Globeflower

Family Asteraceae. The name derives from the German word 'Trollblume' — troll flower. According to folk belief, these plants were favorites of the fairy forest creatures — trolls. According to another version, the name comes from the Old German word 'troll' — ball, referring to the globular shape of the flower.

Globeflowers are distributed across a wide range of natural zones: from tundras to deserts, from foothills to high mountains, in forest belts, near glaciers and snowfields, on alpine and subalpine meadows. Globeflowers display an endless variety of yellow and orange tones in noble combination with many shades of green. They are attractive in any weather, but especially striking against a bright blue sky, near rivers, streams, ponds and forest lakes. Yellow is an active color that evokes lively, joyful feelings; orange conveys a sense of warmth, like the color of fire or the setting sun.

Location: although globeflowers in nature inhabit semi-shaded sites, in cultivation they are recommended to be grown in open, well-lit places in front of trees or shrubs, in large patches on lawns, or as solitary plants among rocks. During growth and flowering, when the soil is close to drying out, watering is necessary. Seedlings of all globeflowers require watering and shading. Globeflowers overwinter well and do not require cover. On a permanent site without transplanting, globeflowers can grow for a very long time.

Soil: globeflowers are very adaptable and in cultivation do not require special agronomic measures. Natural conditions are not always the ecological ideal for globeflowers. The most favorable soils for cultivating globeflowers are light- or medium-loam, well-structured soils with increased humus content. Globeflowers grow well in rich, light-textured soils with near-neutral acidity. However, they also grow on soils poor in humus. A mix of leaf mould with peat and sand is beneficial. Sphagnum can be added to the soil mix, as it absorbs water and is able to retain moisture longer than soil. Soil under perennial globeflowers is not dug for long periods and requires weeding. The soil should be completely cleared of roots and rhizomes of previously grown perennials before planting. The most drought-resistant plants, such as the Junggar globeflower and the Altai globeflower, prefer well-drained soil without stagnant groundwater. By the way, stagnant groundwater is bad for other globeflowers as well. Good planting sites for globeflowers are low rockeries or simple beds of plants against a background of stones of various shapes and sizes. Artificial relief improves aeration and creates conditions that prevent water stagnation. Limestone used as the base of an artificial relief reduces soil acidity and improves growing conditions. For sowing seeds and growing seedlings it is better to create a lighter soil composed of peat and sand in combination: two parts peat, two parts sand, one part garden soil.

Care: consists of weeding, watering and loosening the soil. When loosening at 10 cm from the clumps, the depth should be no more than 3–5 cm, since the plant has many superficial roots that can be damaged. The soil should be constantly mulched with a layer of peat or humus. For good development, it is necessary to regularly add fertile soil at the base of the clumps. The species are moisture-loving, so watering is reduced only in autumn. To obtain a second flowering, faded flower stalks should be cut out. All species of globeflowers are fairly hardy and therefore overwinter without covering. On a permanent site globeflowers grow well for up to 10 years or more, after which it is desirable to divide the clump and transplant to a new place. The leaves of globeflowers are decorative throughout the growing season. In September–October the leaves die back, and only after this can they be cut, leaving the bases of the petioles 2–3 cm above the soil surface. They serve as protection for the bud located in the center of the rosette shoot. From this bud a flower stalk will form the following year. If leaves that have not completed their vegetation are cut, this will significantly weaken the bud and next year a well-developed flower stalk will not be obtained.

Diseases and pests: globeflowers are robust and vigorous plants and are practically not damaged by diseases. For better plant condition, early spring treatment with ash is recommended, nitrogen fertilization during spring growth, and later the use of complex fertilizers. At the beginning of flowering it is advisable to spray the plants with Epin (10 drops per 1 liter of water). To prevent fungal diseases, old dead leaves should be removed in autumn. In rare cases globeflowers can be affected by smut, septoria, and an endoparasitic short-bodied nematode.

