Polygala amarella Seeds | Dwarf Milkwort
LATIN NAME: Polygala amarella
COMMON NAME: Dwarf Milkwort
Plant Profile
Dwarf Milkwort (Polygala amarella) is a distinctive species. Dwarf milkwort winks small, blue-violet flowers along slender, wiry stems, narrow, neat leaves, and the whole plant keeps the dainty, compact look of the chalk and the limestone meadow. Flowers open through late spring and early summer, short spikes of blooms carry sweet, subtle scent, and low, tufted plant hugs close-cropped ground. It is one of little wildflowers that old meadows held, one that walkers used to pass without a second glance. Not many plants ask so little and repay so much.
Science & Biotechnology
Research touching on Polygala amarella ranges from the botany of the Polygala group to practical horticulture, including seed handling, propagation and the selection of superior forms. Milkworts have a long record in herbal plant science, and dwarf milkwort appears in studies of chalk grassland and old meadow flora. Little about its garden performance is mysterious; it has been grown and observed for a very long time.
Uses & Benefits
Gardeners value Dwarf Milkwort for its ornamental character, and the plant also fits naturally into herb, vegetable and cutting gardens. In meadow garden, dwarf milkwort is a quiet charm. Neat blue flowers wink along stems through early summer, feeding small bees, and low tufts add fine texture to wildflower lawn, rock garden or gravel bed. It is kind of little wildflower that a meadow garden would feel loss of. It takes hold quickly and asks for no special treatment from then on.
Polygala root, Yuan Zhi, is a famous Chinese mind-calming herb for memory, sleep and phlegm-misted thinking; its tenuigenin saponins are studied for neuroprotective effects, and milkworts worldwide share its folk reputation.
Growing from Seed
Dwarf Milkwort is one of those generous plants that come along well from seed. Level a tray of loose seed compost, sow evenly, cover to about the seed’s own depth, and keep it moist in full light. Shift the seedlings into small pots as soon as they can be handled, and give them bright light until planting-out time.
Our Take
Once established, Dwarf Milkwort largely looks after itself. Keep the sowing evenly moist at the start — that is the one real requirement.
Related Reading
Gardeners who grow Dwarf Milkwort often pair it with these related subjects: