Seseli gummiferum

The Seseli gummiferum, also known as Gum Seseli, is an architectural plant from the Apiaceae family, related to the humble garden carrot. It is undoubtedly the silver colour of its feathery foliage and its beautiful white summer flowering in large umbels that have earned it the poetic nickname of "moon carrot". Often biennial, this perennial plant compensates for its short lifespan with its beauty and its ability to easily self-seed in the garden. With great sobriety, it tolerates limestone and very dry soils in summer, making it a perfect fit for a waterless garden. It can be planted in a rockery, a flower bed, or a dry meadow.

The Seseli gummiferum is a tall herbaceous plant native to southwest Asia (Middle East, Black Sea, Crimea, Aegean). In the wild, this botanical species grows in mountainous areas on rocky cliffs up to 1,000 meters above sea level. It has good cold resistance, reaching temperatures as low as -12 °C in well-draining soil. With rapid growth, the plant usually dies after producing its seeds, after 2 to 4 years of cultivation. It has a deep-rooted root system and does not like to be disturbed. Ultimately, its vegetation reaches a height of 70 cm to 1.20 m, depending on the climate and growing conditions. It has an upright habit and develops a basal rosette of finely lobed, hairy, grey to silver leaves in summer, as well as a thick and branched, leafy stem with sap that resembles a rubbery gum. The spectacular flowering lasts several weeks between July and late August or early September. At the end of the stems, umbels measuring 10 to 12 cm in diameter bloom. Each umbel comprises almost spherical umbellules consisting of numerous tiny white or sometimes slightly pinkish flowers. This flowering attracts a large number of pollinating insects. Many brown seeds are produced, reaching maturity from August to October.

Fall under the spell of this moon carrot, as it is a majestic, light, and luminous plant, relatively hardy in porous soil. Plant it in a large sunny flower bed alongside tall thistles like cardoon (Cynara cardunculus) or wild teasel (Dipsacus fullonum), with dry soil grasses, yarrows, and Centaurea pulcherrima. All these plants have a rustic charm and can tolerate the same growing conditions. Well adapted to poor and rocky soils, very dry in summer, Seseli gummiferum will be magnificent in a large rockery or on a large slope reserved for dry soil plants (lavenders, rosemary, rockroses, spurges, teucriums).