info@bloomindesigns.com
Imagine More Perennials Than You Can Imagine, Delivered To You - Free
Shop by Category
Shop by Brand
Shop by Brand
Echinops
Architectural Blooms, Pollinator Powerhouse & Drought Tough
Echinops, commonly known as Globe Thistle, are bold and beautiful perennials celebrated for their striking spherical flower heads, exceptional pollinator attraction, and incredible drought tolerance. They bring architectural drama, long-lasting blooms, and a touch of wild elegance to any sunny garden. Here’s why Echinops deserves a place in your landscape:
- Unique & Dramatic Globe-Shaped Flowers: Be captivated by the perfectly spherical, thistle-like flower heads that sit atop sturdy stems. These eye-catching blooms are a unique garden highlight, adding bold form and texture to any border.
- Pollinator Paradise: Transform your garden into a buzzing haven for pollinators! Echinops flowers are magnets for bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects, making them invaluable for supporting a healthy garden ecosystem. Witness the constant activity around these blooms!
- Exceptional Drought Tolerance & Low Maintenance: Effortless beauty for dry gardens and busy gardeners! Once established, Echinops are remarkably drought-tolerant and require minimal care. They thrive in sunny, even dry, locations and are wonderfully low-maintenance.
- Deer Resistant & Rabbit Resistant: Protect your garden from unwanted browsing! Echinops are highly deer and rabbit resistant, allowing you to enjoy their striking beauty without worry about damage from wildlife.
- Long Bloom Season & Lasting Color: Enjoy months of striking color from mid-summer into fall! Echinops flowers have a long bloom period and hold their color well, extending the garden's visual interest late into the season.
- Excellent Cut Flowers (Fresh & Dried): Bring the garden indoors and enjoy lasting arrangements! Echinops flowers are fantastic cut flowers, both fresh and dried. Their unique form adds architectural interest to bouquets, and dried seedheads provide long-lasting decorative appeal.
- Architectural & Structural Plant: Add verticality and form to your garden design! Echinops' upright habit and bold flower heads create strong vertical lines and architectural interest in borders, cottage gardens, and naturalistic landscapes.
- Silvery-Grey Foliage (in some varieties): Beyond the blooms, many Echinops varieties feature attractive silvery-grey to grey-green foliage, adding textural contrast and visual appeal even before and after flowering.
Bring bold beauty, pollinator power, and effortless style to your garden! Choose Echinops Globe Thistle and experience the drama and delight of these architectural blooms.
Choosing the Right Location:
- Light: Echinops thrive in full sun. They need at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day for best flowering and strongest stems. Full sun is crucial for optimal performance.
- Soil: Plant in well-drained soil. They are very adaptable to a wide range of soil types, including poor, sandy, or rocky soils, as long as they are well-drained. They actually prefer slightly leaner soil and dislike overly rich or heavy, wet soil.
- Excellent Drainage is Key: Good drainage is absolutely essential! Echinops are highly susceptible to root rot in soggy, poorly draining soil. Ensure the planting location does not retain water.
- Air Circulation: Choose a location with good air circulation to help prevent fungal diseases, especially in humid climates.
When to Plant:
- Best Times: Plant Echinops in spring or fall. Spring planting after the last frost allows them to establish before the heat of summer. Fall planting gives them a chance to develop roots before winter dormancy.
- Avoid Summer Planting (if possible): Planting during the heat of summer can stress young plants. If summer planting is necessary, provide extra care and watering.
How to Plant:
- Dig the Hole: Dig a hole that is twice as wide as the plant's root ball and just as deep.
- Amend the Soil (if needed): If your soil is very heavy clay, mix in plenty of coarse sand, gravel, or other gritty material to improve drainage. Echinops generally prefer lean soil and do not require rich amendments.
- Planting Depth: Place the Echinops root ball in the hole so that the top of the root ball is level with the surrounding soil.
- Backfill and Water: Backfill the hole with the excavated soil (amended if needed for drainage), gently firming it around the plant. Water thoroughly after planting to settle the soil.
