Nottingham catchfly

How to recognise it

Habit

Perennial of 30–60 cm, with a rosette of leaves that stays green in winter and one or more upright, sparsely branched flower stems.

Leaf

Rosette leaves spoon-shaped, with a long stalk, up to 10 cm long and softly hairy; stem leaves narrow and lance-shaped, opposite and smaller towards the top.

Flower

White, sometimes tinged pink or green, about 1.5 cm across, nodding, in a loose panicle that leans to one side. The five petals are deeply split into two narrow lobes and rolled up during the day. They open in the evening and are scented at night, from May to August.

Fruit/Seed

An egg-shaped capsule that opens at the top with six small teeth, holding many small, kidney-shaped seeds.

Stem

Hairy, sticky in the upper part because of glandular hairs, to which small insects get stuck.

Look-alikes

Bladder campion has an inflated, hairless calyx and hairless, bluish-green leaves. White campion has larger, upright white flowers with an inflated calyx and is roughly hairy all over. In Nottingham catchfly the flowers hang to one side and the petals are rolled up during the day.

Flowering: May–August · Pruning: March and September

Why grow it?

• The flowers open in the evening and are scented at night: a source of nectar for moths.
• Food plant for the caterpillars of moths of the genus Hadena, which live in the seed capsules and eat the seeds.
• A plant for difficult, dry spots: rock garden, gravel garden, wall top or sunny bank.
• The evergreen rosette adds a little green in the cold months.
• A special plant for an evening garden: go and look and smell at dusk in June.

Nottingham catchfly: where does it grow best?

• In the wild: dry, sunny grassland, rocky slopes, woodland edges and open, dry woods, often on chalk, rock or stony ground.
• Free-draining, poor soil: sand, gravel or chalky loam, neutral to chalky.
• Sun to light shade; in shade it flowers little.
• It does not like wet feet in winter.
• In the garden: rock garden, gravel garden, wall top, sunny bank or a small, thin meadow, ideally close to a terrace where you sit in the evening.

Goes well with

• Wild marjoram: Purple flowers for butterflies and bees on the same dry, chalky soil.
• Common rock-rose: Low yellow flowers in the sun, next to the white catchfly.
• Carthusian pink: Bright pink pinks in the same dry rock garden.
• Wild thyme: A fragrant carpet at its feet, loved by bees.
• Honeysuckle: Also scented in the evening and attractive to moths, along a fence or in a hedge close by.

Nottingham catchfly: when and how to plant it?

1. Buy plants or seed of native origin from a nursery for wild plants. Never dig up plants from the wild: in Flanders it is rare.
2. Sow in autumn or early spring in a tray of sandy seed compost left outdoors; scatter the fine seed on the surface and press it in lightly.
3. Prick out the seedlings into small pots and plant them out once they have a sturdy rosette, in spring or in September.
4. Plant 20–25 cm apart, in groups of three to five for a good effect.
5. On heavy soil, mix gravel or coarse sand into the planting hole so water drains away well; do not add compost.
6. Water after planting and during dry spells in the first weeks; after that it is no longer needed.

Care

Watering

Only after planting. An established plant copes well with drought.

Feeding

Not needed: on rich soil it is swamped by grasses and flops over.

Weeding

Keep tall grasses and rough growth around the rosette short so it gets enough light.

Mowing

In a small meadow: mow once in September, after the seed has ripened, and remove the cuttings.

Self-seeding

Leave some of the stems until the capsules have opened; it then sows itself modestly.

Tip: Plant Nottingham catchfly close to a terrace or bench where you sit on summer evenings: by day it hardly stands out, but at dusk the flowers open and you can smell its scent.

Pruning and mowing

Pruning months: March and September.

When: In September, after the seed has ripened, or in March if you leave the stems standing over winter.

How:

• Leave the faded stems until the capsules are open and the seed has dropped.
• Then cut the flower stems back to just above the rosette; leave the rosette itself.
• If you want to keep the stems as shelter for small insects, only cut them in March.
• In a small meadow: mow in September at 5–8 cm and remove the cuttings after a few days.

Caution: Do not cut off the rosette: it stays green all winter and the plant needs it to flower next year.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Seed

Sow in autumn or early spring in a tray outdoors; it germinates in spring. Seedlings usually only flower in their second year.

Division

Older plants with several rosettes can be carefully divided in early spring or in September; water afterwards until they are established.

Nottingham catchfly: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −30 °C.

• Above ground an evergreen rosette of hairy leaves remains.
• The dry stems with empty capsules can be left standing as shelter for small insects.
• Fully hardy, but the root can rot in soil that stays wet in winter.

Diseases and pests

• Wet soil: In winter the root rots in wet, heavy soil. Improve drainage with gravel or sand, or plant on a bank.
• Crowding out: Tall grasses and rough growth take away its light. Mow or weed around the plant and do not feed.
• Slugs: They sometimes nibble young rosettes in spring. A layer of gravel around the plant helps.
• Seed caterpillars: Caterpillars of Hadena moths eat seeds inside the capsules. Harmless to the plant; they are part of nature.

Through the year

• March: Cut down old stems if you left them standing. Sow in a tray outdoors.
• April: The rosette grows. Plant or plant out.
• May: The flower stems shoot up; the first flowers.
• June: Full flower: go and look and smell in the evening. Moths on the flowers.
• July: Flowering; the first capsules ripen.
• August: Last flowers. Collect seed from open capsules.
• September: Cut back faded stems or mow the meadow. Plant or divide.
• October: Sow in a tray outdoors. The rosette stays green.
• December: Evergreen rosette; watch out for wet feet.

Did you know?

• The name Nottingham catchfly refers to Nottingham Castle, on whose walls it was found in the 17th century; it has long since disappeared from there.
• According to the usual explanation, the sticky glandular hairs on the stem keep crawling insects such as ants away from the flowers; they would steal nectar without pollinating.
• Moths of the genus Hadena pollinate the flowers and at the same time lay their eggs in them: their caterpillars later eat part of the seeds. A deal that comes at a price.