WILDFLOWER
A survey of wildf lowers at Little arta
It is Febr r , a year before the Kunsthalle Hamburg exhibition ‘Works: Pure and Political’. Ian is sitting in his winged chair by the fire on a late winter afternoon, the room is bathed in a ale lemon coloured light, an ’e isco alian‘ light that is watery and a little dark like the olished mahogany of church ews. It rained that afternoon, a sleety rain. Ian is ouring o er the seeds catalogue and listing seeds to buy for the s ring: herb obert, alerian and hawkweed are included with egetables for the Kailyard, such as, cabbages, lettuce, arsley, kale, russels s routs and carrots. He needed to find ur le loosestrife but could not find it under loosestrife so he finds it under Lythrum salicaria. hese little wild ower seedlings from hiltern seed ackets were mostly for ochan ck. he seeds were lanted in trays in the small greenhouse and in early summer bare s ots were created around the water, com ost sho elled on and grass attened or cut away. any of the small lants disa eared hidden in the long grasses but some sur i ed and more owers accrued in the next few years whether s read by birds or by the wind or by isitors... In une , I hotogra hed and ressed some of the wild owers I had gathered as a gift for Ian. Ian had been uite oorly in the winter. here was a feeling of change and uncertainty. ndrew awson and essie heeler were working on their book Little S arta with the aim of recording Ian’s words and making a artial in entory of the ieces with Ian’s hel . he wild owers around the lochan were at their best that une. I returned in e tember and hotogra hed them again. I recorded o er different lants, including: Water dock, acob’s ladder, ignut, marsh cin efoil, water a ens, orange hawkweed, curled dock, bloody crane’s bill, herb obert, heath bedstraw, sticky catch y, meadow etchling, meadowsweet, tormentil, orkshire fog grass, bog hair grass, bog rush, wa y hair grass, marsh bedstraw, ragged robin, elder a shrub , selfheal, eyebright, frogbit, horsetail, wild carrot, yarrow, lady’s mantle, yellow iris, marsh orchid, marsh thistle, ragwort, rosebay willowherb. Ann Uppington Little Sparta trustee ead nn’s full account of recording wild owers at ittle arta with Ian Hamilton inlay in the section eed atalogues and Wild owers towards the end of this ublication.
WILDFLOWER SURVEY 2018 1 e surve ed the wi d owers growing at itt e arta etween ate une and ugust in 2018. n 2019, that ist was u dated with additiona records. he summer of 2018 was hot and dr . t was one of the hottest summers on record.* e went for weeks without rain and the water su to the cottage and the waterwa s dried u . or a s e , the em e oo was itt e more than a udd e. he wi d owers, however, endured. urve
Note em ers of the on ine communit is otnature.org he ed with some of the wi d ower identifications. * 2018 was the joint hottest summer on record together with 2006, 2003 and 1976 – www.metoffice.gov.uk.
nne ac agan, assistant gardener
Astrantia Astrantia major
ecorded uly . strantia mainly grows in the ront arden and the Woodland arden.
Avens, oo Geum urbanum
ecorded uly . It grows around the garden, including the nglish Parkland and along the ront Path.
Avens, ater Geum rivale
ecorded une . Water a ens grows on the edge of the path by the lochan, along from Tragedies of the Dido Class Cruisers.
e stra , eat Galium saxatile
ecorded une . he delicate white owers can be seen if you look ery closely among the grasses on the hillside areas around the lochan.
in ee , e ge Calystegia sepium
ecorded uly . indweed likes to grow up the raspberries and wild roses by the Kailyard.
orage Borago officinalis
ecorded uly . orage is grown for its edible owers and its charm in the llotment and the Kailyard. We also grow white borage.
ir s oot tre oil, reater Lotus pendunculatus
ecorded une . rows in abundance in the wild ower meadow by the lochan.
itter ress, air Cardamine hirsuta
ecorded ugust . itter cress grows in widely around the garden, including in the cracks of pa ing, the ittle Wood and the llotment.
Bu e u a reptans
Recorded June 2018. ugle grows happily in the Wild Garden and the grassy areas around the lochan. t seems to ha e been a good year for ugle as it has spread more widely.
