Angelica pachycarpa

Flower of Angelica pachycarpa

Ripening seed of Angelica pachycarpa

This is not the herb Angelica but the glossy leaved biennial plant which is noted for its wonderful structure, especially the way the leaves clasp the stem and fan out from it, as well as the starry plate like flowers which appear in spring. Like many plants affected by a changing climate this species is skipping the normal slow growth of two years before flowering and instead is bolting ahead and flowering within its first year. When I grew it in the garden I let my plant go to seed and then dug up the seedlings which appeared underneath some time later. Trouble is I only ended up a few plants and I want more so I can have some plants available for sale, as, in its juvenile stage it makes a terrific pot plant or striking garden specimen. Saving seed of any plant can be both frustrating and rewarding. In this case the seed is ripening unevenly with individual seed cases turning brown and appearing ready to collect while their nearest neighbours are still green. What to do? Place a catcher or tray underneath the plants which means the seed could end up blowing away or stolen by insects, or place little muslin bags over the entire seed head so that the seed has something to fall into? Whatever seed I end up with I will store till next autumn before planting and hopefully have some nice plants ready by next spring.