We are currently enjoying a week of good, generally sunny weather with temperatures exceeding 15°C. As there are few new flowers in the garden at the moment I thought it might be an idea to reflect on the garden "thugs" and how they can be used.
Ranunculus ficaria syn. Ficaria grandiflora (Lesser Celandine) |
Myosotis sylvatica |
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Alchemilla mollis |
Often classed as a low growing cottage garden plant but thought of as a pest by many,
Alchemilla mollis seeds itself all over the place and can become a weed. Easy to
grow almost anywhere but tends to prefer partial shade and will tolerate dry
conditions. This plant seems to polarise opinion amongst gardeners more than any
other I know, most of my acquaintances hate it, yet it has a fan base including
Graham Stuart Thomas and
Anne Wareham.
The dew or rain collects on the leaves
which led to it being named after the alchemist or
healer to whom
the collected morning dew would be a
constituent
part of a remedy.
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Houttuynia cordata 'Chameleon'
|
Whatever you do never, never, ever let this plant loose outside a container. Everyone's favourite waterside 'thug',
you either love it or loath it, far too easy to grow,
very difficult to get rid of. I can say no more! The
thick white roots have a most unpleasant sweet smell
which stays with you for hours after grubbing them out, it has taken me three years and I still have the odd shoot to deal with.
Best treated like mint! Monotypic. Apomictic.
Lysimachia ciliata 'Firecracker' |
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Silene 'Purple Prince' |
This plant was introduced by Plant World Seeds several years ago and has striking pink flowers against
dark leaves. I found
that the leaves burn easily with
moisture and that the leaf stems are
particularly
brittle. The big problem is the amount of seed it sets, most of which is of the native species Silene dioica. I could have included the likes of foxgloves or Meconopsis cambrica as thugs because of their propensity to seed around but have generally stuck, other than possibly Myosotis, to those plants which have invasive root systems, but this Silene or campion is something else. Although the seedlings, or if you turn your back for two minutes, established plants are shallow rooted and easy to remove they are not only in large numbers but have the knack of seeding themselves into the crowns of your other herbaceous perennials. On the plus side it flowers for months and and
makes a lovely splash of colour.
Hieracium aurantiacum. |
Known as the Hawkweeds there are many members of
this genus. They are spread worldwide and several species are classed as noxious
weeds and even banned in some countries.
Hieracium aurantiacum is a British native that will grow in fairly dry
conditions, 12" stems rise from neat grey/green rosettes
in mid-summer. Commonly known as Fox and Cubs due to its
habit of spreading by over-ground runners it can be invasive, although I don't have much of a problem here. Hypericum calycinum |
Other than the dreaded Houttuynia I grow all the above but use them where others fear to tread so they fill a useful role particularly in dry shady areas where conditions by their very nature control growth and keep them in check. For example I have just planted some narcissus out under trees in newly recovered bare soil, I deliberately left some self-sown seedlings of Myosotis to develop elsewhere which I have now lifted and planted with the narcissus rather than throw them out as weeds.