Dianella
Content:
If you look at Dianella for the first time, it may seem that she is one of the closest relatives of yucca or irises, as well as lily cultures. But don't jump to conclusions. It is better to take a closer look at this rather modest plant and understand that it has a huge number of unique traits and characteristics. Dianella has very decorative leaves and attractive flowering.
The Dianella plant has very bright blue colors of flowers, and the berries are also so original that they can surprise anyone, even the most spoiled grower. Until now, Dianella remains a plant that retains the status of an exotic planting, although it is completely unpretentious and quite attractive, so in this article we will dwell in more detail on its description, as well as a description of its characteristics, planting and care features.
Dianella: plant description
Among most of its brethren, Dianella is considered, perhaps, one of the most unique plants, and quite exclusive. For this reason, it can not be found in every household plot. But it is still worth considering purchasing and planting this plant, because it is simply amazing.
In appearance and character, Dianella is a very modern plant, and it has become especially fashionable in recent years. It is not possible to meet Dianella in every area, or in general, far from every latitude, most of all she can conquer gardeners because she has a very flexible character, as well as all her tenderness and unpretentiousness.
Dianella is an exotic plant native to Australia. It mainly grew in the subtropical regions, but very quickly became popular all over the world.
Dianella is periodically attributed to the lily culture. Her flowering is very bright and varied, in fact, it is almost impossible to confuse it with something else.
In addition, Dianella has become no less popular in indoor flowering, presented a huge number of varieties and types of popular plants. But at the same time, more recently, Dianelles have been attributed to another exotic family - the Xantoreevs, which mainly include Australian exotics in their number. They are distinguished by their relative unpretentiousness, but at the same time some exactingness to the surrounding conditions.
In the genus Dianella, you can find a sufficient number of original and exclusive blue and blue-flowered plants. But if we talk about exclusively room culture, then only one type of Dianella is grown here - dianella blue.
From the name it is clear what color the inflorescences of this plant have, and it is really very original and interesting.
Dianella blue
Dianella can bloom incredibly attractively. Its leaves are also very exotic, and it is because of this that it is so popular with gardeners and florists in many districts and regions. In addition, Dianella has a considerable number of nicknames. For example, she is called the blue fairy, linen lily and Diana's lily.
In principle, sometimes it is quite clear from the names what traits and external features this plant possesses.
In the indoor format, blue Dianella is almost inferior to its wilder ancestors in almost everything. And in nature, Dianella, in principle, can grow up to two meters in height, but in room conditions they are very modest in their dimensions - they reach only half a meter, although the diameter of the overgrown bushes is quite significant.
Dianella is an evergreen herbaceous perennial that has a very powerful root system.The sod is very dense, the leaves are erect, while the most stable. In addition, the plants also look very decorative and attractive. Their bunches are very lush, so Dianella can be a decoration of any site.
The deciduous part of the plant is of such a shape that it can certainly cause some associations with daylilies, sometimes also with irises or yuccas, reeds or chlorophytums.
But, one way or another, Dianella is Dianella, with its own characteristics and characteristics. It can be similar to the lanceolate form of the deciduous part, with pointed leaves, and the growth of rosette-bunches can also resemble some other plants.
But as for the texture of the plant itself, it is completely unique, not like all other plants or plantings.
Dianella leaves are less sensitive or tender, while they are quite strong and tough. Their shine is very glossy, just emphasizing all the uniqueness and beauty of a slightly grayish color. If you touch the leaves, they will seem incredibly pleasant to the touch. They seem rather tissue-like, and it is not immediately clear that this is a real plant that grows right in the room or on the backyard.
The leaves of the plant are very long - they can grow longer than half a meter, on average, the length is about sixty centimeters. At the same time, the width is very small - only two centimeters. They grow straight, they can of course deviate slightly, but at the same time they bend very beautifully, it all looks incredibly decorative and attractive - another plus for Dianella's piggy bank.
Dianella's rest period is very pronounced. But at the same time, it can retain the attractiveness of its ground part even in winter. The leaves remain a rich green color, they look just wonderful.
Dianella Tasmanian and other varieties
Many gardeners say that Dianella is a very touching plant that can conquer with the grace of inflorescences and the beauty of separately located flowers. In general, the colors of the inflorescences are also very unusual, which cannot but attract the eye of gardeners.
Peduncles are usually much taller than the green part of the planting. But if Dianella grows indoors, then the peduncles do not differ in height. They can easily hide right in the turf. Panicles do not differ in density. They grow vertically upward, delicate, they consist of inflorescences of regular, attractive, as if floating flowers.
