Also known as Lady's Smock, this plant is a native British wildflower of wet grasslands and river/pond margins. It is a foodplant for caterpillars of the green-veined white and orange-tip butterflies, and its flowers are popular with pollinators.
This plant grows to 50cm tall and 30cm across in full sun, partial shade or full shade and a moist soil. It is important that the soil doesn't dry out while the plant is establishing so make sure it is watered if the soil dries out at any time during the first year. Pale pink / violet flowers are produced from April to June.
This bog plant will grow in soils that are sometimes boggy, but not in a spot that is permanently waterlogged. Once the plant has established, it will be fine if the soil dries out occassionally, but will do best if the ground is shaded from the afternoon sun.
Cuckoo Flower / Cardamine pratensis
Position: Bog garden
Flowering months: Apr / May_/ Jun
Light: Full sun / Mix of sun and shade / Dappled shade / Full shade
Soil: Clay / Loam
Tested in our local soil (t.i.o.l.s.): Yes (providing it is moist)
Drainage: Moist but well-drained / Moisture-retentive / Poor drainage
Life cycle: Perennial (lives for many years)
Hardiness: Fully hardy (in Bristol winters)
Over winter: Dies back (deciduous)