In country lanes and meadows up and down Britain the delicate yellow flowers of the native wildflower, the cowslip, can be found, heralding the arrival of Spring.
The cowslip is a member of the primrose family and its Latin name is Primula veris. Its common name is from the Old English word (cuslyppe) for cowpat because they tended to pop up where these fell.
Cowslips prefer well drained alkaline soil and a sunny position. These perennials grown to a height of 12 inches (30 cm) and provide valuable food for several species of butterflies and moths.
If you plant cowslips in a meadow setting don’t cut the grass until after late July when the seeds have set.
Over the years cowslips have had many uses from making wine and jam to medicinal uses such as treatments for coughs and chest infections. The leaves have also been used for healing wounds.
The cowslip is a member of the primrose family and its Latin name is Primula veris. Its common name is from the Old English word (cuslyppe) for cowpat because they tended to pop up where these fell.
Cowslips prefer well drained alkaline soil and a sunny position. These perennials grown to a height of 12 inches (30 cm) and provide valuable food for several species of butterflies and moths.
If you plant cowslips in a meadow setting don’t cut the grass until after late July when the seeds have set.
Over the years cowslips have had many uses from making wine and jam to medicinal uses such as treatments for coughs and chest infections. The leaves have also been used for healing wounds.
2 comments:
great minds think alike!
I just posted about the history and medicinal properties of cowslips this morning:
http://earth-and-tree.blogspot.com/2008/04/cowslip.html
lovely post, with really useful info, thanks :-)
Hi Hedgewitch,
"Great minds think alike!" - well what can I say?!?
Even though we blogged about the same subject, we managed to gather different facts. I enjoyed your blog post - keep up the good work.
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