Wildflower Strips for Farmers and Irish Moss

 Irish Moss

New varieties of vegetables appear every year. Generally they are so similar to the originals they go unnoticed but occasionally a new plant appears in the catalogues that catch my eye.  Browsing through this year’s seed catalogues a cauliflower type jumped out at me and it goes on the list of new plants to experiment with this season.  We have a few interesting cauliflowers already, the Graffiti F1 is a vivid purple , the Sunset F1 is bright orange and the fractal like Veronica 'Romanesco' type produces a head made of several 'spears' . This year we have the Chinese Sprouting plant which is eaten as sprouting stems, just like broccoli. Vibrant green stems are topped with a white floret. It’s not the prettiest variety, it looks like a ‘blown’ cauliflower when ready to harvest, but it’ll be a real treat for gardeners who like something different. 

There are a few veggie seeds we can plant now as well as cauliflowers: carrots, broad beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, some herbs, cabbage, broccoli and shallots can all go in.

Wildflower Strips

Research showing most farmers could slash their pesticide use without losses and a UN report came out recently denouncing the “myth” that pesticides are necessary to feed the world.

One solution on trial is to create long strips of bright wildflowers planted through crop fields to boost the natural predators of pests and potentially cut pesticide spraying.

A few test strips have been planted on 15 large arable farms in central and eastern England last autumn and will be monitored for five years, as part of a trial run by the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology

Concern over the environmental damage caused by pesticides has grown rapidly in recent years. Using wildflower margins to support insects including hoverflies, parasitic wasps and ground beetles has been shown to slash pest numbers in crops and even increase yields.

The idea for the strips to be in the middle of the field is an adaptation of an idea to put flowers on the perimeter of the field. It’s said the insects don’t go into the centre of the crops making them more effective.

Similar field trials are also underway in Switzerland, using flowers such as cornflowers, coriander, buckwheat, poppy and dill.  The majority of crop protection advice given is from agronomists tied to companies who make their money from selling pesticides. One team member said “There is a commercial drive and they will tend to take a prophylactic approach.” It’s hoped this strip method will eliminate pesticide use all together. 

One wild plant that appears to be suffering because of grass fertilizers, the loss of habitat or coastal management is “Irish Moss” Which has seen numbers decline rapidly in the last few years.  This plant isn’t actually Irish as such and also isn’t moss.

Sagina subulata – Irish Moss

This plant is a perennial also known as pearlwort is a mat-forming species which in Ireland is now confined to rocky open coastal heathy grassland. There are 20 or so varieties but the one I am looking at – called ‘Subulata’ can be used as a groundcover for the garden in much the same way chamomile is used for making a lawn alternative or an attractive rockery plant.

Species description

It is a member of the campion family, which apart from the showy carnations, pinks and campions, includes a number of smaller, weedier species. There is a procumbent pearlwort (Sagina procumbens), which may be commonly found on pavements and also can be invasive in a lawn.

The rosettes of heath pearlwort that now only reside along the North coast, also form low cushions, but with attractive pure white starry flowers on hair-like flower stalks arising from around the margins. By comparison the Sagina subulata is welcomed in the rockery, lawn and between paving stones. Other names are awl-leaved pearlwort, is more descriptive as the short linear leaves have a bristle-like point at the tip.

Flowers are presented from June to August — long enough to attract insects to cross-pollinate plants, but despite its showy flowers, little nectar is produced and they receive few insect visitors. Instead, flowers automatically self-pollinate. Seeds may persist for years in the soil.

Sowing

The BSBI Atlas2000 project highlighted the apparent disappearance of this species from many of its former sites along the north coast; this includes often-visited sites such as the Giant’s Causeway which is a good enough reason to plant a few seeds.

I bought and planted some of the tiny subulata seeds last autumn. I’m pleased to say they are growing well and I am going to do my own field test for a year to see if they are a worthy, practical addition to the garden for making small lawn alternatives. They will be up against the lawn chamomiles for durability and hardiness which is a hard act to follow.