Cardamine dentata
Toothed Bittercress · White Cuckoo Bitter-cress
Description
Source: wikipedia (CC BY-SA)Cardamine pratensis, the cuckoo flower, lady's smock, mayflower, or milkmaids, is a flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae. It is a perennial herb native to Eurasia.
Care Guide
💧 Water
☀️ Light Partial sun
Cuckoo flower is native to habitats such as forest understories and rocky areas, where it occurs in natural shade. It prefers partial sun but can also tolerate full sun or full shade, showing its versatile and hardy nature.
🌡️ Temperature 0–32.2°C
Cuckoo flower can tolerate a broad range of temperatures, but its distribution may still be restricted by various combinations of moisture and heat. It performs best in warm summer conditions with sufficient rainfall or watering. Long stretches of cloudy, rainy weather, as well as extended high temperatures, can increase the chance of the Cuckoo flower dying. In winter, protecting the plant from cold can enhance its survival.
💨 Humidity
🪴 Soil 6-8
🌱 Fertilizer
One application of fertilizer in spring is generally enough for Cuckoo flower, although repeated feedings can boost growth. Fertilize every month to six weeks. Feeding improves the leaves' appearance and function, maintaining even color and a healthy texture, and it also encourages root development and nutrient uptake for long-term plant health.
🪴 Pot & Repot
✂️ Pruning
The cuckoo flower is a delicate herb with lance-shaped leaves and pale pink or white blossoms. To keep the plant healthy, prune it in early to mid-spring after it has finished blooming. This involves removing dead stems and thinning out any overcrowded growth. Doing so improves air circulation, enhances flowering, and reduces the risk of disease.
🌿 Propagating
🐛 Diseases & pets
☠️ Toxicity
Characteristics
- Plant Type
- Herb
- Life Cycle
- Perennial
- Genus
- Cardamine
- Family
- Brassicaceae
- Hardiness Zone
- 3-8
- Mature Height
- 15 cm to 61 cm
- Mature Spread
- 10 cm to 30 cm
- Leaf Color
- Dark Green, Forest Green
- Leaf Type
- Deciduous
- Flower Color
- Lavender
- Flower Size
- 1.02 cm to 2.03 cm
- Bloom Time
- Early spring, Mid spring
- Planting Time
- Spring, Autumn
- Harvest Time
- Late spring, Early summer