Phacelia: 3 Good Reasons To Plant This Flower In Your Garden
Have you heard of tansy leaf phacelia? This annual herbaceous plant is interesting in more ways than one, both for its beauty and for its usefulness in the garden. We have listed for you 3 good reasons to plant this pretty purple flower.
1- It is easy to grow
Tansy leaf phacelia or Phacelia tanacetifolia is a favorite flower of natural Gardening enthusiasts. It must be said that this annual herbaceous plant, which is a friend of bees, has multiple virtues to appeal to gardeners.
Simply browse it during the spring to see this plant grow quickly at the expense of weeds or grasses.
With its stiff stems covered in prickly hairs, it looks like a thistle at first. But its finely cut foliage is soft under the hand and its delicate flower proves much more elegant.
The flowers, which bloom from May to September, are Purple in color and can quickly form a spectacular carpet in a slope, a flower meadow or even a simple border or flower bed.
So the first good reason to adopt this plant in the garden is its ease of cultivation. This herbaceous plant appreciates a sunny exposure, accepts all types of soil and requires little effort from even the novice gardener.
2- It is an excellent green manure
Tansy leaf phacelia is also a very interesting plant for anyone who practices natural Gardening and is looking for a green fertilizer.
The second good reason to adopt it in the garden is simple: this fast-growing plant is very useful for improving soil structure and fertility.
Indeed, it has a highly developed root system that contributes to soil structuring. As for its stems and leaves, they can be used as green manure to fertilize the soil.
To do this, sow in the spring when the temperature exceeds 10°C. Use a rake to cover the seeds and water lightly. The plant will grow quickly.
After two months, that is before flowering, you just need to pass the mower and bury this green manure so that it feeds the soil by decomposing. You can also leave the cut plants above ground to mulch upcoming crops.
3- Its flowers are very melliferous
The third good reason to embrace this plant is that it is very melliferous.
If you want to take advantage of phacelia's beautiful bloom and attract pollinating Insects to your garden, don't hesitate to spread seedlings throughout the summer until September. This will allow you to achieve continuous flowering into the fall.
The flowers are very aesthetic, with their small Purple petals and long stamens of the same color. But above all they attract all kinds of pollinating Insects with their perfume, pollen and nectar. They will bring all kinds of auxiliary Insects into your garden, such as bees, bumblebees, butterflies and even ladybugs.
Copyright: Audrey Vautherot
This plant is rustic down to -10°C. So, if winters are cold in your area, the plants will naturally be destroyed.
On the other hand, if you live in an area with mild winters, you should be sure to cut these plants before they reseed, as they can become invasive through spontaneous seeding.
You can then lightly bury the cut grasses or leave them above ground to act as green manure and mulch.
