Echinops ritro seed
LATIN NAME: ECHINOPS RITRO
COMMON NAME: Small Globe Thistle
In the dry meadows of Europe and central Asia, the small globe thistle grows as a stiff, upright, clumping perennial with the deeply divided, spiny, white-felted leaves and the round, steely-blue, spiky flower heads carried singly on the branched stems in the midsummer. It steadily establishes a rounded crown, eventually 5-10 metres tall. Site it in full sun, in deep, fertile ground.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The small globe thistle holds a place in the studies of the steppe perennials of Europe, its steel-blue spheres keeping it in view in the work on the nectar plants of the dry grasslands and the structural perennials of the modern border. The research looks at the way the bristling heads hold the summer heat, the felted leaves cut the drought, and the seed biology of the small, bristly seeds.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
In the sunny border, the small globe thistle holds the steel-blue spheres above the silver leaves and draws the bees from midsummer until the autumn. The seed heads stand through the winter and feed the finches, and the plant makes the fine architectural perennial, the pollinator plant and the dry-garden stalwart. It is a plant for the open, sunny, dry and free-draining place.
To grow the Small Globe Thistle from seed, press the bristly seeds into gritty compost, covering them barely.
Press the bristly seeds into gritty compost, covering them barely, and keep the young plants in the open, sunny spot. The blue spheres open with the midsummer.
LATIN NAME: Echinops ritro
COMMON NAME: Southern Globe Thistle, Globe Thistle, Small Globe Thistle
The globe thistle is a bold and handsome plant of the dry ground, and its round, steel-blue heads of bloom are one of the most striking sights of the summer border. The species develops an upright, columnar form, around sixty centimetres high. It is a species of the daisy family, native to southern and eastern Europe, from Spain east to Turkey, Ukraine and Belarus, and it is grown around the temperate world as a bold plant of the border and the dry garden.
The globe thistle belongs to the daisy family, Asteraceae, and it is a species of flowering plant native to southern and eastern Europe, from Spain east to Turkey, Ukraine and Belarus. It is known as the southern globe thistle or the globe thistle, and it is prized for its round, steel-blue heads of bloom.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The globe thistle has a genuine and growing place in both horticultural and ecological research. It has been studied in horticulture, since it is a bold and handsome plant of the summer border, prized for its round, steel-blue heads of bloom, and researchers have examined its cultivation, its many varieties and its value in the garden, while the globe thistles have become valued plants of the modern border and the dry garden, and their striking form and their long season of bloom have been examined, while the dried heads have also been valued in the arrangements. The plant has also been studied in ecology and in the research on the pollinators, since its round heads of bloom are a magnet for the bees and the butterflies, and researchers have examined its value to the pollinators, while the bold, blue heads of the thistles have drawn attention in the international gardening press as a plant of the bee garden. The species has also been studied in botany, since it is a member of the daisy family, and its classification and its relationships have been examined. For a plant of such bold beauty, the globe thistle has a steady and growing record of research.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
Ecologically, the globe thistle is a generous plant of the summer border. Its round, steel-blue heads feed the bees, the butterflies and the insects, and its spiny, leafy growth gives cover, while it is a bold presence in the dry meadows and the borders of Europe.
Its economic value is real. It is a bold and valued plant of the summer border and the dry garden, and its round, blue heads have drawn attention in the international gardening press as a striking plant of the bee garden, while the dried heads are also valued in the flower arrangements. For a grower, the globe thistle is an easy and bold perennial, and for a gardener it brings round, steel-blue heads of bloom and a cloud of bees. The seeds are easy — sow them in a pot of moist, free-draining compost in a sunny spot, keep them lightly watered, and theyll sprout within a couple of weeks, growing on into a bold, blue-headed plant.
Globe Thistle Blue Echinops Ritro is a herbaceous perennial flowering plant native to Europe and Asia. Globe Thistle Blue seeds can be started indoors, and it is recommended to apply a cold treatment prior sowing the seeds. Echinops Ritro grows up to 48 inches tall featuring thistle-like foliage with 6-8 inch, deeply lobed, grey-green leaves with distinctive spines and blooming in summer and fall with globular, thistle-like, 1-2 inches in diameter, steel-blue flowers on stiff, rigid stems. Globe Thistle Blue flowers are loved by bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.
Globe Thistle Blue makes a good fresh or dry cut flower, and this plant is also a popular choice for growing in cottage and butterfly gardens, cutting and mixed perennial gardens, and perennial borders. Echinops Ritro seeds can be planted directly outdoors in spring or fall, and once established Globe Thistle is very dependable, low maintenance plant that tolerates poor, dry soils and drought.
PLANT PROFILE Season: Perennial Height: 48 Inches Bloom Season: Summer/Fall Environment: Sun Soil Type: Average/Poor/Dry/Moist well-drained, pH 5.8-6.8 USDA Zones: 3-9
PLANTING INSTRUCTIONS Sow Indoors: Winter/Spring (4-6 weeks before last frost) Sow Outdoors: Spring/Fall Seed Depth: Surface sowing – press seeds slightly into the soil Germination Time: 14-21 Days