My Account
Basket
Description
Species Information
Tufted Vetch (Vicia cracca), also known as Cow Vetch, Bird Vetch, or Blue Vetch, is a vigorous native perennial belonging to the pea family. Commonly found scrambling through hedgerows, woodland edges, wildflower meadows, and grasslands, it produces clusters of vibrant blue-violet flowers throughout summer.
Rich in nectar, Tufted Vetch is a favourite of bumblebees, butterflies, and other pollinating insects. Like other legumes, it naturally fixes nitrogen in the soil, improving fertility for surrounding plants, making it an excellent choice for wildflower meadows, habitat restoration projects and wildlife-friendly gardens.
How to Identify
Tufted Vetch has slender climbing stems with fine tendrils that help it scramble through surrounding vegetation. Its leaves are made up of pairs of narrow green leaflets, while the distinctive blue-violet, pea-like flowers hang in long, one-sided clusters from late spring to summer.
How to Grow
Tufted Vetch thrives in full sun or partial shade and grows well in most well-drained soils, including poor or disturbed ground. Once established, it requires very little maintenance and will happily naturalise in suitable areas.
Ideal for wildflower meadows, hedgerows, and natural planting schemes, Tufted Vetch helps improve soil health through nitrogen fixation while providing a valuable food source for pollinating insects throughout the flowering season.
