Cuckooflower

Cuckooflower: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Low leaf rosette with upright, sparingly branched flower stems of 20–40 cm; about 20 cm across.

Leaves

The rosette leaves are divided into round to oval leaflets; the stem leaves have narrow, linear segments.

Flower

Four petals, pale lilac to almost white with fine dark veins, 1–2 cm, in clusters at the stem tips, in April and May.

Fruit

Narrow, upright pods 2–4 cm long with small seeds.

Roots

Short rootstock; on wet ground the leaflets sometimes form small plantlets that root by themselves.

Flowering: April–May · Harvest and fruit: March–May · Plants: March–April and September–October · Pruning: June–July

Why grow it?

• Food plant of the orange tip and the green-veined white: their caterpillars feed on it.
• An early source of nectar in spring for bees, bumblebees and the first butterflies.
• Soft lilac flowers in April and May, while the grass is still short.
• Ideal for a damp lawn, a wildflower meadow, a ditch bank or a pond edge.
• Native, very hardy and very little work.

Cuckooflower: where does it grow best?

• Sun or partial shade; under deciduous trees it gets enough light in spring.
• Moist to wet, fertile loam, clay or peaty soil, acid to neutral.
• The soil must not dry out for long in summer; in dry soil it soon disappears.
• Plant in groups 20–25 cm apart, or scattered through a damp lawn.

Light

Sun and partial shade

Soil type

Loam, clay or peat

Acidity

Acid or neutral

Moisture

Normal or wet

Size

0.4 m tall, 0.2 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -35 °C)

Goes well with

• Ragged robin: Pink, ragged flowers in May–June in the same wet meadow.
• Marsh marigold: Glossy yellow flowers in early spring, in the same wet soil.
• Garlic mustard: Another orange tip food plant, for a shadier, drier corner.
• Bugle: Blue flower spikes in April–May in the same moist, partly shaded spot.

Cuckooflower: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–April and September–October.

1. Plant in March–April or in September–October.
2. In a lawn, lift out a spade-sized plug of turf so the grass does not smother the young plant straight away.
3. Plant at the same depth as in the pot, with the heart of the rosette at soil level.
4. Leave 20–25 cm between plants; it looks best in groups of five or more.
5. Water in well and keep the soil moist until the plant has established.

Care

Water

Only in dry spells during the first year; never needed in a wet spot.

Feeding

Do not: fertiliser makes the grass stronger, and that crowds out the cuckooflower.

Mowing

Mow only after mid-June and leave a strip uncut until the following spring: orange tip chrysalises overwinter on stems.

Deadheading

Leave the faded flowers: orange tip caterpillars eat the young pods, and the plant can self-seed.

Clippings

Remove the clippings after a few days so the soil does not become too rich.

Tip: Plant it in a damp patch of grass that you do not mow until after mid-June: this lets the orange tip complete its whole life cycle.

Cuckooflower: when to prune it?

Pruning months: June–July.

When: The plant itself needs no pruning. In a lawn or meadow, mow only after mid-June, in June or July, after flowering and seed set.

How:

• Leave the faded stems until the pods are ripe and the seed has dropped.
• Then mow along with the grass, ideally with a scythe or strimmer and not too short.
• Leave a strip or a few patches uncut until the following spring, for the overwintering orange tip chrysalises.
• Remove the clippings after a few days, so the soil stays poor.

Caution: If you mow before mid-June, the eggs and caterpillars of the orange tip are lost with the clippings.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Seed

It self-seeds on damp, open patches. You can also sow ripe seed in June–July in a pot of moist seed compost and plant out the young plants in autumn.

Leaf cuttings

In spring, lay a rosette leaf on wet seed compost and press it down lightly; small rooted plantlets form on the leaflets.

Division

In September–October, carefully divide larger clumps and replant straight away.

Cuckooflower: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −35 °C.

• Very hardy, to about −35 °C: no protection needed.
• After flowering only a small leaf rosette remains, which often stays green in winter.
• Leave a few patches uncut: orange tip chrysalises overwinter on stems.

Diseases and pests

• Cuckoo spit: White froth on the stems in May. It hides froghopper nymphs; harmless, leave them be.
• Disappearing: In dry soil or in dense, fertilised grass it disappears. Do not feed, remove clippings and choose a damp spot.
• Slugs: Young rosettes are eaten in spring. Pick slugs off in the evening; in a lawn the damage is usually limited.
• Caterpillars on the pods: Green caterpillars in May–June: these are orange tip caterpillars. Leave them: that is why you planted it.

Through the year

• March: Plant. The rosettes start growing.
• April: Flowering. The orange tip is on the wing and lays eggs on the flower stalks.
• May: Flowering. Cuckoo spit on the stems.
• June: Caterpillars on the pods. Mow only after mid-June.
• July: Mow and remove the clippings; leave a strip uncut.
• September: Plant or divide.
• October: Plant. The leaf rosettes stay small and green.

Edible and useful

Flowers (April–May)

The lilac flowers open in April and May. They taste mildly peppery and look pretty on a salad, a soup, eggs or a slice of bread with soft cheese. Only pick a few flower clusters per plant, and never a stem with an orange egg on it: that is where the caterpillar of the orange-tip butterfly grows, and it needs the flower stalks and seed pods.

Leaves (March–May)

From March to May, pick the young leaves from the rosette and the upper stem leaves. They taste peppery and sharp, like watercress or garden cress. Use them raw and in small amounts: shredded in a salad, on bread with cheese or egg, in soft cheese or herb butter. Heat drives off most of the sharpness. Only take a few leaves per plant so that it can flower.

Storing

Use the leaves and flowers fresh: they wilt quickly. Wrapped in damp kitchen paper in a box, they keep for a day or two in the fridge. Drying is pointless, as the flavour disappears; herb butter can be frozen for up to 3 months.

Caution: Eat cuckooflower in moderation, as a herb: like watercress and mustard, it contains mustard oil, which tastes sharp and can irritate the stomach in large amounts. Only pick it in your own garden. In wet meadows where sheep or cattle graze, the leaves can carry liver fluke, as wild watercress can, and picking is forbidden in nature reserves. Do not confuse the rosette with that of buttercups, which grow in the same damp grass and are poisonous: only pick from plants you recognise with certainty, for example because you saw them flower last year.

Eating and using is at your own risk: see the terms of use.

Recipes

• Cuckooflower butter (Other · ± 125 g · 15 min + 1 hr chilling)
• Egg mayonnaise with cuckooflower (Dish · 4 slices · 20 min)

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Butterflies

Nectar for butterflies.

Did you know?

• The orange tip lays a single egg on each flower stalk; the egg turns orange after a few days, and the caterpillar feeds mainly on the young pods.
• The white froth you see on the stems in May is called cuckoo spit: it protects a froghopper nymph against drying out and predators.
• It is called cuckooflower because it flowers when the cuckoo returns.