Fox and cubs

I first came across this beautiful, orange daisy over twenty-five years ago. I glimpsed around a dozen plants growing on a large green area of land on the outskirts of the Worcestershire village of Alvechurch. For those of you who are familiar with this area – the stretch of land was around the turning into Rowney Green.

Many years later … I found one of these lovely plants growing next to a hedge on a waste area of land … so out came my trowel and a small plastic bag and I carefully dug up one small specimen to take home with me. Over the years many people have introduced them into their gardens and for those who do not enjoy the hunt of tracking down a wild specimen then garden centres often have good, healthy wild flowers grown from seed.

Once planted into the garden wild flowers usually become slightly larger and stronger than their native wild siblings – which for most, gives them an added attraction in the border.

Fox-and-cubs or its Latin name Pilosella aurantiaca is a useful border filler. It will grow quite happily in the odd patch of land that is poorly nourished and as it is a perennial will provide beautiful bright orange daisy shaped blooms year after year. It is slow spreading which really is a must for wild plants that are introduced into the garden border.