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Chalk milkwort

Polygala calcarea

Chalk milkwort
Photo: Unknown author, GPL

Chalk milkwort is a small, mat-forming evergreen perennial from western Europe, grown for its spikes of deep blue spring flowers. It needs sharply drained, alkaline-leaning soil and suits an alpine or rock garden.

Family
Polygalaceae (Polygal family)
Grows as
Perennial
Light
Full sun, Part shade
Water
Water moderately during establishment and in dry spells, and avoid waterlogging, especially in winter.
Soil
Free-draining, gritty or limey soil, such as a sand and grit mix.
Temperature
Hardy in cool temperate climates; protect from prolonged waterlogged cold.
How easy
Moderate
Native range
W. & WC. Europe
Climate
temperate

About

Polygala calcarea, the chalk milkwort, is a species of flowering plant in the family Polygalaceae, native to western Europe. It is a delicate mat-forming evergreen perennial growing to 5 cm (2 in) tall by 20 cm (8 in) broad, with spikes of small, vivid deep blue flowers in spring, and leathery, oval leaves.

How to grow it

It prefers sharply drained conditions, and is suitable for cultivation in an alpine garden.

Other Polygala plants

Chinese Senega Root · Purple Broom · Polygala wattersii · Milkwort · Seneca Snakeroot

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Polygala calcarea by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

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