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8 forms of capital active hope agroecology agroforestry alder buckthorn Amazon anxiety apples arthritis back yard beans Bec Hellouin beech tree bees beneficial berries biochar biodigester biodiversity blackberries blackthorn book review brain brassica cage budget build building campesino capital card deck Celtic festivals change changes chemical-free chickens christmas circular clay pot cleansers cleansing milks climate change climate emergency climate grief climate solutions climbers climbing cob comfrey community compost compost teas connection consciousness conservation container cooking coppice coppicing cordial cosmology courgettes crafts crisis crop protection Cross Quarter Festival cultural emergence culture cut flowers cycles degraded design diary diversity DIY do it yourself dryland earth care Earth's energy ecoculture economics ecopoetry ecosystem ecosystem restoration camps ecosystems edges edible edible flowers education efficiency elder elderflowers elements elixir energy equinox ethics face mask fair shares Fairtrade farming feedback feminine ferns figs film firewood floristry flower essence flower garden flowers food food forest food garden footbath forage foraging forest garden forest gardening forests fruit fruit leather fruit trees fungi future future care gardening garlic gift economy gin Give Nature a voice Glennie Kindred global poverty glut grapes greenhouse grief groundcover grow grow food grow your own growing guilds habitat habits handcream harvest harvests hawthorn hazel hazelnut healing shrubs healing trees health healthy soil heart health hedgerow hedging herbal herbal remedies herbal teas herbalist herbs holistic holistic planned grazing home homeless homemade wine homestead hope Hugelkultur humanure hummus hungry gap IBC tanks Imbolc incense increase yields Indigenous inexpensive influence inspiration International Womens Day jam keyline kitchen garden lacto-fermentation Lammas land landscape landscapes life lifestyle limeflowers livelihood livestock living labs logs Looby Macnamara lotion low cost low-impact Lush Spring Prize macerations Mangwende Orphan Care Trust market garden market gardening marmalade marshmallow mass heater meadowsweet medicinal microbes microfarm Midwest Permaculture mimic mindset mitigation money Morag Gamble moringa Mother Earth mulch multifunctional mushrooms native plants natural natural building natural fertiliser natural skincare natural swimming pool nature nature connection nitrogen no dig no waste no-dig November nutrition nuts observe oca October off-grid oil cleansing orchard orchards organic organic flowers organic gardening outdoor shower oven oxymel oyster pallets pasture-fed patterns people people care peoplecare perennials permaculture permaculture design permaculture magazine award permaculutre permayouth pesto pests philippines pine tree pips pizza oven plant profile plants pollinators pollution polyculture polycultures preserving principles propagating protection pruning prunings psycho-spiritual awareness psychospiritual transformation rainforest rainwater raspberries recipe recipes reduce reed beds regeneration regenerative regenerative agriculture relative location relative matter remedy renewable renewable energy resources restoration reuse revolution rhythms rootstock rootstocks roundhouse roundwood runner beans sage salad salve Samhain schools Scotland scotts pine seasonal seasons seeds selfcare Sepp Holzer september septic tanks sewage treatment shade sheet mulching shrubs skincare sloes slugs small solutions small-scale smallholding social justice soil health solar solutions sowing spiritual spring squash stacking functions stock-free straw straw bale summer sustainable Sweet Bay syntropic systems temperate terraces thistles thrutopia timber timber framing tincture tonic toolkit tools transformation trees upcycle urban veg garden vegan veganic vermicomposting vinegar walnuts waste water water cleansing watering weeds wellbeing wetland wild edges wild food wild garlic wildflower wildlife wine recipes wings winter winter greens winter salads wood stove woodburner woodland woodland management woodlands worms yarrow year-round food yield young people youth zai pits zone 00 zoning

