The Wallflower, is as the song says, a beautiful cocoon of various bright colors, which gives us a delicate and pleasant fragrance, in addition to having medicinal properties. This beautiful plant does not require much care, but in the same way you have to pamper it and here we will give you good advice so that your plant always looks radiant.
the wallflower
The Wallflower, is known by its scientific name as Matthiola incana, is a plant with beautiful flowers, which you can find in various colors, which emanate a pleasant fragrance, so it is common to find them on balconies and gardens. It is a plant that does not require much care, which is another reason to have them, as it is very resistant and adapts very well to different indoor and outdoor environments. In this article we present everything you need to know, as well as basic care so that your Wallflower plant always looks radiant.
Origin and Characteristics
The Wallflower is a plant native to Central Asia, South Africa and the Mediterranean. It is a biennial herbaceous shrub, that is, it takes two years to complete its cycle, when it is planted the first year it grows and in the second it begins to flower. It is a perennial type, as it blooms from spring to autumn, but summer is the time of greatest flowering. It belongs to the cruciferous family. Its flowers come in various colors from white, pink, red, violet and blue. Its flowers can be single or double. As for the leaves, they are tomentose, these are oblong, thin and elongated, with a light and bright green tone. The stem is woody that becomes more tender towards the tips. They can reach 20 to 80 cm in height.
How do you take care of yourself?
The Wallflower plant, despite not requiring so much care, needs you to provide it with the best conditions for ideal growth and development that makes your flowers the center of attention. Here we present a series of data that can help you fulfill this noble task.
Location
The Wallflower, being a plant native to the Mediterranean, requires good exposure to the sun throughout the day, so it is ideal to place them in the garden, on balconies or windows.
Earth
The substrate that the Wallflower requires is not very demanding, since with universal fertilizer it can be planted and maintained both in a pot and in the garden. You just have to take care that the land is fertile for its good growth.
Irrigation
As for watering, the Wallflower only requires constant watering the first few days after transplanting. As the plant grows, watering will be more scattered, that is, 2 or 3 times a week, although hot days should be taken into account and watering increased to 3 or 4 times, thus root development will be favored. She appreciates the humidity, but not in an exaggerated way or the waterlogging. When it is in pots, it is advisable to remove the tray with the rest of the water to prevent the roots from rotting.
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Certainly the Wallflower is not at all demanding in terms of the substrate, but it is also advisable to place liquid fertilizer during growth, in this way strengthen the roots, stem and flower.
Rusticity
Because it is a fairly resistant plant, it is capable of adapting to temperatures that range up to 4° at night, and in the event that it drops further, it tends to slow down its development to a maximum of 25° during the day, if it is exceeded, it accelerates growth and can end up damaging flowers. For this reason, it is recommended that the temperature fluctuates between these values and the Wallflower will know how to thank you for it.
Planting or Transplanting Time
The best time to transplant the Wallflower is during the spring. At this time it is advisable to change the pot if necessary or take it to the garden. This plant multiplies by seed. For this reason, it is recommended to plant them in small pots and keep them in shelter during the autumn season. After at least 14 weeks, it is ideal to transplant them to what will be their pot or to the garden. You have to be very delicate when handling the roots. To plant them, it is suggested to open a hole deep enough to add a large dose of organic fertilizer, this will prevent chlorosis, the yellowing of leaf tissue.
Plagues and diseases
This beautiful plant is vulnerable to certain pests such as the aphid, which is a very small insect that has to attack the newest leaves. Moths are miners that usually infect cruciferous plants, initially forming galleries and later ending up gnawing the entire leaf. As for the caterpillars of Pieris brassicae, which eat the leaves and must be combated quickly and efficiently, and lastly the bugs, they bite the leaves to absorb the sap. Most of these pests can be combated with specific insecticides for each one or by using a kind of natural repellent.
Among the common diseases of the Wallflower, are hernias in the roots, which is a kind of fungus which forms species of elongated tumors in the reticulum, which makes the plant lose its greenness and weaken, facilitating the penetration of other microorganisms. Unfortunately, if this fungus were to appear on your plant, the only solution is to destroy it completely while disinfecting the soil and changing, if possible, part of the substrate and applying the solarization technique, which is based on disinfection through solar energy. . Botrytis, on the other hand, manifests itself as a grayish powder that is easily combated with zineb.
Another of the fungi that invades the Wallflower is the maldiu, which causes yellow spots that turn brown over time and, together with moisture, form white mold, which can be combated with a fungicide. In the case of virosis, the plant will present mosaic on the leaves and it is not curable, so the plant must be exterminated by burning it and disinfecting the land. Xanthomonas campestris bacteriosis is very lethal for the plant as it causes wilting and defoliation of the bush, which is why it is suggested to uproot it in its entirety.
Types of Wallflower
There are various species of Wallflower, but here we want to show you the most common, which are three: the White or winter Wallflower with very white flowers, the sad Wallflower that sprouts in rocky areas and with low humidity and the yellow Wallflower to which it is They attribute medicinal properties to it. It should be noted that the oil emanated by the seed of this plant has stimulating attributes that improve cardiac activity. The infusion of the white or yellow flower relieves headaches. Keep in mind that you should not consume more than one cup a day, as well as caution in pregnant or lactating women.
What is the meaning of the Wallflower Flower?
The beautiful Wallflower flower, can be attributed different meanings, many of them are determined by the color. The yellow tone is related to fidelity, the white ones with peace, simplicity and innocence, the purple color denotes beauty.
I invite you to watch the following video and learn much more about the Wallflower flower:
Keep learning about many other flowers by visiting these links: