Sea Holly (Eryngium planum) - 25 pieces

CHF 25.95

Sea Holly (Eryngium planum) - 25 pieces

Name: Sea Holly (Eryngium planum) - 25 pieces
Brand: Eryngium
Price: 25.95 CHF
Availability: OutOfStock

Eryngium planum

CHF 25.95

Many small, blue, cone-shaped flower heads
Flowers from July to September
About 70–90 cm tall, much branched
Metallic blue stems and bracts
Robust, drought-tolerant, very bee-friendly

Eryngium planum, the flat sea holly, bears many small, cone-shaped flower heads on branched, silvery-blue stems. From July to September it hums with activity, as bees love it. With 25 plants you can create a large, natural area that needs little care.

About this variety

This sea holly looks airier than its large-flowered relatives. The numerous small flower heads sit in a spiny ring and, like the stems, turn metallic blue. The basal leaves are leathery and flat, as the name suggests. The result is a loose blue haze above the border.

At about 70–90 cm tall, it is ideal for wildlife gardens, prairie plantings, rock gardens and sunny borders. It grows in full sun on well-drained, preferably limy or sandy soils and copes with drought too. Good neighbours are grasses, yarrow, mullein and coneflowers. With 25 plants you can create generous groups or whole drifts.

Sea holly is one of the best bee plants in midsummer, and butterflies are frequent visitors too. The flowers last a long time on the stem and in the vase and dry well. The perennial is long-lived and resilient as long as the soil is not too wet.

Planting

Plant in spring from March to May or in autumn in September and October. Choose a spot in full sun with well-drained soil. Dig a planting hole twice the size of the root ball, set the root collar just below the surface and space the plants 35–50 cm apart. Water them in well.

Care

Established plants only need water during long dry spells. Fertiliser is hardly necessary. Cut stems for the vase or leave the seed heads standing over winter. Cut everything back to the ground in late winter.

Specifications

Botanical name: Eryngium planum
Genus: Perennials
Class: Various
Supplied as: Bare roots
Flower colour: Blue
Fragrant: No
Flowering time: July, August, September
Flowering season: High summer, Late summer and autumn
Height: 80 cm
Spread: 50 cm
Habit: Clump-forming
Position: Sun
Suitable for: Bed, Rock garden, Wildlife garden and meadow, Cutting garden
Soil type: Chalky, Loamy, Sandy
Drainage: Well-drained
Soil moisture: Rather dry to moist
Soil pH: Neutral
Soil note: Suitable for many Swiss garden soils. A loose structure and good drainage matter more than a particular soil type.
Planting time: March, April, May, September, October
Planting depth: Just cover the root collar
Spacing: 35–50 cm
Number per m²: 4
Hardiness in Switzerland: Hardy in Switzerland
Overwintering note: Generally hardy in garden soil in Switzerland. At high, windy sites and in containers, plan extra winter protection and avoid winter wet.
For containers: Only partly suitable for containers
Container note: Only recommended in a sufficiently large, stable, well-drained container.
Cut flower: Suitable as a cut flower
Naturalising: Not suitable
Naturalising note: Persists for several years in a suitable spot, but does not normally spread over larger areas on its own.
For bees and butterflies: Pollinator-friendly
RHS hardiness: H5