Smyrnium perfoliatum
perfoliate alexanders
- approx 20 seeds
- £3.99
- In stock (shipped within 2-3 working days)
- 9cm pot
- £12.99
- available to order from summer
- 3 × 9cm pots
- £29.99 £10.00 each
- available to order from summer
Delivery options
- Seed Packets (only) £2.99
- Position: full sun to partial shade
- Soil: moderately fertile, moist but well-drained soil
- Rate of growth: average
- Flowering Period: April to May
- Hardiness: fully hardy but short-lived
An attractive addition to the woodland edge or mixed border, this upright biennial will put on a showy display in late spring and early summer. Its stout stems are clothed in leaves, which are green and feather-like towards the base, but sulphur yellow, and with a simpler shape nearer the top. Its tiny flowers are produced in rounded clusters, which are a similar colour to the uppermost leaves. Smyrnium perfoliatum makes a very handsome foil for rich plums and purples and also looks great when cut and added to a vase.
This wildflower native thrives in the dappled shade of deciduous woodlands, where it finds rich, moist, yet well-drained soil. Despite its preference for shade, it can also tolerate some sunlight. As a biennial, it blooms in its second year, gracing the landscape with delicate flowers from April to May before setting seed and completing its life cycle.
Cut back to just above ground level in autumn. A generous self-seeder if happy in its spot, it will soon form a generous swathe. For this reason, it is currently illegal to plant, or cause it to grow, in the wild. Gardeners possessing them should undertake measures to control them.
Cut back to just above ground level in autumn. A generous self-seeder if happy in its spot, it will soon form a generous swathe. For this reason, it is currently illegal to plant, or cause it to grow, in the wild. Gardeners possessing them should undertake measures to control them.