Phacelia tanacetifolia - green manure
fiddleneck - green manure
Lavender-blue, bell-shaped flowers, which are laden with nectar, form in densely-packed clusters on sturdy stems and attract bees...
25m² pack
£2.89
available to order from late summer
1
Plant description
Lavender-blue, bell-shaped flowers, which are laden with nectar, form in densely-packed clusters on sturdy stems and attract bees and other beneficial insects in their droves. Perfect for wildflower meadows, or naturalised planting schemes, the flowers will last well after being cut. The fast growing foliage will help suppress weeds and makes an attractive groundcover. Scorpion weed can also be treated as a green manure crop, which will help enrich the soil. They self-seed freely.
Eventual height & spread
Flowering period
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Plant features
Position
Full sun
Soil
Moderately fertile, moist, well-drained soil
Hardiness
Fully hardy
How to care for Phacelia tanacetifolia:
From early spring, sow into small pots filled with good seed compost and initially protect with a cold frame or unheated greenhouse. Pinch out the growing tips to encourage bushier growth and harden off before planting out. Alternatively sow direct in autumn into a sunny, well-prepared seed bed. Easy to grow, if you do not want the plants to set seed, remove the spent flowers as they fade.
Warning
Humans: Skin allergen
GOES WELL WITH
Sowing tough hardy annual seeds
If you are wanting to have a go at growing seeds then the easiest of all are the annuals because they are programmed to germinate, flower and set seed within one year - therefore they pop up easily because there’s no time to waste. Most will provide necta
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