With spiny, cobweb-like leaves in spring to striking, globe-shaped blooms in late summer, Echinops (Globe thistle) makes a stunning addition to beds and borders. The best part? These plants also attract a variety of insects, so by growing them, you’re also doing your bit for the ecosystem.
Globe thistles are clump-forming perennials. They are easily identified by their spiny, grey-green leaves and upright grey, woolly stems. Look out for the prickly spherical blue-grey to blue flowers that appear in early summer and grow to roughly the size of a golf ball.
Find out how to plant and grow Globe thistle.
Although Globe thistle does not require special care, some maintenance is required.
For best results, plant Echinops at the back of borders to achieve a dramatic prairie-style display. Combine it with late summer flowering plants like Cardoon, Echinacea and Miscanthus grasses to complete the look.
Globe thistle also works well in gravel gardens. Read about Beth Chatto’s famous gravel garden and find out how to create one in your growing space.
Echinops is a great addition to any garden that seeks to encourage wildlife. It is attractive to bees and many other pollinators. The beautiful globes also create striking cut flower displays.
The globe artichoke is a perennial in the thistle family that produces long, silver-green, lobed leaves make the artichoke look like a giant fern. Learn how to plant and grow edible artichokes in your garden! About Artichokes The buds (i.e., the artichokes that we harvest and eat), if allowed to flower, are thistle-like and violet. These large plants can be grown in rows in the garden, as informal hedges, or planted in a wide bord
Gomphrena globosa Globe amaranth is a tropical annual that features long-lasting, globe-shaped blossoms in a variety of colors. Ideal for beds, borders, and rock gardens, plants are drought tolerant and suitable for xeriscapes. In this guide, we cover all you need to cultivate these unique, colorful flowers in your garden. Globe amaranth, Gomphrena globosa, is one of 90 Gomphrena species of flowering plants in the Amaranthaceae family. It’s native to Central and n
The striking Old English cultivar of holly, Ilex aquifolium ‘Flavescens’ (moonlight holly) is highly regarded for its brilliant variegated yellow foliage. Adrian Evans provides growing and caring tips for moonlight holly. A mainstay of the British countryside, Ilex aquifolium (common holly) is unmistakable with its spiny leaves and red berries in winter. Meanwhile, the canary-yellow, variegated cultivar Ilex aquifolium ‘Flavescens’ (moonlight holly) bri
The scent of a pomander ball is enough to send most into a merry nostalgia and with citrus fruits being such an integral part of so many festive recipes, citrus trees are a must-have in the run up to Christmas. Many assume that the chilly English climate does not facilitate the growth of citrus trees. Happily, many are wrong and it is possible to grow citrus in the UK – just make sure you have somewhere cosy to keep your tree over the winter months. Orange Citrus aurantium (Or