Crepis rubra Snow White - Hawksbeard seeds

Crepis rubra Snow White is a delightful selection of an annual to biennial 'weed' called red hawkweed, native to meadows in the eastern Mediterranean. This small plant resembles a dandelion, is just as easy to grow as its famous cousin and has lovely pure white flower heads without a visible central disk. It blooms from spring to summer, depending on the climate and sowing date. Its graceful flowers, small size, and adaptable nature will delight lovers of wild plants. Sow it in sunny borders or rockeries, and let nature do its thing!

Crepis rubra is a plant with an annual or sometimes biennial life cycle, native to the eastern Mediterranean basin. Its distribution range includes Italy, Albania, Greece, Croatia, Montenegro, and Bulgaria. In the wild, red hawkweed grows in fields and meadows in full sun, often on rocky soil. It belongs to the asteraceae family, as evidenced by its delicate pink flowers arranged in flower heads. It is grown in ornamental gardens.

The 'Snow White' cultivar was selected for its white flowers, rather than pink. This plant will average 35 cm (14in) tall when flowering and first develops a rosette of serrated leaves that resemble those of a sow thistle or dandelion, more or less flat against the ground. Flowering occurs from April to August, depending on the sowing date, and lasts for several weeks. Each plant bears only one or two flower heads at the end of the floral stem. Each 'flower' or flower head, measuring 1.5 to 2 cm (1in) in diameter, is composed of nearly 100 pure white 'petals' or ligules. Unlike many plants in the Asteraceae family, the flower head does not have a contrasting central disk. The flowers attract numerous pollinating insects. This plant is hardy down to -12°C (10.4°F). Late summer sowing is possible in mild regions, allowing for earlier flowering. It self-seeds spontaneously in light soils.

This Snow White hawkweed is often overlooked by gardeners. With its modest stature and easy cultivation, this plant is particularly well-suited for perennial borders and works wonders when sown randomly among other plants. It is similar to the wild form, with its tender pink dandelion-like flowers. Its bright flowering will make an impact in a white garden or a flowery meadow mixed with centaureas, grasses, sainfoin, ornamental garlic, borage, agripaume, corn marigolds, California poppies, cosmos, damask nigellas, immortelles... It can also be sown in flower pots and is a lovely cut flower, for romantic or wild bouquets.