Promising Flowering and Ornamental Plants for Lawns in Kyrgyzstan

Annuals and Biennials for Flower Beds in Kyrgyzstan

Annuals, or as they are commonly called in floriculture, summer flowers, are flowering plants whose entire life cycle occurs during the growing season. This group also includes perennial plants of tropical origin (snapdragon, petunia, verbena) that are grown in our conditions as annuals.

In terms of decorative properties, annuals are very diverse. Some bloom for a long time and abundantly, while others have bright or variegated leaves. They vary in height and bush habit: from low-growing (10-15 cm), used for carpet flower beds, to tall (1.5-2 m), used for creating high groups or plantings among shrubs. There are also many climbing plants among the annuals.

Most annuals prefer open sunny places (some tolerate shading). They can be widely used in the landscaping of balconies (fire-red beans, quamoclit, ipomoea, nasturtium), grown as pot culture (zinnia, petunia, verbena, marigold), as well as for cutting (asters, stock, snapdragon, carnation, marigold, zinnia, etc.). They are resistant to cutting, and bouquets made from them are very elegant.

Annuals are mainly propagated by seeds in two ways: by growing seedlings in greenhouses or hotbeds with subsequent transplanting to a permanent place and by sowing seeds directly into open ground.

In the conditions of Kyrgyzstan, the second method is quite acceptable, as it is less labor-intensive and yields excellent results. All cold-resistant crops (asters, snapdragon, phlox, iberis, petunia, marigold, carnation, etc.) can be sown in winter or very early in spring. In early spring (as soon as the soil condition allows), dimorphotheca, gazania, helichrysum, arctotis, verbena, and celosia can be sown.

Among the summer flowers, there are plants that suffer greatly even from slight frosts (-1.5-2.0) (balsam, nasturtium, tagetes, seed dahlias; among climbing plants, ipomoea, beans, quamoclit, etc.), so it is better to wait with their sowing until warmer days. They usually germinate together in warm weather, grow quickly, and bloom.

The main agronomic practices for caring for annuals consist of timely watering, keeping the area free of weeds, and periodic loosening (if the soil is heavy). To prolong flowering, it is necessary to timely remove faded flowers, leaving a small number for seed collection. During the growing season, it is necessary to provide 2-3 feedings with mineral and organic fertilizers, after which watering should be done. The norms of fertilizers primarily depend on soil fertility and the amount of watering.

The long growing season and the availability of irrigation water allow for a very wide assortment of this group of plants for green construction.

Among the best annuals are the following: Mexican Ageratum, Longflower (Ageratum me-xieanum Sims.).

Native to Central America. Depending on the variety, it has a height of 20 to 50 cm, branches profusely, and is completely covered with inflorescences consisting of small baskets. The most common varieties have blue, lilac-blue, and less frequently white and pink colors. The plant is light-loving and moisture-loving. In our conditions, even when sown in the ground, it blooms for more than 100 days. It can be used for low flower beds, borders, flower strips, on balconies, and as a pot culture.

Snapdragon, Lion's Mouth (Antirrhinum majus L.).

A perennial, but grown as an annual. Native to the Mediterranean. The bushes are mainly upright, branching, with a height of 30 to 50 cm. The flowers are large, collected in racemes. The color of the flowers is very diverse—from snow-white to velvety dark burgundy, yellow of various shades, and bicolored. The plant is cold-resistant but requires open sunny places, is moderately moisture-loving, and is not demanding on soil; it blooms more lushly, abundantly, and for a longer time on well-fertilized soils and produces well. It is used for planting in flower beds, on lawns in small groups, and also for cutting.

Arctotis Grandis (Arctotis grandis Thunb.).

Introduced from South Africa. Reaches a height of 60-70 cm. The inflorescences are baskets with silvery-white ray flowers on top and purple-pink on the underside. The tubular flowers are blue. The flowers open only in sunny weather; they close in cloudy weather and at night. It produces well, is cold-resistant, so it can be sown in winter or early spring. It blooms abundantly and for a long time.

Plants are best placed in an open sunny location and watered moderately. They can be used in mixed borders in combination with other flowering crops.

Chinese Aster (Callistephus chinensis (L.) Nees.).

Native to China and Japan. The plant is light-loving, although it can be grown with slight shading. It prefers light, well-drained soils rich in organic matter; however, the application of undecomposed manure leads to severe fusarium disease.

Aster can be grown by seedling method, and in our conditions, by sowing seeds in winter and early spring directly into the soil. It tolerates transplanting well at any age, even during flowering.

The abundance of varieties and diversity in bush habit and color allow recommending this plant for various purposes: in flower beds, as a pot culture, on balconies, but it is especially valued for cutting, as the flowers last more than two weeks in water.

Marigolds (Tagetes L.)

In floriculture, a large number of varieties are widespread, mainly belonging to three species: upright marigolds, which have a height of 45 to 100 cm; declined, mainly low-growing—10 to 30 cm; and finely-leaved, also low-growing—20 to 35 cm. The decorativeness of these plants is given not only by brightly colored (lemon, orange, brown, or variegated) inflorescences of various sizes and shapes but also by the lace, intricately cut light and dark green foliage.

