Invasives - Hesperis
Hesperis matronalis is one of the self-seeders that I love. When I
first started gardening, I had about a quarter acre of it. Spring
was purple. As I planted other things, I would pull out the
hesperis, so now I have it in the two back corners along with
vigorous natives like blackcaps, trailing blackberry, salmonberry,
snowberry. It is rather like oriental poppy,another spring bloomer,
in that the stems can be snapped off before seed is set, leaving just
the stem. This leaves room for other plants, but next spring, there
they are, looking gorgeous again. I would never be without it, as it
is in bloom when the swallowtail butterflies emerge. They feed on
its nectar, then lay their eggs on the fennel which I have growing
nearby. (They like the green, not the bronze fennel). This is
another profligate seeder, which seems to have taken over the verges
of California highways, but is easy to control. At the moment it is
in flower here, and humming with bees. As a former beekeeper, I
would never deprive bees of sustenance, but I will cut the stalks
before seeds form.
Hesperis has tiny prickles all over its stems which can imbed
themselves in fingers that are breaking off mature branches. I have
a patch of smooth-stemmed ones that I am encouraging by removing all
the prickly plants around them.
Diane Whitehead Victoria British Columbia, Canada
zone 8, Sunset zone 5, cool mediterranean climate