Butte up, C eepin Ranunculus repens
Recorded July 2018. Growing in damp grassy areas around the garden.
Campion, Red Silene dioica
Recorded June 2018. Campion grows in many areas of the garden including by the lochan and in the Wild Garden and Little Wood.
Campion, White Silene latifolia
We introduced white campion from seed in 2019 and grow it in pots. t will li ely hybridise with red campion in future.
Ca ot, Wi d aucus carota ssp carota
Recorded ugust 2018. Wild carrot grows in the wild ower meadow by the lochan. t s distincti e by its umbels which turn in on themsel es after owering.
i or Cichorium intybus
ecorded uly . solitary, tall chicory grows in the wild ower meadow near to ictures ue.
i ee , o Stellaria media
on
ecorded uly . hickweed lo es to grow among the egetables in the Kailyard. We contain its spread.
i el , S eet yrrhis odorata
ecorded une . pretty early summer ower which grows in the ront arden, ulie’s arden and beyond.
in ue oil, ars Comarum palustre
ecorded une . ound on the hillside of the ochan ck arden, mainly in the undisturbed areas around the Goose ut.
lover, e Trifolium pratense
ainly found in the wild ower meadow around the lochan. It is also one of the wild owers growing in Les emmes de la evolution pots.
olt s oot Tussilago farfara
ecorded ugust . olt’s foot is growing in abundance in the ittle Wood.
o re , o on Symphytum officinale
ecorded uly . an be found happily growing on top of and around the AD grotto. It also grows in the undisturbed area opposite uclear Sail.
orn o er Centaurea cyanus
ecorded une . We grew corn owers as a companion plant in the Kailyard and as an ornamental ower outside The Temple of Apollo.
ottongrass, are s tail riophorum vaginatum
ecorded une . ottongrass grows alongside the heather on the hillside of the ochan ck arden.
o slip rimula veris
ecorded spring . It grows as an ornamental ower in the ront arden.
u oo o er Cardamine pratensis
ecorded pril . uckoo ower grows on the edge of the middle pond in the Wild arden.
ais Bellis perennis
ecorded une . aisies can be found growing in our lawns and in cracks in pa ing. We introduced a daisy edging to the path from the ront Path to the Kailyard which is worn down by foot traffic by the end of the summer.
ais , e e Leucanthemum vulgare
ecorded une . xeye daisies grow steadily in the wild ower meadow by the lochan and are encouraged in many areas of the garden.
an elion Taraxacum spp
ecorded uly . andelions grow around the garden, including Horloge de lore in ulie’s arden.
ea nettle, e Lamium purpureum ecorded ctober llotment.
growing in the
ever e Tanacetum parthenium
ecorded uly . Pictured is golden fe erfew, Tanacetum parthenium ‘ ureum’, which grows alongside fe erfew as companion plants in the llotment. olden fe erfew was added uly and fe erfew in spring .
iel spee ell, o eronica persica
on
ecorded pril . peedwell was found growing through the bare soil in the llotment.
orget e not, iel yosotis arvensis
orget me nots grow in the planter under yosotis arvenis, in the emple Pool arden and in the ittle Wood. here may be other species growing as well as yosotis arvensis.
o glove Digitalis purpurea
ecorded une . oxglo es grow around ittle parta often alongside white foxglo es including on the hillside, around ochan ck and in the Wild arden.
Grass-of-Parnassus Parnassia palustris
Recorded in August 2018. t grows in the oorland surrounding ittle S arta and in the boggy argins o the lochan near the artwork Picturesque.
Ground-elder Aegopodium podagraria
Recorded July 2018. round-elder grows throughout the garden, in articular around the Kailyard, ront arden and the ild arden.
Groundsel Senecio vulgaris
Recorded August 2018. t grows ha the culti ated soil o the Kailyard.
ily in
Harebell Campanula rotundifolia
Recorded July 2018. Also known as Scottish bluebell, harebells grow in grassy ‘field-style’ ots by the greenhouse.
Hawkweed spp. Hieracium spp.
