Sainfoin

Description

Sainfoin is a member of the pea family, it is a bushy meadow plant that grows to 40 or 50cm tall. It has cone-shaped flower spikes that have a classic pea flower shape. They can be found in meadows and along footpaths. Prefers sun and well-drained soils, it is found in the wild on undisturbed chalk grassland.

This is an extremely valuable plant for pollinators and it secretes large amounts of nectar. Enjoyed by Short and Long-tongued Bumblebees, Honeybees and Solitary bees. At Lindengate we propagate and grow Sainfoin from seed. Named from the French ‘St. Foyn’, it was also known as Holy hay as it is a natural wormer as Sainfoin provides effective worm control when fed to livestock as it disrupts the worm’s life cycle.