#seacolewort

[jillraggett]

Plant of the Day

Saturday 22 July 2023

On the seashore outside Lerwick, Shetland, the wild Crambe maritima (sea kale, sea cabbage, sea colewort) was in full flower. This coastal tolerant herbaceous perennial forms a clump of large, wavy blue-green leaves, surrounded by dense racemes of small white honey-scented flowers.

Jill Raggett

[jillraggett]

Plant of the Day

Friday 26 March 2021

The new leaves of the large herbaceous perennial Crambe maritima (sea kale, sea cabbage,sea colewort) are just starting to emerge. The leaves will reach up to 75cm, forming a clump of large, wavy blue-green leaves with clouds of small white flowers in early summer. The fibres from last year’s petioles (leaf stalks) appear to have created their own woven textile on the soil surface.

Jill Raggett

[jillraggett]

Plant of the Day

Friday 7 June 2019

In the garden of Myddelton House, Enfield, London, two giant members of the Brassicaceae (Cruciferae) were flowering, Crambe cordifolia (flowering sea kale, heart-leaved colewort) in the ornamental garden near the house and Crambe maritima (sea kale, sea colewort) in the productive garden. These herbaceous perennial members of the cabbage family grow wild along the coasts of Europe, from the North Atlantic to the Black Sea. They thrive in deep, fertile, well-drained soil in full sun but need shelter from strong winds.

Jill Raggett