Buy fiddleneck - green manure Phacelia tanacetifolia

Phacelia tanacetifolia - green manure

Position: full sun
Soil: any, fertile, well-drained soil
Rate of growth: average to fast-growing
Flowering period: June to September
Hardiness: hardy annual

Lavender-blue, bell-shaped flowers, which are laden with nectar, form in densely-packed clusters on sturdy stems and attract bees and other beneficial insects in their droves. Perfect for wildflower meadows, or naturalised planting schemes, the flowers will last well after being cut. The fast growing foliage will help suppress weeds and makes an attractive groundcover. Scorpion weed can also be treated as a green manure crop, which will help enrich the soil. They self-seed freely.
Garden care: From early spring, sow into small pots filled with good seed compost and initially protect with a cold frame or unheated greenhouse. Pinch out the growing tips to encourage bushier growth and harden off before planting out. Alternatively sow direct in autumn into a sunny, well-prepared seed bed. Easy to grow, if you do not want the plants to set seed, remove the spent flowers as they fade.
Sow: March-May or September-October
Flowering: June-September
Approximate quantity: 25 seeds.