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Flowers Going Wild.
Throughout mid Summer everything grows rampantly – especially the Weeds
and for a while, at least, it can be a bit of a job to stay on top of
them. Even some flowering plants can get a bit out of hand at this time
including self set Achillea. I planted a cultivated red and a cultivated
yellow one on my Allotment for cut flowers and they keep seeding down
everywhere and going wild. I have even had some nice pure white ones
come up that I thought were a little different. However, when I looked
them up it seems that the wild, or native version of Achillea, is called
“Yarrow,” and yes it is white! The different colours do make a lovely
show though and are an ideal Cottage Garden type flower, so I potted a
number of them up to go in our forthcoming Plant Sale.
Some more plants for the sale came my way when the Charity where I do
some voluntary Work was having a bit of a clear out not long ago and
gave me a tray of large Plug Plants. They were another popular Cottage
Garden type Plant called Verbena Bonariensis. Personally, I am not a fan
of these as I think that their purple flowers are too tall, open and
whispy, but I suppose planted in a cluster, at the back of a bed, they
do put on a bit of a show. The plants had got very leggy in the plugs so
I cut them down as I re-potted them and hopefully they will have time to
bush out a little before our sale. They may even come back into flower.
Another popular plant that I have for the sale that can get a bit out of
hand and go wild seeding itself down everywhere is Sisyrinchium
Striatum. I put some in my Allotment between my Fruit Trees some years
ago and recently decided that they needed thinning out, so I dug up a
quantity of self sets and potted them. There is a miniature Sisyrinchium
that is grown in wet conditions around Fish Ponds, but Striatum is very
tolerant of any conditions, even quite dry, is much taller at about 2
feet, and comes from South America. The leaves are very much like those
of a thin Iris, or like a Bluebell leaf, but the Flowers go all up the
stems more like a Gladiola. They are creamy white and make a very bold
splash for a few weeks before they die off and then need cutting off to
prevent them from seeding everywhere. Unusually, for a plant with this
type of foliage, the whole leaf cluster that gives rise to the flower
spike, goes black and dies off after flowering, so they do need a bit of
attention at the end of the season as well.
Forever on the scrounge, and while wondering around the site at work, I
saw a very pretty little cluster of smallish flowers that had set
themselves naturally down the side of one the Paths by the growing beds.
When I asked about it one of the Staff identified them as the native
“Fox and Cubs,” and I later found its Latin name of “Pilosella
Aurantiaca.” The common name comes from both the bright Orange/Red
colour of the flower and the way that a flower will open with a little
cluster of developing Buds around it. They are vigorous perennials with
a flower spike of about 18 inches, that is produced in early Summer, but
the rosette of hairy leaves grow close to the ground.
These plants, that are also known as Hawkweed, Devil's Paintbrush and
Grim-the-Collier, belong to the Aster Family. They are native to much of
Europe, but will go wild and are considered to be an invasive species in
some areas, such as North America, because they can spread easily by
several means using; seed, stolons, or runners, and shallow rhizomes.
However, they are particularly good for Wildlife as they attract bees
and other pollinating insects. They are quite hardy and can grow in a
variety of soil types and conditions. Fox and Cubs is a tough plant that
is tolerant of drought, will grow happily in full sun, or partial shade,
and is generally resistant to most common garden pests and diseases, but
it does have a susceptibility to root rot that may occur in wet
conditions, or with over watering and poor drainage.
The little clump of plants that I scavenged were planted in a bare spot
on my Allotment and hopefully will grow on multiplying up so that I can
pot some for next Springs Sale.
Last Autumn I was thinking about what other plants I could get for free
for the Sale this Autumn and put in a handful of seeds of Leycestaria
Formosa, or Pheasant Berry. They are also commonly called Himalayan
Honeysuckle, simply because that is one of the regions that they come
from. Although the Himalyalan area of Tibet and part of China are their
natural habitat they will grow here in the UK and not surprisingly are
very tough and easy to grow. They are good for our Wildlife, which for
an import is not always true. Many birds love their, juicy, bright
red/purple berries that follow an abundance of colourful, hanging
racemes of dark red and white flowers that attract bees and other
pollinating insects. The natural variety has plain green leaves, but
there is a cultivated one which has golden leaves that add to their
appeal. They are deciduous and winter can cut their hollow stems back,
but they are happy to be pruned anyway. It is another of those “Cheap
and Cheerful,” plants that will go wild and spread by underground
shoots, but they are manageable with a little attention. Leycestaria
make quite a big bush of some 5 feet, or more when mature so are best
put at the back of a border, but neither the berries or foliage are
toxic in any way so they have much more going for them than against
them.
Many of these quick and easy growing Plants are what you might typically
find in a Cottage Garden type setting and indeed at work there is a
typical Cottage Garden at the back of the old Farmhouse at the heart of
the site. From time to time the Staff attack the Garden to reduce the
bulk of the planting and thin it out a bit and when they did this
recently, I acquired a tray full of roots of Alchemilla Mollis, or
Ladies Mantle. It is actually a native to the UK and as such grows well
putting on a bold display of foliage about a couple of feet high with
green flower heads. The flowers do have quite a scent to them, but
unfortunately they do not attracts Bees and instead attract flies!
Plants will quickly form clumps and will readily go wild and spread by
seed if allowed to, but they can easily be controlled. The foliage does
die off in winter, but they are undoubtedly another tough plant for
awkward places. Being a Native Plant it is not surprising that uses have
been found for it and it has traditionally been used in quite a few old
fashioned, herbal remedies.
Another plant that found its way to me after a “Clear Out,” was a tray
full of roots of Acanthus Mollis, or Bear’s Breeches. These will make
big Plants when established and as such need to go at the back of a
large border where they will make a substantial display with their
luxurient Leaves and colourful purple and white Flower Spikes that can
reach up to 6 feet tall. Although they originate from the Mediterranean
they are very tough having deep root systems that can spread. Indeed,
when trying to dig out plants you need to remove every last little bit
of Root as these tenacious plants will simply re-grow from any small
pieces left in the ground. It did make propagating a number of them for
the Plant Sale easy for me though, as I simply cut up some bigger pieces
of root and did some “Root Cutting,” for which Acanthus is ideal.
However, it is because of this ease of propagation that Acanthus can go
wild and it is considered an invasive Plant in some parts of the World.
They will happily grow in sun or shade, but they don’t like it too wet,
so they are again another plant for a “Difficult Spot.” In fact they
perform better in poor soil as they can refuse to flower if the soil is
too rich. Flowers can be used in arrangements when freshly cut, or they
can be dried for longer lasting displays.
As I have said they were recently having a clear out at work so another
little batch of Plants that I managed to grab before they were composted
were some pots of Shasta Daisy, or Leucanthemum. These are quite big and
bold with large, white, Daisy like flowers that have a yellow centre and
which flower for weeks throughout the Summer. Shasta Daisies do form a
big clump that will need dividing every few years and because of this
you only need to plant a couple of small pot-fulls to quickly fill a
border with a great display of flowers. They are much bigger than
English daisies being up to 2, or 3 feet in height. Shasta Daisies are
quite tough and will grow easily in most soils and conditions, however,
they should not be allowed to get too wet over Winter as this can cause
them to rot. One other word of caution is that they are mildly poisonous
so a little care should be taken with pets and children.
These are just a few of my more recent acquisitions for the Autumn Plant
Sale, but all will grow easily and can be relied on to make a great
display, although they can all go wild and will readily spread if not
controlled. However, if you want to fill big borders with cheap and
cheerful Plants they do take some beating.
 
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