• Beautiful flowers
• Low growing
• Attracts bees
• Good for a wildlife garden

A rare native in the UK found growing on chalky grasslands, with a truly stunning flower. It has been used medicinally to treat inflammations of the reproductive organs, but taken in excess it can cause diarrhea and vomiting and so should only administered by a qualified herbalist.

Plant care

• Height: 10-30cm
• Type: Hardy
• Aspect: Sun
• Soil: Any/alkaline
• Flower colour: Purple
• Flowering period: March – April

Pulsatilla likes full sun and well-drained soil and once planted doesn’t like to be disturbed.In the right place it will self-seed and begin to grow a little colony, so leave theseed heads on when it finishes flowering. It grows well in a pot too – just make sure it isn’t potted into a container that is too large (so not lots of wet compost around the roots) and that it has adequate drainage.

Usage

The whole herb is collected in Spring soon after flowering. It can be dried and prepared as a herbal tea but is thought to not last well for more than a year. It is a traditional medicine for the nervous system indicated for nervous exhaustion with nerve pain, insomnia and headaches.