Wild flower Specification Manual By Grahame Dixie and Matthew Swift
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61 Wild Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) Description and Habitat: The Foxglove is one of our most stunning and easily recognised wild flowers growing upto 1.5 m. tall. The flowers are downward facing bells with speckled insides and petals which are pink/white/purple shaded. The foxglove has 20-80 flowers which usually show from June to September. The normal habitat for this plant is woodland environments and, more occasionally, acidic grasslands and heaths (W6,7,8,9,10,11,14,16,17,22,23,24,25, H8, U16,20,21). Foxgloves are generally associated with lightly shaded, in disturbed acidic soils (mainly of pH 5 and under) of moderate fertility. The Foxglove is found on river banks, in hedgerows, open roadsides and disturbed wasteland, amongst bracken, on steep banks and in glades in acid woods.
Role: Foxgloves are important species for introduction into acidic woodlands, hedgerows, open grasslands and wasteland. Little management is required and the plant should self seed readily given sufficient open soil. 62 Wild Majoram (Origanum vulgare) Description and Habitat Majoram is a perennial plant with a bushy appearance which grows to 30-60cm and produces strongly scented leaves. Majoram flowers profusely from July to September producing clusters of pink petaled flowers (the ‘Oregano’ of Mediterranean cooking). This plant is normally associated with dry, infertile calcareous soils. It is found on rocky limestone habitats, roadsides and some pastures as well on some woodland edges. (MG1,2,CG3,4,W21). It is found throughout Britain but is rare in northern Scotland and Northern Ireland
Role: Majoram is suitable for infertile calcareous grasslands which receive little or no management. The plant can be cut back in the autumn.. The flowers are very attractive to a wide range of bees and insects. Marjoram is the preferred nectar source of a number of butterflies including the Lulworth Skipper, Small Copper, Common Blue, Chalkhill, Wall Brown, Marbled White, Gatekeeper and Meadow Brown. 63 Wild Strawberry (Fragaria vesca) Description and Habitat: The Wild Strawberry is a smaller plant than the cultivated variety but has similar shaped leaves and flowers and produces runners. The brown or green stems lead up to a white 5 petaled flower with a yellow centre. Flowering extend s from April until June. Once pollinated the plant produces a very small red strawberry with its yellow pips.. The strawberry is usually found in partial shade such as woodland edges, and in calcareous rocky soils . It is also found in open turf with shallow soils but in habitats not exposed to drought. (W7,8,9,10,12,13,19,21,24,CG2,6,7). The plant likes dry, infertile, well drained soils that are generally in the range of pH 6.5 to 8.
Role: The Wild Strawberry can have a role in shaded rock gardens and will colonise between paving stones. The runners can be highly invasive. The flower can feature in scrub and hedgerows. The Wild Strawberry is a larval host plant of the Grizzled Skipper butterfly. 64 Wild Thyme (Thymus drucei(praecox)) Description and Habitat: Wild Thyme is a runner spreading plant, with small leaves and small and clustered and with a pretty purple coloured flower. It grows between 2 to 5cm tall and usually flowers between May and August. The plant is rapidly submerged by taller plants and is consequently found in dry, infertile open calcareous grasslands and rocky sites. It tends to occupy wastelands, spoils and skeletal habitats like scree slopes. (M10,11,38, MG1,3, CG1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14, U4,7,10,13,14,15,17, H4,5,6,7,8,9,10, 14,15,18,20, W20). Thyme is confined to chalk in South east England but is found elsewhere in a range of habitats including short, acidic pastures, on ant hills in meadows, on cliffs, walls and in rocky places.
