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This month in the garden…
Wildflowers
Wildflowers are so beautiful and we quite often take them for granted.
They line our hedgerows creating spectacular displays throughout the year and provide us with a wealth of inspiration for our gardens.
As you whizz past in your car have you noticed the creamy, frothy spikes of Astilbe, it grows where it is damp normally along ditches or the blue/purple of the Cranesbill (Geranium).
It is easy to forget that a lot of modern varieties of plants we put in our gardens are derived from wildflowers. These plants have usually been bred and modified extensively to make them bigger, disease resistant, and more pleasing to the eye.
Take for instance Achillea millefolium its common name Yarrow, this little wildflower can be seen flowering on dry grassy banks and roadside verges. It grows 60cm high and has been used for its medicinal properties in times gone by. It was hung up in bunches to be on hand in case of accidents. It thrives in poor soils among non-invasive grasses and spreads by underground rootstock. Having aromatic foliage and lovely flowers in shades of orange, red and cream these plants are short lived but seed freely. There is a place for wildflowers in all gardens and borders don’t need to be converted into a wilderness to enjoy them.
A great alternative to visiting gardens is to get out into the countryside with a good wildflower guide and look at the vast array of plants in their natural environment. Please remember the countryside code though and try not to pick the flowers even though they are so beautiful.
One of my favourite places to visit is Forge Valley a site of special scientific interest located off the A170.
By Fiona-Maria Duncalf
Ask-King 4 Gardening September 2010
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