null

Perennial Wallflowers

10th Apr 2023

Perennial Wallflowers

Now is a good time to plant perennial Wallflowers (Erysimum) for a good display of flowers this year and for several years to come. Mention perennial Wallflower and most people think of the ubiquitous 'Bowles Mauve' but there are many other varieties available, offering a wide range of colours and sizes. 

Amongst our most popular are 'Apricot Twist', which was recommended on Gardeners World recently, 'Constant Cheer' which flowers for months, and 'Night Skies' with its beautiful dusky pink blooms. Perennial Wallflowers are longer lived than the traditional bedding plant wallflower and will live for several years. 

They are invaluable in late spring and early summer, when they are covered in typical wallflower clusters in various colours, offering a valuable food source for our bees and butterflies. Most are scented and all enjoy hot, dry, sunny conditions. They are often found growing in rough, poor soil, including on walls of ruined buildings (hence the name), so you can see that they do not need much looking after! 

There is a lot of history associated with these plants. In the 12th century, Troubadours would wear a sprig of wallflower to signify that their love survives time and misfortune. It is said that this is as a result of seeing the plant growing on the ruins of fallen towers, the rather romantic image of beauty and fragrance amongst desolation. In Palestine, the wallflower is known as the 'blood drops of Christ'. 

To view our range, click here.