Plant Calendar

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Description

From midsummer to the first frosts, Echinops ritro, or the Small Globe Thistle, sends up strong, upright stems topped with perfectly rounded globes of metallic blue flowers that simply glow in the sunshine. These spiky orbs aren't just striking to look at, they are also a magnet for bees and butterflies, making your garden buzz with life for weeks on end.

The foliage is deeply cut and jagged, providing a sharp, architectural presence even before the blooms arrive. Once the flowers fade, the dry seedheads remain standing, catching the frost and adding incredible structure to otherwise bare borders. They're also fantastic for cutting, both fresh for arrangements and dried for long-lasting displays indoors.

Once established, Echinops ritro is remarkably drought tolerant, thriving in sun-baked soils where other perennials struggle. It handles sandy, clay and even poor, dry ground, and shrugs off winter cold to return stronger each year. It's the kind of plant you can rely on for low maintenance, high impact gardening.

These globe thistles sit beautifully at the middle of borders, where their bold blue spheres stand out against green foliage. They combine brilliantly with grasses, echinacea, rudbeckia and dahlias, creating a dramatic yet naturalistic effect.

Supplied as a set of 10 bare root plants, ready to plant.

Top Tips

Plant Echinops in groups for maximum effect. The metallic-blue globes look astonishing in drifts and create a real designer's look, while pollinators won't be able to resist.

Care Information

On Arrival:

Open your package straight away and check the bare roots.
Soak them in a bucket of clean, cool water for 2-3 hours to rehydrate before planting.
If you can't plant immediately, wrap the roots in damp newspaper or place them in moist compost in a cool, frost-free spot. Do not let them dry out.

Planting:

Choose a sunny to partially shaded position with well-drained soil. Echinops thrive in light, open conditions and will tolerate poor, sandy or clay soils once established.
Prepare the ground by loosening the soil and digging in some compost to help the roots settle.
Dig a hole wide enough to spread the roots naturally. Place the crown (where the shoots meet the roots) level with the soil surface.
Backfill, firm gently and water well. Allow around 45cm between plants for their clumps to expand.

Aftercare:

Water thoroughly after planting and keep the soil evenly moist while they establish in their first season.
Once established, Echinops are drought tolerant and only need occasional deep watering during long dry spells.
Deadhead spent flowers to encourage a tidier look, but leave some seedheads for autumn and winter structure if you wish. They also feed birds.
In late autumn or early spring, cut stems back to the base once growth has died down.
Apply a light mulch of compost around the crowns in spring to enrich the soil.

Delivery Information

Please allow us 3-5 working days to dispatch your order. Pre-ordered items will be sent as soon as possible after the date quoted and we'll generally ship your entire order with your pre-ordered items. When your order is dispatched, we'll send you another email with details of how to track it.

Most orders are sent on a fully-tracked courier service with Yodel. To avoid perishable items being stuck at depots and deteriorating, no signature is required, and our courier is asked to leave your order in a safe place on your property.

We'll send a tracking link when we dispatch your order, so you know when its due to arrive. Please note, once delivered we cannot be held responsible for loss or theft from your property. If you have any specific delivery instructions, please let us know - there's an option to enter a short message for the courier at the checkout.

Smaller, lighter, single-item orders may be sent through the post with Royal Mail - in which case no tracking is available.

Our experienced nursery team will always send your plants nursery fresh in the perfect condition to thrive when you plant them, so although most plants are very tough and will not be affected by all but the most extreme frosts or heatwaves, we avoid dispatching the most perishable plants if extreme weather is forecast, or over Bank Holiday weekends.

Please note, we cannot guarantee delivery on a certain day or time. Delivery to outlying postcode areas may take 1-2 days longer, dependent on your location.

Videos

Echinops ritro Globe Thistle

Key Features