Daily details from the garden to bring you inspiration throughout the year
Frothing clouds of white spray – that’s the whole point of cow parsley. Umbrellas of tiny flowers held far above the foliage on such slender stems that they appear to float... and so I’ve discovered that getting yourself into the precise spot to take a photograph which shows all parts of the plant off to their best effect is, in this case, quite tricky. In spite of this, I feel compelled to make a considered effort with the purple cow parsley Anthriscus sylvestris ‘Ravenswing’, whose fabulous dark plum-coloured stems and leaves make such an arresting contrast with the floral stuff. But today the flowers are starting to go to seed, showering the deep purple leaves with dust, and I find I want to give the whole plant a good shake to tidy things up. Leaning in, I can’t quite get to it without trampling on things closer to the front of the border but, hey, this ain’t no show garden. And so, dear reader, I give you...Dark Leaves and Dandruff. Must try harder.
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Hello! I’m Andrew, gardener, writer, photographer, and owner of a too-loud laugh, and I’m so pleased you’ve found your way to Gardens, weeds & words. You can read a more in-depth profile of me on the About page, or by clicking this image.