A walk around Plumpton on a lovely sunny morning after all that rain and wind found the flowers of 11 species. Among them is the deliciously scented winter heliotrope (see left). This rampant plant was introduced to English gardens from the Mediterranean in 1806 but has become naturalised in the wild, especially along verges where it forms dense patches that smother our native plants. But it does smell lovely. Only the female plants occur here so it spreads by underground stems and not seed. Even a fragment of the root can form a new plant. Other plants in flower: Groundsel, Shepherd's Purse, Common Field Spreedwell, Hairy Bittercress, Daisy, Dandelion, Annual Meadow Grass, Yarrow, Red Dead-nettle, and White Dead-nettle.
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