Wild and Weedy Wednesday: Saxifraga granulata

I am resuming my weekly posts about wild flowers and ‘weeds’ – ‘Wild and Weedy Wednesday’ – that I started last year. I thought I would run out of plants last summer, after several months of posts, but found I was making lists of flowers to include this year! Anyway, if anyone wishes to join in with me and look at some of the wild flowers (or are they weeds?!) growing in our gardens, please do!

Last summer we did not mow the vast majority of our meadows at all, and have thus already noticed a difference in the wildflowers we are seeing. Today’s flower is a good example – we don’t recall having seen it here at all in 2023; Saxifraga granulata, or meadow saxifrage.

The creamy white flowers with striking yellow stamens have been bobbing around in the wind for over a week now, standing out on their dark stems at a height of around 40 cm. The flowers are perhaps 2 cm in diameter and have a kind of ‘vintage’ look to them.

They are found on hillsides of sandy dry grassland, where the soil is poor in nutrients and slightly acidic. I am very happy this native plant has made its way to our plot, as it is on the red list of endangered plants in Bavaria.

I wonder if you have ever seen this flower? Do share if it seems familiar, as I have no idea how widespread or rare it actually is.

Have a great Wednesday!

 

Wild and Weedy Wednesday: Coltsfoot

Some of my readers may remember I did a series of posts last year on wild flowers/weeds growing in and around my garden. Well, the series will continue this year, as there are still so many plants that I want to post about and share!

Yesterday I spotted the first wild flower of the year: Coltsfoot, Tussilago farfara.

What a wonderful sight amid the winter debris and moss! This small flower measures about 3cm when fully open, and grows on long scaly stems which continue to grow taller with the flower already open. The large leaves will emerge later – the leaves are what gives the plant its name as they supposedly resemble a colt’s foot!

The ground has to be at least 5°C before this plant will flower, so it is always a lovely find as it signifies the end of winter. In the phenological calendar we are therefore now officially in ‘Early Spring’. Hooray!

Interestingly, a report has shown that Coltsfoot in Germany still flowers at approximately the same time each year and has not reacted to ‘global warming’ at all…

I find it here directly outside our garden gate on the edge of the woods, and on our lane through the woods up to the main road. It is an old medicinal plant used primarily for tea that is said to help with coughs and asthma. As with all herbal medicines though, it should be used with caution, as too much can damage the liver.

Another interesting and useful fact is that the large leaves are soft and hairy on the underside, like tissue paper, and are a hiker’s friend when caught short in the woods! 😉

Do you see Coltsfoot near you? And if so, when does it usually start flowering?

My Wild and Weedy Wednesday posts will probably be a little intermittent until spring gets a foothold, but I just had to share this little ray of sunshine!

😁

Wild and Weedy Wednesday: 13th September, 2023

Over the past few months I have been sharing a weed/wild flower every week that grows in my garden. I added them up and I have covered over 20 different weeds and there are still so many I haven’t shared! But as the season is now changing and there is little new growth I will make this the last one for the time being and will probably continue next year. (I already have another ten on a list!)

So today I will end with a pretty yellow flower that has an unpronouncable botanical name and looks very much like a small dandelion. In fact it is often called ‘Autumn Dandelion’: Scorzoneroides autumnalis, Autumn Hawkbit.

It does actually have another botanical name, Leontodon autumnalis. Leondoton means ‘lion’s tooth’, like dandelion.

This started flowering at the end of August in the meadow and has continued into our warm and sunny September. The flowers are about 3cm in diameter, and grow on tall thin stems. In our garden they are getting to about 40cm or even taller.

The hover flies and small pollinators love them. Some have already started going to seed.

As with dandelions, the leaves are edible but bitter, which is what aids the digestion, and the roots can be boiled to make a coffee substitute. (I would have to be desperate!) It is also a diuretic, helpful in the treatment of kidney complaints.

It is native to Europe, but has spread across the globe. Have you seen it in your garden?

Well, one of my first weeds I posted about was the dandelion, so it seemed fitting to end this series with a similar plant. Here they all are again. If you click on the first photo you can see them as a slideshow with their botanical names.

Erodium cicutarium

Taraxacum officinale

Potentilla vrna

Cardamine pratensis

Rumex acetosella

Veronica chamaedrys

Hieracium aurantiacum

Trifolium pratense

Matricaria chamomilla

Hypericum perforatum

Lotus corniculatus

Achillea millefolium

Daucus carota

Erigeron annuus

Centaurea jacea

Cirsium arvense

Cirsium vulgare

Prunella vulgaris

Artemisia vulgaris

Solidago canadensis

Impatiens glandulifera

Plantago lanceolata

Scorzoneroides autumnalis

Which do you like best? 😉

Hope you have enjoyed seeing what grows wild and weedy on the edge of the Bavarian Forest here in Germany!

🐝🌻🐝

 

 

Wild and Weedy Wednesday: 30th August, 2023

The summer is drawing to a close but there are still a couple of weeds/wild flowers growing in or near my garden that I want to cover this year in my Wild and Weedy Wednesday posts. And this week’s is another neophyte – a non-native plant that has become quite invasive in parts of Germany and no doubt other areas in Europe:

Himalaya Balsam, Impatiens glandulifera

According to Wikipedia, ‘In Europe, Himalayan balsam has been included since 2017 in the list of Invasive Alien Species of Union concern’ and ‘the species cannot be imported, cultivated, transported, commercialized, planted, or intentionally released into the environment in the whole of the European Union.’

They grow up to 2 metres tall and have pale green foliage with a slight red tinge to the stems. The flowers are pink, and sticky with nectar. They emit a soapy scent which I personally find rather sickly. On a hot calm day I often get a whiff of them at least 50 metres away.

