Every month I relish the opportunity to think of a fresh subject matter to write about, as I was driving I noticed the keck had started to fade. The bulbous heads turning to the ground, stems faltering in the evening sunlight. It was at that moment I asked myself the question. Is cow parsley a flower or is it weed?

It is a little like marmite this dominant perennial with fluffy white clouds upon tall wispy celery like stems otherwise known as ‘Anthriscus Sylvetris’. This hardy specimen will grow on any verge. This jewel or just darn annoying pollinator will propagate in many a garden.

Where to start, firstly to give thanks for this queen’s lace. Yes I’m going to see how many alternative names I can muster in his article just for my own amusement. Why Queen Anne’s lace I hear you cry? Many moons ago according to folklore flowers would bloom for Queen Anne and her Ladies in waiting and reflect the delicate lace they wore… far fetched but we’ll go with it.
Cow parsleys plumage blooms once a year from May to July as the heat rises so does this ‘Umbellifer’. At the Hall, the spinney walk becomes cosseted, lined with structure its invasive character of blocking the light to ground level plants is welcomed because well… it’s pretty!

Wild Beaked Parsley (love this nick name) is unique and evocative. Its annual appearance musters negative emotions amongst a few of us. In the winter months myself and the team have spent many an hour trenching quite literally to locate its carrot tap roots. Such is natures ingenious design and build quality, the brittle carrot roots often snap and split into more roots; some as small as a pin head. These will grow again next year.

Luckily as I drive an old Landrover Discovery I see Keck as a flower. Bobbing along at the base of my window. For those who are not fortunate enough to have a relic of a Chelsea tractor to bumble around in, may not sit on high in a 4×4 and due to their lower vantage point deem the plant, a viewing obstacle and thus a weed.
Before we delve into what is a plant & what is a weed conundrum. Whilst digging around I found some juicy comparisons. Such as fool’s parsley (Aethusacynapium), which can be distinguished from cow parsley by the bracteoles (leaf-like structures) that are found underneath the flower head; or upright hedge-parsley (Torilis japonica) which flowers later than cow parsley – from around July to September – and is smaller in size.

Then there’s wild carrot (Daucuscarota) which at a distance may look like cow parsley but has an umbel. (That’s the short flower stalks that spread from a common point) that is made up of many florets; and last but not least the mighty hemlock (Conium maculatum) which has leaves similar to those of cow parsley but has a stem spotted with purple markings and is much bigger, growing to around two metres (this species is poisonous.. now they tell us).

In Buckinghamshire the Council were accused of negligence in not responding to this year plentiful growing conditions. With a local gardener being thanked as a hero for taking not only a strimmer but a hedge trimmer to abundant Keck obscuring views making road crossings and pathways unnavigable. Its a bloody good job these communities don’t venture to Devon or there could be, quite unruly hedge clipping consequences.

Right then… the big question Is Wild Chervil (cow parsley) a plant or weed?

Officially “a plant growing in the wrong place or where it’s not wanted”.

Weeds tend to have certain characteristics, most of them being pernicious, persistent, and competitive. In addition they produce seed abundantly, they establish themselves and spread rapidly, the seeds can remain buried but still viable for a long time, they can adapt to various conditions in order to survive and spread further. Ring any bells?

However having noted all the above this does not always seem true as foxglove seeds can remain viable for 100 years or more, germinating only when adequate light is available. The same can be said for Bluebells as they are so successful at reproducing themselves by seed, that they can quickly colonise a whole woodland.

Similarly, there are many plants that we cultivate as garden perennials in the UK such as Agapanthus, however in their native environment in South Africa they are considered a weed where they colonise dry roadsides in their masses. Is Keck simply our agapanthus?

Until next time, keep it wild, apart from the formal bits.

Ed, Alwyn, Ali & Size 8 – www.hayneshorticulture.co.uk