Pasqueflower

Pasqueflower: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Low clump about 25 cm tall and wide; the stems lengthen as the seed ripens.

Leaves

Finely divided, feathery and softly hairy; they mostly develop after flowering.

Flower

Bell-shaped, 4–6 cm across, with six silky-haired petals and a dense centre of yellow stamens.

Colour

Purple to violet; also white, pink and wine red.

Seed head

Silvery, feathery tufts: each seed has a long, hairy tail.

Roots

A deep, woody taproot: it does not like being moved.

Flowering: March–May · Plants: March–April and September · Pruning: February

Why grow it?

• One of the earliest flowers for a sunny, dry spot, at its best around Easter.
• After flowering, the silvery, fluffy seed heads decorate the garden for weeks.
• Native, and an early source of food for bees and bumblebees.
• Drought-tolerant: ideal for a rock garden, gravel garden or the top of a wall.
• Compact and long-lived when it is in the right place.

Pasqueflower: where does it grow best?

• Full sun; in shade it hardly flowers.
• Well-drained sandy or loamy soil, neutral to chalky; poor, stony soil is fine.
• Dry: standing water, especially in winter, is fatal.
• Plant 20–25 cm apart, at the front of a border, in a rock garden or gravel garden, where taller plants will not swamp it.

Light

Sun

Soil type

Sand or loam

Acidity

Neutral or chalky

Moisture

Dry

Size

0.25 m tall, 0.25 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -30 °C)

Goes well with

• Thyme: A low, fragrant mat in the same dry, sunny soil.
• Blue fescue: Blue-grey tufts beside the silvery seed heads.
• Rock rose: Carries on flowering afterwards in the same dry, chalky spot.
• Grape hyacinth: Small blue flowers in the same weeks.

Pasqueflower: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–April and September.

1. Plant in March–April or September.
2. Choose young plants in pots: because of the taproot, older plants establish poorly.
3. Loosen the soil deeply and, in heavier soil, mix in coarse sand or grit.
4. Set the plant at the same depth as it was in the pot, with the crown just above the soil; do not break up the rootball.
5. Water well at planting and in dry spells for the first few weeks, then hardly at all.
6. A layer of gravel around the base keeps the crown dry.

Care

Watering

Only in dry spells in the first year. After that not at all, except in a pot.

Feeding

Not needed: in rich soil it grows soft and flowers less.

Moving

Leave it where it is: because of the taproot it often fails to survive being moved.

Seed heads

Leave them: they are decorative and provide seed. If you do not want seedlings, cut them off.

Pots

In a deep pot with a mix of potting compost and coarse sand or grit; keep it out of the rain in winter.

Tip: Hairy purple bells in early spring, followed by silvery, fluffy seed heads. Plant it in a sunny, dry spot and do not move it afterwards.

Pasqueflower: when to prune it?

Pruning months: February.

When: No pruning is needed. In February, at most carefully remove the old, dead leaves so that the flower buds get light.

How:

• Pull or cut away dead leaves at the base without touching the hairy buds.
• Leave the seed heads after flowering: they are almost as beautiful as the flowers.
• Wear gloves when working on it.

Caution: The sap can irritate the skin: wear gloves.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Seed

Collect the seed as soon as it is ripe, in June, and sow it straight away in a pot of gritty seed compost placed outdoors. Fresh seed germinates well; old seed much less so.

Root cuttings

In January–February: carefully dig at the edge of the plant, cut a few 3–5 cm pieces of thick root and lay them in a pot of gritty cutting compost. Keep them cool and barely moist.

Pasqueflower: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −30 °C.

• Fully hardy, to about −30 °C: no frost protection is needed.
• Winter wet is more dangerous than frost: make sure the soil drains well and put a layer of gravel around the base.
• In a pot: in winter, stand it under a porch roof or against a wall, out of the rain.

Diseases and pests

• Rot: The crown turns brown and soft after a wet winter. Plant in well-drained soil and put gravel around the base.
• Slugs: They sometimes eat the young leaves and buds. Pick them off in the evening.
• Swamped: Among tall plants it gets too little light and disappears. Give it an open spot at the front.
• Few flowers: Too much shade or overly rich soil. Do not move it, but remove plants that shade it and do not feed.

Through the year

• January: Take root cuttings.
• February: Carefully remove old, dead leaves.
• March: In flower. Plant.
• April: In full flower. Plant.
• May: Last flowers. Silvery seed heads.
• June: Collect ripe seed and sow straight away.
• July: Nothing to do: it copes with drought.
• September: Plant.
• November: Move pots out of the rain.

Edible and useful

Not edible. All parts of these spring flowers are poisonous, especially when fresh: when the plant is damaged it releases protoanemonin, an acrid compound also found in buttercups, which causes a burning feeling in the mouth, vomiting and stomach ache, and redness and small blisters on the skin. In spring, do not pick leaves of wood anemone, yellow wood anemone, hepatica or pasqueflower as greens for rabbits or guinea pigs: they can become seriously ill. Hepatica and pasqueflower were once used as remedies; do not make teas or preparations from them yourself. Keep young children, dogs and cats away, do not let children put the flowers in their mouths, and wear gloves when moving and dividing. If any is swallowed, call a poison centre (in Belgium 070 245 245) or your doctor at once.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Did you know?

• The name pasqueflower refers to Easter (Pasch): it flowers around that time.
• The flowers open wide in sunny weather and close up in cold, wet or cloudy weather.
• It belongs to the buttercup family and used to be classed with the anemones; in French it is still called anémone pulsatille.