Dracocephalum

Family. Lamiaceae.

Origin. China, Eastern Europe.

Description. Dracocephalum or Turkish lemon balm are perennial, less often annual, compact herbaceous plants with creeping or erect stems. The leaves are simple, opposite, dark green, often have a pleasant aroma of mint and lemon, and are oval. The flowers are intricate, dragon-head-shaped, tubular, white, blue.

Height. 20 - 30 cm in room culture. 

Planting and care

Reproduction

Seeds sown in spring. Germination occurs within 10 - 14 days.

When blooms 

It blooms in early summer; the flowering period is long. 

Diseases and pests 

Overwatering during the cold season can cause the plant to rot. Among the harmful insects, fleas and cicadas can attack the flower when grown in open ground.

Containment temperature

The dracocephalum tolerates a wide range of temperatures, including temperatures as low as -15 ° C.

Lighting

Well-lit location without direct sunlight. 

Care

Extremely unpretentious and attractive appearance.

Soil

Nutritious and well-drained, with the addition of coarse river sand.

Fertilizer

During the period of active growth, the dracocephalum is fed 2 times a month with complex fertilizers. During the dormant period, feeding is stopped. 

Spraying

No special requirements. In winter, when the central heating is on, it is worth spraying periodically.

Watering

Adult bushes are drought-resistant, but during the growing season watering should be abundant and fairly frequent. In autumn and winter, the frequency of watering is reduced, preventing the soil lump from drying out.

Transplanting

Adult dracocephalum are replanted in the spring every 2 to 3 years. 

Purpose

Species with creeping stems can be used as ground cover plants. Dracocephalum flowers are used for cutting. 

Note

It is used in folk medicine as a wound healing and disinfectant, as well as in the preparation of various dishes and drinks.

Varieties:

Dracocephalum moldavicum

Herbaceous plants up to 50 cm high with erect, weakly branched, often pubescent shoots. The leaves are sessile, green, oblong. The leaf blades are glossy and have large teeth along the edge. During the flowering period, the plant forms erect peduncles with numerous lilac or purple buds, opening sequentially - from the base of the stems to the tops. Flowering is very long. When damaged, the leaves and stems of the plant emit a pleasant lemon aroma, which is why they are often used in the preparation of refreshing drinks. 

Dracocephalum ruyschiana

Compact herbaceous flowering plants 15 - 30 cm high with vertical, pubescent stems. The leaves are green, glossy, narrowly linear, sessile, 5 - 7 cm long, arranged in opposite pairs or collected in whorls. The flowers are bluish or blue, fragrant, collected in small inflorescences at the tops of the shoots.

Dracocephalum nutans

Flowering plants 15 - 40 cm high with vertical, pubescent stems abundantly branched at the base. The leaves are green, lanceolate, glossy, with arcuate veins, on short petioles. The leaf blades are covered with slight pubescence, which can be colored purple. The flowers are lilac, lavender or violet, appearing on the tops of the stems in the warmer months. 

Dracocephalum grandiflorum

Attractive compact herbaceous plants up to 30 cm high with green, lanceolate leaves on pubescent petioles. The leaf blades are covered with a whole network of branched veins and dense pubescence. Stems are erect, thin, pubescent. The flowers are blue, violet or blue, located in small inflorescences at the tops of the shoots.