Recorded su er 2018. arious hawkweeds grow around the lochan and the hillside. t’s ery di ficult to identi y s ecific s ecies and it looks like we ay ha e a ew.
Heartsease Viola tricolour
Recorded July 2018. Also known as wild ansy, heartsease grows in the sunken garden and around the ront arden.
Hemp-nettle agg., Common Galeopsis tetrahit agg.
Recorded June 201 . o on he -nettle agg. was ound growing in the Kailyard.
Herb-Robert Geranium robertianum
Recorded July 2018. erb-Robert grows widely around the garden, including Julie’s arden and the ild arden.
Hogweed Heracleum sphondylium
Recorded July 2018. t is redo inantly ound in the ild arden near to the iddle ond.
Iris, Yellow Iris pseudacorus
Recorded July 2018. ellow iris grows strongly in the argins o the lochan, the te le ool and the ond in the nglish arkland.
a ob s-ladder Polemonium caeruleum
Recorded June 2018. ound in the ittle ood and has sel -seeded in the ront arden.
napweed, Common Centaurea nigra
Recorded July 2018. na weed grows in abundance in the wild ower eadow by the lochan and the ittle ood.
Lady s-mantle, Pale Alchemilla xanthochlora
Recorded su er 2018. ady’s- antle grows ainly along the edges o the waterways in the nglish arkland.
Lady s-mantle, lpine Alchemilla alpina
Recorded August 2018. his al ine s ecies o lady’s- antle was introduced to the sunken area o the ront arden in 2018.
Marsh-marigold Caltha palustris
Recorded June 2018. arsh- arigold grows along the argins o the burn which ows into the lochan and other water edges around the garden.
Mayweed, entless ripleurospermum inodorum
Recorded August 2018. ayweed grows on the banks o the to ond in the ild arden near to the a ueduct.
Mint, ater entha aquatica
Recorded August 2018. ater int grows in the argins o the lochan and the te le ool.
Monkeyflower imulus guttatus
Recorded July 2018. onkey ower grows on the argins o the burn that eeds into the lochan. t is not nati e, but it is naturalised in ritain and reland.
ettle, Common rtica dioica
Recorded June 2018. ettles grow in abundance around the garden and we care ully anage their s read.
ettle-lea ed bellflower Campanula t a l um
Re orded uly . his tall bell ower rst appeared in Little parta in ulie s garden. It has now spread to the oodland Garden and beyond.
ipplewort apsana communis
Recorded July 2018. t is ound growing ainly in the ront arden and around the edges o the cottage.
Pignut Conopodium ma us
Recorded June 2018. nly a ew grow by the lochan along ro the ragedies of the ido Class Cruisers.
Plantain, Ribwort Plantago lanceolata Recorded su in the grassy
er 2018. his lantain grows eadow by the lochan.
Plantain, Greater Plantago ma or
Recorded August 2018 growing in the sunken area o the ront arden.
Poppy, Common Papaver rhoeas
Recorded June 2018. A ew grow in the wild ower eadow iby the lochan. n 201 , they a eared in abundance by the ittle ood.
Primrose Primula vulgaris
Recorded arch 201 . hey grow in dri ts in the grass at the isitor car ark and we’ e introduced the to the woodland in the ild arden by the iddle ond.
Purslane, Pink Claytonia sibirica
Recorded July 2018 growing in the oodland arden.
Purple-loosestrife ythrum salicaria
Recorded August 2018. hanks to the ersistent e orts o head gardener eorge illiland, ur le-loosestri e has been re-introduced to ittle S arta. A solitary ur le-loosestri e was recorded growing on the edge o ochan ck between uclear Sail and Picturesque and ore grow along the burn at the botto o the nglish arkland.
ORCH Marsh-orchid, Northern Dactylorhiza purpurella
Recorded July 2019. The northern marshorchid grows under the hedge of Huff Lane.
Spotted-orchid, Common Dactylorhiza fuchsii
Recorded June 2018. The common spottedorchid grows around the lochan and on the hillside. 2019 was a very wet summer and we saw a huge increase in the number of orchids than in 2018.
