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What plants do you take for granted in the UK ?????
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Posted by flowersandthings MidAtlantic 6/7 (My Page) on Sun, Sep 5, 04 at 14:23
| What plants do you take for granted...... I find ti fascinating the plants we sometimes take for granted..... I know in America we probably take for granted the wild rudbeckia and pye weed and echinacea and campis and of course masses of goldenrods and asters..... though I do love them..... I'm currently looking for seeds of primula veris which sounds like an unusual fragrant to me but I've heard grows wild all over the UK...... crocosmia also seems to have been gardened in the UK for years though Americans gardenrers are just discovering it.... like myself..... I love it!!!!.....What do you take for granted in the UK?????? Wild or cultivated????? |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: What plants do you take for granted in the UK ?????
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| I don't know that we take many plants for granted as we have realtively little 'wild spaces'. Possibly Primula vulgaris (primroses) and Hyyacintha non-scripta (bluebells), both of these cover the lanes here in Cornwall in the spring and they both smell delicious. We also have masses of Allium ursinum(?) - wild garlic whick looks lovely but smells - well - like garlic. There are also huge swathes of Digitalis purpurea (foxfloves) and of course of famous daisy (Bellis perennis)which a lot of gardeners spend large amouts of time and money ridding from their lawns. I remember as well in some counties, in the spring the hedgerows being white with huge drifts of snowdrops (galanthus) as far as you could see. Be very careful with Crocosmia, the weedier species can be extremely invasive - I have spent four years trying to remove from my garden, and I'm not winning! |
RE: What plants do you take for granted in the UK ?????
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| See I've been looking for hyacintoides non scripta..... I have a shade garden and have scilla campanulta..... very similar but am still looking for this one...... I love my crocosmia...... I have heard of it getting weedy in some other countries and the southern most states but I don't think it would here...... I think the cool weather would curtail it a bit..... in winter I mean..... not cool weather in summer..... except for this one.... lucky us..... ;) Those swathes of digitalis sound lovely...... :) ...... |
RE: What plants do you take for granted in the UK ?????
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| Lush green grass. It's what I miss most when I go to hot dry places. To enjoy the fragrance of Primula veris (cowslip) you will have to be prepared to lie on your stomach with your nose about 4 inches off the ground and sniff hard. It's pretty subtle. I believe the ubiquitous stinging nettle comes as something of a surprise to people from some parts of the US. |
RE: What plants do you take for granted in the UK ?????
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But well worth the effort.
I like dandelions. Very cheerful and, er, resilient.
Elderflower. Pure essence of June. |
RE: What plants do you take for granted in the UK ?????
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| In my New York City garden crocosmia are very invasive, they come up everywhere. You have to keep track of them. Gladiolus byzantinus does the same thing but perhaps not as badly. |
RE: What plants do you take for granted in the UK ?????
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Buttercups and daisies!! Very reminiscent of childhood summers, and my garden is full of them!
Honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum), lilac (syringa), mock orange (Philadelphus), wild dog roses (rosa canina), ancient hedgerows with all the wealth of species and wildlife.
Rain!! |
RE: What plants do you take for granted in the UK ?????
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Hi, Halfhardybklyn!
I love gladiolus byzantinus, it runs freely in my garden and was a particularly good show this year. Never seen it grow wild over here, yet.
Does G. tristis grow as rampantly? I'm nurturing a couple of pathetic little seedlings. |
RE: What plants do you take for granted in the UK ?????
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| Like my on screen name suggests spring wouldn't be spring without the common primrose. It's my favourite flower, so pure, so delicate and just smells of summer on it's way. Call me an old romantic if you like but if it disappeared from our hedgerows life just wouldn't be the same. I certainly DON'T take this one for granted. I can't imagine a south western hedgerow without pink campion, primroses, bluebells, foxgloves, celandines, buttercups to mention but a few - they are so perfect in their own natural setting. |
RE: What plants do you take for granted in the UK ?????
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Hi All,
I am looking for seeds for the common daisy,bellis perennis
also for the wil flower buttercup, I have looked on Chiltern Seeds, but cant seem to find them.
Can anyone help me please?
Thanks
Gill |
RE: What plants do you take for granted in the UK ?????
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| Unfortunately I cannot find the two that you list. However I include a link to a provider of British wild flower seed. They provide a gramme of seed for what others charge for a small packet. I have used their wild primrose and cowslip seed and germination was excellent. I am going to get some more and try the oxlip which is absolutely gorgeous |
Here is a link that might be useful: Emorsgate Wild Seeds
RE: What plants do you take for granted in the UK ?????(2)
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| Drat that one does not sell out of UK. This one lists both that you askn for and do sell abroad. Neve3r used them though. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Nicky' s Seeds
RE: What plants do you take for granted in the UK ?????
