Stachys – Officinalis -Betony – 2 litre pot

Another wonderful Native Wildflower  this wonderful plant is a complete showstopper in any garden border.  It flowers with such energy! providing nectar for all pollinators.  Very traditional looking, it makes large trouble free clumps of dark green wrinkly scallop-edged leaves, just the foliage is attractive without the beautiful spikes of spaced out flowers which appear in June.

Also known as Betony it’s other common names include: common hedge nettle, purple betony, wood betony, bishopwort, or bishop’s wort. Like other members of the dead nettle (Lamiaceae) family, betony can be identified by its square stems and lipped flowers, which are a magnet for bees, Bumblebees and other pollinators.  Deadnettle are a key food source for our beloved critically endangered Shrill Carder and Brown Banded Carder Bees.

Traditionally, betony was thought to have significant healing properties, and was used to aid digestion and circulation, as well as help to calm the central nervous system and alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety. All parts of the betony plant are edible and can be used fresh or dried to make a slightly spicy, aromatic tea, which is said to warm and soothe the body – in short, a cup of wood betony tea will make you feel better, and was once used as a catch-all herbal medicine regardless of the symptoms. Betony is also thought to aid concentration, and was even planted in churchyards to ward against ghosts.