There has been a cuckoo in the village, I have it on very good authority, but I am yet to hear it. So in my unwavering optimism, including that of the arrival of spring before summer begins, it is appropriate to feature today the Greater Cuckoo Flower or Cardamine raphanifolia. The fact that it is a beautiful plant also influenced this decision. A native of Southern Europe it has now naturalised (escaped) in parts of the UK. Also called, slightly less romantically, Radish Leaved Cuckoo Flower due to the fact that it is and that raphanifolia means radish leaved. It is also particularly loved by us as it will grow in full to part shade. A marginal plant, so-called as in the wild it lives on the wet margins of rivers and lakes. This means in our garden the perfect place for it is the unexplained boggy bit at the far end of the herbaceous borders. This UBB may be due to an underground spring or the resting place of the lost city of Atlantis. Admittedly but I have been known to suffer from over active imagination syndrome so this must be taken with a pinch of salt, probably just the source of the Nile. The facts are, for all you Spockites out there, are – it is a wet area, a wetter area than rest of garden, and that is pretty wet. You think of a better explanation!
ontheedgegardening 