Torenia, to a greater extent than widely known yesteryear the common name, Wishbone flower, belongs to a genus of nigh fifteen species, falling nether the family Linderniaceae. Torenia flowers are native to Southeast Asia and Africa. Torenia gets its hollo from a Swedish botanist, Olaf Toren who was Swedish East Bharat Company’s chaplain inward the mid-1700s.
Torenia flowers or Bluewings are known for their charming appearance. They are versatile, annual flowers whose bloom time is from boundary through fall. These flowers grow good inward both shade as well as sun. Since they are extremely easy-to-grow, Torenia flowers are quite pop garden flowers. With their vivid colors as well as charming blooms, Torenia flowers are certainly a valuable improver to whatsoever garden.
Wishbone flowers get their hollo from their stamens that are somewhat wishbone-shaped. The stamens unite at the anthers and shape a construction that resembles the chicken wishbone closely. They also run yesteryear the name Clown flowers because the vivid hues as well as the interesting patterns of these flowers resemble the makeup of a clown.
Wishbone flowers are heart-shaped or oval-shaped. They aspect similar open-faced snapdragons. They are beautifully as well as vividly bright. The flowers tin terminate live flora inward shades of blue, purple, pink, white, as well as yellow. The trumpet-like flowers are two-lipped as well as have got prominent markings on their petals.
With its vibrant as well as attractive colors, Wishbone flowers non alone hold the hummingbirds happy but volition also hold your garden feeling live too. Torenia flowers are bully for garden edging, beds, as well as containers.
The genus to which Torenia flowers belong has nigh fifteen species inward its umbrella. However, non all are common. Three species of Torenia are quite common, which are:
Torenia fournieri
Torenia Asiatica
Torenia crustacean
1. Torenia fournieri
Torenia fournieri is a bushy, annual plant. It is a small-scale flora that grows nigh 12 inches tall as well as six to 8 inches wide. Torenia fournieri is a valuable improver to gardens that practise non receive full sun. These flowers perform good in part sun or shady areas. They autumn inward the USDA hardiness zones 2-11.
Torenia fournieri flowers are lilac-blue inward color, having deep-purple colored lower lips, as well as a pharynx that is blotched alongside xanthous color. Its cultivars are also available inward numerous dissimilar colors, including white, rose, pink, as well as burgundy.
Torenia fournieri flowers bloom early on inward the flavour as well as run along to bloom through fall. These flowers practise non require whatsoever additional maintenance. They are fairly easy-to-grow as well as maintain.
Growing Torenia fournieri
Torenia fournieri seeds should live planted inward warm, moist soil six to 8 weeks earlier the expected last frost date. These plants practise non transplant well. Therefore, seeds should live started inward newspaper pots or peat. The seeds should non live covered inward soil because the seeds cannot germinate without sunlight. The soil should live maintained at nigh lxx degrees Fahrenheit as well as should live reasonably moist. Once the seeds germinate, they tin terminate comport cooler temperatures.
If you lot wishing for your Torenia fournieri plant to grow bushier, pinching the tip of the growing flora tin terminate assistance you lot accomplish it. In areas that are frost-free, you lot can sow seeds into the outdoor soil directly. This should live done at to the lowest degree a calendar week earlier the final frost is expected. The alone matter that should live taken attention of when growing this type of Torenia flower is that the soil should live well-fed as well as well-watered.
There is no demand for deadheading the plants every bit they volition run along to make blooms throughout the season.
These types of Torenia flowers can grow inward many locations every bit they are non real demanding. However, the conditions that promote the best increment include areas that have forenoon Sun as well as a chip of afternoon shade.
Torenia fournieri flowers practise non require a detail soil pH for optimum growth. However, they practise perform exceptionally good inward slightly acidic soil, having pH inward the make of 6.0 – 6.5. Rich, loamy, moist, but well-drained soil ensures that the flora grows to the best of its ability. H5N1 soil that is soggy tin terminate result inward beginning rot. Adding compost improves the character of the blooms.
