A bright, intoxicating flower with its aroma adorns many flower beds and household plots.
This plant is a “night violet flower”. With the onset of dusk, when nature freezes, waiting for rain, its bright inflorescences on long stems, opening, fill the air with a delicate enchanting aroma. There are so many varieties and types of African violet flowers.
We will tell you in detail about the unpretentious, easy to cultivate, ideal for creating group compositions for landscape design, the Night Violet flower: photo, planting and care, and other aspects of growing.
night violet flower
In our latitudes, the night violet (another name is “Matrona’s Hesperis”, “Mattiola”, ” Matrona ‘s evening “ ) “moved” from warm Mediterranean Europe. The homeland of some varieties is the foothills of the Caucasus, Central Asian territory.
Vechernitsa belongs to perennials (the life period exceeds 2 years). It is a herbaceous plant from the cruciferous family. Under natural conditions, it “likes” to settle both along roads and around rivers and lakes.
A cut bouquet retains its beauty and freshness in its original form throughout the week, perfectly complements any flower arrangement.
Bright fragrant inflorescences adorn the garden all summer – dissolving their heads in late spring, they say goodbye to the sun in early autumn.
Pointed, shaped like an elongated oval, the leaves delight the eye with the juiciness of greenery and the softest to the touch “fluff”.
For risky farming, gardeners prefer mainly selective varieties of night violets with a life span of 1 year (the length of the aboveground part does not exceed 0.8 m, the greenery is abundant and dense):
- Mattiola is two-horned . Annual, height up to 0.5 m. Well-developed branched stems. The shape of the leaves is an elongated oval, along the edges there are large teeth. Does not require insect pollination. The flowering period is 40-50 days. Inflorescences are medium-sized (no more than 3 cm), collected in a brush. The color of the petals is pink, lilac – pink;
- Mattiola gray-haired (left-haired gray). Differs in a rich color palette. The above-ground part is lonely growing or well-branching shoots (maximum height – 0.8 m, undersized species – up to 0.15 m). Buds of regular shape with double (flowering period – 2 weeks, do not form seed) or simple petals (flowering period – no more than 5 days), 4 pcs. in the bud.
Also bred varieties:
- “Evening scent” . Branching shoots up to 0.5 m in height, bright purple color of petals;
- Starlight . Differs in the strongest aroma, varied shade of the floral part. Grows up to 0.5 m;
- “Night violet” . Refers to medium-sized plants. Less attractive in the daytime, buds are collected in loose clusters;
- “Lilak” . A tall variety with well-branching stems, the greenery has jagged edges, a delicate aroma, flowers of a small diameter with a soft purple hue.
ADVICE! Plants with low stems are an excellent decoration for apartment balconies and loggias, used to decorate garden paths.
night violet flower Plant features
The main feature that attracts gardeners is flowering at sunset and a bright aroma.
Other specific features:
- cold resistance;
- light-loving, tolerates partial shade well;
- propagated by seeds, cuttings, rooted well when transplanted;
- long flowering period;
- used for medicinal purposes, in home cooking.
Want to know about Blue African Violets.
night violet flower Seeds
Seed ripening begins at the end of the summer period (the last decade of August) and continues until the beginning of autumn.
Seed material has a high germination rate, sowing does not require strong deepening (it is small).
When planting, it is necessary to maintain a distance in order to ensure a comfortable existence for future seedlings.
What do night violet flower seeds look like?
The seeds are in a box a pod (about 5 cm). They have a dark brown almost black color, oblong, about 2-3 mm long. A sign of ripe seeds is a uniform shiny color (clearly visible under a magnifying glass).
Where is the best place to get them?
If you are a novice gardener and have not previously grown a night violet, then it is better to purchase plant seeds in specialized stores or from trusted breeders (it would be optimal to buy a whole seedbox indicating the parent subspecies and varietal affiliation).
You need to pay attention to:
- integrity of the packaging;
- shelf life of the goods (until the end of the sale period must be at least 12 months);
- compliance with storage conditions: storage temperature – 12 – 15 degrees;
- choose seed harvested by well-known agricultural producers.
Can i night violet flower Seeds myself?
If this plant already decorates your summer cottage or balcony territory, then the seed material can be prepared independently:
- Seeds (located in seed pods – pods) are harvested at the end of the growing season, after the onset of the first frost;
- The removed pod is left to dry for up to 2 weeks;
- To store an intact pod, use a paper envelope (the seeds do not lose their germination for 3 years, you yourself can decide when to plant a night violet) in a cool, well-ventilated room (for example, the lower compartment of the refrigerator);
- The extracted seeds are wrapped in cotton or linen unpainted cloth, or placed in a matchbox and stored under the same conditions, but not more than two years.