Common Spotted x Northern Marsh-orchid Dactylorhiza fuchsii x purpurella Recorded June 2018. Hybrids of the common spotted-orchid and northern marsh-orchid grow in abundance around the lochan in the wet marshy ground.
Ragged-robin Silene floscuculi
Recorded June 2018. Ragged-robin grows in the grassy meadow around the ochan.
Ragwort, Common Senecio jacobaea
Recorded June 2018 growing on the hillside by the Goose Hut .
Ramsons Allium ursinum
Recorded June 2018. Ramsons is also nown as wild garlic. t grows outside The Temple of Apollo and around the oodland arden.
Scabious, e i s-bit Succisa pratensis
Recorded ugust 2018. cabious grows along the hillside edge of the lochan.
Se hea Prunella vulgaris
Recorded July 2018. elfheal grows in abundance in the area in front of the Goose Hut towards the lochan.
Shepherd s-purse Capsella bursa-pastoris
Recorded ugust 2018. This wild ower grows on the ban s of the top pond in the ild arden.
Snee ewort Achillea ptarmica
Recorded ugust 2018. nee ewort is growing around the lochan and in particular along the burn that feeds into the lochan.
Sorre , Common umex acetosa
Recorded June 2018. orrel grows in the ittle ood by the lochan and behind the Goose Hut.
Springbeauty Claytonia perfoliata
Recorded summer 2019. lso nown as miner s lettuce we grow this native edible wild ower in the llotment.
Spurge, etty uphorbia peplus
Recorded ctober 2018. This grows in the cultivated soil of the llotment.
Stitchwort, esser Stellaria graminea
Recorded June 2018. Stitchwort grows in a damp grassy area near to the ochan.
ansy Tanacetum ulgare
Recorded ugust 2018. he tight ye ow owers appear on the edge o the poo by T e Tem le o ollo.
hist e, Creeping Cirsium arvense
Recorded ugust 2018. rows in the ittle ood and among the woodland between the lochan and the nglish ar land.
hist e, Marsh Cirsium palustre
Recorded June 2018. arsh thistle mainly grows on the hillside in the ochan c arden.
ormenti Potentilla erecta
Recorded June 2018. Tormentil grows alongside the heather on the hillside of the ochan c arden.
a erian aleriana officinalis
Recorded June 2018. small number of valerian grow by the lochan near to the Trage ies of the Di o Class Cruisers. alerian seedlings grown from seed were planted in this area in 2019.
etch, u ted icia cracca
Recorded June 2018. an be found in the grassy meadow areas of the hillside around the lochan.
Ve hli , Mea ow ath rus prate sis
Recorded June 2018. Meadow etchling grows on the hillside around the oose ut in the ochan c arden.
Willowherb, Marsh Epilobium palustre
Recorded June 2018. Marsh willowherb grows near to The Prese t r er on the hillside.
Willowherb, Rosebay hamerio a usti olium
Recorded July 2018. This tall willowherb is found in abundance around the lochan and prolifically self-seeds around other areas of the garden too. Its spread is being carefully managed. It grows around ur e urle and is welcomed here
Woo sorrel alis a etosella
ood-sorrel grows on the grassy ban behind the pantheon and beside the a ueduct in the ild arden.
Woo r alium o oratum
Recorded July 2018. oodruff can mainly be found under the canopy of trees in the oodland arden.
oundwort, edge Stachys sylvatica
Recorded ugust 2018. uic ly recognisable by its pungent aroma hedge woundwort grows on the ban near to the agpole.
arrow Achillea millefolium Recorded June 2018. arrow grows in the wild ower meadow by the lochan and on the medicinal mound in the ittle ood.
