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Plant Portrait Pulsatilla vulgaris By
Roslyn Duffus Pulsatilla
vulgaris or pasque flower
is a plant that is well worth having in the garden. Originating in Europe,
it is quite easy in this part of the world. Flowering takes place in May and
is extended over a few weeks. This is followed by a period of time when the
fluffy seedheads make quite a nice show themselves. The flowers are
generally a lovely amethyst shade of purple and are covered with downy hairs
and the foliage is finely dissected. There are hybrids of white or reddish
tones. There are also hybrids with more deeply cut foliage and flowers with
more petals than the species. The plant in flower will not be much over 14
inches high and stays as a neat clump. I have found the
plants to be very long lived in the garden placed in full sun and in fertile
but very well drained soil. I cut
back the dead foliage in the spring and top dress with a little compost.
These plants do not like to be moved when mature so it is best to start with
small plants and leave undisturbed. I have had selfseeding from my original
plants and, because they are a little slow to grow in their first couple of
years, have often only found them in the lawn when they came into flower as
still quite small plants. This can be avoided if you deadhead before the
seedheads ripen. There is a pulsatilla native to North America. Pulsatilla patens is, I believe, known as the prairie crocus in Manitoba. Some of the other species are a little more demanding and a bit more of a challenge to grow; however, P. vulgaris should do well for everybody. |