Here they grow along streams and river banks and on the edge of damp woodland areas. These are just a few metres beyond our fence on the lane up to the road.

They have a wonderful way of dispersing their seed, whereby tension builds up in the seedpod as it develops and then it suddenly pops and catapults the seed several metres. The German name for these weeds refers to that mechanism: ‘Indisches Springkraut’ (Indian spring weed).

The seed can lie dormant for years, but mowing down the plants before they flower or ripping them out altogether helps keep them confined. It has nonetheless become part of the landscape here and although it is beneficial to pollinators, especially as it blooms late in the year (late July or August until the first frosts), it is pushing back native plants that provide nectar earlier in the year and over several months.

It hasn’t quite made the jump into our garden yet, but you can see here it is right at the fence…

Let me in!

I wonder if you see this weed near (or even in!) your garden? Would love to hear if it has spread to where you live, so do let me know in the comments!

Thanks for reading, and happy weeding!

 

Wild and Weedy Wednesday: 16th August, 2023

Each Wednesday I am sharing a weed or wild flower that grows in my garden. And it has been lovely to get feedback from readers about whether those I feature grow in their part of the world too!

Today it is Artemisia vulgaris, commonly known as mugwort or wormwood.

A rather attractive tall silvery weed, growing in uncultivated spots, roadsides or hedgerows. It grows around the edges of our garden, and in the meadow too, as well as right in the middle of the lawn; when it is too dry to mow around the flower beds it continues to grow and annoy me with its persistence! So it is definitely drought tolerant. 😉

This one was taller than me!

As summer progresses it starts to flower. The pollen can cause allergies – thankfully we do not suffer with it. Although it is often wrongly blamed for allergies which are possibly caused by pollen from grasses or even the nasty Ambrosia artemisifolia.

On this photo you can see the purplish flowers starting to open.

The upper side of the leaf is green, but underneath it is silver and shimmers nicely in the breeze.

In Germany it is traditionally (but rarely these days) used as an aromatic herb cooked with fatty meat such as goose or wild boar. (The bitter substances it contains aid digestion). Apparently it has also been used as a flavouring with hops for brewing beer. Neither of these uses appeal to me!

It is, however, primarily considered a medicinal herb. Among other things it has been used for reducing blood pressure and for its anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal and antioxidant properties. I have also read that it relieves cramp and helps against insomnia. A pretty powerful herb. However, like all herbal medicines, it should be used with caution.

Have you seen this herb growing near or even in your garden? Do let me know if you recognize it. And why not join me with one of your weeds/wild flowers one Wednesday. 😃

Happy gardening, and happy weeding!

P.S. I would like to acknowledge one of the books I refer to while researching these weeds and wild flowers or herbs: ‘The Lost Book of Herbal Remedies’ by Nicole Apelian and Claude Davis. It is an excellent reference book and I have the German version (Das verlorene Buch der Kräuterheilmittel) as well. Here is a link to a detailed review of the book.

The Lost Book of Herbal Remedies

If you are interested in herbal medicines this would be my recommendation.

 

Wild and Weedy Wednesday: 9th August, 2023

Each Wednesday I am sharing a weed or wild flower that has been growing in my garden. One particularly pretty but rapidly spreading wild flower is this one: Prunella vulgaris, commonly known as Self Heal.

As the name suggests, this is a medicinal herb, used for centuries across the globe. All parts of it are edible and it has anti-inflammatory and anti-viral properties and strengthens the immune system.

It has been proven useful for all sorts of things from healing wounds and infections to soothing insect bites, bruises, allergies and skin conditions and even to reducing blood pressure and regulating heart and liver ailments. Thus its common name, Self-Heal. Other common names, according to Wikipedia, are Heal-All, Woundwort and Heart-of-the-Earth. These old names are lovely, don’t you think? And I will certainly be reading up on this more, as we have a plentiful supply!

Self Heal flowers from June onwards, until the frosts in autumn. It is a refreshing sight, especially now that it has been rejuvenated after all the summer rain we have had. It grows in the lawn and is another of those clever plants that survives mowing, but it needs to be kept in check in the flower garden. I have been uprooting quite a bit of it recently! Here is some I missed, trying to cosy up to my vegetable beds.

This is one of the prettiest weeds/wild flowers I have been able to share so far, although they all have their charm, especially if they have healing properties. This actually looks more blue than in these photos, although it does have a slight purple tinge to it.

Have you seen this wild flower in your garden? Or perhaps just beyond the garden gate? I’d love to know! Leave me a comment below, and why not join me one Wednesday!

Wild and Weedy Wednesday: 2nd August, 2023

Every Wednesday throughout this spring and summer I have been featuring a weed or wild flower that pops up in my garden. And I haven’t run out yet!

Today I have chosen one of the most dreaded weeds. Not only do they have very deep tap roots, they are prickly to boot. Thistles!

I relied on an App to identify them, and it seems there are two that grow en masse here. The Common Thistle, Cirsium vulgare, also known as the Scots Thistle…

And the Field Thistle, Cirsium arvense. Unless seen next to each other when in flower I find them hard to tell apart, although the Field Thistle is certainly less pink, and more mauve or purple.

Both are edible in all parts, and yes, they are wonderful for pollinators, and have very pretty flowers, but I do not want them in my flower beds. We do, however, have plenty all around the edges of the garden. They are a valuable food source for the wildlife: nectar for the bees and butterflies and seeds for the birds. But those seeds do spread so easily. One puff of wind is all it takes… (And it is windy here on our hill!😉)

Do you find thistles in your flower beds too sometimes?

Join me if you like, and thanks for reading.

Have a great week!