This week I’m going to introduce you to our wildflower patch and test your knowledge please.
When our maintenance gardener didn’t come for a while at the beginning of lockdown, the grass area at the front of our apartment block took on a life of its own. I persuaded him, on his return, to leave the small area to its own devices in order to have a natural wildlife area. It is beginning to establish itself into a very pretty part of the garden.
Apart from knowing a few wildflowers I am not an expert, so have labelled what I think they are and left some unnamed, with the hope you will help please. The information on some plants I have taken from the Grow Wild UK website.
1. Prunella vulgarisalso known as Self heal
This purplish blue-flowered perennial was once an important therapeutic plant – its leaves were crushed and used to dress skin wounds and syrup made with the flowers and leaves was thought to cure sore throats.
2. Malva moschata also known as Musk Mallow
The pale pink flowers and finely cut leaves of musk mallow make a beautiful display in rough grasslands and roadsides. The flowers are attractive to pollinators too, helped at night by the musky fragrance that gives the plant its name.
3. Grass – no idea!
I have tried to find this on Plant Snap to no avail, it comes up with all sorts of suggestions which are clearly not this grass. It looks a bit like a sort of Foxtail, but looking at the base it clearly is a weed type grass but very pretty all the same and deserves a place in the wildflower patch.
4. Name this please
I’ve tried very hard to identify this plant, which looks like a very small Verbascum. The nearest wildflower identification is something called ‘Common Pepperweed’ but the leaves don’t look quite right.
5. Buttercups and Daisies
Neither need any explanation and growing with the Musk Mallow (2 above) they look so very pretty. A lawn purist will remove daisies but I have a lot in the grass outside my flat and feel really sad when the gardener chops off all their heads once a fortnight.
6. Pulmonaria officinalis also known as Common Lugwort
This is not a wildflower but a self seed from a nearby plant in the border but deserves a place here. It adds a pretty blue amongst the greenery.
If anyone can name the unnamed please do so, it would be useful to know. I would like to put up a small information board so those who stop to admire this corner of the garden will know the names of what is growing.
Thank you The Propagator for running this weekly meme. Please visit his blog, he always has something interesting to show in his Six on Saturday along with the many participants.
