Echinops bannaticus

‘Star Frost’

FROSTY SILVER GLOBE FLOWERS

Echinops bannaticus ‘Star Frost’
FROSTY SILVER GLOBE FLOWERS

Echinops bannaticus ‘Star Frost’ is a dazzler.

Frosty silver-white globes of flowers

With frosty silver-white flower balls, bouncing up on tall stems over summer, making it easy to place in any garden.

Excellent cut flowers

And the globe flowers are excellent for cutting.

Abundant golf ball sized globes

The blooms are golf ball size, and produced in abundance, as the plant branches out well with ever more flowers.

Long bloomer from spring to autumn

Echinops bannaticus ‘Star Frost’ is a profuse and long bloomer, from mid-spring to autumn end.

Loved by florists – fresh or dried

so there are always silvery golf balls to cut fresh for a vase or dry for a permanent arrangement.
And their long, clean stems make them an easy cut flower to harvest.
In the end their ghostly colour fits into any colour scheme.

Decorative leaves as well

Because the broadly cut leaves are deep green on the upper side and grey green on the underside, and make a dense clump low to the ground, so they are very decorative in their own right.

Quick & easy from seed to flower

This hardy perennial is quick and easy to germinate, and will flower in the first year from seed.

Easy to grow

Plus it is very easy-going in the garden.
So Echinops bannaticus ‘Star Frost’ enjoys Full Sun to Light Shade in well drained soil.

Frost & dry hardy

But it is not at all fussy on soil type and is very frost and dry hardy.
And it is a water-wise plant, being a good choice for gardeners with limited water

Low maintenance, easy care

The hardiness of Echinops is legendary. Because they actually enjoy dry, heat, frost, and poor soil.
They actually grow to their best in poorer soils, and should not be over fertilized.

Even can tolerate summer humidity

They even tolerate summer humidity, making them also suitable for gardeners in sub-tropical climates.

Rabbit & deer resistant

Rabbits and deer are not fond of Echinops as fodder, and much prefer more soft and sweet vegetables.

Pest & disease resistant

And pests and diseases rarely if ever trouble them.
So the only work needed is to cut your clump down to the ground in late autumn to tidy up ready for the next season of Globe Flowers, and deadhead old stems to keep a constant flow of flowers going.

Bee & pollinator supermarket

Bees just adore rustling around amongst the myriad of flowers in each globe, as they regard them as a high-rise supermarket of nectar. And as the bees rootle around, they come out laden with pollen.
Butterflies are similarly besotted with them.

Hardy perennial.

90cm. High in full globe flower over the warm months x 75cm Wide clump of low foliage.

SEED SOWING ADVICE: QUICK & EASY
Suits beginners & gardening with kids

Sow at any time of year in a punnet indoors, whenever suitable temperatures can be provided (20-25°C).
OR
Sow directly in the garden late in winter-early spring.

Sow indoors for optimum germination & early plants: If using a punnet – use a deep one / or use individual small tubes, as these plants quickly develop deep roots.

Sow the seed in the punnet/pot on the surface of good quality seed raising mix.
Then press the seeds gently onto the surface of the mix to ensure good contact.

Now cover the seeds only very lightly, to a maximum depth the same diameter as the seed.
As these seeds need light for germination.
And you can use sieved mix, or fine grit, or vermiculite, or washed sand to sprinkle over the seeds.

Then place the sown punnet into a shallow water bath.
So the moisture percolates up through the mix from the bottom to thoroughly moisten the mix throughout.
Soak for a short time until moisture appears on the surface of the mix, and then remove and drain.

Then place the moist, sown punnet in a warm, well-lit position. (Not in any direct sunlight as this will dry the seeds out and prevent germination).

Temperatures of 20-25°C approx. are best for optimum and rapid germination.
You can use a temperature-controlled heat mat if you have one, to encourage rapid germination, but it is not essential. A warm window-sill or well-lit corner is also fine.

And continue to keep moist by spraying the surface of the mix a fine spray water bottle, or re-soaking in the water bath, as required.
(If the punnet is light weight when you pick it up – the mix is drying out and needs another soak from below in the water bath).
Adding a clear plastic cover helps to retain moisture in the punnet.
Make sure you remove the cover as soon as sprouting commences.

Seedlings emerge quickly, in approx. 10-21 days.

Prick out as soon as seedlings have shown their first set of true leaves, and pot up to grow on until large enough for garden planting.

Seed Count: 10 seeds per pack approx.
(We always aim to exceed the stated seed count and give a generous serve).

GROWING: Echinops bannaticus ‘Star Frost’

– Height with flowers: A very upright plant to 90cm. approx.
– Width: 75cm approx.
– Soil: Echinops tolerate most soils, from rich loam to the poorest, meanest, sand or gravel. But they do insist on good drainage. And they are actually perform best when grown in lean and mean conditions. It keeps them strong, upright and blooming well. Do not fertilize.

Water-wise & drought resistant

– Water-wise: Echinops have deep tap roots, so this enables them to forage for water, resist dry periods, and survive where others would melt. So they are an excellent choice for water-wise gardens.
– Position: Full Sun. Echinops are strong and weather-proof, so very suitable for seaside and exposed gardens. And they just bask in sun and heat. They are at their strongest when grown in more difficult, drier and poor conditions, and they will also tolerate summer humidity.
– Frost: Extremely frost hardy, and can tolerate hard frosts down to at least -20C.

– Growth: Perennial clump which slowly thickens, but is not invasive. Remains as a dense, round clump of unusual serrated foliage.
– Beneficial for wildlife: Bees just adore rustling around amongst the myriad of flowers in each globe, as they regard them as a high-rise supermarket of nectar. And as the bees rootle around, they come out laden with pollen. Butterflies are similarly besotted with them.

– Care: Easy, low care, as the only work required is to cut back the flower stems as they finish. This will encourage a second and even a third crop of flowers in a single season.
– Deer & Rabbit resistant: Bliss, because both deer and rabbits find the tough and softly spiny leaves unpalatable.
– Origin: Native to Southern and Eastern Europe (from Spain east to Turkey, Ukraine, and Belarus), and western Asia. So this of course explains their hardiness in hot and dry conditions.

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