A quick and easy way to add contemporary elegance to your garden
Part of the reason for this is their umbel-shaped flowers, which are similar to those of some of our loveliest and best-known wildflowers, such as cow parsley, hedge parsley, alexanders, pignut and wild carrot. Each umbel – technically known as a 'compound inflorescence' – is a thing of precise geometric beauty made up of a series of umbellets that radiate out from its centre, with each umbellet typically comprising a number of tiny flowers.
But it's not just their good looks that earns them a place in many gardens. Umbellifers' nectar and pollen-rich, umbrella-shaped, decorative blooms are also famously attractive to a diverse range of pollinating insects.
Yet another part of their great charm is that long after they have faded, the handsome silhouettes of those distinctive flowers can continue to provide long-lasting interest right until the first harsh frosts, while their often tall, hollow, grooved stems offer a safe berth for beneficial garden insects to overwinter.
READ MORE
White coriander flowers. Photograph: Getty
Ferula communis, the giant fennel. Photograph: Getty
All are members of what was long known as the Umbelliferae plant family but is now classed as Apiaceae. This huge group includes well-known garden favourites such as fennel, dill, lovage, coriander, celery, culinary parsley, angelica, ammi, bupleurum, astrantia and orlaya, as well as other lesser-known but equally graceful umbelliferous species. Examples of the latter include the pink-flowering Pimpinella major 'Rosea'; Baltic parsley (Cenolophium denudatum); the towering, yellow-flowered giant fennel (Ferula communis); the stately Himalayan cow parsley (Selinum wallichianum); the statuesque, lime-flowered Peucedanum verticillare; and the lilac-pink flowering hairy chervil (Chaerophyllum hirsutum 'Roseum').
Astrantia japonica. Photograph: Getty
Wild angelica. Photograph: Getty
These plants, often used in naturalistic planting combinations, have become the hallmark of a now established style of gardening that's less strait-laced and more in tune with the planet.
Some, it should be said, are easier to grow than others. For example, the exquisite Bupleurum longifolium 'Bronze Beauty', a sun-loving perennial prized for its intricately beautiful flowers that look as if they were dusted in powdered gold, is notoriously short-lived as well as challenging to raise from seed (the latter must be sown fresh and exposed to cold winter temperatures). Meanwhile, fashionable annual and biennial umbellifers such as Orlaya grandiflora and ornamental carrot (Daucus carota), loved equally by gardeners and florists, can frustratingly fall victim to carrot fly.
Others, such as dill and common fennel, can become invasive when growing conditions are too much to their liking, self-seeding themselves around the place with abundance, or in the case of sweet cicely (Myrrhis odorata), also spreading via their very vigorous root systems.
Another case in point is the famously persistent perennial weed known as ground elder (Aegopodium podagraria), originally introduced as a medicinal herb used to treat gout before its unwelcome ability to rapidly colonise large areas of ground was recognised. That said, there's no denying the graceful beauty of its pale umbelliferous flowers, while it's also quite delicious fried in butter and garlic.
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I should add another word of warning when it comes to this group of plants, which is to be ultra wary of those wild umbelliferous species that pose a risk to human health. Chief among them is giant hogweed, Heraclium mantegazzianum, a non-native perennial now naturalised through large parts of Ireland and found growing in damp ditches, woodland edges and along riversides.
Originally introduced as a garden ornamental – a cautionary tale if ever there was one – it's what's known as a phytotoxic species, where a combination of exposure to bright sunlight and direct contact with its sap quickly results in very painful blistering and then scarring of the skin. While easy to identify at this time of year when its lofty flower stems can reach a height of 5m, that task is more challenging when it's in its earlier stages of growth, making accidental injury more of a risk.
Others, such as hemlock (Conium maculatum), hemlock water-dropwort (Oenanthe crocata), fool's parsley (Aethusa cynapium) and lesser water parsnip (Berula erecta) are poisonous both to humans and animals (the Greek philosopher Socrates famously died of poisoning by drinking hemlock tea). Great care should be taken not to confuse them if foraging for other edible umbelliferous species such as alexanders (Smyrnium olusatrum) and wild angelica (Angelic sylvestris).
