Roadside Ramsons

Having stopped off at the Garden Centre to get some essential items for work, I remembered that there is usually a very good display of Ramsons at Bashurst Hill, Itchingfield. This is along a lane that runs parallel to the usual way I go home. Ramsons is one of my favourite plants along with Skunk Cabbage and Rhododendrons!

Ramsons (Allium ursinum) is commonly found in or around woodland. It often grows alongside streams in woods and there are plenty of local woods of this sort with spectacular shows of the plant. The smell is distinctive as it does smell of garlic, hence its other common name, Wild Garlic. The verge here is alongside the lane and is wooded and damp and seems to suit the plant well. It flowers from Late April to early May and by the end of May to the beginning of June it will have died away to the bulbs which will come up again the following spring.

When I left school, I went to Agricultural College with a view to going into Horticulture which never happened in the end. However, the interest remains and, as you do, I collected a wealth of literature from the then Ministry Of Agriculture and the old Agricultural Development And Advisory Service. They used to issue lots of leaflets on pests, diseases and all manner of subjects including I might add on this palnt! According to Advisory Leaflet 313 published in 1974, Ramsons will cause milk to be tainted if cattle eat it and this only becomes a problem if cattle graze close to woodland where it is growing or if the plant escapes further out into surrounding pasture.

I am aware that I am way behind in commenting on everyone's pictures and will endeavour to get this done over the coming days. In the meantime, I thank you all for your very kind comments which are always much appreciated!