Meadowsweet (Filpendula ulmaria) is a fabulous native wildflower featuring a beautiful froth of creamy-white flowers from June to September. These flowers can be eaten in salads or added to homemade wine, the plant is also a source of natural dyes & perfect for pollinators. Loves to grow in clumps in a damp area.
Height to 1m
Perennial
Price for 100 seeds
USES:
Great for wildlife:
- Attractant and foodplant for Bees, Hoverflies and Emperor, Scarlet Tiger and Fox Moths
- Dragonflies and Ladybirds
- RHS listed plant for pollinators
Natural dye plant – see dyeing information below
- Meadowsweet on its own gives a warm greeny-mustardy yellow
- Meadowsweet with Iron gives a much darker green
- A very dark shade, almost black, comes from the roots of this plant
Culinary use: see caution below
- If you are not sensitive to aspirin then meadowsweet can be used in most recipes that call for elderflower.
- Steep the flowers to flavour cordials, custard, ice cream… or added to homemade wine & homebrew
- Flowers can be eaten in salads
Medicinal: see caution below
- Meadowsweet contains salicyclic acid (now a synthesised ingredient of aspirin), it was used to help with rheumatism, gout, colds, fever and digestive issues.
- The scent of the blossom was said to cure headaches
- Meadowsweet tea has been used for helping with a hangover
- We do not promote the medicinal use of plants – see caution below.
Cutting & Fragrance:
- A traditional flower for a brides bouquet.
- Meadowsweet flowers keep their scent well when dried to make pot pourri.
Historical uses
- The name is thought to come from the Anglo-Saxon ‘meodu-swete’, meaning “mead sweetener” – it was used to flavour drinks for centuries.
- A favoured strewing herb for the bedroom floor of Queen Elizabeth I.
- It is one of the traditional plants used for dyeing wool for tartan cloth.
Important, caution: salicylic-containing plants such as Meadowsweet should be used with caution, given that salicylic medicines can thin the blood. Please Note: we do not promote the medicinal use of plants – guidance and information should be sought elsewhere: anybody wishing to use plants for medicinal effect are advised to consult their medical professional.