Eryngium giganteum

miss willmott's ghost

• Position: full sun
• Soil: dry, well-drained, poor to moderately fertile soil
• Rate of growth: average
• Flowering period: June and August
• Hardiness: fully hardy
  
  Sea hollies make interesting and unusual additions to a sunny border or gravel garden. Their ruff of spiky bracts and cone-shaped flowerheads last well in both cut and dried arrangements, or if left on the plant, their architectural silhouette will remain a feature well into the autumn. This variety is also known as 'Miss Wilmott's Ghost', after the nineteenth-century gardener, Ellen Wilmott, who liked to secretly scatter seeds of the plant in other people's gardens. The name could equally apply to the plant's appearance, with its ruff of large, prickly, steely-grey bracts that shine a ghostly silver in the sun. The marbled, heart-shaped foliage is attractive too, and shown off to best effect planted in gravel. Or try this eryngium in bold clumps among grasses. This variety is biennial, but self-seeds freely.
  
  
• Garden care: This eryngium looks tatty after flowering, so cut it to the ground in autumn. Lift and divide large colonies in spring.