On the other hand, and as mentioned above, many of our kitchen garden favourites are also umbellifers. If you've ever let parsley, parsnip, coriander, celery or carrot go to seed rather than harvesting them, for example, then you've probably been both charmed and surprised by the beauty of their pollinator-friendly flowers, proof that they can be every bit as decorative and beneficial to nature as they are useful.
This week in the garden
Preserve the flavour of fresh garden-grown herbs for use later in the year by drying tied bunches in a cool, dry room, freezing the chopped leaves in ice cubes, or adding some sprigs of leaves to small, sealed bottles or jars of olive oil.
The last of the summer bedding plants are often for sale at bargain prices in garden centres and supermarkets at this time of year. Most are tired and badly rootbound by now, while time is rapidly running out for them to make enough fresh growth to give impact. But if you can't resist the temptation, then give them a fighting chance by cutting back all faded flower stems, gently loosening their root-balls and thoroughly soaking the latter in a solution of liquid seaweed before planting them into weed-free, friable, fertile ground, or a container filled with a very good quality compost. Take precautions against slugs and snails.
Dates for your diary
A Fiesta of Dahlias
June Blake's garden, Tinode, Blessington, Co Wicklow, every Saturday and Sunday in July from 2pm. A celebration of this remarkable genus of plants with free workshops, expert talks, plus tours of the garden.
juneblake.ie
Carlow Garden Festival 2025
Saturday, July 26th to Sunday, August 3rd, with expert guest speakers including Financial Times gardening correspondent and author, Robin Lane Fox (Huntington Castle, August 2nd); author and head gardener of Kilmacurragh, Seamus O'Brien (Burtown House, July 30th); British garden designer Sarah Eberle (Borris House, July 31st); organic kitchen gardener Tanguy de Toulgoët (Shankill Castle, July 30th); and Peter O'Mahony in conversation with Adam Frost (Arboretum Garden Centre, Leighlinbridge, July 26th), booking essential.
carlowgardentrail.com
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Irish Times
3 days ago
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My dahlias are struggling this summer - what can I do to rescue them?
My dahlias are struggling this summer for some reason. The flowers aren't opening properly and the petals are going brown at the tips. The plants are growing in good, rich soil in a nice sunny spot in the garden where they've always done well before now. Any advice? T Dunphy, Cork Judging by your description, it sounds like your dahlias are suffering from thrip damage. These tiny, sap-sucking insects, which are hard to spot unless you look very closely, can sometimes infest dahlia plants at this time of year, causing deformation of both the flowers and leaves as well as discolouration. As is true of many kinds of insects that feed on plant tissue, they also spread plant diseases. A hot, dry environment suits them to a tee, which is why thrips are much more common in warm summers or on plants grown under cover in a polytunnel or glasshouse. To check if your plants are indeed affected, examine the flowers carefully and look for multiple tiny dark insects, each one no bigger than a poppy seed, moving rapidly among the petals. READ MORE The best long-term solution to keeping your dahlia plants free of this destructive little pest is to keep them well-watered, especially during any prolonged hot, dry spells. Always make sure to water around the base of the plants, gently soaking the soil so that it penetrates well below the surface. Although wetting foliage and flowers is generally not recommended when watering plants, gently misting all parts of your dahlias with a fine water spray will also help to rid them of thrips, which dislike a moist atmosphere. As the insects can overwinter as eggs with the potential to cause problems for your plants again next summer, I'd also suggest mulching the ground with a generous layer of well-rotted organic matter in spring. This will help the soil retain moisture as well as boosting plant health. In the short term, you could also use the biodegradable, organically-acceptable product known as Uncle Tom's Natural Soft Soap (from ). These kinds of insecticidal soaps have been used for centuries to treat a range of common plant pests including aphids, red spider mite and thrips. They only work when they come into direct contact, so need to be diluted in water and then applied liberally to all parts of the plants as a fine spray. The best time of the day to do this is in late evening when beneficial insects are much less active and temperatures are lower, reducing the rate of evaporation.
Irish Times
13-07-2025
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My beech hedge looks brown and tatty. Is it past the point of rescue?
