Erysimum 'Bowles's Mauve'

Common name: Bowles's Mauve Wallflower

Description: Erysimum 'Bowles's Mauve' is one of the most beloved and widely grown of all perennial wallflowers, producing a near-continuous succession of richly coloured, mauve-purple flowers with the characteristic sweet fragrance of the wallflower family over an extraordinarily long season — often from late winter right through to early autumn with only a brief pause in midsummer. It forms a dense, evergreen mound of grey-green foliage and is one of the most reliably long-flowering perennials available for a sunny, well-drained position. Named after the celebrated plantsman E.A. Bowles, it has been a garden classic for well over a century.

Other benefits: exceptionally long flowering season; sweet wallflower fragrance; compact evergreen mound; tolerates chalk and poor soils; named heritage variety

Wildlife attraction: bees, butterflies, and other pollinating insects — an outstanding long-season nectar source

Height & spread (approx.) at 10 years: 45–60cm x 60cm

Position: full sun; well-drained borders, gravel gardens, and raised beds; thrives on chalk and poor sandy soils

Soil pH: neutral to slightly alkaline (pH 6.5–7.5); well-drained to dry soil; tolerates chalk

Moisture: low; drought tolerant once established; excellent drainage essential; short-lived on wet soils

Winter hardiness: hardy to approximately -10°C; best in a sheltered sunny position