Flower Specifications
- Season: Perennial
- USDA Zones: 3 - 8
- Height: 48 inches
- Bloom Season: Summer and fall
- Bloom Color: Purple
- Environment: Full sun to partial shade
- Soil Type: Well drained, pH 5.8 - 6.8
- Deer Resistant: Yes
Planting Directions
- Temperature: 65 - 70F
- Average Germ Time: 14 - 21 days
- Light Required: Yes
- Depth: Do not cover the seed but press into the soil
- Sowing Rate: 4 seeds per plant
- Moisture: Keep seed moist until germination
- Plant Spacing: 18 - 24 inches
- Care & Maintenance: See: Globe Thistle
Globe Thistle (Echinops Ritro) - Add a distinct texture to your garden by sowing Globe Thistle flower seeds! They are a great addition to the cottage garden or a mixed perennial garden. Globe Thistle's blooms are in shades of purple and blue and they measure up to 1 3/4 inches in diameter. The flower heads provide good color before opening, so the bloom season is prolonged. It has thistle-like foliage with 6 - 8 inch leaves with distinctive spines. Globe Thistle is a fairly drought tolerant, low maintenance plant, and it easily establishes from flower seeds.
If the initial blooms on Globe Thistle are deadheaded, several smaller, shorter blooms will appear. Globe Thistle has plenty of flower seed, so it is a good self-seeder, and deadheading will help slow that process a bit. In richer soils, the plant might grow so much as to require staking. The basal leaves deteriorate quickly, so best to plant low-growing plants next to the Globe Thistle. Hands can be cut by foliage and flower, so best to wear gloves when handling.
Globe Thistle makes a nice cut flower. These fuzzy blossoms also dry well. Cut stems, hang upside down in a dry, ventilated place. Sow Globe Thistle flower seeds outdoors after temperatures have warmed. Prepare soil, sow the flower seeds on the surface and press them into the soil. Do not cover the flower seeds, keep them moist, and soon you will be enjoying a new addition to your perennial garden.
Shaker Bottle With Seed Starting Matrix |
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Shake 'n Seed - We are now offering shaker bottles filled with our seed starting matrix: rich soil, gardening sand, water absorbing crystals, and starter fertilizer. This not only helps dispense your seed, but it gets it off to a great start! Simply remove lid from shaker bottle, add seed from packet, put back on lid, shake the bottle vigorously for 15 seconds, and then shake your way to beautiful new plants! Use Shake 'n Seed over good quality soil, and then gently water to keep seed moist until it sprouts. Great for ground covers or mass planting flower seeds. |
