09-July London’s Wasteland Wonders

Summary

From bombsites to railway sidings, July transforms London’s forgotten corners into a riot of color with towering mulleins, delicate mignonettes, and fiery willowherbs. Discover why witches favored "hag’s tapers," how Napoleon’s love letters sparked a fragrant craze, and which postwar weed became known as "fireweed." These resilient blooms hide stories of magic, medicine, and wartime survival.

Return on 09 July to explore the secrets of London’s most rebellious wildflowers!

Article

Wasteland Flowers

“To me the meanest flower that blows can give
thoughts that do often lie too deep for tears”

Wordsworth

Although conventionally thought of as a temporary habitat, wasteland now seems to be a permanent one across London, as it probably has been for centuries. Although there are no recent bombsites, no motorway construction and less abandoned wharves, there are endless building sites, railway sidings and derelict towpaths. Perversely, some of these areas in one way are the modern equivalents of the old cornfields, providing great, surprising splashes of colour in high summer.

09-July London’s Wasteland Wonders Section Image

09-July London’s Wasteland Wonders Section Image

Anyone wanting to explore these flowers could do little better than walk the Thames path on both the north and south sides of the river from the flood barrier to the Pool of London.

09-July London’s Wasteland Wonders Section Image

09-July London’s Wasteland Wonders Section Image

Along the path there are still plenty of abandoned buildings, wharves and docks. The plants likely to be encountered make up a formidable list including buddleia, brambles, docks, thistles, willowherbs, nettles, deadnettles, geraniums, ragworts, mugworts, mallows, mulleins, fleabanes, plantains, St John’s worts, melilots and umbellifers as well as composites and grasses. Flowers providing a little more interest are welsh poppy, chicory, mignonette, Jack-go-to-bed-at-noon, deadly nightshade, thorn apple, scotch thistle, wild celery and various unusual aliens, mustards and rockets.

09-July London’s Wasteland Wonders Section Image

09-July London’s Wasteland Wonders Section Image

Mulleins

One of the most imposing plants to be found on the driest, dustiest bits of land, is the great mullein Verbascum thapsus. This can send up a vertical one and a half metre high flower stalk covered in lemon yellow flowers.

These stems were at one time allowed to dry, covered in suet and used as torches. The down on their leaves was collected for tinder and also made into candlewicks. Witches were believed to use such candles when casting their spells, hence the plant’s alternative name of hag’s taper. More rarely, other mulleins are seen. The white mullein V. lychnitis is recognised by its white flowers and the dark mullein V. nigrum by the dark purple centres of its flowers. Two others, the moth mullein V. blattaria and the twiggy mullein V. virgatum are both rare and confined to gardens

09-July London’s Wasteland Wonders Section Image

09-July London’s Wasteland Wonders Section Image

Mallows

By the end of the month, the variable purple-pink flowers of the common mallow Malva sylvestris are a common sight everywhere especially beside paths. Dwarf mallow M. neglecta is similar but lighter in colour and seems to prefer to live near farms. The significantly less common musk mallow M. moschata is the star of the group because of its striking rose-pink flowers. It can still be found along the north downs. Even more beautiful was the marsh mallow Althaea officinalis which “used to decorate the road from Mitcham to Croydon” but unfortunately decorates it no longer.

09-July London’s Wasteland Wonders Section Image

09-July London’s Wasteland Wonders Section Image

Mignonettes

There are two common mignonettes in London, weld or Dyer’s rocket Reseda luteola and the wild mignonette R. lutea. The first has been grown for its yellow dye since Neolithic times and the second, which is much smaller, only tends to get noticed from its habit of standing so much taller than the plants around it. Wild mignonette has a slight musky smell, but garden mignonette R. odorata has a much more powerful scent.

09-July London’s Wasteland Wonders Section Image

09-July London’s Wasteland Wonders Section Image

It first became popular in Europe when Napoleon, on campaign in Egypt, sent the seeds to Josephine, who grew it at Malmaison. She started a trend to grow it in pots, which even reached London’s window boxes. Some streets at the time were described as “almost oppressive with the odour”. The flower is unusual in that it keeps its scent long after cutting. It started to be considered too powerful for rooms and so entered our gardens.

09-July London’s Wasteland Wonders Section Image

09-July London’s Wasteland Wonders Section Image

Here gardeners tried to improve the brownish yellow flowers and consequently bred out the scent which can still be a disappointment with seeds bought today.

09-July London’s Wasteland Wonders Section Image

09-July London’s Wasteland Wonders Section Image

Originally known as Egyptian bastard rocket, it got its more attractive names of ‘mignonette’ as well as ‘little darlings’ as it gained popularity. Now its popularity is at an all time low and it is hard to find, but no doubt it will have its day again.

09-July London’s Wasteland Wonders Section Image

09-July London’s Wasteland Wonders Section Image

Mallows

Willowherbs Epilobium spp. are yet another group of plants associated with waste ground. It is the large patches of rose-pink rosebay willowherb Chamerion augustifolium that are noticed most. In mediaeval London this plant was a rarity and it is only in the last century it has become so common. After the Second World War it started to invade bombsites and then gained its alternative name of ‘fireweed’. Like its other close relation codlins and cream E. hirsutum it was used as a substitute for tea, although ingestion of the latter has been known to cause convulsions. E. hirsutum is much hairier and prefers much damper places.

09-July London’s Wasteland Wonders Section Image

09-July London’s Wasteland Wonders Section Image

There are over twenty other smaller willowherbs to be found in and around London. To help identify them it is well worth noting their leaf shape and whether or not the leaves have stalks. Flower shape and colour are less reliable character. Their English names again can often give us a clue. The very common hoary willowherb E. parviflorum is covered in whitish hairs and looks like a smaller version of codlins and cream.

09-July London’s Wasteland Wonders Section Image

09-July London’s Wasteland Wonders Section Image

The broad-leaved willowherb E. montanum has broader leaves than most but is also almost hairless and has stalked leaves. The pale willowherb E. roseum has white flowers that turn a pale pink and also has stalked leaves. The square-stemmed willowherb E. tetragonum which is often found in gardens, has a distinctive four-sided stalk. The short-fruited willowherb E. obscurum tends to have paler flowers than the rest. It also has leaves without stalks and is another of the more common species. Lastly, the marsh willowherb E. palustre prefers wetter ground and is altogether rarer than the rest. Its leaves are not so indented with veins as are the others and it also possesses stalked buds. Unfortunately for any budding willowherb enthusiast, on top of all this they have a tendency to hybridise.

09-July London’s Wasteland Wonders Section Image

09-July London’s Wasteland Wonders Section Image

The larger most noticeable willowherbs i.e. rosebay and codlins and cream, were popular treatments for a whole host of ailments from prostate enlargement, hiccups, eczema to irritable bowel syndrome. They have also been used to make honey and ale as well as tea. The new shoots were even eaten like asparagus, although they were said to induce a “stupefying effect”.

09-July London’s Wasteland Wonders Section Image

09-July London’s Wasteland Wonders Section Image