Role: Wild Thyme is used is infertile, calcareous dry and rocky sites. It can be planted in dry rock gardens and into low open turf to provide colour. Wild Thyme is also often used on the edge of flower groups and boarders to add colour and to attract bees and thymeoptera. Wild Thyme is an important source of nectar and is particularly visited by the Dingy Skipper, Brown Argus, Northern Brown Argus, Common Blue, Chalkhill Blue, Adonis Blue and Wall Brown butterfly. 65 Wood Anemone (Anemone nemorosa) Description and Habitat: Wood Anemone is found on continental Europe and North America as well as being a native of the UK. This is a predominately woodland flower growing to between 6-30cm tall. The flowers are brilliant white with yellow stemens and occur during March to May. Wood Anemone commonly grows in woodlands but can be found in some grasslands (notably damp calcareous pastures in limestone dales), marshes and heaths ( W7,8,9,10,11,12, 14,17,19,20,21,25, M26, MG3, CG11,12,14,U4,5,16,17, H12,16,18). The plant likes dampish infertile soils and is tolerant of soil pHs in the range 4.5 to 7.5.
Role: Wood Anemone is an important species to introduce under deciduous plantains as it is a poor coloniser spreading at the rate of only 2 m per hundred years. The plant is found in both deep and dappled shade and exploits the light before the canopy closes. 66 Wood Avens or Herb Bennet (Geum urbanum) Description and Habitat: Wood Avens is a perennial of partial shade. The plant has a number of large stems each with 2 or 3 small slender yellow flowers during June to August. It likes hedgerows, coppiced woodlands, woodland rides but can also be found in shaded wastelands and spoils (W6,7,8,9,12,14,21,22,24). The plant thrives in soils of pH above 5, in moderate shade and in moist soils.
Role: Wood Avens is a plant that likes shade and can add life to the damp dark corners of a garden. This is a good plant for introduction into woodlands as it requires little management and will readily spread itself to its best suited habitats. 67 Wood Sage (Teucrium scorodonia) Description and Habitat: A relative of the common mint plant, Wood Sage has one main hairy stem, with crinkled, rounded leaves and yellow spiked flowers. Often 4 or 6 spikes will appear on the main stem at any one time with the flower period being from July to September. The plant usually reaches 40-50cm in height. Contrary to its name the plant is also commonly found in grasslands and some heaths as well as in open, dry woodlands. (W7,8,10,11,12,16,17,21,22,23,25,MG1,2,CG1,2,4,U1,3,,17,19,20 ,H1,6,8,9). This is a plant that does best in, well drained soils but not droughty soils that are infertile. Wood Sage is particularly found in soils with pHs of between 4 and 5, and over 7. It is only moderately tolerant of shade and is more frequently found in woodland margins and open scrub.
Role: Wood Sage forms extensive patches through rhizome growth. It is a useful plant of woodland understorey and where scrub growth has developed on rocky wasteland. The species is sensitive to grazing and trampling. 68 Wood Sorrel (Oxalis acetosella) Description and Habitat: The Wood Sorrel has distinctive shamrock, or tre-foil shaped leaves and a delicate white flower which appears from April until June. The Wood Sorrel is predominately a wood land plant especially in the lowlands, forming patches and spreading vegetatively by means of rhizomes by about 10 cm per year. The plant can be occasionally be found in north facing slopes in semi-natural grasslands and on river banks but mainly in higher altitude and wetter areas. (W4,7,8,9,10, 11,14,15,16,17,18, 19, 20, 22). Wood Sorrel is found in soil pHs from 3.5 to 8, but are most common in acidic soils in the range pH 3.5 to 5. The rhizomes lie on the soil surface and the root system is shallow resulting in the plant being restricted to continuously moist soils. Sites are typically infertile and undisturbed. Wood Sorrel is extremely tolerant of shade.
Role: Wood Sorrel is an idea species for deeply shade, moist sites, and is typically planted under trees but can also be found in poorly lit rock crevices. Although often found in deep leaf litter it is best planted on slightly raised or sloping sites to ensure that the slow growing plant is not swamped by falling leaves. The Wood Sorrel is one of the very few species that can be successfully established under coniferous plantations. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||