Anthyllis vulneraria
Ladies' fingers, Common kidney vetch
Also known as Anthyllis linnae
- Height × spread
- 0.35m × 0.8m
- Position
- Full sun
- Hardiness
- Colder than -20C (RHS H7)
- Flowers
- Summer, Autumn
Availability
Please ask in store about availability
Many plants are seasonal. Call 01234 567890 to check current stock.
About this plant
A low growing native plant found in poor dry soil amongst grasses, or by the sea. It has a prostrate growth habit but lifts its flowering stems vertically so the bright yellow pea flowers are very noticeable. The yellow flowers take on orange and brown tints with maturity, so fresh young blooms and faded ones co-exist on the same plant. Kidney vetch flowers all summer, from June to September. It has long pinnate leaves with a three lobed leaf at the end of each stem. The foliage, covered in silky hairs has a soft sometimes shiny appearance. It a candidate for the larger rock garden. It grows to around 35cm (14in) with an 80cm (2ft 6in) spread.
- Flower colour
- Yellow
- Foliage colour
- Green
- Variegated
- No
- Scent
- No
- Shape
- Dome
- Height
- 0.35m
- Spread
- 0.8m
- Season of interest
- Summer, Autumn
- Flowers in
- Summer, Autumn
- Evergreen
- Deciduous
- Garden style
- Seaside garden, Rock garden
- Sun or shade
- Likes full sun
- Soil type
- Chalk, Gravelly soil, Loam (normal), Poor soil, Sandy soil
- Soil pH
- Alkaline, Neutral
- Drainage
- Well drained soil, Dry soil, Drought resistant
- Hardiness
- Colder than -20C (RHS H7)
- Borders & containers
- Borders
- Use for
- Bee attraction, Butterfly attraction, Sensory garden (tactile)
- Hazards
- No
Spring
Spring-Autumn · Outdoors
Water in dry periods
Established plants in the ground can cope with 7-10 days of dryness, and shrubs often manage 2 to 3 weeks. Water one section of the garden thoroughly each day rather than a little everywhere. Check plants in pots more often, especially in hot weather.
Summer
Summer - early · Outdoors
Feed a general fertiliser
Where plants have moderate needs for nutrients, they can simply be given a general feed, fairly early in the growth season so that the growth has plenty of time to harden off before the cold weather.
Give plants a general boost with the application of a general purpose fertiliser which is spread around the root area of the plant, with amounts as directed on the feed label.