About
Crambe maritima 'Lilywhite' is a hardy perennial that reaches heights of 60 to 75 cm. It is cultivated primarily for its edible shoots, which are typically blanched for a few weeks prior to harvest. The tender, undulating blue-green leaves are also consumable and can be prepared as a cooked vegetable. Additionally, the young flowering shoots produce small white flowers and can be cooked similarly to sprouting broccoli.
About the genus
Crambe consists of sturdy annuals and perennials characterized by broad, either entire or lobed leaves, and clusters of small, aromatic white flowers arranged in racemes or large panicles.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Full sun, Partial shade
- Soil type
- Chalk, Loam, Sand
- Soil pH
- Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Well-drained
- Aspect
- South-facing, West-facing, East-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H7
Plant details
- Plant type
- Herbaceous Perennial
- Habit
- Clump forming
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Height
- 0.5-1 metres
- Spread
- 0.1-0.5 metres
- Time to full height
- 2-5 years
- Suggested uses
- Coastal, Cottage and informal garden, Gravel garden, Wildlife gardens
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Ideally grow in fertile, well-drained soil in full sun although it will tolerate poor soil and partial shade. Provide shelter from strong winds; young shoots, leaves and flowering shoots are edible and can be used as a cooked vegetable
- Pruning
- Cut down to ground level in autumn
- Propagation
- Propagate by seed sown in pots in a cold frame in spring or autumn or propagate by division in early spring or take root cuttings in winter
- Pest resistance
- May be susceptible to slugs and caterpillars
- Disease resistance
- May be susceptible to club root