On the decline

Val is shocked to discover that gipsy rose is on the red list

- Val Bourne

Field scabious is one of the best flowers for insects

I'VE been reading about gipsy rose in February's British Wildlife, a magazine that covers all aspects of British natural history and conservation. The evocative name gipsy rose conjures up a fortune teller in a tent to me, but it's actually one of the common names for the native wildflower field scabious (Knautia arvensis). Other names, listed by Geoffrey Grigson in The Englishman's Flora, include blue buttons, bluebonnet and cardies. It's found on neutral and calcareous soil on verges and field edges, and was once used to treat scabies or scabs.

I grow this lavender-blue pincushion in my garden, in some sunny borders, in longer grass and on the verge. It's quite possibly the best flower for insects I grow, because it attracts solitary bees, bumblebees, butterflies, moths, hoverflies and beetles. The nectar's sugar-rich and there's lots of accessible pollen, too. It will flower for weeks on end, sustaining many of Spring Cottage's insects and pollinators.