Orlaya grandiflora

Orlaya with large flowers, also known as Orlaya grandiflora is a beautiful wildflower, fond of dry and sunny areas. It stands out for the delicacy of its pure white umbels, as fine as lace. This annual blooms between June and August, forming light tufts of finely cut foliage. When conditions are suitable, it readily self-seeds in the garden. Essential in natural gardens, it enhances all the plants that accompany it, in borders or bouquets. It tolerates poor and rocky soils, as well as limestone and even clay soils if they are well-drained.

This annual from the Apiaceae family (Umbellifers) is a lover of limestone and clay areas and sunny rocky slopes. It is native to central and southern Europe, the Caucasus, and North Africa. This plant blooms in summer, from June to August-September, forming light tufts that reach a height of 20 to 40 cm (8 to 16in). Its slender stems are highly branched and bear flowers grouped in flat umbels, pure white in colour, with a diameter of 8 cm (3in), composed of 5 to 6 florets. The petals of the flowers arranged around the edge of the umbel are much longer than those of the central flowers, accentuating the lace-like appearance. The plant develops from a taproot. It initially forms a basal rosette, from which emerge stems covered with elegant and finely cut foliage, finer than that of its cousin, the carrot. The flowering gives way to ovoid fruits, measuring up to 8 mm (0.5in) in length, with whitish and hooked prickles. When conditions are suitable, it self-seeds randomly in the garden.

Orlaya with large flowers is an elegant but non-invasive plant that can be sown directly in the ground, in a natural garden, in the company of Vervain Buenos Aires , Ammi visnaga, Damask nigellas, California poppies, and dwarf grasses, for example. In a border, it can be paired with dwarf roses and lavender. Its flowers are also highly appreciated in floral art.