Melinda Myers

Globe Thistle

Botanical Name

Echinops ritro

Hardiness

Zones 3 to 8

Height

3 to 4 feet

Width

2 to 3 feet

Flowers

Summer: steel blue

Light

Full sun

Soil

Well-drained

Planting & Care

• May need staking in fertile soils
• Propagate by seed, division or root cutting
• Globe thistle will self sow readily, lift and replant volunteer plants in spring or sow seeds for new plants in mid spring
• Divide clumps in spring or take 2-3" root cuttings from established plants
• Deadhead to prevent reseeding
• Cut plants back to basal foliage after flowering to encourage a repeat bloom
• Lower leaves of globe thistle tends to become ratting during the season, place lower growing plants in front to conceal the stems and declining foliage

Varieties

• Taplow Blue - 2-3" steel-blue flowers, 4-5' tall
• Veitch's Blue - darker flowers than Taplow Blue, 3-3.5' tall