DROUGHT-TOLERANT PLANTS

So, another hosepipe ban comes into force. But this doesn't mean we have to stop planting and making our gardens wildlife-friendly. Many wildflowers are tolerant of drought conditions and therefore will still survive little watering. It goes without saying that waterbutts are invaluable for when we do get a bit of rain so if you can try and dot as many of them as you can around the garden. Below are some wildflowers that are good for insects, very attractive and drought-tolerant.

LESSER KNAPWEED

Lesser Knapweed is particularly attractive to bees and butterflies. We have two large patches in the nursery that have grown into the weed-proof matting and every summer they are smothered in bees and butterflies, especially the little red-bottomed bees. Flowers from June to September. Grows to about 2 ft high.

Particular butterflies that find it attractive are Tortoiseshell and Painted Ladies, and Satyr Pug, Silver Y and Lime Speck Pug moths, and birds like the seeds. Other butterflies – Comma, Silver Washed Fritillary, Marbled White, Meadow Brown, Ringlet, Small Skipper, Essex Skipper, Silver Spotted Skipper, Chalkhill Blue, Adonis, Brimstone.

OX-EYE DAISY

Striking when grown in drifts and looks wonderful with Lesser Knapweed. The word “daisy” comes from two Anglo-Saxon words – daeyes and eayes = day’s eye.

Ox-eye Daisy has quite a bit of folk lore attached to it. It was considered lucky to step on the first flower of the year. Bunches should be picked with your eyes shut and the number of flowers collected would equal the number of years until you married. Somerset folklore connects the Ox-eye Daisy with the Thunder God, so it is sometimes known as Dun Daisy. Ancient peoples dedicated the plant to Artemis, goddess of women, as it was believed that the plant was good for women’s problems. According to ancient Celtic legend, Daisies are the spirits of children who died at birth. Christian legend has it that when the Wise Men were going to see baby Jesus, they asked for a sign to show them his location. As they looked around they saw a group of Ox-eye Daisies near a stable, resembling the star that led them. In the Middle Ages, if a knight wore two Daisies he was the ladies’ choice.

Leaves and outer layer of stem have been used as a sedative, astringent and demulcant. Anti-spasmodic and diuretic. It is also a herbal remedy for whooping cough, asthma and stomach upsets. In Wales during the Middle Ages, Daisies were used to treat madness, smallpox, tumours and jaundice. Makes a good lotion for wounds, bruises and ulcers. Decoction of fresh herb for jaundice. Distilled water made from the flowers can be used as an eye lotion for conjunctivitis.

Herbivorous insects won’t touch Ox-eye Daisy juice so the plant was often mixed with the straw bedding of farm animals and hung from ceilings indoors to repel fleas etc. Dried blossoms can be boiled and used as a lotion for chapped hands. Root stops night sweats in consumption. Alleged to deter flies if planted around the outside of the house.

Flowers May to October, or later.

YARROW

There is alot to say about Yarrow! Hardy perennial growing to about 3 ft (92 cm) in height. Member of the Pink family. Frondy leaves and large panicles of tiny flowers. Also known as Soldiers’ Woundwort, Staunch Grass, Old Man’s Mustard, Devil’s Plaything, Nosebleed, Old Man’s Pepper and Devil’s Nettle (believed to be one of the Devil’s favourite plants). Known as Field Hops in Sweden and has been used to make beer. Yarrow has been around for about 6000 years. The ancient Greeks called it herba militaris, the military herb. The botanical name “millefolium” comes from the Latin meaning thousand cuts, referring to the many cuts of its leaves. Yarrow comes from the Anglo-Saxon “yearwe”. The wild, white form of Yarrow is found in meadows, hedgerows and woodland clearings. The variety we currently offer is in pastel shades. The French call it Carpenter’s Plant as it is believed to instantly cure wounds caused by edged tools.

