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Denise Bush
Malaga
Friday, 30 August 2024, 13:13
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Described as the plant for a "where nothing will grow" spot, the woolly sunflower or Eriophyllum lanatum, prefers a situation in full sun with dry and poor soil. If it's rocky or sandy, even better as its biggest enemy is too much water.
Native to North America and a member of the huge Asteraceae (daisy) family, this sturdy perennial forms a rounded clump of deeply lobed, blue-green leaves. In early summer it will start producing masses of bright-yellow, sunflower-like blooms on stems up to 30cm high.
Both the leaves and the stems are covered in a white fuzz which helps to conserve water by reflecting heat and reducing air movement across the surface of the leaf.
It can be used for borders, path edging, rock gardens ( E. lanatum var. integrifolium is a shorter variety ideal for rockeries) and in naturalised areas.
It is drought and frost resistant once established and needs no feeding. A trim after the first flush of flowers will ensure a second.
The daisy blooms are rich in both pollen and nectar and are a target for bees and other pollinating insects. They make an excellent cut flower with each sunny flower up to 5cm across.
The seeds are narrow and smooth and, in ideal conditions, Eriophyllum lanatum may self seed itself around the garden. Trimming off the dead flower heads will prevent seed setting and any unwanted seedlings that do appear are easy to hoe out.
Collected seed can be sown in autumn or kept in the fridge and sown in spring. They are sometimes known to be slow to germinate.
The First Nation peoples used the leaves of E. lanatum in a poultice to treat aches and pains as well as to prevent chapping. Dried leaves were made into a tea and used as a love potion.
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