Echinops sphaerocephalus seed
LATIN NAME: ECHINOPS SPHAEROCEPHALUS
COMMON NAME: Great Globe-thistle
In the dry, sunny meadows and the roadsides of the east, the great globe-thistle grows as a tall, upright, perennial herb with the deeply lobed, spiny, grey-green leaves and the round, spiny, steel-blue flower heads that open in the summer, the small, tufted seeds following. The herb steadily grows into a rounded crown, with a mature height of 5-10 metres. Plant it in full sun with deep, fertile ground.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The great globe-thistle appears in the studies of the daisy tribe of the east, its round steel-blue heads and its spiny leaves keeping it in view in the work on the ornamental thistles of the dry meadows and the bee plants of the summer border. The research looks at the way the spiny leaves defend the plant, the round heads open in the summer, and the seed biology of the tufted, wind-borne seeds.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
In the summer border and the wild garden, the great globe-thistle lifts the round, steel-blue, spiny heads above the grey-green leaves and feeds the bees and the butterflies with its abundant nectar. The bold, architectural perennial gives the striking bloom of the dry border, and the plant makes the fine ornamental thistle, the bee plant and the plant of the sunny, open garden. It is a plant for the open, sunny, deep and free-draining place.
To grow the Great Globe-thistle from seed, sow the spiny seeds on the surface of gritty soil after a cold spell.
Sow the spiny seeds on the surface of gritty soil after a cold spell, and keep the young thistles in the open, sunny spot. The steel-blue heads open with the summer.
LATIN NAME: Echinops sphaerocephalus
COMMON NAME: Globe Thistle
The globe thistle is a tall, stately, bold perennial of the gardens, and its large, round, spiky, steel-blue or grey heads of the many small flowers have made it one of the most striking of the border plants. It builds up into a compact, leafy clump, reaching thirty to sixty centimetres. It is a species of the flowering plant in the daisy family, and it is native to the Europe and the temperate Asia, while it is grown as a striking plant of the border, and it is known as the globe thistle.
The globe thistle belongs to the daisy family, Asteraceae, and it is a species of the tall perennial, native to the Europe and the temperate Asia, while it is grown as a striking plant of the border, and it is known as the globe thistle. It is prized for its large, round, spiky, steel-blue heads of the many small flowers.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The globe thistle has a real and distinguished place in the research. It has been studied in the horticulture, since its large, round, spiky, steel-blue heads of the many small flowers have made it one of the most striking of the border plants, and researchers have examined its growth, its flowering and its cultivation, while its bold, globe-like heads have drawn attention in the international horticultural press as a plant of the border. The plant has also been studied in the botany and the ecology, since it is a native of the dry meadows and the waysides of the Europe and the temperate Asia, and its relationships, its distribution and its role in the wild have been examined, while the ecology of the thistle-like plants has been of continuing interest, and the study of the wild plants has been of value to the gardeners. The species has also been studied in the chemistry of the natural products and the traditional use, since the parts of the globe thistle have a history of use in the folk ways of the many lands, and researchers have examined the plant and its constituents, while the chemistry of the Echinops has been of continuing interest across the world, and the plant is best appreciated as a subject of study and a striking border plant rather than a casual remedy. For a plant of such bold form, the globe thistle has a rich and continuing record of study.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
Ecologically, the globe thistle is a generous plant of the garden. Its large, round, spiky heads of the many small flowers are a magnet for the bees and the many insects, and its tall, woolly stems give a bold, vertical presence to the border and the meadow garden.
Its economic value is real. The globe thistle is prized for its large, round, spiky heads of the steel-blue flowers, and its beauty has drawn attention in the international horticultural press as a plant of the border, while its fine, dry heads have also made it a valued plant of the dried-flower arrangement. For a grower, the globe thistle is an easy and rewarding plant, and for a gardener it brings a large, round, spiky, steel-blue globe to the border. The seeds are easy to start — press them gently into the surface of moist, free-draining soil in the light, keep them lightly watered, and theyll be sprouting steadily, growing on into a tall, bold, globe-headed plant.
This beautiful architectural plant forms a bushy, upright mound of thistly-looking, deeply cut dark green, silvery below leaves. Unusual, globular white inflorescences (6-8 cm in diameter) bloom at the top of reddish stems in summer. “Arctic Glow” is more compact than the species and makes an elegant, attractive to butterflies clump at the back of a border. Ideal for cutting fresh or drying. Easy and showy. Height: 80 cm; Flowers: June- September; Sow: any time indoors; cover the seeds with soil; germination 14- 21 days at 15- 20 C; Aftercare: full sun and well drained soil; hardy to -40 C;