Statica, kermek or limonium is a two-year (perennial) plant. Linonium can be of different heights, it reaches a maximum within 80 centimeters. Belongs to the family of pigs. Its stems are ribbed, and the flowers are not large. The leaves that surround it form a rosette.
Each flower is not more than 1 cm in diameter, folded into corymbal joints, consisting of 3-4 ears. The corollas of the plant are white in color, and the calyxes are multicolored from yellow to purple.
Description and features of statistics
Many people know the stats, as this is a very popular immortelle. It is also known by the names "limonium" or "kermek." This is usually a perennial bush, about one and a half meters tall.
Static leaf plates are straight, fairly elongated, large, usually basal and assembled into one outlet. The stems are even, most often without leaves on top, densely pubescent.
This plant blooms with spikelets, and its flowers are usually of a different shade. Among which there are both ordinary ones - white, red, and more interesting colors, combining several shades. Such as purple or lavender. Immortelle, like many others, reaches its peak in bloom only in the middle of summer.
Many suggest that it is best to grow this plant as an annual, as it does not tolerate cold very well. Although the opinions of gardeners differ and some believe that it is quite possible to take a chance and grow a statice as a perennial. And since this is a rather complicated process, you will have to learn this craft.
Popular types and varieties of statice
There are many varieties of this plant, most of them borrowed from the environment where no one looked after them. Even now they are met on the expanses of the Caucasian and European steppes, in the same pristine form. Specially for gardeners and landscape designers, they did not get divorced, but, despite this, they are quite popular with them. And all this thanks to their winter hardiness and decorativeness. Here are some notable varieties:
| View | Description | Varieties | Flowers | Height (cm) |
| Tatar | It is very widespread in the south of the European part of Russia, the Caucasus, Bulgaria, as well as Ukraine. After flowering in the steppes, it becomes a tumbleweed. The root root is long, the leaves are large, leathery. It can grow in any soil. | Are absent. | It blooms in June, the bud consists of five white petals. | 30-40. |
| Broadleaf | The leaves are wide, collected in a rosette near the root. He loves dry soil and open, sunny areas. | Blue Cloud, Violet | It blooms for about a month and a half, starting in July. Small buds, purple. | 50. |
| Suvorova dried flower | The gardens are grown as annuals. Seedlings are planted in April, and in open ground it is placed in May or June, when there are no night frosts. | Are absent. | They are arranged in the form of spikelets. Lilac or pink color. | 20-80. |
| Kayspian | He loves heat, therefore, grown in warm places. Not suitable for central Russia, as it freezes there. It retains its shape and color perfectly after drying, and is therefore grown for bouquets. | Small, painted in a pale purple hue. They are arranged in the form of branchy shoots and resemble leaves. | 70. | |
| Recessed (Recessed) | Came from Asia Minor, the Mediterranean and North Africa. Leaf plates are weakly expressed, resemble feathers in shape, located in a rosette at the root. In the temperate zone of Russia, it is grown as an annual plant. Loves the sun. It is perfectly preserved when dried and is therefore used in floristry. | Crimean mix, Suprim, Shamo, Iceberg, Roseum, Talisman, Apricot, Turbo, Blue River, Petit Bouquet and others. | Located in the form of ears of corn. Usually there are blue, violet, pink, white or yellow. Later, an egg-shaped box appears in place of the bud. | 80. |
| Gmelin | Likes salty soils. Often found in the steppes of European Russia and Siberia, Central Asia, Northern China, central Europe, and also Mongolia. The leaves are gray-green, collected in a rosette near the root. When grown in central Russia for the winter, it is necessary to shelter, and in the spring to hide from direct sunlight. | Are absent. | Not sprawling, assembled in fairly dense brushes. The color of the petals can be lilac, less often white. | 50 |
| Bondouelli | Distributed in North Africa, where it got its name. It is usually grown as a decorative annual. | Lush, yellow or white color | 90 | |
| Chinese | In the wild it grows as a perennial plant, but in temperate latitudes it is grown as an annual. The leaves are glossy, form a basal rosette. | Confetti, Elegant. | Yellow, have white perianths. | A bush seventy centimeters high. |
| Ordinary | The trunk is flat and empty, the root system is rod, one meter long. Leaf plates are painted green, oval, located in the outlet at the root. | Are absent. | Flowering lasts more than a month. The buds themselves are purple, make up a panicle with a diameter of about 50 cm. | 50. |
| Peres | The birthplace of this flower are the Canary Islands. | Large, painted in a bright purple hue. | 60 |
Static propagation
To reproduce a healthy, strong statice, both at home and in the open ground, it is possible to achieve only as a result of seed sowing. The vegetative option should not be addressed, since the root system is very sensitive to transplantation and may die as a result.
