Purple Tansy | Phacelia Tanacetifolia | Bees and Pollenators

2g Purple Tansy (Phacelia Tanacetifolia) seeds. Its common names also include Scorpion Weed and Fiddle Neck.

This UK native wildflower is one of the best ways to attract bees and other pollenators to your garden. It also makes very good cut flowers. Once they have finished flowering, the plants can be dug in as they make excellent green manure.

Why Grow Purple Tansy?

1. Ultimate Pollinator Magnet Also known as "bee's friend", purple tansy produces nectar and pollen that bees can easily access. The distinct purple and blue colors are highly attractive to insects. If you grow fruit-bearing vegetables like squash or melons, planting this nearby significantly boosts insect visits and subsequent crop yields.
2. Excellent Cover Crop and Green ManureAs a fast-growing annual, purple tansy acts as a brilliant green manure. Its dense, fibrous root system improves soil structure and porosity. Additionally, the roots act as a "nitrogen catch," trapping residual soil nutrients and preventing them from leaching into groundwater over winter. When dug into the soil, it releases these nutrients and adds vital organic carbon.
3.  Pest ControlThe flowers support a high population of hoverflies and parasitic wasps, which are voracious predators of sap-sucking garden pests like aphids. Planting purple tansy near your vegetable patch is an excellent way to introduce natural, biological pest control
4. Weed Suppression Because it establishes rapidly and grows quickly, it quickly outcompetes opportunistic weeds, shading them out before they can take over bare patches in your garden.
5. Beautiful Cut Flowers Purple tansy is prized by florists for its unique, curled fiddlehead stems and delicate, lavender-blue lacy flowers. They make a unique talking point in bouquets and last roughly 7 to 10 days in a vase.

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Germination Guide

Purple Tansy seeds can bet germinated indoors then transplanted, but direct sowing is usually the best option.

In Winter or early Spring rake over the area where they are to be grown.
Scatter the seeds and lightly rake over
Water in with a fine spray to avoid disturbance
Germination is usually fairly rapid depending on the temperatures.
Keep weed free until fully established
Once finished flowering can be dug into the soil as excellent green manure.