Topics

8 forms of capital active hope agroecology agroforestry alder buckthorn Amazon anxiety apples arthritis back yard beans Bec Hellouin beech tree bees beneficial berries biochar biodigester biodiversity blackberries blackthorn book review brain brassica cage budget build building campesino capital card deck Celtic festivals change changes chemical-free chickens christmas circular clay pot cleansers cleansing milks climate change climate emergency climate grief climate solutions climbers climbing cob comfrey community compost compost teas connection consciousness conservation container cooking coppice coppicing cordial cosmology courgettes crafts crisis crop protection Cross Quarter Festival cultural emergence culture cut flowers cycles degraded design diary diversity DIY do it yourself dryland earth care Earth's energy ecoculture economics ecopoetry ecosystem ecosystem restoration camps ecosystems edges edible edible flowers education efficiency elder elderflowers elements elixir energy equinox ethics face mask fair shares Fairtrade farming feedback feminine ferns figs film firewood floristry flower essence flower garden flowers food food forest food garden footbath forage foraging forest garden forest gardening forests fruit fruit leather fruit trees fungi future future care gardening garlic gift economy gin Give Nature a voice Glennie Kindred global poverty glut grapes greenhouse grief groundcover grow grow food grow your own growing guilds habitat habits handcream harvest harvests hawthorn hazel hazelnut healing shrubs healing trees health healthy soil heart health hedgerow hedging herbal herbal remedies herbal teas herbalist herbs holistic holistic planned grazing home homeless homemade wine homestead hope Hugelkultur humanure hummus hungry gap IBC tanks Imbolc incense increase yields Indigenous inexpensive influence inspiration International Womens Day jam keyline kitchen garden lacto-fermentation Lammas land landscape landscapes life lifestyle limeflowers livelihood livestock living labs logs Looby Macnamara lotion low cost low-impact Lush Spring Prize macerations Mangwende Orphan Care Trust market garden market gardening marmalade marshmallow mass heater meadowsweet medicinal microbes microfarm Midwest Permaculture mimic mindset mitigation money Morag Gamble moringa Mother Earth mulch multifunctional mushrooms native plants natural natural building natural fertiliser natural skincare natural swimming pool nature nature connection nitrogen no dig no waste no-dig November nutrition nuts observe oca October off-grid oil cleansing orchard orchards organic organic flowers organic gardening outdoor shower oven oxymel oyster pallets pasture-fed patterns people people care peoplecare perennials permaculture permaculture design permaculture magazine award permaculutre permayouth pesto pests philippines pine tree pips pizza oven plant profile plants pollinators pollution polyculture polycultures preserving principles propagating protection pruning prunings psycho-spiritual awareness psychospiritual transformation rainforest rainwater raspberries recipe recipes reduce reed beds regeneration regenerative regenerative agriculture relative location relative matter remedy renewable renewable energy resources restoration reuse revolution rhythms rootstock rootstocks roundhouse roundwood runner beans sage salad salve Samhain schools Scotland scotts pine seasonal seasons seeds selfcare Sepp Holzer september septic tanks sewage treatment shade sheet mulching shrubs skincare sloes slugs small solutions small-scale smallholding social justice soil health solar solutions sowing spiritual spring squash stacking functions stock-free straw straw bale summer sustainable Sweet Bay syntropic systems temperate terraces thistles thrutopia timber timber framing tincture tonic toolkit tools transformation trees upcycle urban veg garden vegan veganic vermicomposting vinegar walnuts waste water water cleansing watering weeds wellbeing wetland wild edges wild food wild garlic wildflower wildlife wine recipes wings winter winter greens winter salads wood stove woodburner woodland woodland management woodlands worms yarrow year-round food yield young people youth zai pits zone 00 zoning

Growing Wild Flowers

Glennie shares a variety of native wild flowers that we can all grow to help the bees and butterflies thrive.

This year, grow some native wild flower seeds and create a cottage garden – even in a pot. These plants once grew everywhere and by growing them you will help the bees and butterflies to thrive.

Many of these plants have now become rare in the wild so if you have plants to spare plant them out in any edge-place, their seeds will help to re-establish them in our countryside. There are no guarantees that these will take outside of their native habitats, but plants are adaptable and your success could save a dwindling species. Look up the kind of habitats they prefer in the wild and anything that can help you to grow them successfully. Once you have established them and have seed to share, then let people know what you have. Seeds are easy to put in the post!

The following plants are all native wild flowers that will look good growing in any garden or could be grown for re-introducing back into the wild. Many of them have medicinal uses. Use a good herbal guide to find out more about them.

Some native annuals

Cornflower or Bluebottle (Centaurea cyanus) – a lovely garden plant that flowers June to August.

Corn Chamomile (Anthemis arvensis) – grows in fields and likes an open position. Flowers June to July.

Field Poppy (Papaver rhoeas) – grows in disturbed ground. Flowers May to August.