ATTENTION! The peculiarity of the violet is that it spreads well by self-sowing, forming abundant thickets. In order to avoid overgrowing the territory, it is recommended to thin out the plant at intervals of 2 years.
Read also History Of African Violets.
night violet flower: Planting and caring for seedlings at home
To decorate a part of the selected backyard or loggia with a night beauty, you can use seedlings obtained yourself from collected or purchased seeds.
Read on how to grow this delicate flower from seeds at home.
planting substrate
The planting substrate is a two-component mixture: turf and sand (ratio 3: 1).
Be sure to use drainage:
- foam crumb;
- medium-fraction expanded clay.
To save time and effort, you can purchase a ready-made mixture for growing night violets.
when night violet plant grow from seeds?
How does growing from seeds work, when to plant them for best results?
The optimal planting period is the first spring months:
- the last decade of March;
- early April.
The seed is introduced into a shallow planting box. An alternative is small containers for one seed.
Methods of propagation
Since the size of the seeds is very small, they are not deeply buried; the depth of the planting hole should not exceed 10 mm. Sprinkle with earth on top.
If a seedling box is used, the distance between the holes should be at least 30 mm.
For proper development, plants create a favorable microclimate: they provide watering and lighting. You can organize a mini-greenhouse using plastic wrap (until 3 leaves appear, after which the seedlings dive).
Watering
Watering is regular, moderate (to exclude drying out of the earthy coma) . Soft water (standing tap at room temperature) is ideal.
When 2 leaves are formed on the sprouts, it is necessary to fertilize with a solution of mineral fertilizers.
How and when do seedlings appear?
If all the conditions have been met, then the first shoots will not belong in coming. Literally, after 2 weeks, young sprouts appear.
Grown-up shoots (more than 7 cm in height) can be taken out, if weather conditions permit, outside (loggia).
At what age is it better to transplant night violet?
A young, mature plant with more than 3 leaves and more than 10 cm in height is ready for transplanting into open ground.
Thus, from sowing to the moment when planting in open ground in a permanent place, it takes from 3 to 4 weeks.
How to transplant night violet seedlings?
The pre-selected place is prepared:
- digging transshipment holes corresponding to the diameter of a plant with an earthen clod;
- the landing pits should be at least 30 – 40 cm apart from each other.
Further, the sprout is careful, without damaging the root, moved together with the earthen clod to a new place, watered abundantly, and provided with appropriate care with the obligatory root loosening of the soil.
The flowering of a young plant begins in the second year of life.
night violet flowing and blooming
night violet flowing On the balcony
Night violet can decorate even a limited balcony space. Planting and caring for this plant on the balcony does not require the creation of any too special conditions.
In order for a young plant to feel well after transshipment, to gain strength and growth, the following requirements must be observed:
- planting is performed when the street temperature during the day does not drop below 15 degrees. In the evening and at night, it is better to cover the young plant with polyethylene until the flower takes root;
- it is necessary to provide regular ventilation if the loggia is glazed;
- in the summer, the plant must be protected from prolonged exposure to direct sunlight;
- conduct regular moderate watering and loosen the soil.
ATTENTION! Since the night violet blooms only in the second year after transshipment, to ensure annual flowering on the selected area of the garden or balcony, the planted plants are gradually renewed.
night violet flowing in House gardens
Vechernitsa perfectly reproduces by seeds, which can be immediately introduced into the soil. Next, we will tell you when and how to plant this flower with seeds.
How and when to sow?
Preferred when to sow outdoors:
- autumn period. The main requirement: sowing is carried out before the onset of the first frosts on the soil: the first – the second decade of September;
- spring period. At the same time, the temperature of the air and soil should not drop to negative values.
Sowing step by step:
- seeds (previously mixed with sand) are not deepened into the soil (no more than 10 mm from the surface layer);
- sprinkle with earth;
- watered;
- in the future, timely watering, climatic conditions affect the germination of crops;
- emerging seedlings must be provided with appropriate care.
What places and soils are preferred?
How a plant develops depends on the location and soil in which it grows.
Night violet, despite its unpretentiousness, is afraid of direct sunlight. Therefore, it will feel great in the shaded area:
- near trees;
- under the house;
- next to the gazebo.
For conditions in central Russia, where solar activity is less intense than in the homeland of night violet, the seat should be well lit.
Choose an area with good lighting.
The flower prefers air and permeable loose drained soils, with a slightly alkaline medium. “Poor” lands need to be supplemented with organic matter and fertilizers containing lime.
