THERE is a tiny plant in our garden that makes its appearance in March, popping up in a bare patch of soil which will be filled with other plants later in the year.

Hacquetia epipactis is a slow-growing plant from Europe, where it can be found in thickets and woodland, and sometimes in the mountains and alps. It likes to be in part-shade in leafy, humus-rich soil, where it will slowly spread to form a small clump of interesting spring colour 15cm or so across.

Like many early spring plants, Hacquetia is bright and bold lime green and yellow, echoing the colours of euphorbias, pale primroses and Helleborus argutifolius, and contrasting with the plums and purples of Primula Wanda and Lenten roses.

The difference is its size. It is minuscule to begin with, and its low-growing flowers are only just above the surface of the soil, opening almost before they have shaken the last of the earth from their petals.

It needs this time of year to be seen. Any later and its tiny perfection would be lost among the bigger flowers of summer, when its lime-petalled blooms, only a centimetre or so across, would be lost.

Strictly speaking, these five petals that surround the central mass of yellow are not petals at all. In fact, they are bracts - modified leaves at the base of a flower. It is the clump of tiny yellow pin points that appear in the centre of the bracts that are the true flowers.

advertisementAs well as the plain green form, there is also a variegated variety, Hacquetia epipactis Thor, which originated in Sweden. Thor has the same central cluster of yellow flowers, but the lime bracts are splashed with cream. These two plants are the only two members of the Hacquetia family.

The Hacquetia flowers and bracts appear in the garden before the leaves, which only begin to develop once the flowers begin to fade.

An early botanical drawing of Hacquetia epipactis, which is also shown above as it apears in Gina's garden in York The foliage is darker and slightly shiny, and offers good ground cover in the summer, after which it dies back completely.

Several plants would be needed to cover a decent-sized area, but in a rockery or the front of a shady bed, one or two plants are enough to catch the eye of a passer-by.

Hacquetia epipactis can also be grown in a pot in an alpine house, so long as the conditions are cool and shady.

Once the hacquetia flowers begin to fade, they droop in order to deposit the ripe seed around the edge of the plant. The seed can be gathered at this point.

Fully ripe seed will fall easily into the hand when the flower is gently tapped, but it ripens quickly and needs to be checked daily. The seed is pale green to begin with, but once fallen it darkens and is difficult to see on the soil. I haven't tried propagating this plant yet, but it seems the seed can be sown fresh when ripe in pots of free-draining soil placed in a cold frame or sunk into a cool shady spot in the garden.

It needs to be sown shallowly and not cosseted indoors because fluctuations in temperature are said to aid germination.