SEED WILDFLOWER CATALO ES A D LD LO E S
REMEMBERE B ANN UPPINGTON ITT Appeared in the July 20
ittle parta ne
PA TA T U T
letter
It is Febr r a year before the Kunsthalle Hamburg exhibition ‘Works: Pure and Political’. Ian is sitting in his winged chair by the fire on a late winter afternoon, the room is bathed in a ale lemon coloured light, an ’e isco alian‘ light that is watery and a little dark like the olished mahogany of church ews. It rained that afternoon, a sleety rain. Ian is ouring o er the seed catalogues and listing seeds to buy for the s ring: herb obert, alerian and hawkweed are included with egetables for the Kailyard, such as, cabbages, lettuce, arsley, kale, russels s routs and carrots. He needed to find ur le loosestrife but could not find it under loosestrife so he finds it under Lythrum salicaria. he little wild ower seedlings he grew from these hiltern and uffolk seed ackets were mostly for the lochan. he seeds were lanted in trays in the small greenhouse and in early summer bare s ots were created around the water, com ost sho elled on and grass attened or cut away. any of the small lants disa eared hidden in the long grasses but some sur i ed and more owers accrued in the next few years whether through self seeding, birds, the wind or by isitors. Ian was increasingly interested in the early s in growing owers and egetables from seed. His daily ursuits as always became the source for his oetry, and his ublic oetry affected his focus in the garden. ne of his ins irations was a oster by nselm Kiefer and this led to a work in the garden close to the house called Les Femmes de la e luti , each wild ower symbolising a woman of the re olution and these women a eared in se eral exhibitions with his seed ackets. he egetable seeds were for the Kailyard, his new allotment in the sun. lso that year Ian had made a wall la ue y s tis r e sis dedicated to the forget me not. In arch , Ian wrote of the bitterly cold weather: he buds on the bare branches look frightful, like a dis lay of bolts in the icy air.... an earlier letter s oke of you lanting a circle of owers. I assume this means a solid circle as an outer ring, and this seems a ery nice idea ha e you e er tried that I had been lanning a circle garden of owers and small shrubs for a school garden in rookline assachusetts. It was a garden for neighbours and school children to lant in and I must ha e mentioned it in an earlier letter. In encil at the bottom of the letter Ian drew a solid circle writing underneath, circle of owers not like this , and then another circle a bit like a thin doughnut but like this es ecially if they could grow through grass but how could that be ossible he next letter was written in ay : I su ose my idea of the ring of grass and wild owers makes at least for me a kind of sensation, and in this sensation is a sort of meaning, e en if I cannot say what it is. lowers in a ty ical erennial garden were for Ian, im eded, yet it is this kind of form eo le like best.
he form of the circle was the order or conce t that contained the wildness of the grasses and the owers. Ian wrote, wild ower is the realisation of a conce t, a garden ower of an effect. etached entences . n the wild edge of his garden Ian gathered this circle around the lochan ‘unim eded’, that is art of the garden’s dynamic of air, water, wind and song made by him, a asserby . Ian liked these collo uial names with their attachment to tradition and usage and would l think like you to imagine this circle if you could, as you may still find many of the wild owers and grasses there. en years later during a summer isit in une had gathered as a future gift for Ian.
I hotogra hed and ressed the wild owers I
Ian had been uite oorly in the winter. here was a feeling of change and uncertainty. ndrew awson and essie heeler were working on their book Little arta uide to he arde o a amilto Fi lay with the aim of recording Ian’s words and essie was making a artial in entory of the ieces with Ian’s hel . It was a time for collecting and making lists as Ian s life was close to ending. he wild owers and grasses around the lochan were at their best that une. Here is the lant list I made: water dock, acob’s ladder, ignut, marsh cin efoil, water a ens, orange hawkweed, curled dock, bloody crane’s bill, herb obert, heath bedstraw, sticky catch y, meadow etchling, meadowsweet, tormentil, orkshire fog grass, bog hair grass, bog rush, wa y hair grass, marsh bedstraw, ragged robin, elder a shrub , selfheal, eyebright, frogbit, horsetail, wild carrot, yarrow, lady’s mantle, yellow iris, marsh orchid, marsh thistle, ragwort, rosebay willowherb. ore recently ochan ck was reno ated and eorge illiland, our head gardener, scattered wild ower seed on the bare soil and has re introduced many wild owers. He tells me the marsh orchid still blooms. ut it is a changing landsca e wild owers themsel es are ‘ assersby’ in a constant state of ux, smothered by grass or other lants that grow too well, such as rosebay willowherb. he ur le loosestrife has gone but remembered in two wall la ues in the entrance area made by ohn ash in : Loosestri e i le mm ou t and o Flo ers o ether Loosestri e i .
