Anthriscus sylvestris Ravenswing

The Anthriscus sylvestris 'Ravenswing' is a surprising form with very dark foliage of a plant that is very widespread, called Wild Chervil or Wood Chervil. Its finely cut foliage with a very dark purple colour gives it the appearance of a black fern, stunning in a wild or curated garden. Its white flowering, made up of delicate umbels, creates a beautiful chiaroscuro contrast with its foliage that can be enjoyed from late spring onwards. Often biennial, this carefree plant self-seeds abundantly wherever it pleases: the seedlings can easily be transplanted.

Anthriscus sylvestris, sometimes called Wild Parsley, belongs to the Apiaceae family, just like wild carrot, parsley, and hemlock, with which it can easily be confused. It is a pioneering plant which easily covers rubble, roadside edges, fallow land, and the vicinity of houses. Native to Europe, boreal and western Asia, and North Africa, it can grow in open spaces, usually on clayey soil, slightly chalky and not too dry. Its life cycle can be annual, biennial, or short-lived perennial, depending on the climate.

'Ravenswing' has a thick and elongated base. This variety quickly forms a bushy clump 80 cm (32in) to 1 m (3ft) tall, depending on the soil fertility, with a spread of 70 cm (28in). The stems are hollow, channelled, with slightly swollen nodes and are smooth. The plant develops glossy, tripinnate, serrated leaves with a very dark purple colour, measuring 15 to 30 cm (6 to 12in) in length. The brown-purple colour tends to become bronze in summer, especially if the plant is exposed to partial shade. From May to July, depending on the climate, small umbels 5 to 7 cm (2 to 3in) in diameter appear at the top of the upright stems, organised into smaller umbellules: the umbel has 7 to 16 almost equal rays, each bearing an umbellule with 8 to 12 secondary rays. They are composed of tiny white flowers with pink bracts, which are honey-producing and nectar-rich. The foliage will disappear in winter, depending on the climate.

Anthriscus sylvestris 'Ravenswing' can thrive in any good garden soil. It is a low-maintenance plant that blends well with its neighbours, perfect for designing a brand new or wild garden, a curated garden, or a naturalistic garden. It is valuable for adding lightness and colour to flower beds, just like columbines, gauras, or ornamental grasses. In a flower meadow, it can accompany centaureas, annual poppies, nigellas, cosmos, Ammi visnaga, ornamental carrot Dara, or thistles. It can also be happily paired with roses, tulips, bearded irises, shrubby wormwoods, and maritime cinerarias with white or silver foliage. The foliage and flower umbels are also perfect for bouquets.