Description
Cardamine pratensis, known as cuckooflower or lady's smock, is a UK native wild flower of damp grassland, wet meadows, ditches and riverbanks. From April to June it carries four-petalled flowers in pale lilac-pink to white above a rosette of leaves with rounded leaflets.
Cuckooflower at a glance
| Botanical name |
Cardamine pratensis |
| Common name |
Cuckooflower, lady's smock |
| Plant type |
Clump-forming perennial with a rosette of leaves; dies back in winter |
| Height and spread |
About 10–45 cm tall in flower (RHS), 10–50 cm wide |
| Flowers |
Pale lilac-pink to white, four petals, about 1.5 cm across, April to June |
| Position |
Full sun or part shade |
| Soil |
Moist to wet, humus-rich soil; any pH |
| Pond depth |
None – damp or wet soil, not under water |
| Hardiness |
RHS H7 – very hardy (below -20°C) |
| Native to |
UK and Ireland (native wild flower) |
Is cuckooflower a pond plant?
It is a bog and wet-meadow plant, not a water plant. Plant it in damp or wet soil beside a pond, in a bog garden or in a damp meadow, but not under water.
Is cuckooflower good for wildlife?
Yes. It is on the RHS Plants for Pollinators list, and it is a key food plant of the orange-tip butterfly, whose caterpillars feed on the seed pods. At least 19 insect species are recorded feeding on it.
Where to plant it
- A bog garden or damp ground beside a wildlife pond
- A wet meadow or damp grassland
- Full sun or part shade
Our plants are nursery-grown. Please never dig up wild plants.
Which size should I buy?
Bare-root plants (7 cm, 9 cm, 1 litre and 3 litre) arrive without a pot or compost and are the most economical way to plant a group. Potted plants (9 cm, 1 litre and 3 litre) arrive growing in our peat-free compost and give a faster display. Packs of 3 come in 7 cm, 9 cm, 1 litre and 3 litre bare-root sizes and cost less per plant. The 2x Pot & Compost option is two plants supplied with pots and compost.
