Is it wild phlox?
We are in the middle of creating an arched area and while doing it noticed something growing in a corner. I left it alone and eventually it started to flower - and it grew and grew. It's now been flowering for almost 2 months and the scent is wonderful. I'm pretty sure it's a wild phlox but I can't be certain as I haven't a clue where it came from and I've never had anything the like before. Here's the flower ..
It is now looking a bit straggly and where the flowers were are tiny pea-like pods which I assume contain even tinier seeds, but I'm loathe to cut it down or anything as I would love to collect the seeds and spread it around the garden to more appropriate places. Here's how it is now - and I've used my poor dog as a sizeometre thingy...
So my questions are -
Because there is just the one plant will the seeds be fertile? And - what is the best way to treat the seeds? I would rather not let it do it's thing as where it is will be concrete and stones shortly and it would be a waste of seeds.
I always love plants for free and this one must be my best ever.
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I think your plant is sweet rocket i have it on my allotment in lilac and white it comes back every year i just leave it to self seed. Its a good butterfly plant for orange tip butterflys
You lucky lucky thing!!! I am so jealous!!! I'm trying desperately to get a packet of seed to germinate - it's one of my favourite plants - the perfume in the evening is just magical
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Looks very like my wallflower 'Bowles Mauve'. ?
Yep, I think it is Erysimum Bowles Mauve - a perennial wallflower. They have a very long flowering period.
I'm fairly certain that we're looking at Hesperis Matronalis aka Sweet Rocket - a native wild flower. At that height and with that growth habit I think it is too tall and loose for Erysimum - a look at the leaves would tell us - Hesperis Matronalis has dark green slightly toothed leaves with a rough texture - they are wider, darker and rougher than Erysimum.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I meant to say that both Sweet Rocket and Wallflowers are related - both being Cruiferae.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
it is sweet rocket have grown it from seed myself this year especially to attract butterlifes.. it is not bowles mauve..the leavesand structure of the plant are not the same.
That's amazing how similar the flowers seem to be. But Dovefromabove and gardeningfanatic you're obviously right that it's Sweet Rocket as the stems and shape etc are nothing like my ancient straggly Bowles Mauve wallflower! Until last week it had been in a terracotta pot with a grass of some kind for so many years that it could not be separated from the pot shape or the grass. Wanted to bin it - but as it's the only thing I have which is oblivious to what time of year it is i.e. it blooms all year round - I was a softie and kept it. Had to dig an enormous hole to plant it in the garden - the entire pot shape. It doesn't look attractive these days but hadn't a clue what else to do with it other than the bin and just couldn't commit it for council execution.
Yarrow2-they root easily from cuttings -now is a good time
Think i could have been mistaken this is my sweet rocket
t rocket.