spotlight on echinops
The only flower thriving in our French garden last summer.
This European summer, while we were “home” in our French house. (yes, I run with a wild and messy garden there too - see here) and the heat was relentless. Most of my garden turned to confetti, and I spent five weeks on the lounge with a fan pointed at me.
And in the middle of it all, the echinops were thriving.
No watering. Not even planted by us. They’d simply turned up and made themselves right at home. Tall stems topped with perfect spiky globes in a bright blue that’s almost ultraviolet, absolutely covered in bees and butterflies, looking like they’d never had a better summer in their lives.
Then we started noticing them everywhere. In street plantings jammed between concrete walkways and busy roads, in the hottest, most thankless spots a council could find.
Here’s a tip: if you’re looking for tough, reliable plants, check out what your council grows in its community spaces. If it can survive cigarette butts, dog wee and intermittent watering, it’ll probably be a star in your garden too.
Why I think it’s worth a look this summer
Our summers are getting hotter, and for many of us, drier. There’s talk that this summer could be a very dry one across much of Australia. If you’re wondering what will still look good in February, when you’re reduced to watering everything by hand with water collected in your shower, give this one a go.
Give them a little love while they settle in. Once they’re established, they’re tough as old boots.
The cut flower you’ve probably already met
You may know echinops (sometimes called globe thistle) from florist buckets and wedding work. Those spiky spheres look beautiful in a vase, and they dried like champions. They hold their shape indefinitely, only fading a little even months (or years) after harvest.
They’re often paired with Billy Buttons, and it’s easy to understand why. Same round, architectural shape, but with that electric, almost ultraviolet blue - against the bright yellow of Billy Buttons they make a bit of a showstopping pair. Violet and yellow sit opposite each other on the colour wheel, so each makes the other glow. Art lesson over!
If you’re growing Billy Buttons, this might be your next natural step.
Why I love them
They get tall, well over a metre. I love a plant that gives a garden height and structure, and echinops stand above everything else with those blue globes bobbing about. They’re a magnet for pollinators, and The Seed Collectors say rabbits and garden pests tend to leave them alone. They certainly seem unbothered in my garden.
A word of warning
They’re prickly. Think about where you put them. Don’t plant them next to the path where you brush past in shorts, and maybe not where little hands (or curious dogs) go exploring.
When to sow
Best months to sow in our cimate:
Cool: October – March
Temperate: September – April
Sub-tropical: April – September
Tropical: April – September
Arid: April – September
Spring sowing is ideal, but I sowed mine back in March and overwintered them here in Maitland. Echinops are a perennial and take about a year to flower from seed. Mine are bulking up nicely, and I’m hoping to see my first flowers this summer or next. Good things come to those who wait.
Think you might want to give echinops a go?
My usual suppliers and friends Veggie & Flower Garden Seeds, as well as The Seed Collection both sell seeds for this one.