Cornflowers

Cornflowers - a symbol of holiness, respect, tenderness, simplicity. This flower is one of the most popular elements of folk embroidery. At the end of the harvest, the peasants decorated the last sheaf with cornflowers and put them in a corner in the house. Our girls wove wreaths of 12 flowers, one of which was cornflower - a symbol of loyalty and loyalty. In Sweden, a wreath of cornflowers is an element of the state emblem.
Often these flowers are classified as malicious weeds. But only if they grow up where they should not. And plant them on the flowerbed, and even give a little attention - and they will become a real decoration. How beautiful is the cornflower field: cornflowers in combination with ears, cornflowers and chamomile, cornflowers and poppies. .. The people expressed their love for these blue-eyed flowers in the song: "Oh, hairs, hairs, blue, chervoni i bili, vi in ​​my veins,sposmin sums poured ».By the way, in Latin this family sounds like centaura, that is, flowers of the centaur. After all, according to the ancient Greek myth of Centaurus, Chiron used cornflowers for treatment.

So, cornflowers are one-and perennial herbaceous plants and semiskusts of the family of Compositae( astroids).There are up to 500 species. The most common cornflower in blue or blue. It is an erect bush, very branched, 30-80 cm high, with short narrow leaves. At a young age - pubescent. Inflorescence - basket up to 8 cm in diameter, flowers simple or double, color of flowers blue, blue, occasionally - purple, white, red. There are large-flowered gustomakhrovye varieties. Blooms from late June to September. Seeds ripen well.
Propagates cornflower blue from seeds, which are planted on a permanent place in April - May. On seedlings it is sown in March. It is possible - and under autumn, then shoots will appear in the early spring. At autumn planting plants grow and bloom longer than in spring. You can plant cornflowers both in the sun and in the shade. Seedlings appear after 12-14 days, flowering begins in 60-70 days. Distance between plants - 15-20 cm. In the care of cornflowers unpretentious. Light-loving, cold-resistant, can grow on poor soils, but prefers fertile, friable. Then it reaches the greatest decorativeness. Does not like acidic soils. It reacts well to systematic watering and loosening of the soil. Twice during the planting season it is desirable to feed mineral fertilizers. If the seedlings of cornflowers are planted at different times, the flowering period can be extended. Planting feeds before flowering( dilute in 10 liters of water on a tablespoon of urea and nitrofoski at a rate of 3-4 liters per 1 sq. M.).
If cornflowers do not dig, next year they will grow again. More flower growers are planted cornflower musk, American cornflower( grows up to 1 m in height) and cornflower is soft. At the latter low stems( 30-35 cm), forms thickets of rosettes with silvery leaves, which quickly grow.
Cornflower is used in medicine. In particular, tinctures and broth from cornflower blue - from colds, dropsy, inflammation of the kidneys. It is also an effective choleretic and antispasmodic. Cornflower water treats eye diseases in folk medicine. Infusion of flowers of cornflower on melt water at one time in Germany and France was considered the main means for the treatment of eye diseases.
The flower petals of the cornflower blue are added to home soap. And they are used as a natural exfoliant - a cosmetic product that causes rapid exfoliation of the cells of the outer layer of the epidermis, stimulating at the same time the formation of new cells. However, exfoliates tend to dry out the skin, so they are best suited for people with a fat type of skin. Prepare the lotion: a tablespoon of cornflower flowers pour a glass of boiling water and insist for half an hour. Wipe skin 2-3 times a day. Landscape designers appreciate the cornflower for the fact that the blue color on the flowerbed is not such a frequent visitor. Cornflowers are used in group plantings, to create flower lawns, in particular, Moorish, for bouquets. In the Mauritanian lawn, cornflower blue is planted along with nails, escholzia, poppy, and a cosme. These plants are easily restored by seeds and form a beautiful variegated lawn. The milled are stored 5-7 days.