I planted a beech hedge in March using young bare-root plants. I made sure to water it during the very warm dry weather in late spring, but even so, some of the leaves turned brown and many of the plants now look tatty. Do they need to be replaced? Ciarán O'Hara, Wexford The unseasonably dry, hot weather in Ireland in April and May caught a lot of gardeners out. It also put recently planted hedges and young trees under stress just as they were coming into leaf and the pressure on their immature root systems was at its highest. This was especially true of bare-root specimens. Although these are much more affordable and environmentally friendly than container-grown specimens, unfortunately their one downside is their greater vulnerability to drought for at least a year after being planted. You mention being careful to water the plants, but even so, it's all too easy to underestimate how much water a young bare-root hedge will need (at least 10-15 litres per plant every couple of days), especially when exposed to drying winds and sustained high temperatures. Young bare-root plants can also easily suffer stress even before they go in the ground. This can happen, for example, if their vulnerable root systems aren't protected from drying out by damping them down with water and keeping them wrapped and in a cool, shady spot until you're ready to plant them. READ MORE This aside, it's not unusual to have some browning of leaves on young hedges where bare-root plants have been used, so I wouldn't assume they need replacing. Start by gently scratching a few of the stems to see if they're still green beneath the outer layer, a very good sign that the plant tissue is still alive and viable. Also make sure to keep watering your hedge regularly throughout the summer and early autumn months, ideally in the evening, especially whenever drought or higher-than-normal temperatures are forecast. As a deciduous species, beech trees naturally drop their leaves in late autumn, but beech hedging is much more likely to retain its dead leaves until the following spring when it bursts back into leaf again. It's only then that you'll be able to properly gauge the extent of any possible long-term damage. But the chances are good that your plants will have recovered and established stronger root systems capable of properly sustaining healthy growth. My advice is to wait and see. Finally, bear in mind that young hedges should also be kept weed-free until properly established. Mulching around the base of the plants in early spring also helps to lock in soil moisture and prevent the soil from getting too warm, as well as preventing fresh weed growth.
Irish Times
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A quick and easy way to add contemporary elegance to your garden
Some plants have an uncanny ability to add contemporary elegance to a garden, magically leavening the visual weightiness of trees, shrubs and more traditional perennials with the airy grace of their growth habit and flowers. Umbellifers are without equal in this regard. Threaded through an otherwise conventional mixed border, or used in a gravel garden, or a display of summer pots, they quickly transform any outdoor space in a way that feels distinctly modern. Part of the reason for this is their umbel-shaped flowers, which are similar to those of some of our loveliest and best-known wildflowers, such as cow parsley, hedge parsley, alexanders, pignut and wild carrot. Each umbel – technically known as a 'compound inflorescence' – is a thing of precise geometric beauty made up of a series of umbellets that radiate out from its centre, with each umbellet typically comprising a number of tiny flowers. But it's not just their good looks that earns them a place in many gardens. Umbellifers' nectar and pollen-rich, umbrella-shaped, decorative blooms are also famously attractive to a diverse range of pollinating insects. Yet another part of their great charm is that long after they have faded, the handsome silhouettes of those distinctive flowers can continue to provide long-lasting interest right until the first harsh frosts, while their often tall, hollow, grooved stems offer a safe berth for beneficial garden insects to overwinter. READ MORE White coriander flowers. Photograph: Getty Ferula communis, the giant fennel. Photograph: Getty All are members of what was long known as the Umbelliferae plant family but is now classed as Apiaceae. This huge group includes well-known garden favourites such as fennel, dill, lovage, coriander, celery, culinary parsley, angelica, ammi, bupleurum, astrantia and orlaya, as well as other lesser-known but equally graceful umbelliferous species. Examples of the latter include the pink-flowering Pimpinella major 'Rosea'; Baltic parsley (Cenolophium denudatum); the towering, yellow-flowered giant fennel (Ferula communis); the stately Himalayan cow parsley (Selinum wallichianum); the statuesque, lime-flowered Peucedanum verticillare; and the lilac-pink flowering hairy chervil (Chaerophyllum hirsutum 'Roseum'). Astrantia