Echinops (Globe Thistle) - Key Growing Information
DAYS TO GERMINATION:
Allow 14–21 days at 65–75°F (18–24°C).SOWING:
Transplants are recommended: sow into 50-cell flats or your usual containers 6–8 weeks before planting out. Cover the seed just enough to hold it in place, since a little light helps germination. Harden off and plant out once frost danger has passed. For direct sowing, wait until the soil is at least 65°F and cover the seed lightly.LIGHT PREFERENCE:
Best in full sun; tolerates some shade.PLANT HEIGHT:
Grows about 30–48" tall.PLANT SPACING:
18–24" apart. Divide every 4–5 years to keep clumps from crowding.HARDINESS ZONES:
Hardy in Zones 3–9.HARVEST:
For fresh or dried use, cut when half to three-quarters of the globe has turned blue, then hang to dry. Globes cut too late fall apart.SOIL REQUIREMENTS:
Ordinary soil with good drainage. Once established, it copes with heat, drought and poor soil.USES:
Fresh or dried cut stems; the blue holds beautifully when dried. Suits the middle of perennial borders, and bees love it.SCIENTIFIC NAMe: Echinops ritroALTERNATE NAMES: Southern globe thistle, globe thistle
