Dove, Lydia, Peanuts, Onopordum: is this the same alkanet that is used as a dye plant? I contemplated spending good cash money on some of the root last year. Didn't realise you could grow it. Have just planted woad seeds (lovely blue dye) but may live to regret it if they succeed, as I think they can be a bit rampant, and apparently the roots of goose grass are a good substitute for madder, producing a red dye, but in my experience it's very hard to get a root attached to a bit of goose grass in order to know you have the correct article!
No, I looked it up and it's alkanet tinctoria (I think) which is logical. Don't think I'll be troubled with green alkanet - said it liked moisture and shade - I'm mostly sun and sand here! Ground elder's my current bugbear. Just ordered some tagetes minuta seeds. Worth a try.
What's the weed called that's related to the strawberry and sends out the same shoots to make babies? It's a constant battle for me, luckily I have mostly sand soil that gives up it's long thin taproot if I get down deep enough to give it a good tug
The other weed I suffer is bindweed, the twining kind out the back and the other kind out the front, that type is far worse as it has thin roots in clumps and I can't selective spray
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In defence of green alkanet, it is particularly attractive to bumblebees. Deadnettles likewise.
Dove, Lydia, Peanuts, Onopordum: is this the same alkanet that is used as a dye plant? I contemplated spending good cash money on some of the root last year. Didn't realise you could grow it. Have just planted woad seeds (lovely blue dye) but may live to regret it if they succeed, as I think they can be a bit rampant, and apparently the roots of goose grass are a good substitute for madder, producing a red dye, but in my experience it's very hard to get a root attached to a bit of goose grass in order to know you have the correct article!
Green alkanet is Pentaglossis sempervirens. I don't think it's a dye plant.
In the sticks near Peterborough
No, I looked it up and it's alkanet tinctoria (I think) which is logical. Don't think I'll be troubled with green alkanet - said it liked moisture and shade - I'm mostly sun and sand here! Ground elder's my current bugbear. Just ordered some tagetes minuta seeds. Worth a try.
It likes shade, it doesn't get much moisture here
In the sticks near Peterborough
What's the weed called that's related to the strawberry and sends out the same shoots to make babies? It's a constant battle for me, luckily I have mostly sand soil that gives up it's long thin taproot if I get down deep enough to give it a good tug
The other weed I suffer is bindweed, the twining kind out the back and the other kind out the front, that type is far worse as it has thin roots in clumps and I can't selective spray
Cinquefoil? Potentilla reptans?
That's one of my weeds
In the sticks near Peterborough
otherrwise known as water avens - often sold as a pond plant but wondrously good at selfseeding everywhere
Haven't got any weeds but I do have to control grape hyacinths, ivy, violets and periwinkle
Water avens? But I'm growing that in my GH