Symphytum grandiflorum
| Symphytum grandiflorum | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 5 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 1' |
| Width: | 2' |
| Speed: | Fast |
| Blooms: | Mid Spring-Late Spring |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Symphytum grandiflorum
Propagation: Seed - sow spring or autumn in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
If you have sufficient seed you can try an outdoor sowing in situ in the spring.
Division succeeds at almost any time of the year. Simply use a spade to chop off the top 7cm of root just below the soil level. The original root will regrow and you will have a number of root tops, each of which will make a new plant. These can either be potted up or planted out straight into their permanent positions.
Cultivation: Tolerates most soils and situations but prefers a moist soil and some shade[1][2]. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Grows well under trees[3].
There are some named varieties, selected for their ornamental value[4].
Plants can be invasive, often spreading freely by means of self-sown seed[4]. The root system is very deep and difficult to eradicate, even small fragments of root left in the soil can produce new plants.
Range: Europe - the Caucasus. Naturalized in Britain.
Habitat: Not infrequently naturalized in hedges and woods in S. England and the Midlands[5].
Usage: A very good ground cover plant[6][3]. It spreads rapidly to form a good carpet, rooting as it spreads, and should be spaced about 60cm apart each way[3].
Pollinators: Bees
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Seed Ripens: Early Summer-Mid Summer
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Heavy Clay: Grows in heavy-clay soils.
Known Hazards: No reports of toxicity have been seen for this species, but the following reports have been seen for S. officinale._x005F
This plant contains small quantities of a toxic alkaloid which can have a cumulative effect upon the liver. Largest concentrations are fou
Links
References
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Thomas, Graham. Plants for Ground Cover. Everyman, 1990.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ Brickell, Christopher. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers. Dorling Kindersley Publishers, 1990.