Phyteuma spicatum is the most popular bee plant in my garden at the moment and a great edimental….a very old root vegetable in Europe, mentioned already by Gerard’s Herball from 1597, but best known as a vegetable in France and Germany.
These pictures are from a bed in my garden where I originally planted Phyteuma nigrum (P. spicatum subsp. nigra) many years ago. It must have crossed with other plants elsewhere in my garden as there’s now a range of colours from white to almost black!
The name rapunsel is related to rapa (turnip) due to its use as a root vegetable!
Before my talk at St. Koloman on the edge of the Alps last week, I saw both P. spicatum and P. orbiculare growing nearby in the wild for the first time! Therefore, I made a special slide for the occasion (see picture). The picture of the roots was from my garden! They were quite tasty!
This video was taken in June 2016 during the big diamond back moth invasion..
A French Dandelion cultivar, early and productive with very long leaves!
Probably the same as or an improved form of Large Green Montmagny Dandelion in The Vegetable Garden from 1920 (I haven’t checked the French edition)…still available at http://www.vilmorin-jardin.fr/recherche-produit/legumes/potageres/pissenlit-vert-de-montmagny-ameliore/1-6-789/
