Echinops bannaticus 'Blue Globe'
globe thistle
- Position: full sun or partial shade
- Soil: poor, well-drained soil
- Rate of growth: average
- Flowering period: July and August
- Hardiness: fully hardy
Ever popular for their globes of blue flowers that attract hoards of insects, globe thistles bring a natural look to the garden. This variety has masses of large, spherical, dark blue flower-heads up to 6cm across in July and August and thistle-like, prickly, grey-green leaves. It's best planted in groups in poor, well -drained soil in full sun, at the back of a herbaceous border. - Garden care: Cut down to the ground after flowering to encourage a second flush of flowers. Lift and divide congested colonies in autumn or spring.
Veronicastrum virginicum 'Fascination'
culver's root
Elegant spires of bluey-mauve blooms
£7.99
2 litre pot
within 2-3 days excludes weekends
Anemone hupehensis var. japonica 'Pamina'
windflower
A profusion of reddish-pink, double flowers
£7.99
2 litre pot
within 2-3 days excludes weekends
Convolvulus cneorum
convolvulus
Fabulous silver foliage and white flowers
£9.99
1.5 litre pot
within 2-3 days excludes weekends
Alliums
There was a time when alliums were thought of only as vegetables. However, the taller varieties with their huge globe flower heads are now one of the stars of the architectural plant world. The stiff lollipop heads off-setting sharp vertical...
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Mediterranean gardens can take on various guises from the rustic and rambling to the formal elegance of an Italian courtyard. However, they all have key features in common, including the use of exotic, sometimes tender, drought-tolerant plants in pots and...
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A short globe thistle with true-blue prickly heads that mature to ragged spheres as the bees and butterflies descend in search of nectar
Val Bourne - Garden Writer