'Poached egg' plant
Sow this annual flower at Easter ready to flower in the summer
- Season
- Spring
- Name
Limnanthes douglasii
- Common Name
- 'Poached egg' plant
- Description
Its common name is ‘poached egg plant’ as the middle of the flower looks like the yolk of an egg with the white of the egg around the outside. Insects, especially hoverflies, love to visit these flowers.
Growing Tips
Growing conditions
These plants like to grow in full sun in well drained soil.
When to grow
Sow from March to June for flowers from June to September.
What you need
Choose a packet of ‘poached egg’ plant seeds
Gardening gloves
A rake
A trowel
Plant label and pencil
How to grow
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Poached egg plant seeds can be sown straight in to the ground where they are going to flower, so make sure the space you are going to sow is weed free, by using a trowel to remove the weeds.
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Rake the soil to a fine tilth (a fine crumbly texture) and make some drills 3mm deep and 10cm apart.
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Sprinkle the seeds in carefully and cover them up with soil. Remember to water the seeds gently. As they grow, if the plants are crowded, thin them out to about 10cm apart.
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The plants will grow to be about 15cm tall. Watch to see how many different insects visit the flowers in the summer.
