Selfheal is a low-growing perennial wildflower that is often found creeping across grassland and lawns. Appearing from June to October with clusters of violet 5-petaled flowers it provides a nectar source for bees and wasps. In the garden, Selfheal is ideal for an area of wildflower lawn or positioned at the front of a border with other low-growing wildflowers such as
Cowslip,
Bird’s-Foot Trefoil, and
Buttercup, to attract pollinators.
Flowers: June to September and is semi-evergreen.
Sow: sow direct where you want the plants to flower at the start of spring before the last frost. Germination is slow and can take up to eight weeks.
Lifecycle: a low-growing perennial herb, Selfheal can regenerate itself from rhizomes, short runners that root freely at the nodes.
Best for: moist but well-drained soil, in sun or partial shade. It thrives when surrounded by other low-growing plants and grows extremely well in lawns.
Also known as: Common self-heal, heal-all, woundwort, heart-of-the-earth, carpenter’s herb, brownwort, and blue curls.
Latin name: Prunella vulgaris.