Echinops ritro 'Taplow Blue'
Height x Spread: 95cm x 70cm
Masses of taut, steely blue globe-like flowers are held like upright drumsticks above the spiny, jagged silvery-green foliage.
Very architectural in form, this plant combines well with other strongly silhouetted plants such as Salvia 'Blue Spire', Rudbeckia fulgida var. speciosa or the ornamental grasses Miscanthus sinensis 'Morning Light' and Helictotrichon sempervirens. Much beloved by bees, butterflies and countless other insects, it also cuts brilliantly for vases.
It prefers a sunny position in a well-drained soil, but can cope with most reasonable soils and even a little shade.