Plant Information:
Bluebell (Hyacinthoides hispanica): In folklore, the bells are rung to summon the fairies, but if you hear them, you will drop down dead! The bulbs of this plant are highly toxic which may explain the superstition that if you trample over a ring of bluebells, you will anger the fairies.
Bush Vetch (Vicia sepium): A member of the pea family; archaeologists have found evidence to suggest that ancient peoples once ate this scrambling plant.
Common Agrimony (Agrimonia eupatoria): Also called ‘Sticklewort’, ‘Church Steeples’ or ‘Cocklebur’, its use for medicinal purposes dates back to the Ancient Egyptians.
Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus): Cornflowers were found in the tomb of Tutankhamen at Luxor and were almost as blue as the day they were interred in 1550BC.
Cow Parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris): ‘Lady’s Lace’ or ‘Mother Die’ are among the many names for this plant. Cow Parsley means an inferior version of real parsley and refers to its leaves.
Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale): Taken from ‘dens leonis’ (lion’s tooth) referring to the jagged-edged leaves. The flower opens an hour after sunrise and closes at dusk.
Field Poppy (Papaver rhoeas): This memorial flower grows quickly after the soil is disturbed, often appearing in just 24 hours. Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae wrote the poem "In Flanders Fields," which inspired the poppy to become a symbol of Remembrance. In the spring of 1915, soon after losing a friend in Ypres, McCrae wrote his famous poem after seeing poppies blooming in the ravaged battlefields.
Goat’s Beard (Tragopogon pratensis): Also known as ‘Jack-Go-To-Bed-At-Noon’ because its flowers are usually only open from four in the morning until midday.
Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna): Considered a tree steeped in superstition, the Hawthorn should not be cut down due to the belief that it brings bad luck. Also called ‘May,’ the blossoms were commonly used in May Day festivities, and wearing one in your hat is thought to protect you from lightning strikes!
Herb Bennet (Geum urbanum): This plant has a long history as a culinary herb, once used widely for its clove/cinnamon like aromatic properties in wine and beer, flavouring sweet and savoury pies and hung in wardrobes as a herbal mothball.
Herb Robert (Geranium robertianum): ‘Bird’s Eye’, Robin Hood’ and in the north “Death Come Quickly’.
Kidney Vetch (Anthyllis vulneraria): Also known as ‘Woundwort’, Kidney Vetch is used to relieve swelling, heal wounds and to treat stomach and kidney problems.
Lady’s Bedstraw (Galium verum): Once used as a vegetable substitute for rennet in the making of cheese, its flower smells strongly of honey. The name originates from an old custom of embedding it in straw mattresses.
Lacy Phacelia (Phacelia tanacetifolia): A green manure plant, Lacy Phacelia is adored by bees.
Meadow Buttercup (Ranunculus acris): Buttercups get their bright colour from yellow pigments in the petals’ surface layer and their shiny gloss is due to air just beneath the surface, reflecting the light, like mirrors.
Pyramidial Orchid (Anacamptis pyramidalis): This orchid has colonized two roundabouts in Suffolk and in 1993 there were 11,000 growing on the 2 sites!
Red Campion (Silene dioica): An important source of nectar for long-tongued insects like bumblebees. It is also known as ‘Cuckooflower’.
Ribwort Plantain (Plantago lanceolata): Used as a substitute for conkers in a game called ‘Soldiers’ with the aim of knocking off a rival’s soldier’s head. The Saxons bound it to the forehead with red wool to cure headaches.
Stinking Iris (Iris foetidissima): So-called because the leaves smell slightly of beef when rubbed together. Also called ‘Bloody Bones’ and ‘Roast-Beef Plant’.
Wild Carrot (Daucus carota): The leaves and roots smell like carrots. It's also known as ‘Queen Anne’s Lace’ because of the red spot in the centre of the flower, which symbolizes the drop of blood from the queen’s pricked finger as she sewed her white lace.
Wild Marjoram (Origanum vulgare): The same culinary herb as oregano, this plant is a magnet for bees throughout the summer months.
Giant Dead Nettle (Lamium orvala): Not to be confused with the stinging variety, this nettle is from a different family (Lamiaceae), that also includes many aromatics like basil, mint, sage, savory, marjoram, oregano, hyssop, thyme, rosemary and lavender.
Sheep Sorrel (Rumex acetosella): Widespread and common on heath and grassland, the leaves of this slender plant have a lemon, tangy flavour.
Sterile Brome (Bromus sterilis): Also known as ‘Barren Brome’, this common native grass is often seen invading cereal crops, in hedgerows and on wasteland.
Moth Mullein (Verbascum blattaria): So called because the stamen resembles a moth’s antennae. The Latin word for cockroach is ‘blatta’; this plant is used as an effective cockroach repellant.
Musk Mallow (Malva moschata): A native to southern England, it has a pleasant fragrance and was used by the Ancient Greeks to adorn graves. It belongs to the same family as Marsh Mallow, whose root pulp was boiled, mixed with honey, cooled, and strained to create marshmallows—a treat enjoyed by the gods and royalty.
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium): From the daisy family, the flowers of the Yarrow are sometimes a blush pink but most often white. This powerful herb has historically been used to stop bleeding and goes by the name of ‘Woundwort’ or ‘Staunchweed’ and because of its pungent flavour, ‘Old Man’s Pepper’.
White Campion (Silene latifolia): ‘Grandma’s Nightcap’, ‘Grave Flower’, ‘Catchfly’ can be found on waste ground, in hedgerows, graveyards and road verges. Its fragrant flowers are loved by night feeding moths that are drawn to its bright white open blooms in the dark.
Crow Garlic (Allium vineale): The leaves and bulbs of this wild onion have a strong garlic flavour.
Salad Burnet (Sanguisorba minor): The nectar-rich flowers of Salad Burnet attract a variety of pollinators, including bees, butterflies, and moths. The young leaves can be added to salads and serve as a substitute for mint in summer drinks.
Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa): Often confused with Hawthorn, the Blackthorn blossoms before its leaves appear rather than after. The fruit is the bitter Sloe and should be picked after the first frosts as the skins are softer and the berries juicier.
Greater Knapweed (Centaurea scabiosa): Widespread in chalky places from July to September, this thistle-like plant is a favourite of the Marbled White and Painted Lady butterflies.
Forget-me-not (Myosotis sylvatica): Dating back to Victorian times, Floriography was used as a coded means of communication using flowers, allowing feelings to be expressed which otherwise could not be spoken. The Forget-Me-Not symbolizes true love and remembrance.
Kathryn Martin