Echinops bannaticus Star Frost

<strong>Echinops have thorny foliage and bear terminal inflorescences in summer, often metallic blue, somewhat silvery.</strong> Flowers form small blue spheres that seem made of little bristly points! Echinops have a modern, original look; they offer a beautiful blend of silvery grey and metallic blue, combined with a very graphic habit. Their flowering stems fit nicely into bouquets, whether used fresh or dried. Moreover, they are good melliferous plants: their flowers, rich in nectar, attract butterflies and bees. Echinops are genera of ornamental thistles. The most common in cultivation are <em>Echinops ritro, Echinops sphaerocephalus</em>, and <em>Echinops bannaticus.</em> They declinate into different varieties, offering compact or taller sizes, and bearing flowers often blue–grey, but sometimes silvery white. <strong>Echinops appreciate heat, sun and well-drained soils.</strong> They are easy-to-grow plants, hardy, undemanding and requiring little attention. They are rarely affected by diseases or pests, and tolerate drought fairly well. If they thrive in your garden, echinops will tend to self-seed and may naturalise.