Bullwort (Ammi Majus) Growing & Care Guide for Gardeners
Article by Dean Ravenscroft, Ph.D. - Updated 31st Jan 2024
- Plant Characteristics: This annual plant is known for its delicate, lacy white flowers resembling lace, and its fine, feathery foliage. It adds an elegant and airy touch to any garden and is also popular in floral arrangements.
- Growing & Care: Prefers full sun and well-drained soil. While it tolerates a range of soil types, ensuring moderate moisture levels will promote healthier growth. It's relatively drought-tolerant once established.
- Tips for New Gardeners: Bishop's Flower is an excellent choice for first-time gardeners due to its low maintenance and ease of growing. It self-seeds readily, so consider deadheading if you wish to control its spread. Watch out for the sap, as it may cause skin irritation in some people.
Ammi majus plants, commonly called Bullwort, Bishop's Weed, Herb William, White Dill as well as false Queen Anne's Lace, are easily recognized in wildflower meadows for their sprawling growth and domes of densely-packed, lacy white flowers.
They are a member of the Apiaceae family and related to carrots, parsley and celery.
The plant grows in US zones 2 to 11 and is considered hardy throughout the UK and most of Europe.
Ammi majus photograph by Harry Rose.
Plants grow to two to four feet (60 to 120 cm) with slender, branched stems and their foliage has a feathery quality that, together with their blooms, help make them a popular filler plant in flower arrangements. Spread is typically two to 3 feet (60 to 90 cm).
Bullwort blooms from early summer and through into the autumn (fall). The flowers are a creamy white colour.
As they are both nectar and pollen rich, Ammi majus plants readily attract butterflies, bees, and other pollinators.
Bullwort makes an excellent addition to Wildflower gardens, beds and borders, can be grown en masse, or as a specimen and in cottage and prairie gardens.
Popular companion plants include Giant hyssop, Threadleaf Coreopsis, Tufted hair grass, and Cosmos bipinnatus "Fizzy Pink".
Gardener's HQ Guide to Growing Bullwort
Ammi majus grows well in full sun, dappled sun or partial shade; and in chalky, loamy or sandy well-drained soils.
A hardy annual, gardeners planning to propagate the plants should first allow the seed heads to dry, then collect and clean them and store them away for the following season.
Bullwort be sown directly into the garden the following spring, after all danger of frost has gone by.
Alternatively, plants may be started indoors in pots about six to eight weeks before the last spring frost date in one's area.
Provide support for new seedlings when they reach 3 to 4 inches (8 to 10 cm) in height. Provide regular watering, but don't overdo it.
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Ammi majus Growing and Care Guide
- Scientific Name: Ammi majus.
- Common Name: Bullwort.
- Growing Zone: USA: 2 to 11; UK Hardiness Zone H6 (considered hardy to temperatures of around -20°C / -4°F).
- Life Cycle / Plant Type: Annual.
Plant Details
- Plant Height (Inches): 24 to 36.
- Plant Spread (Inches): 6 to 12.
- Time of Bloom: Summer.
- Flower Details: White.
- Leaf Foliage: Green.
- Fruit:.
- Growth Form: Irregular or sprawling, Upright or erect.
Ideal Growing Conditions
- Best Light Conditions: Partially shady to full sunlight.
- Rate of Growth: Average pace.
- Suitable Soil Types: Loamy, Neutral, Well drained.
- Soil Moisture: Moist.
Caring Conditions
- Care:.
- Level of Maintenance: Low.
- Propagation: Seeds sown in situ in spring.
- How to Prune: Cut back after flowering.
- Pests: Usually pest free.
- Diseases: Usually pest free.
Further Information
- Can Attract:.
- Tolerant of: Heavy clay.
- Best Garden Use: Border, En masse, Specimen.
- Family: Apiaceae.
- Closely Related Species: Carrots, Parsley, and Celery.
- Miscellaneous: Attractive foliage, Non-native to North America, Suitable for cut flowers.
- Genus Detail: Ammi.
- Further Reading and References: Here and Here.
I hope that you enjoyed this guide on how to grow Ammi Majus. You may also enjoy the following Gardener's HQ growing guides: How to grow Fennel and Pimpinella plants.
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