What glorious Easter weather we have just had and what a time to begin getting the garden ready for summer. Over the centuries some plants have come to have special meanings for us at certain times of the year, just mention holly and we think of Christmas. But pasque flowers aren’t just for Easter any more than holly, ivy and mistletoe miraculously appear only in December. Their common name comes from the old French word pascal which in this case has come to mean ‘flowers around Easter’. But with a little extra care in giving these beautiful flowers the right growing conditions they can give that little bit of magic to your garden right through the summer months. Once a common sight on England’s southern chalk downs they are now unfortunately very rare in the wild. On the plus side cultivated forms can be readily found in our local garden centres.

Traditionally pasque flowers (Pulsatilla vulgaris) are grown in rock gardens along with other alpines. They will adapt to other places in your garden but their biggest requirement is really well-drained soil. Even if the soil is borderline it will be a waste of time even trying to grow them and this includes anywhere where puddles form after rain. To understand this think of how hairy the plants are which makes it almost impossible for them to get rid of the excess moisture and soggy roots are not an option.

Bearing this in mind you can see the importance of careful soil preparation before planting. They like a mixture of well rotted compost worked in with plenty of gravel. Even though they can’t cope with wet roots they do like a rich growing medium. Immediately after planting treat the area to a gravel mulch about 2.5cm deep. Try to choose a site that gets the sun all day and the more light the better. If you don’t have a rockery a gravel border could be an attractive alternative.

As a family they don’t like root disturbance as they have very deep roots. If you are buying ready grown plants it is easier to opt for small ones as these are more likely to recover when planted out. It’s cheaper to grow from seed. Sow thinly, about 5mm deep, into modules filled with a gritty but moist compost. When the seedlings appear thin to the strongest plant in each module, when large enough to handle transfer to larger pots and plant out in their flowering positions in either autumn or spring.

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