Orlaya grandiflora
I always get questions about this one because, apparently, this beauty is relatively unknown.
It looks like delicate lace and is particularly beautiful in bouquets (it survives for quite a long time in a vase). This is the perfect filler plant for flower beds and, if it's happily settled, it will self-seed beautifully without being a nuisance.
Native to Mediterranean Europe, you'll struggle to find white lace flower growing wild in many other places, and it's often classed as an endangered plant.
It can be grown as an annual or biennial plant.
Height: 60cm (24")
Hardy: Robust annual plants
Where: Full sun
When: March to April inside, April to June, or August to September outdoors.
Spacing: 25cm (10")
Harvesting/Flowering: June to September. If you sow it later, it will flower in the second year.
A paradise for insects.
Photos: Janina Laszlo
