Pincushion flower

Sun

Full sun; light afternoon shade can help in hot climates, but too much shade reduces flowering.

Water

Water regularly while establishing, then during prolonged dry spells. Established plants tolerate some drought but flower better with occasional deep watering.

Soil

Well-drained, moderately fertile soil, preferably neutral to alkaline. Sandy, gravelly or chalky soils suit it; avoid waterlogged clay.

Height

1-2 ft (0.3-0.6 m)

Spread

1-1.5 ft (0.3-0.45 m)

Flowers

Late spring through summer, often continuing into autumn with deadheading; usually lilac-blue, occasionally pink or white.

Foliage

Grey-green to green leaves form a low basal clump; lower leaves are broader and upper leaves are more finely divided. Some foliage may persist through mild winters.

Growth

Moderate

Care needed

Low

• Pollinators
• Deer resistant
• Drought tolerant
• Heat tolerant
• Low allergen

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Easy

Toughness

Fairly tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   1 ft (0.3 m)

2. After 1 year

   1.1 ft (0.35 m)

3. After 2 years

   1.3 ft (0.4 m)

4. After 3 years

   1.5 ft (0.45 m)

   full size

About 3 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Safe

Native to

the UK

Growth rate

Moderate

• Water newly planted clumps when the surrounding soil begins to dry; let the surface dry between waterings.
• Keep the crown at soil level and avoid sites that collect winter rain.
• Apply a light dressing of compost in spring; avoid heavy feeding, which encourages floppy growth.
• Use a thin gravel mulch around the crown rather than piling damp organic mulch against it.
• Divide crowded or declining clumps in spring, usually every two to three years.

Pruning. Snip spent flower stems back to a leaf or side shoot throughout the flowering season. In early spring, remove dead stems and damaged foliage without cutting into the crown.

Early spring

Remove dead growth and check that the crown has not become buried or waterlogged.

Spring

Plant or divide clumps once the soil is workable, allowing room for air circulation.

Late spring

Water establishing plants during dry weather and begin deadheading as flowers fade.

Summer

Deadhead regularly and water deeply during prolonged drought.

Early autumn

Leave a few flower heads if you want to collect seed or allow occasional seedlings.

Late autumn

Remove fallen debris from around the crown and check drainage before winter.

• Plant along the front of sunny borders, where the low foliage keeps the edge tidy and flower stems add lightness.
• Repeat small groups among catmint, hardy geraniums and salvias for a long-flowering blue-and-purple border.
• Use in gravel gardens with thyme and low ornamental grasses, keeping the crown clear of damp mulch.
• Include in sunny pollinator beds near paths, where visiting bees and butterflies are easy to watch.

Garden styles it suits: Cottage garden, English country, Pollinator garden, Dry gravel garden, Blues and silvers and New perennial (prairie).

Plant it with: Catmint, Hardy geranium, Perennial salvia, Yarrow, Lavender and Creeping thyme.

Wildlife: The nectar-rich flowers attract bees, butterflies and other pollinating insects. Its value as a larval food plant varies by region; it is not a substitute for locally native host plants.

• Crown or root rot in wet soil: improve drainage or move the plant to a raised bed; discard badly rotted clumps.
• Powdery mildew: increase spacing, provide full sun and water the soil rather than repeatedly wetting the leaves.
• Aphids on young shoots: wash them off with water and encourage ladybirds and other predators.
• Weak growth or poor flowering in shade or rich soil: move to a sunnier position and stop high-nitrogen feeding.

Not known to be toxic to cats, dogs, horses or people, and no part is generally recognised as poisonous. It is not an edible plant; discourage pets and children from eating it.

• Sweet scabious (Scabiosa atropurpurea)

  Usually a taller annual or short-lived perennial with larger, often fragrant flowers in colours including deep burgundy, pink and white; its foliage is generally less finely divided.

• Caucasian pincushion flower (Lomelosia caucasica)

  Has much larger, flatter flower heads with a conspicuous ring of broad, ruffled outer florets, usually on longer stems.

• Field scabious (Knautia arvensis)

  Usually taller and coarser, with hairier foliage; its individual florets have four lobes rather than the five typical of Scabiosa.

Scabiosa comes from the Latin for scabies, reflecting historical medicinal use, while pincushion flower describes the projecting flower parts that resemble pins.

Propagation. Sow seed in spring, or divide healthy clumps in spring. Seed-grown plants vary, so divide named cultivars or take basal cuttings in spring to preserve their characteristics.

Accepted botanical name

Scabiosa columbaria

In the US and Canada

Introduced in the lower 48 states.

Native range

Albania, Algeria, Angola, Austria, Baltic States, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Central European Rus, Congo and Corse.

Measured

Soil pH 6.5 to 7. Average height 28 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0), USDA PLANTS and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.