You can buy statice seeds in a store specializing in this. Just buy a little, you still need to germinate them, and this is quite difficult. For the result to be positive, a number of conditions must be met.
- It is necessary to properly prepare the seeds for planting in the ground. The ribbed shell should not be completely removed; you need to lightly peel it with sandpaper so that they sprout faster.
- Soak the seeds in a prepared wet mixture of sawdust and epin.
- Prepare the soil from sand, soil substrate. Sift thoroughly while removing all debris.
- The resulting soil is placed in a microwave and heated to a temperature of 100 ° C for two hours.
- After that, shed it with a weak solution obtained from potassium permanganate.
- Slightly spill with warm water.
- Each seed is planted in a separate pot of peat, so as not to dive later, otherwise there is a risk of damage to the root system.
- Fix a plastic film on top or put a glass.
- Put in a cool but fairly sunny area for two weeks. The temperature should be kept within +20 ° C.
When time passes, the first shoots will sprout. To really happen, you need daily:
- slightly ventilate;
- examine the soil for the degree of drying.
Ready seedlings are planted in prepared soil directly in the container in which it grew.
Rules for replanting in open ground
The place for the landing of the immortelle must be chosen sufficiently sanctified and warmed up. You can place it in a windy area - she is not afraid of drafts and winds. Any soil can be chosen for an immortelle, but the best option is either light sandstone or loam with a slightly alkaline environment.
The root system is quite finicky, it must be handled carefully, especially when transplanting. The holes in which flowers will be planted must be made so that they fit peat pots. As soon as they are planted with statice and sprinkled on top of the ground, you need to spill them with salt water. To do this, for every 10 liters of water you need to add 1 tbsp. salt and mix everything.
Static Care Specifics
From how the care for the kermek will proceed, how it grows and whether it will be decorative. It is necessary to remove flowers that have already faded. And also to cook dried flowers.
While they will grow, they need to be looked after, carry out the appropriate procedures:
- Watering. Statica is part of a group of plants that are not afraid of drought, so it must be watered during prolonged dry weather. To do this, one and a half glasses of water is poured under each flower.
- Top dressing. It must be done before planting seedlings in the prepared soil. For this, all fertilizers are applied in the complex, so that for every 100 m² about 4 kg are left. In sparse soil, organic fertilizers are applied every two weeks.
- Preparing for wintering. In order for the flower to winter well and not die, you need to take care and cover it. It is very important not to miss it and to remove the shelter in time, otherwise the roots of the hospital are too wet and may die.
We can assume that the cultivation process has ended, since most of them are annuals.
Wintering
This type of plant is resistant to frost. Some species, varieties can tolerate fairly low temperatures, for example: Sea lavender - up to -30 ° C. However, all must be taken care of so that they do not die and spring bloom again. Autumn, yellowed leaves are removed, roots are trimmed, covered with fallen leaves or spruce branches, special material is thrown on top. This "blanket" will be an excellent defense, which will not allow the immortelle to perish, protecting it from the cold, and from spring melt water.
Those flowers that have bloomed should not be thrown out, they are better:
- bundle;
- hang to dry in a ventilated area.
Then from them it will be possible to prepare floral arrangements. If they are prepared correctly, they will retain their color and beauty for the whole year.
Diseases and Pests
A variety of diseases that affect most plants are not afraid of statice. The only one she could not resist was aphid. She endangers immortelle flowers. It can be cured if you spray it with a liquid solution in a composition that includes alcohol and diluted soap. Another ailment is rotting of the roots. To prevent this, it is necessary to water the statice as little as possible, and it would be better if drainage is additionally done in the ground.
Mr. Summer resident recommends: the use of kermek
Due to its originality and good preservation, the plant is dried, using in the future for the manufacture of ikebane. A winter, original, beautiful composition will turn out if the kermek is cut off after it blooms. Suspended by flowers, dried down in a darkened ventilated place.
To decorate the territory in the gardens of country houses, it is placed in sunny places along the fence or hedge. Smaller varieties will be a great addition to a flower bed or along garden paths.
Combining a variety of plants, you can achieve the perfect decor, for example: purple statice will complement a flower bed with yellowish-orange marigolds or calendula. And white varieties are perfectly combined among asters or sage.
Due to the fact that the statice has a huge variety of colors, it will always look great in combination with other plants on any corner of the garden plot. She will delight with her flowering all summer, while not requiring careful and debilitating care.
