The answer to last Friday’s plant i.d. quiz is Angelia gigas. Tom guessed it; confirmed (seconded?) by Johannes.
Fairly easy biennial from seed. Bees and butterflies love it. This one’s a bit spindly due to too much shade (it had reseeded from another spot). And that most certainly is not a dandelion in the background.
I love the buds – before opening, the flower is encased in bract with and disguised (?) with a wee leaf-like structure at the end.
Holly, I know you’re in Virginia, and I know you visit Saul Nurseries here in Atlanta. Is your climate comparable? I’ve never attempted to cultivate this angelica, only the roadside “weed” around these parts.
Hi Shawn, yep, enjoyed lurking around The Swamp with the PPA group last summer. Spent some $$$ also!
Treat Angelica gigas like other biennials from seed – plant it, forget about it for a while, hopefully you’ll get flowers the 2nd season, then probably kaput. Plenty hardy/heat tolerant, in my experience.