Native Bulbs

Vegetable Seeds

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Sneezewort
Achillea ptarmica

Distribution:  A native British wild flower, which is fairly common throughout Britain.
Habitat:  It grows on damp grassland, fens and scrubland.  Tolerates most soils but is thrives best on acid or heavy soils.
Description:  Medium, greyish perennial with flower heads of creamy-white, rather like Yarrow, but with larger and fewer flowers.  Flowers from June to September.
Uses:  Sneezewort roots were used in the Middle Ages to alleviate toothache.  Culpepper, the 17^th century herbalist, recommended putting the herb up the nose to cause sneezing and clear the head.  The plant has long been cultivated in gardens for its attractive flowers.
Wildlife: Attractive to bees and flies.  

Sowing Instructions for Seed:  Sow seed in spring or autumn in a greenhouse or cold frame. When the seedlings are large enough to handle, prick them out into individual pots.  Plant the seedlings out into their final position in summer.  Planting in autumn will produce slightly earlier flowering than a spring sowing.