"Colin Davidson" wrote in message
...
I came across a stunning variant of the common wild plant cow parsley
(Anthriscus sylvestris) at the Eden project. The variety is called
'Ravenswing', and it has deep red foliage and stems, to the point of
almost
being black, but is otherwise the same as cow parsley (same foliage shape,
same white flowers). It looks like a cracking good plant.

I've yet to find a supplier selling seeds for less than three quid a
packet,
though, and I'm in two minds as to whether to grow it. On the one hand,
it's
beautiful, on the other it's an odd variant of a very common wild plant.
Is
it likely to cross pollinate with wild plants? Am I being a drama queen if
I
worry about being the cause of a localised outbreak of startlingly
different
cow parsley?

Does anyone out there grow this variety? Does it self seed the same
colour?
Do the surrounding seedlings of cow parsley also take on the same colour?
Does this deep red variant occur often in the wild anyway?

It does self seed in my garden but not a lot, seed sown in pots is very
difficult to germinate, try and get hold of a plant, it often behaves as a
bi-annual although realy a perennial so you need it to seed down to be sure
of keeping it.
--
Charlie, gardening in Cornwall.
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National Plant Collection of Clematis viticella (cvs)