Butterfly Blue Pincushion Flower
Scabiosa 'Butterfly Blue'
Plant Height: 10 inches
Flower Height: 18 inches
Spacing: 15 inches
Sunlight:
Hardiness Zone: 3
Other Names: Scabious
Description:
2000 Perennial Plant of the Year. Lavender-blue flowers above dense, compact clumps of lacy, dark green foliage. Deadhead to promote re-bloom. Good cut flower. Attracts butterflies.
Ornamental Features
Butterfly Blue Pincushion Flower features unusual blue pincushion flowers at the ends of the stems from late spring to early fall. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its deeply cut ferny leaves remain grayish green in color throughout the season.
Landscape Attributes
Butterfly Blue Pincushion Flower is an herbaceous perennial with tall flower stalks held atop a low mound of foliage. It brings an extremely fine and delicate texture to the garden composition and should be used to full effect.
This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and should be cut back in late fall in preparation for winter. It is a good choice for attracting bees and butterflies to your yard, but is not particularly attractive to deer who tend to leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.
Butterfly Blue Pincushion Flower is recommended for the following landscape applications;
- Mass Planting
- Border Edging
- General Garden Use
- Container Planting
Planting & Growing
Butterfly Blue Pincushion Flower will grow to be about 10 inches tall at maturity extending to 18 inches tall with the flowers, with a spread of 18 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 15 inches apart. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years. As an herbaceous perennial, this plant will usually die back to the crown each winter, and will regrow from the base each spring. Be careful not to disturb the crown in late winter when it may not be readily seen!
This plant should only be grown in full sunlight. It prefers to grow in average to dry locations, and dislikes excessive moisture. It may require supplemental watering during periods of drought or extended heat. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in both summer and winter to conserve soil moisture and protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid. It can be propagated by division; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.
Butterfly Blue Pincushion Flower is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing a mass of flowers against which the larger thriller plants stand out. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.
