cornflower

This is a very ancient plant, a faithful companion of rye, just like a poppy seed companion of wheat. Wherever rye is sown, it certainly appears, from where it comes, and the cornflower.

To us in Russia, cornflower came from Asia with rye, which was not known either to the ancient Egyptians or to the ancient Greeks, that's why the cornflower got to Middle Europe, bypassing the Mediterranean. For the first time he is mentioned in the writings of Pliny the Elder, who lived from 79 to 37 until Christmas. Vasilek, apparently, got to Greece and Rome, along with rye - the main food source for slaves. But the Roman patricians, although they did not eat bread made from rye, but decorated their own famous feasts with wreaths of cornflowers. There are several legends about the origin of the cornflower. One of them says that the sky, angered by the fact that the ears of rye, standing by the wall, did not bow their heads before him, the cornflower settled among them. When the rye ripened, she bowed her ears in front of the cornflower, the blue color of which reminded her of the all-powerful sky.

Weaving wreaths from cornflowers has become widespread among the peoples of Europe. But the most loved cornflowers in Germany. In the time of William I the cornflower even became a symbol of German rule. Vasilek and called - "flower of the emperor."An interesting and quite plausible story is connected with this. During the Napoleonic wars, most German states joined the anti-Napoleonic coalition. When Napoleon captured the German lands, he brutally dealt with the defeated. Queen Louise managed to avoid reprisals, hiding with the children in Koenigsberg. During the years of exile, the splendor of the royal court faded considerably, and Louise often walked with the children in the fields. One day she met a village girl who invited the queen to buy from her a bouquet of corn picked in a field of rye. It wove the wreaths and, putting them on the heads of the royal children, foretold them a happy future and an uncommon fate. The touched mother gave generously to the smart girl. But the most striking thing was that her son Wilhelm became the first emperor of the united Germany, and her daughter Charlotte married the Russian Emperor Nicholas I and became Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. Well, a modest knapweed became not only a favorite of two royal families, but also a symbol of the German state. I must say that the Germans liked the flower. The flower is lucky, he is loved and honored in Germany until now. In Russia, he was loved long ago and without any mystical stories.

Cornflowers for a long time blossom in summer. Sometimes the fall can pass a second flowering. The earliest is the cornflower mountain, about 50 cm high, blooming in May-July with pinnate inflorescences of white, lilac or pink, depending on the variety. In the middle period( June-July), the cornflower blooms in a height of 60 cm, which has two excellent varieties: Steenberghil with large raspberry flowers with a white center and an even larger John Cote with pink and yellow flowers.

The tallest( 80-150 cm) cornflower is a large-headed, medium flowering period, with yellow balls blossoming on thick stems.

Cornflower practically does not require worries. The sun loves and well-bred soils( that is, it needs calcium), but it can also do what it has, including tolerating very poor soils and penumbra. It is quite drought-resistant, so in our wet region in the Northwest it can not be watered.

Although in the history of the cornflower it was a question of an annual plant, there are two-year-olds and perennials. All of them easily reproduce by seeds, which can be sown in spring, in April, and in autumn, in October, and immediately to a place previously freed from weeds. Its large seeds are embedded in the soil according to the scheme of 5x5 cm. In the future, tall varieties should be planted according to the scheme of 30 x 30 cm, and low-stem varieties - 15 x 15 cm. Sown cornflowers in spring can bloom this fall, and in the autumn sowing - the next year. Seeds retain their germination capacity for 3 years. To divide and plant perennials it is necessary in 3-4 years, otherwise blossoming becomes defective. Thus, they are multiplied by dividing the bush at the very beginning of summer or at its very end.

Tall varieties look beautiful in group plantings on lawns and fringes, and undersized ones are quite suitable for rocky slides.