Attention! The plant will be painful, it may die, and planting and care in the open field will be difficult if it is planted in the territory that was previously “occupied” by its relatives – representatives of the cruciferous family.
How to properly prepare the site?
Before sowing in open ground, the soil must be dug up (preparation is carried out in the autumn, before the onset of the first frost), thereby saturating, enriched with oxygen.
If possible, drainage is carried out (expanded clay, broken brick). Necessary mineral supplements are added.
Is it necessary to thin out the plant and how to do it correctly?
After the appearance of the first shoots, after about 20 – 30 days, they must be thinned out in such a way that each sprout is at least 0.3 – 0.5 meters apart from the other.
It is also necessary to remove weeds in a timely manner, loosen the soil.
Watering and feeding
Watering the plant regularly, preferably with softened water. At the same time, it is necessary to ensure that there is no excess moisture – this can lead to rotting of the root system of the flower.
Topdressing is carried out 1 time in 30 – 45 days (2 times in the spring and summer months), by introducing mineral complex fertilizers (purchased in specialized stores) or using an ash solution, which is easily prepared at home.
Prevention of diseases and pests
Before transshipment or sowing, for the prevention of diseases, it is recommended to treat the soil with “Hom” or “Bactofit” preparations.
Excessive watering entails the rotting of the root system of night violet.
Waterlogging of the soil provokes “keel” – a fungal disease that affects the root system of the cruciferous family. Affected plants are dug up and burned.
Pest control:
- with long-term drought, the cruciferous flea beetles are affected . Signs – multiple small holes in the leaves. Struggle – fly ash, which is sprinkled on a night violet;
- if the cabbage butterfly attacked , then appropriate drugs are used to destroy it. In case of minor damage, the infected leaves are removed and the plants are sprinkled with grated charcoal or sprayed with an ash solution every 5 days until the signs of damage disappear.
ADVICE! To maintain an attractive appearance and prevent diseases, it is necessary to prune the plant in a timely manner, as the affected or dried-out shoots appear. To this end, the flower is removed from wilted buds.
Necessary conditions for growing
Night violet is an unpretentious flower and its content will not give you much trouble. Like any living being, she requires love, care, and appropriate care.
Do not tolerate excess moisture. If a low-lying place is chosen for planting, then during intense spring thaws it can die.
Violet crops need regular renewal, since every year the flowers become smaller, and the aerial part, on the contrary, increases in growth.
Temperature
For young plants, the daytime temperature should not fall below 17 degrees.
The abundant flowering of night violet is gaining during the growing season at an air temperature of 21 to 23 degrees Celsius. Moreover, the temperature difference between daytime and nighttime hours should not exceed five units.
Due to its frost resistance, the flower tolerates the winters of the middle zone (up to -10 degrees) well, does not need shelter.
Lighting
Night violet feels great in slightly darkened conditions, in sunny open areas.
In areas hidden from sunlight, subject to high humidity, the flower is sick, shrinks, and can be attacked by slugs.
Soil acidity
Ideal for night violet is light, moist, neutral soil or slightly acidic loamy environment. Lowland areas with stagnant water are categorically contraindicated for a plant!
Before planting night violet, be sure to check the soil for acidity:
- acidic soils are saved by lime (it is optimal to use limestone flour). At the same time, it must be remembered that mineral and organic fertilizers are not applied to such areas! A simple improvised means is used as a deoxidizer – wood ash, without harmful chemical impurities;
- alkaline soils must be thoroughly loosened. In this case, the soil can be slightly acidified with compost fertilizer, or by adding peat for the upper soil layers. Thus, acidification occurs rather slowly, but the effect is sufficient for a long time. If there is no time to wait, then the chemical industry comes to the aid of the gardener: mineral complexes, acid solutions.
Complete article about Chimera African Violet varieties, care, origin, etc.
What types are considered the most unpretentious?
For growing on personal gardens, gardeners-breeders recommend the following plant varieties:
- Violla Vitrokka (fragrant violet);
- horned violet . Differs in a variety of colors, extremely unpretentious;
- mattiola gray. Very beautiful terry night violet look.
Conclusion
Night violet is an ideal landscaping plant for a large personal plot and a mini-garden on the balcony. A good “neighbor” for other representatives of the flora family (for example, the Aster family).
Dissolving at sunset, it fills the air with an enchanting delicate scent. The stems look good when cut on their own and as a component of a bouquet arrangement.
Due to its scent, the flower attracts many pollinating insects. Therefore, night violet helps to get a good harvest, especially when adjacent to fruit trees.
