• This plant family is commonly known as ‘cow parsley’ and its many relatives, fine-textured ferny plants with showy spring and summer flowers that grow wild in woodland and meadows.
• They are ideal for a naturalistic planting as they are easy to grow. 
• Try the late spring perennials Anthriscus sylvestris ‘Ravenswing’. With lacy purple leaves and white flowers.
• Sow seeds in containers in a cold frame as soon as ripe. Pick out into deep containers to prevent damage to the roots when planting out later.
• Sow seeds thinly, 1in deep in drills 12in apart in well-cultivated soil. Water well, especially in dry spells. Germination should take between 7-21 days.

• Plant between autumn and spring in an open, sunny site in well-drained soil improved with a little well-rotted organic matter.
• Split the bulbs into cloves upright 4in deep in light soils to give the best yields. Set out cloves 7in apart with a12in gap between each clove.
• Harvest autumn. (Winter bulbs in late spring) when the leaves turn yellow. Spring-planted bulbs can be lifted in midsummer to early autumn. 
• Lift carefully without bruising the bulb and dry a single layer on a rack, allowing for plenty of air to circulate.
• Good cultivars for autumn planting include July maturing ‘Solent Wight’ from the Isle of White.  

If you would like more information on umbellifers or garlic or if you would like us to answer a general gardening qeustion please contact us.

The solution to slugs: Grow a sacrificial crop