Torenia fournieri flowers are an ideal improver to garden beds, garden borders, as well as containers for indoor plantation.
Varieties of Torenia fournieri Flowers
Catalina Gilded Grape
Catalina Gilded Grape has brightly yellow-colored flowers that have got a purple-colored throat. It tin terminate grow to a meridian of nigh 1 to 2 feet as well as spreads to or therefore 1 foot. They are depression maintenance plants that grow good inward moist, rich, well-drained soil. They prefer growing inward the shade inward regions where the days are long as well as hot, piece they tin terminate perform good in full sun in regions where days are non likewise long or hot.
Catalina White Linen
Catalina White Linen is known for its pure-white flowers alongside a yellow-colored center. The flora is compact, having a potent mounding habit. It tin terminate grow to a meridian of upwardly to xviii inches as well as tin terminate spread to nigh 8 to 10 inches. It is an annual flora that grows best inward areas that receive partial shade.
Torenia Clown Mix
Torenia Clown Mix is a stunning diverseness of Torenia fournieri. It has a breathtakingly beautiful mix of colors. Torenia Clown Mix is 1 of the best types of Torenia flowers for baskets, garden borders, as well as garden beds. They add together an chemical component of excitement as well as brightness inward whatsoever garden!
Kauai Rose
Kauai Rose is a compact type of Torenia. It produces beautiful pink-colored blooms. This variant of Torenia flowers grows to a meridian of nigh 8 inches alongside an or therefore equal spread. They prefer growing inward partial Sun or full shade. They exhibit superior surgical physical care for inward extremely hot as well as humid weather. If you lot wishing to add together something exotic to your garden, Kauai Roses are the best alternative to run with!
Moon Purple
Moon Purple is some other stunning type of Torenia fournieri that produces beautiful lavender-purple colored flowers alongside shiny dark-green foliage. It grows to a meridian of 10 inches as well as tin terminate spread every bit broad every bit sixteen inches. These types of Torenia flowers grow best inward partial Sun or full shade. They demand soil that is consistently moist. The pH of the soil should live slightly acidic for optimum growth. Moon Purple holds immense value for garden borders as well as containers.
Moon Yellow
Moon Yellow is a type of Torenia that produces light-yellow flowers. The flowers are a stunning xanthous alongside a purple-colored throat. These Torenia plants grow nigh 10 inches tall as well as sixteen inches wide. They tin terminate perform good in full sun and part shade. The soil should live consistently moist for the best growth. The eye-catching flowers are what make Torenia Moon Yellow such a popular Torenia variety.
Other pop varieties include Summer Wave that has large flowers growing alongside a trailing habit. They are known for their large blue flowers. Some varieties of Summer Wave also have got stunning Amethyst flowers.
2. Torenia Asiatica
Torenia Asiatica is a small-scale diverseness of Torenia flowers. It produces pretty, violet-purple colored flowers alongside the pharynx inward a darker shade. The flora has a trailing habit of growth. It thrives exceptionally good outdoors as well as shows the best increment inward summers. Torenia Asiatica is a summer-loving flora that produces attractive blooms throughout the summer.
If you lot desire your summertime garden to aspect lively as well as fresh, the improver of Torenia Asiatica is a bully option. The beautiful flowers volition run along to add together color to the garden all summertime long.
3. Torenia crustacean
Torenia crustacean or Lindernia crustacean, to a greater extent than commonly known every bit the Malaysian False Pimpernel, is an herbaceous annual Torenia variety. It is native to Asia but is flora inward temperate as well as tropical areas all about the world.
Torenia crustacean is flora inward moist as well as opened upwardly habitats, such every bit the banks of rivers as well as creeks, inward fallow fields, lawns, as well as roadsides.
The flowers of Torenia crustacean are produced from the axils of upper leaves inward cymes. The flowers are two-lipped as well as are blue-purple inward color. The pharynx of the flowers is white as well as yellow. The mix of colors makes these types of Torenia flowers a breathtakingly beautiful improver to whatsoever garden.
