Design By Nature - wildflowers.ie - Irish Wildflowers     

Species Datapage No 25  

You may click on most photographs to enlarge.   *Denotes a Naturalised species

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Species Common Name: *Red Valerian
Species Botanical Name: Centranthus ruber
 
red_valerian_png01.png (71815 bytes)

 

Red Valerian is a favourite of many tourist visitors to Ireland.  It grows on walls or dry well drained sites such as Quarries and in the Burren where it is a weed.  We do produce seed but in small quantities only.
Management:  none, prune to 20 cm after flowering, do not allow to get to large as it will break the walls it grows on. 
Tolerance of cutting: Medium, 
Cutting time: None, Autumn.
Edible / Medicinal: Not the Medicinal Valerian, 
red_valerian_png03.png (71815 bytes) 

R.V growing on rubble heap, an excellent butterfly plant.

Life Cycle (Form): Perennial

Flower Height: 20 to 60 cm

Foliage Height: 5 - 30 cm

Flower Colour: White,& Pink

Flowering period: June, 

Time to Flower: 12, months

Soil Type: Will grow in  dry, sandy, Loam, 

pH Type: Neutral, 

Moisture: Dry,

Aspect:  Full sun, 

Wildlife Value: High, Attracts Butterflies & Bumblebees, 
 

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Species Common Name: Redshank
Species Botanical Name: Polygonum persicaria
 
redshank_png01.png (113216 bytes)

 

An annual of moist acid fertile soils, it can be endemic on certain damp soils and if it grows too heavily cut it back to 4cm, to allow other species to develop.

We include it in mixtures for certain reasons, it grows where few other annual nurse crops will, helping to protect more valuable species.

We supply it to replace red Poppies on acid soils and to add red/pink to the annual mix
 
Can be confused with Knotweed.  Being an Annual it will only survive the first year in a meadow
Management:  Keep from over growing more valuable species
Tolerance of cutting: Medium,
Cutting time: Spring, Summer, 
Edible / Medicinal:
 

Life Cycle (Form): Annual, 

Flower Height: 40 to 60 cm

Foliage Height: 5 - 30 cm

Flower Colour: Pink

Flowering period: July, August, September.

Time to Flower: 4 months

Soil Type: Will grow in most damp soils.

pH Type: Acid, Neutral, Alkaline.

Moisture. Moist, Wet

Aspect:  Full sun, 

Wildlife Value: Low, Seed eaten by birds

 

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Species Common Name: Ribwort Plantain 
Species Botanical Name: Plantago lanceolata
ribwort_plantain_png02.png (82653 bytes)  ribwort_plantainpng01.png (67652 bytes)
Oh, what a dull looking weed! I hear you say.  Well just look at the colour of the Wild Chaffinches and Bullfinches that spend early Autumn eating these high protein seeds.  Few wildflowers have seeds that attract birds especially finches as much as Plantain, In our crops we get Linnets, Goldfinches, Dunnock and Common Sparrows, even in the coldest winter migrants such as the rare Snow Bunting can be found searching for Plantain seeds.  Sheep and horses love the fresh foliage and cattle head for it as quick as they do for Flowering Red Clover, which it grows well with.
Management:  Allow to set seed. Will establish quickly and die out if the meadow remains uncut. A vital species for general nature conservation.  Grows well on compact soils, we find it is an ideal Farm hedgerow species and as part of an old grass ley
Tolerance of cutting: Very High
Cutting time: Anytime except when setting seed
Edible / Medicinal:  
ribwort_plantain_png03.png (213999 bytes)  ribwort_plantain_png04.png (213999 bytes)

Life Cycle (Form):  Perennial

Flower Height: 20 to 60 cm

Foliage Height: 5 - 30 cm

Flower Colour:  White, 

Flowering period:  June, July, August, 

Time to Flower: 12,  months

Soil Type: Will grow in most soils, 

pH Type: Acid, Neutral, Alkaline.

Moisture: Dry, Moist, Wet

Aspect:  Full sun, Partial shade, 

Wildlife Value: High, Attracts Birds and Insects.

 

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