The shape of the flower resembles an asterisk, while the petals are slightly pointed, look up, and can bend slightly. The anthers are located directly under the petals, painted in a bright golden hue. The filaments are short, staminate, which form a hole, more like a funnel.
The flowers can appear very fragile and unusually touching. The flowering period covers spring and summer. It is long enough, so the grower can enjoy the external characteristics of the inflorescence for several months. And the flowering itself can seem simply continuous.
After Dianella stops blooming, decorative berries can form, which are colored in a blue, almost ultramarine shade. But in indoor conditions, fruiting can be observed and enjoyed only if the plant is used in the summer as a garden, tub.
In other cases, it is unlikely that the gardener will achieve that such pleasant fruit-berries begin to form on his dianelles.
In general, the color palette of Dianella is incredible - in front of it, many plants seem faded and almost inconspicuous. All the purest and, most importantly, noble and exclusive variations of blue and blue shades - this color of flowers and berries of this plant collects only in itself.
So Dianella can brag about this, as she is incredibly attractive. In general, gardeners themselves praise this culture very much, since it seems to them insanely attractive and interesting in all its variations and manifestations.
In addition to the fact that there are classic, ordinary Dianella, there are also decorative and exclusive forms and varieties that cannot but attract attention.
So, for example, the Variegat form, which has a cream border located on the leaf part, is very popular among our florists.
Also grade Breeze - Another giant among all Dianelles. It is a giant not because of its size, but because of its relevance, the leaves of the plant gracefully hang down, but the sods are more reminiscent of exotic fountains.
Of course, mostly gardeners primarily pay attention to the external characteristics of the plant. And only then they observe how the plant develops in certain conditions, what it needs, if we talk directly about caring measures and agricultural technology.
Dianella can be safely considered as a winter-hardy plant that perfectly adapts to both garden and home conditions. In addition, Dianella can become a full-fledged indoor or greenhouse planting, and tolerates cold wintering well.
In general, it is unpretentious, can tolerate droughts, and not the most favorable conditions. If suddenly the gardener makes mistakes in leaving, Dianella can forgive them. But you should be careful, because if you completely abandon the plant, then it is unlikely that it will give any results in its development, flowering, and you can completely forget about decorativeness.
Therefore, the next part of our article we will devote to how it is necessary to care for Dianella, as well as how this culture can be propagated in order to preserve the parental traits and characteristics of the planting.
Plant care and reproduction
As we said earlier, blue Dianella are rightfully exotics among many other indoor and garden plants. This is not to say that this plant is difficult to grow, but it still has its own subtleties.
One of them is that Dianella always requires very cold wintering, and such a beautiful and attractive plant may not suit every gardener in this requirement.
Another difficult point in growing Dianella is that it falls into a dormant period. And at this time, it is worth looking after the flower in particular. Otherwise, the care is quite standard, it does not require any special aspects or procedures.
Choosing a place of growth
During its flowering, Dianella seems to be a flower, as if not from our planet, and the illusion of its fragility just corresponds to the nature of this plant - it is very fragile on the outside, but very strong, strong inside.
Dianella responds well to secluded and enough soft lighting, suffers if you shade it too much. Indeed, in the shade, Dianella can develop various diseases, and in general she cannot fully reveal her decorative features and characteristics.
In direct sunlight, the plant can also feel immense discomfort, as the sun can cause very severe burns to the plant. And as a result, it loses not only its decorative features, but also its health.
The plant also does not respond very well to any extremes, does not respond very well to sudden changes in temperature and to sudden changes in lighting. When a gardener is engaged in the selection of a place for Dianella, then he should remember that there is a balance between too much light or its strongest shortcomings.
As a rule, if a plant feels uncomfortable, or does not like something, then it can independently give a signal about it.It also allows you to find the optimal mode that will be more comfortable for him, all this can be simply seen in the external characteristics of the plant.
If Dianella grows indoors, then for its successful growth and development, it is best to choose eastern and western window sills. Dianella does not tolerate supplementary lighting at all with the help of artificial lamps, but the deficiencies in illumination are therefore almost impossible to compensate.
So from the very beginning it is worth choosing the most favorable location, so that later the plant will feel as comfortable and favorable as possible. For the winter, the growth and development of Dianella completely stops, the plant enters a dormant stage.
At this time, the plant can not be watered or fed, and also not be supplemented, so that it simply rests and gains new strength to demonstrate its excellent decorative characteristics in the next season.
