#drymeadow

Plant of the Day

Saturday 18 July 2020

In the Sky Meadow at the Royal Horticultural Society Garden Hyde Hall, Essex, it was great to see the sprays composed of the tiny flowers of Limonium platyphyllum (sea lavender, broad-leaved statice). This rosette-forming perennial has large, broadly spoon-shaped leaves, and is well suited to this dry hill top; with the seed sown on a bed of free draining sand. The elegant panicles of dainty, lavender-blue flowers formed a misty appearance that associated beautifully with a range of other plant species.

Plant of the Day

Monday 5 October 2020

In the Dry Meadow of Cambridge Botanic Garden, UK, the seed-heads of Berkheya purpurea ‘Silver Spikes’ (purple berkheya) were adding great texture for the coming winter. This is a South African perennial is a drought-tolerant species and needs full sun and a well drained soil. 

Plant of the Day

Monday 6 July 2020

In recent weeks Galium verum (lady's bedstraw, bed flower, cheese rennet, fenwort, hundredfold, maid's hair, petty mugget, rennet weed, yellow bedstraw) has been featuring in agricultural fields and in gardens. The 'frothy' flowers form pools of yellow in fields and this stoloniferous perennial is part of the matrix of plants in the Dry Meadow, Cambridge Botanic Garden.

Plant of the Day

Tuesday 14 July 2020

At the moment the eye catching plant of the Cambridge Botanic Dry Meadow is the herbaceous perennial Berkheya purpurea (purple sunflower). The flower stalk grows from a rosette of spiny leaves with a downy-white underside. This drought-tolerant South African species requires a sunny spot with a free draining soil.

Plant of the Day

Thursday 18 June 2020

The Dry Meadow at Cambridge Botanic Gardens was designed by James Hitchmough of University of Sheffield. It comprises of drought-tolerant species from steppes, prairies and grassy plains and includes temperate species which can withstand periods of summer drought. Many of the plants were established from a seed mix which was directly sown in-situ over a base layer of sand to provide a free-draining base for plant establishment. Creating pink highlights throughout the meadow at the moment is Dianthus carthusianorum (Carthusian pink, German pink).

Plant of the Day

Monday 2 December 2019

The seed heads of the British native Origanum vulgare (oregano, wild marjoram) seem to create a steely-grey foam over this dry meadow planting. This woody-based perennial is a drought-tolerant plant and has been combined with species from steppes, prairies and grassy plains around the world. Many of the plants were established from a seed mix which was directly sown in-situ over a base layer of free-draining sand.

Plant of the Day

Sunday 5 January 2020

In the Dry Meadow of Cambridge Botanic Garden, UK, there are drought-tolerant species from the steppes, prairies and grassy plains, including Berkheya purpurea. This perennial has a rosette of spiny leaves with stems of daisy-like flowers comprising of an outer ring of white or mauve ray florets surrounding a darker purple centre. The flower is followed by this great silvery seed head.

Plant of the Day

Friday 16 June 2017

In the Dry Meadow at Cambridge Botanic Garden, UK, the Oenothera macrocarpa subsp. incana (evening primrose) is adding to the display with large yellow saucer-shaped flowers on beautiful, silvery foliage. This is a drought tolerant, mat-forming species from southern and central North America which needs sun and good drainage. The meadow is an outcome of research at the Department of Landscape, Sheffield University as explained in the useful interpretation.