Filipendula ulmaria (L.) Maxim.
European Meadowsweet
Meadowsweet is a tall, handsome native perennial of the rose family and a classic plant of damp ground. It forms bold clumps of dark green, pinnate leaves that are pale and downy beneath, and in summer sends up branching heads of frothy, creamy-white flowers.
About
Meadowsweet is a tall, handsome native perennial of the rose family and a classic plant of damp ground. It forms bold clumps of dark green, pinnate leaves that are pale and downy beneath, and in summer sends up branching heads of frothy, creamy-white flowers. The blooms have a sweet, heavy fragrance, and the foliage when crushed gives off a scent reminiscent of antiseptic or wintergreen, owing to natural salicylates the plant contains.
It thrives in wet and moist soils, growing in damp meadows, marshes, fens, ditches, wet woodland and along riverbanks and stream sides, in sun or partial shade. The plentiful flowers are a magnet for bees, hoverflies and many other insects. A reliable, long-lived choice for pond margins, rain gardens and damp wildflower areas, it is widely included in wetland and water-margin seed mixes where its cloud of scented summer flower is hard to beat.
Also known as
Meadow Sweet · Meadowsweet · Queen Of The Meadow · elm queen-of-the-meadow · queen-of-the-meadow · white queen-of-the-meadow
Synonyms
Spiraea quinqueloba · Spiraea ulmaria tomentosa · Thecanisia ulmaria
In our seed mixes
Beta — under active development. This catalogue is still being built and accuracy-checked. The information here (including plant identifications, British native status, soil and sun/shade preferences) is provided in good faith for general guidance only and may contain errors or omissions. It must not be relied upon on its own — please confirm details with us before making planting, specification, foraging or purchasing decisions, and never eat or medicinally use any plant based on this catalogue alone, as some species are toxic. To the extent permitted by law, Phoenix Amenity Supplies accepts no liability for any loss arising from use of this information.