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From the Greek gala, milk, ago, to lead; the plant was used as fodder for cattle and goats and was thought to stimulate the flow of milk (Leguminosae). Goat’s rue. A small genus of hardy herbaceous plants with pinnate leaves, useful for the border. The only species likely to be found in cultivation is G. officinalis, 3-5 feet tall with spikes of bluish sweet-pea‑shaped flowers in summer and autumn. It is variable in flower colour and has several varieties, including alba, white flowers, and hartlandii with larger flowers of a better lilac than the type. Cultivars include ‘Duchess of Bedford’, mauve and white; ‘Her Majesty’, clear lilac; `Lady Wilson’, blue and white flushed with pink.
Cultivation In the border, put the galegas well to the back or towards the middle in an island border so that other plants can mask their tendency towards untidiness. Light twiggy stakes thrust in early in the season so that the leaf growth can hide the support and at the same time use it, are the best. Ordinary garden soil is all that is required and the plant does well on poor chalky soils. It remains fairly compact, so does not need dividing too often. Propagate by division of roots in October or March or from seed sown in April out of doors in a sunny position, thinned and later transplanted. Self-sown seedlings usually appear in large numbers.
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