The Scottish Mail on Sunday

Easter parade

Pint-sized pasque flowers are enjoying their moment in the sun and putting on a stunning...

- Martyn Cox

I’VE justreturn­ed from mygarden, where Iwas down on my hands and knees admiring adinky perennial that’s having its moment in the sun. The plant responsibl­e for luring-me outside on a chilly,wet morning was Pulsatilla vulgaris, with its slightly nodding, bell-shaped purpleflow­ers embellishe­d with bright yellow centres.

In my opinion, it’s worth hitting thefloor toenjoy this plant while it blooms in April andMay–but it has a much longerseas­on of interest. In early spring, acluster of fuzzybuds appear above theground and are carried upwards on naked,8 in-tall stems. As flowering progresses, aclump of lacy foliage develops.

Even after its floral display is over,Pulsatilla vulgaris remains in the spotlightt­hanks to its spherical, featherywh­ite seed heads that last well into summer before finally being dispersed by the wind.

Once they’ve gone, their fern-likeleaves takeover and add a verdant note until plants startto fizzleout in late summer.

My floral gem is one of almost100 differentp­ulsatillas that go by the common name ofpasquefl­ower, a name bestowed uponthem because they bloom aroundEast­er time.

Let me explain. Pasque is aFrench word that comes fromthe Latin Pascha, meaning Easter

– this word itself derives from

Once thought to grow from soil soaked in Vikings’ blood

Pesach, Hebrew for Passover. Pasque flowers are native to mead-ows, prairies and mountainou­s regions of North America, Asia and Europe, with Pulsatilla vul-garis indigenous to Britain. It was once fairly widespread but is now restricted to a few chalk and limestone grassland sites in the Chilterns, Cotswolds, East Anglia and Lincolnshi­re.

In the folklore of plants, our pasque flower was once known as Dane's Blood as it was believed the flower sprang from soil that had been soaked in the blood of Vikings killed in combat.

This is complete nonsense, of course, and the story probably originates from plants being found on battle sites and old bur-ial mounds.

Over the years, breeding work on wild species has given rise to a raft of gorgeous varieties with bell- or cup-shaped flowers perched on 4th to 12in-tall stems. An indi-vidual plant can produce more than 30 blooms in shades of white, yellow, red, pink, blue and purple,depending onvariety,measuring 1 ½ into 3 ½ in across.

Pasque flowers like a sunnyspot and very well-drained soil– they detest having wet feetand will almost certainly rot ifplanted in claggy ground thatbecome­s waterlogge­d in winter.If necessary, improve the soilbefore planting by working inplenty of horticultu­ral grit and garden compost.

These pint-sized lovelies are perfect at the front of mixed beds and borders, rubbing shoulders with spring-flowering bulbs or seasonal bedding. Turn heads by planting them in small groups, setting them about 20in apart. Another option is to dot individual plants within rock gardens, scree beds and gravel gardens.

A clever way of growing them in gardens with heavy soil is to raise them in containers. They look great displayed alongside other compact gems in troughs, bowls and patio planters, or set alone in terracotta or stone pots filled with a 50/50 mixture of soil based John Inns No I compost and horticultu­ral grit.

When it comes to looking after pasque flowers, protect emerging shoots from slugs and snails in spring and ensure pots are moved to a spot sheltered from rain in winter. Dead-heading will prolong flowering, but doing so will mean you miss out on their attractive, wispy seed heads.

 ?? ?? FEATHER CLUSTER: The vibrant seed heads of Pulsatilla vulgaris
FEATHER CLUSTER: The vibrant seed heads of Pulsatilla vulgaris
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 ?? ?? SMALL WONDER: A display of stunning Pulsatilla vulgaris
SMALL WONDER: A display of stunning Pulsatilla vulgaris

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