Image – Wikimedia/Dinesh Valke
There are many herbs that have decorative flowers: one of them is the Angelonia angustifolia. It is a beautiful plant that can be planted wherever you want: in pots or planters, or in the garden with others, such as snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus) or carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus) for example.
It doesn’t take up much space, but when it flowers it is very, very showy. In addition, not tricky at allso it will not be difficult for you to maintain it.
Contents
What is the origin and characteristics of Angelonia angustifolia?
Image – Wikimedia/David J. Stang
The Angelonia angustifolia It is a perennial herb called angelon, angelonia or old woman’s mouth. It grows from Mexico to Panama. Reaches a height between 10 and 120 centimeters, and has lanceolate leaves up to 6 centimeters long and up to 10 millimeters wide. The margin of these is serrated and they are dark green.
As for the flowers, they can appear in groups or alone, and measure about 2 centimeters wide.. The corolla is yellow, pink, lilac or blue. The fruit is a capsule about 4 millimeters wide, which contains several small seeds.
What uses does it have?
It is a herb that is cultivated for its high ornamental value, but it must also be said that in its country of origin it is used as a medicinal plant for its stimulating properties.
What are your worries?
If you dare to have one Angelonia angustifoliaIn addition to knowing how much it can grow, it is important that we explain how to take care of it. This way you can have it healthy and beautiful:
Location
It is a plant that we will put in a sunny place, and therefore outside. It is very, very important that the sun gives it, otherwise it will not bloom; he couldn’t even grow up properly.
For this reason, it should not be kept indoors, since the light that enters the house is not of sufficient quality for the angelonia to be healthy.
Ground
- Flower pot: it is a grass that adapts very well to pots. We’re going to put a universal culture substrate like that, and that’s it. Of course, the container must have holes in its base; Otherwise, every time we water, the water would accumulate in its roots and in the end the plant would drown.
- Court: you can plant it in the open ground in the spring, when there is no more frost. Do it in an area where you know there will be sun all day; In this way you will see that it will be very good.
Irrigation
The Angelonia angustifolia need to be watered often enough, but preventing the soil from staying wet for a long time. Thus, in winter and as long as the cold lasts, it will be watered once or twice a week more or less, because the earth takes longer to dry completely. But in the summer it will have to be done more often.
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It can be paid all year round except in winter, because during this season it does not grow and therefore does not need additional supply of nutrients. So, if you want it to thrive, it will be a good idea to fertilize it with a fertilizer that contains mostly phosphorus and potassium, such as seaweed fertilizer (on sale here) or guano. These, as they are organic, can be used in organic farming, since not only do they not harm the environment, but in a certain way they take care of it, since they respect the life of pollinating insects, they are not poisonous, and in addition to nourish the me usually.
Of course, it can also be fertilized (or better said, fertilized) with flowering plant fertilizers like this, following the instructions on the package. These products are also called “chemical fertilizers”, but a fertilizer must be clearly differentiated from a fertilizer, because if the former comes from nature itself, the fertilizer is made in the laboratory or in the company. In other words: compost is a natural product and fertilizer is man-made.
Multiplication
The Angelonia angustifolia it is a grass you can propagate by seed in the spring. All you have to do is fill a pot with universal substrate, for example, water it, then place the seeds so that they are separated from each other and a little buried. It’s important that you don’t overdo it; in fact, ideally, no more than 3 should be placed in a container about 8 centimeters in diameter so that they can all germinate without problems.
If all goes well, you’ll see them germinate in 5-10 days, but don’t take them out of the seedbed until the roots come out of the holes.
hardiness
Image – Flickr/Carl Lewis
It can be grown outdoors without any problem, because withstands cold and even frost down to -7ºC.
What is your opinion on the Angelonia angustifolia? Sounds like an interesting garden plant?