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| Thanks for that link - I've been hunting for suppliers of wild seeds. No-one seems to have all the ones I want (I'm particularly looking for Ivy-leaved Bellflower if anyone has a tiny snippet to spare). Nicky's Seeds also have quite a good selection of wild flower seeds, including Daisy and three Buttercups (but do beware of Creeping Buttercup, it'll take over your garden if it's at all damp). |
Here is a link that might be useful: Nicky's Seeds Wildflowers
RE: What plants do you take for granted in the UK ?????
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Thanks Geoff,
I have book marked the site.
I also maneged to get some wild flower seeds off Ebay
Thanks
Gill |
RE: What plants do you take for granted in the UK ?????
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| I'd be extremely cautious about importing UK wildflowers into Australia - it is almost certainly illegal, and you've already had warnings of the problems that can happen - think prickly pear, rabbits, etc. Resin |
RE: What plants do you take for granted in the UK ?????
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| Stinging nettles. I love them and hate them. They grow in abundance around the septic tank and in every hedgerow and vegetable patch. Later in the year once the butterflies & caterpillars have finished with them I put the gloves on and compost them. They are so full of nutrients. |
RE: What plants do you take for granted in the UK ?????
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| Early summer wouldn't be right here without the great swathes of lupins that cover the countryside. Can't stand them in a garden, but wonderful in the wild. (Note, I'm not in the UK) |
RE: What plants do you take for granted in the UK ?????
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| I have been longing and looking for Primula vulagaris. I ordered seeds from Thompson & MorganUSA. They turned out to be Primula veris rather than vulgaris. I just checked out Nick's seeds. I would have to pay for a certificate worth 45 pounds sterling to get a package or two of vulgaris. (sniff, sniff). I will never get to see vulgris in my garden...... :-( Wonder if any kindhearted gardening friends in the UK can help me out of this misery ??? |
RE: What plants do you take for granted in the UK ?????
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| One of my favourite wild flowers is common speedwell (Veronica filiformis and V. persica) - masses of small flowers in so many shades of blue. They line the paths here in summer and are so pretty. It comes up in the garden and I know it should be pulled up to stop it taking over, but I always leave it a while. Then there's the scarlet pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis) with five petals in orangey-red with a pink centre and yellow stamens. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Speedwell and scarlet pimpernel growing together
RE: What plants do you take for granted in the UK ?????
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Being a Brit living in the USA --i Think the plant I miss the most [and you take for granted there] would be the spring Primroses and Bluebells and Foxgloves that just grow in the wild and in the headrows --used to love as a child in the West Country and going out picking them for vases ..also the daisys in the lawn and making daisy chains --found a lovley Bluebelly patch not far from where we live in a woods and it is just heavenly --our girls said it was like somthing out of a fairy tale
Here we are luckiy to beable to grow Toamtoes and Sweet Peppers and Zucinini's [corgettes]etc outside that we take for granted here ............
Janice Britmum |
RE: What plants do you take for granted in the UK ?????
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RE: What plants do you take for granted in the UK ?????
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| anything native sorry,
negative mood |
RE: What plants do you take for granted in the UK ?????
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| Oxlips, windflowers and liverworts (Hepatica nobilis) are the epitome of spring in Sweden. Oxlips can be invasive but I pick large bunches for vases so they don't get a chance to seed too much. Because they are so common while primroses are rare, naturally we all want primroses. The grass is always greener on the other side. |
RE: What plants do you take for granted in the UK ?????
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| I have mixed feelings about wild violets. They are so pretty, and so welcome in spring, but they come up all over the place round here. I tend towards considered weeding these days and leave some in place. Feel the same about the common field poppy and always leave some to flower. |
RE: What plants do you take for granted in the UK ?????
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Hey Marianne do you know how to get oxlips to germinate? I can get most other primulas to germinate but these are causing me a bit of a problem.
Primroses and cowslips germinate like mustard and cress for me but not oxlips. |
RE: What plants do you take for granted in the UK ?????
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| Cow parsley tends to be taken for granted. It looks wonderful on the verges at the moment, like masses of white foam. It will finish flowering soon, but the ox-eye daisies are just coming out. |
RE: What plants do you take for granted in the UK ?????
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| Brambles. Every autumn I have a bumper crop of plump, sweet blackberries from the verges in this remote part of Ireland which I add to my home grown Bramley cooking apples, oats, breadcrumbs and sweetener to make a lovely crumble. |
RE: What plants do you take for granted in the UK ?????
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| Yes, our resident pain in the arse, the Blackberry. I hear such mediocre things about the taste of thornless and other bred blackberry varieties yet right on our doorstep (literally) we have a huge amount of the most delicious tasting berries you could ask for. Going blackberry picking was an integral part of my childhood, an activity we did from infancy with mothers, grannies and aunties and the tradition is alive and kicking. Can't bring myself to begrudge brambles the occasional success with a thorn. |
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