Associate the Echinops

In a garden without watering

Perennial with a graphic silhouette, the Echinops ritro punctuates sunny borders with its beautiful small blue balls. Adapted to drought and poor, calcareous soils, this globe thistle easily integrates into dry land displays, alongside the Gaura lindheimeri ‘Cherry Brandy’, a recent introduction that forms an extremely floriferous small bush covered from June to September with abundant pale pink flowers featuring bright pink central veins. The Helichrysum italicum, or Italian everlasting, a Mediterranean bushy perennial with golden yellow flowers, will complement these drought-tolerant blooms with its beautiful cushions of grey evergreen foliage.

In the background, plant the Viburnum tinus with its evergreen foliage and winter flowering in pinkish-white umbels, and the particularly elegant Chaste tree Vitex agnus-castus ‘Delta Blues’ with summer flowering in violet-blue spikes reminiscent of those of buddleias. To complete the shrub layer, add the Chilopsis linearis, commonly known as Desert Willow: it is characterised by a lovely flexible habit, fine willow-like foliage, and a long summer flowering of pink trumpet-shaped blooms reminiscent of those of bignonia.

Vitex agnus-castus ‘Delta Blues’, Echinops ritro, Viburnum tinus, Chilopsis linearis, Helichrysum italicum, and Gaura lindheimeri ‘Cherry Brandy’

In a colourful border

L‘Echinops ritro ‘Veitch’s Blue’ is a variety with broader and less thorny foliage. It is also distinguished by a more intense blue flowering, with steel reflections. For a colourful and easy-to-maintain border, pair it with the large, fluffy summer spikes of Veronicastrum virginicum ‘Lavendelturm’, ensuring it is positioned in partial shade. The Inula magnifica ‘Sonnenspeer’, a giant and highly ornamental perennial, will enhance the backdrop with its ample foliage and late summer flowering of large, frilly golden daisies. For a cheerful and vibrant touch at the edge, punctuate with small clusters of Helenium ‘Poncho’: its remarkably colourful long summer flowering, with daisies transitioning from red edged in gold to fiery orange-red, will bring your garden to life!

Echinops ritro ‘Veitch’s Blue’, Veronicastrum virginicum ‘Lavendelturm’, Inula magnifica ‘Sonnenspeer’ and Helenium ‘Poncho’

In a summer flower bed

Particularly striking with its deeply lobed and thorny foliage and its globular, spiky steel-blue flowers, the Echinops bannaticus ‘Taplow Blue’ is a very hardy perennial that brings a touch of nature to the garden. In a flowerbed designed to brighten your summer, place this azure globe alongside the soft, slightly mauve pink of the Phlox maculata ‘Alpha’. Highly fragrant and covered in flowers during summer, it will be beautifully complemented by the silver-purple foliage of the Heuchera ‘Plum Royale’, topped with small white bell-shaped flowers in the lovely season. A few magnificent spikes of violet-pink flowers from the Liatris spicata or Kansas Blazing Star and generous clumps of Scabiosa caucasica ‘Kompliment’ will complete the picture: your summer will be in bloom for many weeks under the sun!

Echinops bannaticus ‘Taplow Blue’, Phlox maculata ‘Alpha’, Heuchera ‘Plum Royale’, Scabiosa caucasica ‘Kompliment’ and Liatris spicata

In a blue garden

Large perennial forming large balls of dark blue flowers, Echinops bannaticus ‘Blue Globe’ provides an opportunity to create a harmony of shades in blues, set against silver foliage on the reverse. Its very large globular inflorescences appear in July-August atop stems nearly 1.50 m tall. It will find its place in the background of a border filled with perennial Sweet Peas Lathyrus vernus, with violet-blue flowers, and Cornflowers ‘Blue Diadem’. This intensely blue, melliferous wildflower is very easy to grow. Add beautiful masses of Verbena bonariensis, which is also low-maintenance, as its flowering in violet panicles will bring much elegance and lightness to the plants accompanying it in this azure garden.

Echinops bannaticus ‘Blue Globe’, Lathyrus vernus, Cornflowers ‘Blue Diadem’ and Verbena bonariensis,

In a blue and yellow flowerbed

Complementary to blue, yellow is the perfect shade to create a cheerful and elegant display with the Globe Thistle Echinops ritro. Accompany its beautiful small blue globes that appear in abundance from July to September with the Eremurus ‘Tap Dance’. This bright Foxtail Lily will produce stunning tall spikes adorned with a multitude of sunny yellow flowers in summer. The Agastache Serpentine, very bushy and floriferous, will also display its blue-violet spikes all summer long above foliage with an anise scent.

The Leucanthemum superbum ‘Broadway Lights’ will add vibrancy to the composition with its countless bright yellow, butter yellow, and cream daisies, as well as the Yarrow millefolium ‘Terracotta’ with its corymbs of golden yellow flowers. To bring lightness, plant beautiful clumps of Stipa tenuissima. The angel hair in fresh green will transform into light blonde tufts at the beginning of summer.

Echinops ritro, Eremurus ‘Tap Dance’, Agastache Serpentine, Leucanthemum superbum ‘Broadway Lights’, Stipa tenuissima, and Achillea millefolium ‘Terracotta’

In a white mixed border

Unique in its genus, which only includes varieties with blue flowers, the Echinops ‘Arctic Glow’ features spiky ivory-white flower balls. Forming large clumps over 1 m in height and boasting ample grey-green foliage, it finds its place in an immaculate mixed border. It can be accompanied by the Chaste Tree Vitex agnus-castus ‘Silver Spire’, which produces a multitude of silver-white flowers gathered in long, dense spikes. Trained on a lovely support or against a wall, plant the Rambling Rose ‘Francis E Lester’ with its unique flowering of delicately scented small white dog roses in June-July. For ground cover, add cushions of Cerastium tomentosum var. columnae or Mouse Ear: its creeping stems will form a fluffy grey carpet that will be covered with countless small white flowers from May to July. In mild climates, you can pair them with the Agapanthus ‘Pitchoune White’, featuring pure white summer umbels (hardiness: approximately -5/-6 °C).

Echinops ‘Arctic Glow’, Rambling Rose ‘Francis E Lester’, Agapanthus ‘Pitchoune White’ and Cerastium tomentosum var. columnae