a month earlier, it is recommended to grow the bulbs. They are pre-treated with a fungicide solution, then placed in a bright place, but protected from scorching sunlight.
After the bulbs have sprouts, they are planted in a container with a substrate. When growing, planting material needs to be watered regularly. Landing on the site is carried out in late spring – early summer after the establishment of warm fine days.
For planting bulbs in the ground, holes are made 16–20 cm deep, depending on the size of the planting material. The distance between the holes should be 25 – 40 cm. Before planting, coarse sand is poured into each hole to create a drainage layer.
Also, experienced gardeners add a mineral complex and a handful of organic matter to the soil. The first care measure for galtonia after planting is abundant watering.
Care
Despite the exotic origin, growing Galtonia does not cause much trouble.
- Location. This flower is photophilous, it will show its decorative effect to the maximum only when it is in an open area. In partial shade, the flower will also bloom, but not as intensely as in sunny places.
- Watering. Watering this culture should be moderate, avoiding excess moisture in the substrate, as this is fraught with the development of diseases. It is enough to irrigate the bushes every 2 to 3 days. A couple of hours after water procedures, it is necessary to loosen the soil near the plant, at the same time carry out weeding. It is noteworthy that during the flowering period, the flower should be watered less often than at other times.
- Topdressing. Fertilizer should be applied a couple of times during the growing season with an interval of 14 – 21 days. For this purpose, mineral compositions for garden flowers are suitable.
- Other activities. To maintain a beautiful, well-groomed appearance of plants, faded buds are removed in a timely manner, damaged or dried leaves are cut off. Tall bushes are tied to supports so that they do not bend to the ground in strong winds.
- Disease control and pests. Prevention of fungal diseases and pest invasion is good drainage. Otherwise, with excessive watering or prolonged rains, the bushes can be attacked by insects such as gastropods. Harmful substances are usually found, they are extracted from parts of plants manually. To prevent detection of a place near the bush, sprinkle with wood ash.
Preparing for the winter
Galtonia is classified as an ornamental crop, which is accompanied by a slight cooling, but does not develop into frost. The bulbs are sufficiently covered with thick layers of mulch in the form of dried leaves, sawdust or a peat layer. From above you need to lay spruce spruce branches.
In mid-latitudes with low temperatures and snowless winters in mid-autumn, the bulbs are removed from the ground, at the appearance of drying in a room with good ventilation. After they dry out, the leaves are cut off, leaving a little space from the neck, seals naturally begin to increase.
For another 10 – 15 days, the bulbs are dried in a warm place, after which they are buried in peat, stored at a temperature of about 15 degrees. It is not recommended to keep haltonia planting material in the refrigerator, as it can become damp and become unsuitable for germination. In the spring, the bulbs are planted on the site, continuing the care, according to the recommendation.