Botanical name: Hesperis matronalis
Folk names: Dame’s violet, summer lilac

Type: Biennial or short-lived perennial

Wildlife: A caterpillar food plant for orange-tip butterfies. Nectar for spring butterflies including the green-veined white, bees and hoverflies.

Flowers: May to June

Decorative merit: Pinky mauve or white four-petalled flowers, similar to honesty, in loose clusters on multiple, upright stems. Up to 90cm high and 45cm wide. If a plant is happy, it will form a clump producing many stems and flowers, spreading and self-seeding slightly each year.  Flowers are slightly scented and can be used for cut flower displays. Flowers are edible!

Where: Shade or part-sun. Middle of borders, mini meadows or gravel gardens. Works well in the centre of a spring meadow patch, then cut back the stems to let summer flowers take over. Forms a healthy-size rosette of foliage so allow for space and it will reward you with fountains of flowers in late spring.

Folklore: A popular ‘cottage garden’ plant and used in natural flower arrangements. Do you know of any stories or customs around this plant?

Cabbage family relative of honesty and lady’s smock.

Donate seeds to Exeter Seed Bank