Milk thistle – Bee plant

Milk thistle – Bee plant

Latin name: Silybum marianum

Milk thistle is a beautiful, vigorous and fast-growing thistle plant with large, spiky leaves and purple flowers that are very popular with bees and other pollinators. The plant is also known for its medicinal properties and is often used in natural medicine to support liver health.

Cultivation information:

• Packaging: 2 g seeds
• Sowing time: March–May (pre-cultivation) or April–June (direct sowing)
• Flowering time: July–September
• Sowing depth: 1 cm
• Plant distance: 40–50 cm
• Row spacing: 50 cm
• Height: 100–150 cm
• Location: Sunny
• Soil type: Well-drained, nutritious and preferably calcareous soil
• Watering: Drought tolerant, water sparingly

Cultivation tips:

• Sow directly on the growing site as the plants do not like to be transplanted.
• Tolerates dry conditions and requires little care.
• Can self-sow, so remove seed pods if you want to limit spread.

Use:

• Perfect as a bee plant and to benefit pollinators.
• The seeds are traditionally used in natural medicine for liver health.
• Beautiful and robust plant for flower meadows or wild flower beds.

Milk thistle is a hardy and beautiful plant with both ecological and medicinal benefits – an excellent choice for the natural garden!