japonica. Photograph: Getty Wild angelica. Photograph: Getty These plants, often used in naturalistic planting combinations, have become the hallmark of a now established style of gardening that's less strait-laced and more in tune with the planet. Some, it should be said, are easier to grow than others. For example, the exquisite Bupleurum longifolium 'Bronze Beauty', a sun-loving perennial prized for its intricately beautiful flowers that look as if they were dusted in powdered gold, is notoriously short-lived as well as challenging to raise from seed (the latter must be sown fresh and exposed to cold winter temperatures). Meanwhile, fashionable annual and biennial umbellifers such as Orlaya grandiflora and ornamental carrot (Daucus carota), loved equally by gardeners and florists, can frustratingly fall victim to carrot fly. Others, such as dill and common fennel, can become invasive when growing conditions are too much to their liking, self-seeding themselves around the place with abundance, or in the case of sweet cicely (Myrrhis odorata), also spreading via their very vigorous root systems. Another case in point is the famously persistent perennial weed known as ground elder (Aegopodium podagraria), originally introduced as a medicinal herb used to treat gout before its unwelcome ability to rapidly colonise large areas of ground was recognised. That said, there's no denying the graceful beauty of its pale umbelliferous flowers, while it's also quite delicious fried in butter and garlic. [ How to make the best of light and shade in your garden Opens in new window ] I should add another word of warning when it comes to this group of plants, which is to be ultra wary of those wild umbelliferous species that pose a risk to human health. Chief among them is giant hogweed, Heraclium mantegazzianum, a non-native perennial now naturalised through large parts of Ireland and found growing in damp ditches, woodland edges and along riversides. Originally introduced as a garden ornamental – a cautionary tale if ever there was one – it's what's known as a phytotoxic species, where a combination of exposure to bright sunlight and direct contact with its sap quickly results in very painful blistering and then scarring of the skin. While easy to identify at this time of year when its lofty flower stems can reach a height of 5m, that task is more challenging when it's in its earlier stages of growth, making accidental injury more of a risk. Others, such as hemlock (Conium maculatum), hemlock water-dropwort (Oenanthe crocata), fool's parsley (Aethusa cynapium) and lesser water parsnip (Berula erecta) are poisonous both to humans and animals (the Greek philosopher Socrates famously died of poisoning by drinking hemlock tea). Great care should be taken not to confuse them if foraging for other edible umbelliferous species such as alexanders (Smyrnium olusatrum) and wild angelica (Angelic sylvestris). On the other hand, and as mentioned above, many of our kitchen garden favourites are also umbellifers. If you've ever let parsley, parsnip, coriander, celery or carrot go to seed rather than harvesting them, for example, then you've probably been both charmed and surprised by the beauty of their pollinator-friendly flowers, proof that they can be every bit as decorative and beneficial to nature as they are useful. This week in the garden Preserve the flavour of fresh garden-grown herbs for use later in the year by drying tied bunches in a cool, dry room, freezing the chopped leaves in ice cubes, or adding some sprigs of leaves to small, sealed bottles or jars of olive oil. The last of the summer bedding plants are often for sale at bargain prices in garden centres and supermarkets at this time of year. Most are tired and badly rootbound by now, while time is rapidly running out for them to make enough fresh growth to give impact. But if you can't resist the temptation, then give them a fighting chance by cutting back all faded flower stems, gently loosening their root-balls and thoroughly soaking the latter in a solution of liquid seaweed before planting them into weed-free, friable, fertile ground, or a container filled with a very good quality compost. Take precautions against slugs and snails. Dates for your diary A Fiesta of Dahlias June Blake's garden, Tinode, Blessington, Co Wicklow, every Saturday and Sunday in July from 2pm. A celebration of this remarkable genus of plants with free workshops, expert talks, plus tours of the garden. Carlow Garden Festival 2025 Saturday, July 26th to Sunday, August 3rd, with expert guest speakers including Financial Times gardening correspondent and author, Robin Lane Fox (Huntington Castle, August 2nd); author and head gardener of Kilmacurragh, Seamus O'Brien (Burtown House, July 30th); British garden designer Sarah Eberle (Borris House, July 31st); organic kitchen gardener Tanguy de Toulgoët (Shankill Castle, July 30th); and Peter O'Mahony in conversation with Adam Frost (Arboretum Garden Centre, Leighlinbridge, July 26th), booking essential. .