Marigolds are remarkably unpretentious, blooming abundantly in both open sunny places and in shade; they are not demanding on soil and tolerate drought. They produce well and have a strong and pleasant aroma. They can be used in various floral arrangements, on balconies, in pot culture, and for cutting.

Gazania Splendid (Gazania splendens hort.).

Introduced from South America. It is still little known to us. The plant is 30-35 cm tall, with a compact bush and rose-tipped light green leaves, hairy on the underside. The inflorescences are solitary baskets with a diameter of 4-5 cm on thin long peduncles. The color is white and bright yellow with a dark center. They open only in the sun.

It can be propagated by sowing in greenhouses as well as in the ground. It blooms from July until frost. It is quite drought-resistant and cold-resistant. It blooms abundantly in fertile soils. It tolerates transplanting well. Faded inflorescences do not reduce decorativeness, as the seeds, equipped with wings, quickly fall off. It looks very effective in flower beds or large masses on low lawns.

Godetia (Godetia Spach.).

Native to California. The plant is not widely distributed but is quite decorative. The stems are upright, 50-70 cm tall, with thin, graceful shoots literally covered during the mass flowering period with simple or double flowers of delicate pink, white, or raspberry colors.

It is best to place Godetia in sunny open places with well-fertilized soils. It can be sown early, as it is cold-resistant. The only drawback in our conditions is the short flowering period (25-30 days).

Large Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus L.)

Native to Central America. It has low bushes with sprawling and branching shoots. The leaves are round, bright green. The flowers are beautiful, widely funnel-shaped, irregularly shaped with a spur, often orange and reddish-brown velvet in color. It blooms abundantly from June until frost. It poorly tolerates drought and transplanting, so it should be sown directly in place. In well-fertilized soils, it develops lush bushes but flowers poorly. It can be widely used for decorating retaining walls, on balconies, in flower beds, and as a pot culture.

Drummond Phlox (Phlox drummondii Hook.).

In the wild, it grows in Texas (North America). The plants are low (30-35 cm), branching, ending with an umbrella-like inflorescence consisting of small (2-2.5 cm) flowers of various, often very bright colors. It blooms abundantly and for a long time. It is undemanding, although it blooms more profusely in well-fertilized soils; it is light- and moisture-loving.

Elegant Zinnia (Zinnia elegans Jacq.).

In the wild, it grows in Mexico. The plant has upright sprawling or columnar bushes ranging from 30-40 to 70-100 cm in height. The inflorescences are baskets of various sizes: from delicate 1.5-2 cm to large, reaching 8-10 cm. It is heat-loving, does not tolerate even slight frosts, and is light- and moisture-loving. It is not demanding on soils, blooms abundantly and for a long time, creating a high decorative effect. The color range is predominantly orange-yellow and red shades.

Petunia (Petunia Juss.).

Native to Central and South America. A perennial, but mainly used as an annual. The stems branch profusely, stretching to cover the ground with a solid carpet. The flowers are large (4-6 cm), funnel-shaped, numerous, often with a pleasant aroma. The color of the flowers is very diverse. Rarely does any other plant bloom as abundantly and for as long, both in open sunny places and with slight shading.

It prefers light, nutrient-rich soil. It produces well. It can be sown in the ground and by seedling method.

It tolerates transplanting easily.

Among biennials, the most decorative are the following:

Daisy (Bellis perennis L.).

Native to Europe. A perennial plant, but it is usually cultivated as a biennial crop. It is a stemless plant with spatula-shaped leaves collected in a basal rosette.

The flower stalks, 10-15 cm tall, bear solitary inflorescences-baskets from 2 to 5 cm in diameter. It blooms very early, as soon as the snow melts and the first sun rays warm it. The color of the flowers is mainly white-pink or red.

Daisies are propagated by seeds or rosettes that form around the mother plant. It tolerates transplanting at any time, even during flowering. In our conditions, it is better to plant in shaded areas, where it blooms more abundantly and for a longer time. In summer, it requires frequent and abundant watering. When sowing seeds, it blooms in the second year.

Turkish Carnation (Dianthus barbatus L.).

Native to Southern Europe, it is found in the wild in the Caucasus. It is most often propagated by seeds. When sown in spring, by autumn, small bushes with rosette, fairly large elliptical leaves are formed. The following year, 5-10 upright strong stems develop, ending with a dense inflorescence with numerous small flowers of the most diverse colors. It blooms in May for 25-30 days and then loses its decorative appeal.

It is better to plant carnations in open sunny places, well-fertilized with humus. It requires regular watering. It is mainly grown for cutting, as the flowers last long in water. It can also be used for decorative purposes—it blooms at a time when there are few other flowering plants.

Three-colored Violet, Viola, Pansy (Viola tricolor L.).

Native to Europe. A low-growing plant (10-30 cm), covered with large flowers. It has a wide range of petal colors—from snow-white to dark red velvet, yellow of all shades, from light blue to dark purple, and the most unexpected combinations of different colors. It blooms practically throughout the growing season, but especially abundantly in spring and early summer.

Violets are mainly propagated by seeds, sown in June-July, and planted in a permanent place in late August-September. Before winter, the plants develop good bushes, which are covered with numerous flowers in early spring.

Violets bloom well both in open sunny places and in slight shade. They prefer light, well-fertilized soils with peat or humus. They are used for borders, flower beds, and flower strips, and are planted along paths.