Posted on Thursday 17th June, 2010 by Chris in Gardening
Look what’s growing in our side border! Pretty, isn’t it? It’s Silene armeria, or catchfly, so called because it has sticky stems that catch any small flying insect that dares to visit the plant without pollenating it.
Cornflower, known to country folk as batchelor’s buttons (or Centaurea cyanus if you’re trying to be a Latin-spouting clever arse) is also thriving in our little corner of England’s green and formerly weed-infested land.
Fellow weed growers need not think we’ve sold out, though. We still have lots of dandelions and a small patch of stinging nettles in a shady corner at the back; both are nutritious food for butterfly larvae and bees, of course, so our green credentials are as intact as ever.
More horticultural wonders coming soon. Stay tuned.
As for the title of this post, if chanted in a suitable rhythm it might make a useful skipping song. Try it, but mind you don’t trip yourself up.