Torenia crustacean grows best inward well-drained, moist soil that is fairly rich. Like other types of Torenia flowers, Torenia crustacean also requires forenoon Sun as well as later shade for optimum growth. Too piddling or likewise much sunlight tin terminate touching on the character of the plants.
Torenia crustacean is an ideal alternative of flowering plants for garden edges, roadsides, as well as yesteryear the rivers as well as lakes. Their pretty, violet-blue colored flowers add together specks of colors to fifty-fifty the most ho-hum landscapes.
Growing Torenia Flowers
Torenia flowers are real slow to grow. Planting Torenia is hassle-free, as well as these plants are incredibly low-maintenance. To grow the best character Torenia flowers, you lot precisely have got to live mindful of certain factors which are most probable to touching on the increment of Torenia flowers.
Planting as well as Propagating Torenia Flowers
Torenia flowers tin terminate live grown yesteryear seeds or yesteryear seedlings. Seeds are unremarkably sown indoors earlier the expected final frost. They tin terminate also live sown outdoors straight when the temperature of the soil has turned fairly warm. If you lot wishing to role seedlings for Torenia propagation, you lot tin terminate allow the seedlings to grow indoors as well as therefore transplant the seedlings carefully to the soil outside.
Germination of Torenia Seeds
Seeds of Torenia flowers require sunlight for germination. Therefore, when you lot sow the seeds inward your garden, practise non encompass the seeds alongside soil therefore that the seeds stay exposed to sunlight.
Soil Requirements
Torenias require soil that is moist, well-drained, as well as fertile. Adding compost to the soil tin terminate also better the increment as well as character of the blooms. The pH of the soil should live slightly acidic – betwixt 5.6 to 7.5. Adding a layer of mulch is also beneficial for Torenia growth.
Light Requirements
Light is a real of import cistron inward the increment of Torenia flowers. These plants require both Sun as well as shade. If Torenia plants are grown inward an surface area where in that location is alone shade, Torenia flowers may non bloom at all. If the flora is grown inward an surface area that receives total sun, the leaf may educate a faded-green color. Therefore, the ideal location to flora Torenia is an surface area that receives forenoon Sun as well as afternoon shade.
Water Requirements
Torenia requires moist soil to grow. If you lot excogitation on planting Torenia flowers, you lot volition live required to H2O the flora regularly. However, brand sure that you lot practise non overwater because if the soil becomes soggy, the roots may rot as well as the Torenia plants may die.
Common Diseases inward Torenia Flowers
Torenia flowers are affected yesteryear some common diseases which have got been listed below:
Botrytis
A gray-colored mold forms on the Torenia flora inward this disease. If your Torenia flora has been affected yesteryear Botrytis, precisely withdraw the parts that have got been affected as well as ensure that the air circulation about the flora is skillful enough.
Powdery Mildew
Powdery mildew is a mutual fungal affliction inward plants inward which the leaves look powdery white. It tin terminate live controlled yesteryear pruning the affected parts as well as treating the flora alongside a suitable fungicide.
Aphids
Aphids are tiny insects that feed on the plant’s leaves. They are unremarkably acquaint on the bottom of the leaves. You tin terminate role insecticidal lather to launder aphids off the plant.
Whitefly
Whiteflies are small, flight insects that ascent inward the shape of a cloud when the flora is disturbed. You tin terminate command a whitefly infestation yesteryear using insecticidal lather or hot pepper wax.
Torenia flowers are non every bit mutual about the the world every bit other flowering flora varieties. Among all the types of Torenia flowers, Torenia fournieri is the most mutual as well as the most pop type. H5N1 release of cultivars of Torenia fournieri are also available that brand this type of Torenia blossom 1 of the biggest groups of Torenia flowers. With different, vividly colored flowers as well as shiny dark-green foliage, Torenia plants are, without a doubt, exotic as well as stunning improver to your garden.
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