Wild Chicory

I spotted this plant while driving into Oakley Grange Farm Tearoom at the top of Hathern Hill. Thought to myself, that looks unusual. I don't recall seeing any wild blue flowers like that before.

Once Basil and I had parked, I saw some more of these plants behind the bit of overgrown garden that surrounds the outdoor seating area. I ordered latte and cheese burger and took Basil for a mini walk round the back of the garden to take a closer look. I had thought that they might be cultivated but they weren't. They were growing in earth dumps alongside poppies, which are other opportunistic flowers.

I took the opportunity to ask the proprietor what the blue flower had been that had been growing in the bottom field last year. Was it Statice? 'No,' she replied. 'It was chicory.'

Only when I got home did I manage to identify this plant as Wild Chicory (Cichorium intybus). It doesn't look much like the cultivated variety which was bright, royal blue in colour and much shorter. Wild Chicory plants grow as tall as five feet (160 cm).

Lovely flower though.