Echinops ritro ssp. ruthenicus 'Platinum Blue'

Globe Thistle is a must for the pollinator garden. We grew a patch last year that was so consistently covered in bees that the flowers appeared brown rather than blue. Plants are easy to grow in any soil as long as they are given full sun. These are statuesque plants with elegant, prickly foliage.

This variety exhibits lovely white white wooly stems and dark blue flowers.

Fun fact: Bees harvest the wool from the stems for their nests!

Zones: 3 to 8
Family: Asteraceae
Type: Herbaceous Perennial
Height: 24 to 36 in.
Spread: 18 to 24 in.
Exposure: Full Sun
Soil: Dry, Average
Bloom Time: July to September
Native Range: southern and eastern Europe (from Spain east to Turkey, Ukraine, and Belarus), and western Asia