N tes he ur le loosestrife had gone. I ha e missed out on grass of Parnassus suggested by ue wan and the bog cotton on the moorland, which owers close to ugust. here were many more marsh orchids then than now and the in asion of rosebay willowherb into the moorland was only ust beginning. With thanks to he Wild ower entre at Knotty sh, i er ool and friends at he Wild lower ociety ramingham,
assachusetts,
for hel identifying the lants. ll errors in identification are my own.
LD LO E S A
A trantia
i ely S eet
Astrantia major
yrrhis odorata
A en
in ue il
d
Geum urbanum
A en
l
Geum rivale
eath
lt
Galium saxatile
ind eed
ed e
t tre il
Lotus pendunculatus
itter re
Senecio vulgaris
er
are ell Campanula rotundifolia
are tail
a
eart ea e
rimula veris
u
Ajuga reptans
iola tricolour
er
e p nettle a
Cardamine pratensis
reepin
er
Bellis perennis
ed
ai y
Silene dioica
eye
eed
ead nettle
Daucus carota ssp. carota
Stellaria media
ry
Cichorium intybus
ri
ara acum s
ild eed
eracleum sphondylium
andeli n
Silene latifolia
n
ell
ris pseudacorus
ed
Ja
Lamium ur ureum
nap eed
anacetum parthenium
ield peed ell
ladder
olemonium caeruleum
e er e
eronica persica
ert
Geranium robertianum
Leucanthemum vulgare
hite
n
Galeopsis tetrahit agg.
ai y
Ranunculus repens
eed pp
ieracium spp.
lip
u le
hi
r und el
riophorum vaginatum
Cardamine hirsuta
a pi n
Aegopodium podagraria
n
tt n ra
airy
utter up
r und elder
Centaurea cyanus
reater
arna u
arnassia palustris
Symphytum officinale
Borago officinalis
e
ra
t
rn
ield
Digitalis purpurea
ed
rey
ra e
arr t
l
ussilago farfara
Calystegia sepium
a pi n
ar h
rifolium pratense
ed tra
hi
er
en t
yosotis arvensis
Comarum palustre
ater
ird
r et
n
Centaurea nigra
n
Lady
antle
ale
Alchemilla xanthochlora
Lady
antle Alpine
urple l
Alchemilla alpina
ar h
ari
ld
n
n Sp tted rthern ar h r hid
entha a uatica
Dactylorhi a fuchsii x purpurella
er
a
imulus guttatus
ed r
in
a
rtica dioica
Campanula trachelium
rt
er
a
rt
n
Lapsana communis
i nut i
rt
Allium ursinum
e il
it
Succisa pratensis
runella vulgaris
S rrel
her
ar h
her
e ay
rrel
xalis acetosella
Galium odoratum
n
Spur e
ead
dru
Achillea ptarmica
ri r
etty
rimula vulgaris
Claytonia perfoliata
ur lane
Sprin
Claytonia sibirica
u ted
d
rt
Rumex acetosa
in
ill
Shepherd pur e
apaver rhoeas
e
et h
Chamerion angustifolium
Snee e
n
otentilla erecta
ill
lantain ppy
r entil
pilobium palustre
Capsella bursa pastoris
lantago major
Cirsium palustre
Lathyrus pratensis
lantago lanceolata
reater
ar h
et hlin
Sel heal
Conopodium majus
hi tle
icia cracca
n
S a i u
Cirsium arvense
aleriana officinalis
Senecio jacobaea
ettle lea ed ell
reepin
alerian
Silene oscuculi
n
lantain
hi tle
Dactylorhi a fuchsii
ater
ipple
rthern
Sp tted r hid
ilipendula ulmaria
ettle
anacetum vulgare
Dactylorhi a purpurella
eet
n ey
an y
ar h r hid
ripleurospermum inodorum
rt Le er
Stellaria graminea
S
ay eed S entle
int
Stit h
Lythrum salicaria
Caltha palustris
ead
e tri e
eauty
Claytonia perfoliata
und
rt
ed e
Stachys sylvatica
arr Achillea millefolium
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