Place an ounce of Yarrow from a young man’s grace under the pillow of the person you want to fall in love with you. Superstition has it that if a girl tickles her nose with Yarrow and its starts to bleed, then her lover is true to her. More alarming is that Yarrow was used to induce nosebleed by twirling it in the nostrils, as nosebleeds were considered good for curing headache, or a promise of success in love:

“Yarroway, yarroway, bear a white blow If my love love me, my nose will bleed now”

Was tied to cradles to protect babies from witches. The fifteenth-century Book of Secrets by Magnus claims that if Yarrow juice is smeared on the hands and then the hands plunged into water, fish will be drawn to you. It was a plant dedicated to Satan and so used in charms and spells. If eaten at a wedding feast then the happy couple would remain together in love for at least seven years. It was also made into snuff. It was the first herb held in the baby Jesus’ hand.

Keep a bunch of Yarrow hanging in the tool shed for safety and to protect from thieves. Bind it round the handles of tools in case you cut yourself – you can staunch the blood with it. If you lived in Wales you wouldn’t bring Yarrow indoors for fear of incurring a death in the family. In the Hebrides, a leaf held against the eyes will endow you with second sight. If eaten at a wedding feast, the bride and groom would be in love for seven years. Similarly bridesmaids would bring Yarrow to weddings for seven years of love. Druids used the plant’s stems to divine the weather. The plant is potent against fairies. Witches believed that placing sprigs of Yarrow in their caps would give them the ability to fly. Yarrow used to be mixed with pig grease to make a healing ointment. The plant has also been used to treat measles and poxes. It was one of the herbs of the “Lancashire Witches”, one of whom used it in divination.

Good compost activator and fertiliser, and horses like it! Young leaves are edible and nutritious, sometimes used in salads. Its leaves can also be used as a poultice or infused to treat wounds or chewed as a remedy for toothache. Milfoil tea is still drunk in the Orkneys for melancholy. Good dried flower and meadow plant. Attractive to butterflies, ladybirds and wasps that feed on aphids. Food plant of the Essex Emerald, Lime Speck Pug and Straw Belle, Ruby Tiger, Yarrow Pug, V Pug, Grey Pug, Tawny Speckled Pug, Common Pug, Mullein Wave, Wormwood Pug, Sussex Emerald and several Tortricord moths.

The plant is alleged to have got its Latin name from Achilles, who applied Yarrow to the wounds of his bleeding soldiers. Achilles also appealed to the gods for protection before going into battle. They picked him up by the ankle and immersed him in a vat of Yarrow tea but his ankle remained unprotected – hence the term Achilles heel. Yarrow tea is good for colds. The flower tops can be made into a weak infusion as a cleanser for oily skin. The essential oil in Yarrow contains azulene, which has anti-inflammatory properties. It increases perspiration, lowers blood pressure and relieves indigestion. The Irish believe it is lucky if sewn inside clothing. Yarrow ointment is good for bleeding piles. Good rabbit and guinea pig food when plants are young.

In ancient China, 50 dried and stripped Yarrow stalks were consulted as an oracle. Yarrow cools fevers, increases circulation, soothes aching muscles and heals mucous membranes. Added to snuff, it was known as Old Man’s Pepper. Pull off a Yarrow leaf with the left hand saying the name of a sick person you wish to cure. Then eat the leaf and the fever in the patient will fall. Yarrow tea was believed to prevent baldness if rinsed in it.

If planted amongst herbs it will strengthen them and make them more disease-resistant. It will also enhance the essential oils of herbs planted near it. Flowers last well in water.

OTHER DROUGHT-TOLERANT PLANTS TO CONSIDER
Birds Foot Trefoil, Musk Mallow, Selfheal, Sorrel, Bladder Campion, Toadflax, Viper's Bugloss, Lady's Bedstraw and Agrimony.

Therefore, all is not lost! You can still have a garden full of bees, butterflies and flowers even if you water less! Happy planting!