Dianella does not like at all if conditions around her begin to change. Therefore, you should not rearrange the container with the plant on brighter windowsills, since it can only react even worse to such a thing.
The biggest challenge for this unpretentious plant is to provide the right conditions for it for the winter. Without a cool wintering, this plant will simply refuse to show its flowering, and also risks losing its decorative effect very quickly, even though this plant initially acquired the status of evergreen, and therefore it may seem to the gardener that this property will never go anywhere.
At rest, the optimum temperature for the plant will be from seven to twelve degrees Celsius. The maximum temperature in winter is no more than 15 degrees. But even with it, the abundance and decorativeness of flowering can be significantly affected. And the plant can demonstrate that it does not like something in the current conditions of detention.
Dianella in the south can grow exclusively on open backyards and in the open field, while she simply loves fresh air. In the summer, it will be possible to move it not only to balconies and loggias, but also directly to the garden, where it will feel just wonderful.
Even in winter, Dianella blue requires that the gardener regularly ventilate the room in which it is located. It should be remembered that Dianella does not react in the best way to drafts or too sharp temperature changes. Since this can lead to the fact that the plant will instantly drop all its inflorescences and buds, which means that there will simply not be any flowering in the future.
Dianella's care
Best of all, the Dianella plant will feel when in watering the gardener will adhere to one strategy, will not rush from one extreme to another. It is believed that this flower equally does not tolerate excess moisture, and at the same time, it reacts very negatively to those cases if suddenly the substrate begins to dry out, and moisture generally ceases to flow in any amount.
Nevertheless, the plant inherited drought resistance from its ancestors and parents. And just if the gardener suddenly missed some watering, then the plant can tolerate it much better than if there is excess moisture in the substrate, and it turns into a swampy gruel.
Watering should not be carried out in too abundant quantities. At the same time, it is better to do them often and not to allow the soil to become too waterlogged during irrigation, and water does not accumulate in large volumes after.
For the winter, when the plant is dormant, watering should be reduced and carried out only so that the soil is slightly moistened. And this moisture was maintained, but no more.
The soil can be allowed to dry out almost completely between waterings, because the gardener will regulate this process, and watering will still be applied, which means the plant will feel completely safe.
As we said, Dianella is an exotic plant, it comes from Australia, and it comes from the tropical parts in general. Moreover, the plant is completely insensitive to dry air. Dianella's leaves are quite tough. They can look quite attractive and decorative even without additional measures to make the air more humid.
At the same time, Dianella is completely does not need nor in additional sprayingnor in the installation of humidifiers to maintain air humidity. This is one of its features, because many garden and indoor plants need the humidity of the air to be at a certain level.
At the same time, it is very important to maintain purity plants, wipe dust from its leaves, remove any dirt. Indeed, thanks to this, it is possible to reduce the risks that various diseases will begin to develop in Dianella, and pests will also multiply.
Let's talk a little about top dressing. In general, Dianella does not quite well relate to the excess of mineral or nutrients that are part of the fertilizers, so very rare dressings are more suitable for her.
During the growing season, the plant is best fed no more than once a month. And you can also maintain the standard frequency - one feeding every 14 days. But at the same time, the dose for each feeding becomes two times less than the originally declared one.
During the dormant period, the plant should not be fed at all, and indeed in no way should it interfere with its general condition at this time. In order to feed Dianella, it is worth combining two types of fertilizers, which are just the most popular and demanded.
At the very beginning of the active growth and development of the plant, it is worth using complex fertilizers, where all trace elements are perfectly balanced and the entire gram is observed. When the plant begins to set the first buds, as well as during the flowering period, it is worth switching to fertilizers, which are originally intended for ornamental and flowering plants.
Even despite the fact that greens dominate in the mass, the plant still does not have such a high need for the nitrogenous component, but the need for potassium and phosphorus elements is great, which, of course, should be taken into account, since this is really very important.
You should not be in a hurry when it comes to transplant plants. It still feels great without such procedures, responds well to stable conditions. The plant does not particularly prefer that a person has any contact with the root system of the plant. Any transplant is a very painful process, it can lead to the fact that the plant simply dies or refuses to give abundant flowering - yes, this is also possible.
Since Dianella does not show any active growth, it is best to transplant it only in very extreme cases, as the substrate is assimilated by the root system, especially if it is still a very young seedling, and its immunity is not yet fully strengthened, but however, the plant has a better chance of tolerating the transplant normally.