- Spacing: Space Echinops plants about 18-36 inches apart, depending on the variety and mature size. Allow ample space for air circulation and mature size.
Ongoing Care:
- Watering:
- Water Deeply at Planting and Establishment: Water thoroughly after planting and during the first few weeks to help them establish.
- Drought Tolerant Once Established: Once established (after the first year), Echinops are exceptionally drought-tolerant and prefer to dry out significantly between waterings.
- Water Sparingly: In most cases, established Echinops will only need supplemental watering during prolonged periods of extreme drought.
- Avoid Overwatering: Overwatering is the biggest threat to Echinops. Err on the side of underwatering.
- Mulching (Generally Not Recommended):
- Avoid Mulch (Generally): Mulch is generally not recommended for Echinops, especially in areas with humid summers or poorly drained soil. Mulch can trap moisture and contribute to root rot.
- Gravel Mulch (Optional - for drainage): In very heavy clay soil, a thin layer of gravel or small stones around the base of the plants can improve drainage and reduce soil moisture around the crown.
- Fertilizing (Generally Not Necessary):
- Low Fertilizer Needs: Echinops are not heavy feeders and thrive in lean soil. Fertilizing is generally not necessary and can actually be detrimental, leading to weak stems and floppy growth.
- Avoid Fertilizers: It is best to avoid fertilizers altogether with Echinops.
- Staking (Generally Not Necessary):
- Strong Stems: Echinops generally have strong, sturdy stems and rarely require staking, especially when grown in full sun and lean soil.
- Staking (If Needed - Tall or Exposed Locations): In very rich soil or excessively shady locations, or in very windy areas, taller varieties may occasionally benefit from staking. Stake individually or use a hoop support if needed.
- Deadheading (Optional - Aesthetic Choice or Prevent Self-Seeding):
- Deadheading for Tidiness: Deadheading spent flowers (removing faded blooms) can improve the plant's appearance and prevent self-seeding if desired.
- Leave Seedheads for Winter Interest & Birds (Optional): If you like the look of the dried seedheads for winter interest, or want to provide food for birds, leave some or all of the spent flowerheads on the plants after blooming.
- Self-Seeding (Moderate): Echinops can self-seed moderately. If you want to control their spread, deadhead spent flowers regularly.
- Division (Every Few Years - Optional):
- To Rejuvenate or Propagate: Echinops clumps can be divided every 3-4 years if they become overcrowded or if you want to propagate more plants.
- Division Can Be Challenging: Echinops have deep taproots, and division can be more challenging than with some other perennials.
- Divide in Spring or Fall: Divide in early spring just as new growth begins or in early fall.
- How to Divide: Carefully dig up the clump and use a sharp spade or knife to separate it into smaller divisions, making sure each division has a portion of the taproot and some buds. Replant divisions at the recommended spacing. Be gentle to minimize root disturbance.
Pests and Diseases:
- Generally, Pest and Disease Resistant: Echinops are highly resistant to pests and diseases.
- Generally, Problem-Free: They are one of the most trouble-free perennials you can grow.
- Root Rot (Poor Drainage - Major Issue): Root rot is the most significant threat, and it is caused by poorly drained, waterlogged soil. Ensure excellent drainage to prevent this problem.
- Powdery Mildew (Rare - Humid Conditions): Powdery mildew may occasionally occur in very humid conditions with poor air circulation. Ensure good air circulation to minimize this risk.
Enjoy the architectural beauty, pollinator magnetism, and carefree nature of your Echinops Globe Thistle, bringing bold style and long-lasting interest to your garden for years to come!
Echinops (ek-in-ops), Globe Thistle; Asteraceae Family. Spiny-leaved, prickly-blossomed Old World plants that are distinctive, grayish in tone, and fine ornamentals in the border. They bloom in July and August. Most species have bluish flowers.
Tolerant of a wide range of soils (except rich soils), as long it is well-drained, Echinops is easily grown in average, well-drained soil, in full sun. Echinops is a taproot plant that is difficult to divide or transplant, but nay self-seed in the garden if not deadheaded.