Eryngium 'Big Blue'

Eryngium 'Big Blue': Electric Steel-Blue Cones in Spiky Collars

Metallic steel-blue cones in spiky blue collars, like the plant raided a sci-fi costume department. 'Big Blue' looks dangerous because it kind of is: deer and rabbits won't touch it. ARMOUR PLATING, BUT MAKE IT FASHION.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Eryngium × zabelii 'Big Blue'
• Common Name: Sea Holly
• Height: 70–75 cm (27–29 in)
• Spread: 45–60 cm (1.5–2 ft)
• Flowers: Large, metallic steel-blue cones surrounded by spiny blue bracts, up to about 10 cm (4 in) across
• Bloom Time: Early to late summer (June to August)
• Foliage: Spiny green leaves at the base, with silvery-blue upper stems
• Features: Rabbit resistant, excellent cut and dried flower

Where to Plant: Plant it in the middle of a sunny border, in gravel and rock gardens, or anywhere hot and dry, and give it space in a cutting bed for fresh or dried stems. It tolerates salt better than many perennials, so it's worth trying near a driveway.

Companion Plants: Give 'Big Blue' a sunny, dry bed where its metallic blue heads meet orange, pink and white. Delosperma 'Jewel of Desert Moon Stone' carpets the front at 10 to 15 cm with white flowers from May to September. Gaillardia SpinTop® Orange Halo adds red-orange daisies at 30 cm from June to September. Echinacea KISMET® 'Pink Lemonade' brings pink and lemon coneflowers at 35 to 45 cm from June to October. Sorghastrum nutans rises behind at 90 to 180 cm in flower, a native Indian grass.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun in average to poor, very well-drained soil. Sandy or gravelly soil is ideal. Rich or wet soil can make it floppy and shorten its life, so skip the fertilizer. Water through the first season, then only in long droughts. Sea holly grows a long taproot and doesn't like being moved or divided. Choose its spot carefully. Leave the flower heads in place for fall and winter structure, then cut the stems back in early spring. Wear gloves, because the bracts are prickly.

History: 'Big Blue' was found in 1997 by Jeff Hodson at Myerscough College in Lancashire, England, as a chance seedling of Eryngium × zabelii, and was introduced through Blooms of Bressingham. Sea hollies belong to the carrot family, though they look more like thistles.

Final Thoughts: Cut a few for a dried arrangement and you'll have blue in the house until spring. THE BEES WILL FIGHT YOU FOR THE REST.