Tuesday 3 July 2012

Plant of the Week - Limnanthes douglasii


...or poached egg plant. 

Also known as the New Zealand buttercup.
This annual self seeder is about to die. Fear not, it will rise like a phoenix as it’s seeds germinate in a few weeks time. I used to have two types of client, those who struggled to get it going and those who tried to get rid of it. By mid August it will be a green carpet again, give a few bonus flowers, remain green over winter and flower in full glory next May.


My herbaceous perennials die down in winter and the ground is bare, but this annual plant is more perennial than the perennials! Pollinating insects love it and it also attracts the hoverfly, whose larvae will hoover up your aphids.
You can try Derry Watkins’ Special Plant Nursery for the seed (in Links I Like). Visitors to Worsbrough Village Cemetery may help themselves. Locals might feel they have enough already!


Worsbrough Cemetery - spot the plant of the week!




2 comments:

  1. I also LOVE poached egg plants! Spent ages looking at the picture - looks like the whole green clump in the front are limnanthes!

    ReplyDelete
  2. yes it is.
    There is a bigger clump on the cemetery rubbish dump I am doing a future post on growing plants on rubble!

    ReplyDelete

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