An annual Dianella transplant is excluded; if possible, it is worth delaying this procedure as long as possible. But the topmost layer of the soil should still be changed, and it is better to do this annually. If Dianella has signs of complete acceptance and development of the soil, then it can be transplanted in the very near future. For example, schedule a transplant in the spring, just before the abundant budding begins.
The composition of the soil for transplanting Dianella
Dianella can be grown in classic containers, which will be equal in both their width and their depth. Containers for planting should still be of impressive size so that the plant has enough space for its growth and active development.
The minimum pot size for a younger plant should be about thirty centimeters. But, as we said, the plant does not respond very well to transplants. And in this regard, one should nevertheless keep this fact in mind and plant Dianella immediately in a large enough container so that as the root system grows it does not become too crowded in the pot. After all, this will immediately affect her condition.
If we talk about the composition of the soil mixture, then Dianella is quite calm about universal substrates, but still the soil mixture should be of high quality and very loose, because only in this way Dianella will be able to master it faster. When a gardener chooses ready-made soil mixtures, it is best for him to turn his attention to special soils that are intended for flowering plants.
If the gardener has decided to mix the substrate on his own, then for this he should take two parts of compost and two parts of sod land, one part of sand and two parts of peat. A mixture that includes peat, compost and sand is also perfect.
In order for the water to be better distributed over the substrate, it is necessary to add quite a bit of perlite to the soil, as well as some additives that are just designed to loosen the soil.
When Dianella is transplanted, a rather thick drainage layer is laid on the bottom of the container. The plant is carefully transferred from one container to another. At the same time, the old earthen lump must necessarily be safe and sound, it is best not to disturb it.
Only very dirty soil is removed, which is located in the uppermost layer. After the transshipment has been completed, it is best to control the plant for a while and look after it carefully. For example, lighting should be very gentle, the temperature should be cool - just like Dianella loves. And watering should be as careful as possible, and they are intended just to resume the growth of this culture.
Pests and diseases
This is not to say that Dianella is a fairly resistant plant that grows indoors. Leaves are not at all against eating aphids, but you can cope with it. One has only to use a strong insecticide and use it in accordance with the instructions for use.
Often, Dianella also has a disease such as powdery mildew, which should be immediately dealt with using fungicides for this. If you start a disease, then there is a great risk that the plant simply will not survive and will die in the very near future.
Also, when growing Dianella, a gardener may face some difficulties:
- lack of flowering, especially if warm wintering conditions have developed;
- shoots with poor and insufficient lighting can stretch too much;
- specks appear on the leaves, they begin to deform, dry out, and as a result, they completely fall off. This is due to the fact that the plant is located in direct sunlight, and the gardener does not follow the rules of agricultural technology.
Reproduction
Dianella is a plant that grows constantly, it forms new shoots, full-fledged sods are formed, which look great and make the plant very strong and attractive.
The easiest way to propagate this plant is that adult plants can simply divide. If individual shoots are not separated, but only very large cuttings are used, then this process should be treated very carefully and carefully.
It is worth trying to preserve the earthy lump in its original form and strength.But then the plant will already adapt only to the new container. Unlike other adaptation processes, this one is very successful and fast for her.
There are no other vegetative methods that can be used to propagate Dianella.
Seeds can be found on sale extremely rarely, but even if the gardener suddenly managed to find them, then new Dianella can be grown. However, this will require much more effort, time and skills.
You can sow seeds in any low-growing pots, while the composition of its substrate should be just perfect, in another, Dianella does not grow and will refuse to develop at all. For sowing, the usual mixture is used, consisting of soil and sand with the addition of peat.
Containers with seeds are covered with either plastic wrap or glass, and the containers are placed in well-lit places. But the air temperature in the room should be about 25 degrees, no less. Glass or polyethylene can be removed from the plates only after the very first shoots have appeared on the surface.
It is better not to rush with a dive of Dianella, since it is best to give the plants a little more time. They dive only when the plant grows to the second full-fledged leaf. After that, the strongest bushes are already planted in separate containers, and it is best to be careful with young plants.
Dianella: photo of a plant
Changes in temperature or humidity, careless care, lack of care as such - all this can cause irreparable harm to the plant. And the likelihood that it will bounce back or become obsolete is minimized.
But as soon as Dianelles begin to take root and grow gradually, they will build up their immunity and resistance to stress. This means they will become stronger and less susceptible to environmental conditions.
So you should always be very attentive to the plants, take care of them as if you were your own children, and Dianella will definitely reciprocate and gratefully.