Meadowsweet (Filpendula ulmaria)

In stock

£0.60 / pack(s)


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.

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