A profusion of fragrant, yellow-centred white flowers appear throughout the summer above the fleshy, fern-like, bright yellow-green leaves. This pretty, poached-egg plant makes a fabulous informal edge for a sunny, well-drained border. Highly attractive to beneficial insects including bees and hoverflies, it will help reduce pest colonies in the vegetable garden. An easy to grow annual, it is ideal for the children’s garden and will self-seed freely. It will also make a wonderful green manure crop.
How to care for Limnanthes douglasii:
Plant in moist, well-drained soil in full sun, spacing plants about 15-20cm (6-8in) apart to allow them to spread. Water regularly during dry periods, especially while establishing, as it prefers consistently moist soil.
Deadhead spent flowers to prolong blooming and prevent self-seeding if you don’t want it to spread freely. It’s a short-lived annual but often self-sows, returning reliably each year with little effort.
