Heal Thyself

Common Selfheal (Prunella vulgaris)

Right now, our back lawn is dotted with the small purple flowerheads of Common Selfheal (Prunella vulgaris), a bee-friendly perennial that loves the full sun of that part of the garden. Common and widespread in grassland, farmland and gardens across the British Isles, it's also found throughout the temperate zone in much of the Northern Hemisphere. In fact, it's a plant I remember from my childhood, when my wildflower-loving mother identified it in growing on the stony soil of the Canadian island where we spent our summer vacations. Thanks to accidental introduction, it's now also found elsewhere in the world, including Australia, New Zealand and several Pacific islands; unfortunately, it's considered invasive in all of those areas. In our garden, it's a relatively tiny plant, kept small by the regular mowing that Mike does on that part of the property. Unmowed, it can grow to about 30 cm (a foot or so), with its purple flowers growing in a dense cluster at the top of the stem. Its square stems are quite hairy, as are its lance-shaped leaves. It blooms from June to October. As its name suggests, this plant has long been important in herbal medicine, used to treat everything from wounds and bleeding to heart disease, irritable bowel syndrome and sore throats. Here, we'll keep it for its splash of colour — and for the fact that the pollinators love it.