Propagation: by seed, division of rhizomes and cuttings. Seeds are sown immediately after harvest or in autumn into the ground or boxes. When sowing in spring, seeds require stratification for 3–4 months at 2–4 °C. Seedlings appear in spring (seeds are slow to germinate; emergence is usually not simultaneous). Unlike European, Altai, Asian and Junggar globeflowers, which require a cold period for seed germination, the large-petaled, Ledebour's and Rieder's globeflowers can be successfully sown in spring. Uniform seedlings appear in mid-May. Seedlings of all globeflowers require watering when the soil dries out and shading. After the appearance of the second true leaf, seedlings are pricked out at a distance of 8–10 cm from each other. Plants can be planted in a permanent place from the spring of the second year or in the third and fourth year. European, Ledebour's and Junggar globeflowers bloom in the second year after seedling emergence. In the first year flowering globeflowers have one flower stalk with a single flower. With age, the number of flower stalks increases and they often become branched. The terminal flower blooms first, while buds appear on the lateral branches. Branching of the main shoot increases its attractiveness and extends the flowering period. On a permanent site without transplanting globeflowers can grow for up to 10 years or more, spreading each year, after which the clump should be divided and transplanted to a new place.

One method of vegetative propagation is clump division or separating several peripheral shoots with roots from an adult plant. Virtually all globeflowers have a similar root system. This is a fibrous-rooted perennial with many cord-like roots. Shoots are located around the periphery of the clump. The diameter of the above-ground part of the plant depends on its age. In middle-aged plants it is 15–30 cm. The central part of the clump remains alive. It is at this age (around the fifth year of cultivation), when the plant's vitality is high, that it should be propagated by dividing it into parts. Old, weakened plants should not be propagated. Clump division is best done in August and early September when the shoots for the next year are formed in the buds and there is time before winter for rooting. The parent plant should be dug up and soil shaken from its roots. The root system should be thoroughly washed. The plant is divided with a knife into several parts. The size of planting units can be arbitrary. It is important that each unit contain several rosette shoots with roots. The cut surfaces should be treated with a potassium permanganate solution. Treatment with ash also gives good results. Prepared planting material must not dry out. Plants should be planted quickly and planting sites prepared in advance. When planting, the crown should be set 2 cm deep, maintaining a spacing of 30–40 cm. Leaves are cut back; new leaf growth begins two weeks after planting. Cuttings are taken from young basal shoots that appear in spring, and from summer rosettes with a part of the underground stem. Plants respond well to mineral fertilizer applications.

Monospecific plantings of globeflowers are decorative in large patches as free picturesque groups in landscape compositions, alternating open and closed spaces. Monospecific groups are easily placed in open sites, including sunny edges of natural or artificial tree plantings. Globeflowers combine well with stone. Ideally, rockeries should imitate a natural scatter of stones and fragments of vegetation. When creating such compositions, combinations of globeflowers with low, ground-cover plants can be recommended. In the foreground — low perennials, behind them — globeflowers, and in the background taller, later-flowering perennials preferably with decorative leaves in shape and color. On rockeries globeflowers are decorative in combination with bergenia in the foreground. One of the valuable properties of globeflowers is their ability to create unique, long-lasting bouquets. A bouquet remains decorative until all the buds have faded. A bouquet of globeflowers is picturesque and unique.

They are effective in plantings with mahonia, spireas and lilacs. When planting one should consider that in mid-summer globeflowers lose some decorative value. Therefore, they are recommended to be placed in the mid-ground. Combinations with cushion-forming plants in the foreground are decorative. Bells (Campanula) can be used in combination with globeflowers. In front of globeflowers, groundcover plants can be planted: Cerastium tomentosum (silver mouse-ear), a green perennial with abundant flowering and fruiting, or field mouse-ear, or Bieberstein's mouse-ear, or Crimean edelweiss. Also good is Cerastium arvense, which blooms in June–July and forms a cover up to 10 cm high. As a groundcover plant one can recommend Sedum ewersii up to 20–25 cm high, flowering from June to July for about a month, or hybrid sedums — groundcover perennials.