Agrimony

Spiky and yellow, this perennial plant grows in single stems up to 60cm in size. Agrimony seeds have hooked burs so therefore stick to passing animals/clothes and dispurse that way.

Uses

Agrimony can be a colourful componenet in a wild flower meadow.

Persistence

Agrimony is a hardy, dominant perennial that will grow back each year.

Strengths

It is easy to grow, taking very little to maintain once established and is an incredibly relaible species.

Frost Tolerance

Agrimony has a high frost tolerance and resistance to the cold, making it very hardy.

Sowing Rate Advice

1 gram per m2

Ideal Sowing Time

It is best sown in spring after the last frost or autumn and it can benefit from a period of cold weather to germinate although this is not necessarily essential.

Management

A common wildflower but vulnerable to early grass cutting as seed sets late in the season.

Distinguishing characteristics

Seed
Agrimony seeds are extremely spiny and brown/green in colour. Due to the hooked burs they stick to things that brush by for seed dispersal.

Seedling
The seedlings have multiple leaves with jagged edges and sometimes a red like tip.

Flowering Plant
The small yellow petals reveal themselves in stages from the bottom up. The leaves and stems are softly hairy and the stems often reddish in colour. The lower leaves are pinnate with 3 to 6 pairs of larger leaflets, these are interspersed with small leaflets. Agrimony will grow to a height of up to 80cm.

Additional Info

Flowers June to September

Works well with

Agrimony works well in mixtures alongside Betony, Musk Mallow and Yellow-Rattle.

You can find Agrimony in the following mixtures

• Chalk & Limestone Soil Mixture

History

Agrimony was widely used as a medical herb for strains and sprains as well as back pain and was known as ‘nun of the fields’. Medieval monks grew ‘the great healer’ in infirmary gardens.