These seeds grow into very interesting St John's Wort. Many Hypericum
exude a smell from the leaves but on sunny days this plant has a lovely deep
and strong aroma. Describing the smell of plants isn't an exact science and I
hesitate to add to the list of more fanciful descriptions but here goes:
It's warm and strong; possibly reminiscent of treacle,
tobacco with a hint of rubber in a good way.
Origin: I found a
bush growing wild in my garden. I noticed the strong aroma and that quite a few
of my neighbours have it too. I didn't think it was anything unusual until I
started noticing that similar plants elsewhere didn't have the wonderful smell.
The World has around 400 Hypericum species and I've not been able to identify which of them it is. It
may be a hybrid or a chance mutation.
Sowing suggestion:
Sow on the surface of moist compost in post and barely cover with a sprinkling
of very fine compost. Keep at around 10C and expect germination in a couple of
months. (There should be no need to vernalise as the seed was exposed to
several degrees of frost over the winter of 2011/12)
Planting out:
Although the plant will grow quite well in some shade, the best aroma is
obtained by putting it in full sun. It thrives in dry, impoverished soil. The
ideal size to plant out is around 10cm high. The mature plant grows to around
1.5m and spreads around 1m.
Care: Prune it if
it starts to grow out of its allotted space. If there’s drought in the first
few months of its life, water it but this is a tough plant.
Safety: The sap
of the plant might be dangerous to some people. Do not eat this plant or use it
medically. Some plants of this genus are used medically while there are
warnings about possible photosensitivity
Buy seeds on Ebay
