NATURE'S NURSERY

Since we moved here in February, I've been keeping my eye open for choice wildflowers growing nearby that would fit in with some of the planting schemes I've been thinking of for the garden. Nature's free garden catalogue, payment in patience.

It's illegal to dig up wildflowers without the land owner's permission, and not a great idea anyway because so often they won't survive the move. Instead, I am looking out for plants I will collect seeds from later in the summer when their seed has ripened. Taking only a pinch of seeds from each to leave plenty to grow naturally. 

Top of my hit list are the white form of our indigenous foxglove, Digitalis purpurea f. albiflora. Spend some time in the wild and you'll notice that most colourful wildflowers will throw up a white version every now and then. It's a fairly common trait or mutation where the colour pigment is missing. 

This means the white foxglove isn't guaranteed from the seeds, some of the seedlings will be pink and some white. I've no…