PARNASSIA PALUSTRIS

Description

Bowl-shaped, waxy-looking, greenish-white flowers with delicate green veins, stand singly on thin stems, their lack of numbers more than made up for by their perfection. 'Palustris' means 'of-the-bog' or swampy and this is what this delicate and most lovely, but bone-hardy plant revels in, although it can be grown perfectly well in ordinary moist garden soil, as long as you do not allow lesser flowers to encroach upon it.

Sowing Advice

Seeds can be sown at any time but are best sown in winter or early spring to benefit from a cold spell in the wet compost to break their dormancy. We advise covering seeds very thinly with sand or fine grit to about the depth of the seed size. If the seeds do not come up within 6 to 12 weeks the damp seed tray can be given cold treatment in a fridge for about four weeks. They may still take very many months to appear, so please never discard the pot or tray.

Key Facts