Guide to growing garden plants - Heracleum Cow Parsnip
Members of the Heracleum genus are hardy perennials that reach great heights of between 2.5 and 5.5M.
They carry small white or pink flowers in umbels atop thick stems. They are ideal plants to grow in a wild flower garden or close to water.
Some common names for Heracleum include Cow Parsnip, Giant Hogweed, Cartwheel flower and Masterwort.
How to grow Cow Parsnip (Heracleum)
When growing Cow Parsnips outdoors they should be prepared in the spring or autumn. Spring sowing of Cow Parsnips is discussed here. The seeds should be sown in peat pots at a depth of 6mm then the pots put in a black plastic bag, and placed in the the fridge for three weeks. The pots should then be transferred and sank into a shady part of the garden and covered with glass. Let seedlings that appear grow until the autumn then transplant the young cow parsnips into a sunny or partially part of the garden that has a rich and moist soil. As they are large plants, Heracleum should be spaced at about 1 to 1.25M apart.
Caring for Cow parsnips and other Heracleum species
It is important to keep on top of Cow parsnips as they are an invasive plant and will take over the garden given half a chance. It is necessary to remove the flowering stems once they appear; wear gloves when doing this as the Heracleum leaves are toxic and may otherwise cause a skin rash. If you require more plants then they can be had by division.