Common Forget-me-not (Myosotis arvensis) – an all time favourite that will grow anywhere. Flowers April to September.

Wild Candytuft (Iberis amara) – grows on dry hillsides and grasslands. Flowers July to August. 

Wild Pansy or Heartsease (Viola tricolor) (sometimes a perennial) – prefers sandy soils. Flowers April to September.  

Yellow Rattle (Rhinanthus minor) – grows in grasslands and waysides. Flowers May to August.

Some native perennials

Agrimony (Agrimonia eupatoria) – found in hedgebanks and roadsides. Flowers June to August. 

Betony (Stachys officinalis) – found in woods and hedgerows. Flowers June to September. 

Bistort or Easter-ledges – (Polygonum bistoria) – grows along roadsides and in meadows. Previously eaten at Easter with hard boiled eggs. Flowers May to August.

Cowslip (Primula veris) – found in meadows and hedgebanks. Flowers April to May.

Common Mallow (Malva sylvestris) – found in wasteplaces and hedgerows. Flowers June to September. 

Marsh Mallow (Althaea officinalis) – found in salt marshes and ditches near the sea, but will grow outside of these conditions. Flowers July to September.

Columbine (Aquilegia vulgaris) – found in woods and damp places but now rare in the wild. Flowers May to June.

Field Scabious or Gypsy Rose (Knautia arvensis) – found growing in dry grasslands and roadsides. Flowers June to September.

Harebell or Scottish Bluebell (Campanula rotundifolia) – found growing in dry grassy places, hedgebanks and roadsides. Flowers July to September.

Jacobs Ladder (Polemonium caeruleum) – flowers May to June.Maiden Pink (Dianthus deltoides) – flowers June to September.

Meadow Cranesbill (Geranium pratense) – found along roadsides and in hedgebanks. Flowers May to September.

Meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria) – found in wet meadows, marshes and along riversides. Flowers June to August. 

Nettle-leaved Bellflower or Throatwort (Campanula trachelium) – Flowers June to September. 

Ox Eye Daisy, Dog Daisy or Marguerite (Leucanthemum vulgare) – found growing in grasslands and along roadsides. Flowers May to August. 

Primrose (Primula vulgaris) – found in woods and on hedgebanks. Flowers March to May. 

Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) – found growing along damp watersides. Flowers June to August. 

Salad Burnet (Sanguisorba minor) – found in grasslands and meadows. Flowers May to August.

Self Heal (Prunella vulgaris) – found growing in grass, along roadsides and in woodland clearings. Flowers June to September.

Sneezewort (Achillea ptarmica) – found in damp meadows and roadsides. Flowers July to August. 

Stonecrop. English (Sedum anglicum) – found on rocks, in walls, shingle, dunes and dry grassland. Flowers June to July.

St Johns Wort (Hypericum perforatum) – found in hedgerows, woodlands and along grassy banks. Flowers June to September.

Sweet Violet (Viola odorata) – found along wood edges and in hedgebanks. Flowers February to April. 

Sweet Woodruff (Galium odoratum) – found in woods and shady edges. Pretty banks of flowers from April to June.

Toadflax (Linaria vulgaris) – found in wasteplaces, roadsides, hedgerows and grasslands and also grown in gardens. Flowers June to September.

Some native biennials

These take two years to come to maturity and don’t flower in the first year. Once established though, there are plants flowering every year. 

Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) – found in woods, hedgerows and open places.  Flowers June to September.

Mullein or Aaron’s Rod (Verbascum thapsus) – Also known as Aaron’s Rod – found on sunny banks and waste places. Flowers June to August. 

Viper’s Bugloss (Echium vulgare) – found on dry soils, grassy places, sea cliffs and dunes, waste places. Flowers June to September.

Weld (Reseda luteola) – found along roadsides, wasteland, fields and is an ancient bright yellow dye plant. Flowers June to August.

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Further Resources

Books

Letting in the Wild Edges
by Glennie Kindred

Walking with Trees
by Glennie Kindred

Sacred Earth Celebrations
by Glennie Kindred

Articles

Comfrey: Its History, Uses & Benefits

Yarrow and its Medicinal Benefits

About the Author

Glennie Kindred is the author of twelve books on Earth wisdom, native plants and trees and celebrating the Earth’s cycles, and is a highly respected teacher and much loved expert on natural lore and Earth traditions.