Marine lobularia and its cultivation

Alyssum or lobularia marine is a low-growing bushy plant. It has narrow dark green leaves and small white, pink or blue flowers, collected in racemes, spreading fragrant honey aroma. These plants are good long flowering period, from May to October. These plants are often used to decorate alpine slides, edging flower beds, borders, edgings, and decorating balconies. Lobularia marine has the following garden forms:

• Bentham (height 30-40 cm, white flowers);
• Prostrate (height 8-10, flowers white, blue, pink);
• Compact (height 12-15 cm, white flowers).

Growing lobularia is not difficult, the main thing is to choose for them sunny place. The soil should be permeable, neutral or slightly alkaline. Watering is required only in hot weather, otherwise the plant will stop blooming. Lobularia resistant to summer cold spells, only severe autumn frosts can damage it. Sowing can be produced directly into the ground in November or April. When planting in autumn, you will need shelter for seedlings. The plant will bloom very early, but there is a risk of fungal diseases. For getting seedlings seeds are sown in March. In this case, it is planted in a permanent place in May, keeping an interval of 15-20 centimeters. If plants are planted closer, they will become too elongated, bloom poorly and may even develop powdery mildew. Crops also need to be thinned in a timely manner. The plant blooms 40-50 days after planting.

During the summer you need cut off spent shoots and apply mineral fertilizers when watering. New flower stalks will develop in place of faded shoots. The plant is cross-pollinating; if you plant several garden forms, the distance between them should be more than 200 meters.