Eryngium alpinum

Eryngium alpinum
sea holly

SIZE/TYPE	mid-sized perennial
USUAL HEIGHT	0.5-0.8m
USUAL WIDTH	0.3-0.5m
LEAVES	deciduous broadleaf
COLOUR OF LEAVES	green
FLOWERS	showy
COLOUR OF FLOWERS	violet
BLOOMING TIME	July - August
LOCATION	full sun
USDA zone (lowest)	5 (down to -29°C)
WINTER PROTECTION
FOR ZONE 5+6
FOR ZONE 7
BELONGS TO CATEGORIES	Perennials Summer blooms

Sea holly is a dramatic plant for lovers of unusually shaped perennials. It comes from Alps and Balkans and in most countries of its native origin is protected and listed as endangered species.

The flowers are steel-blue or blue-violet, thistle-like with pin-cushion heads. Main basal leaves are ovate to heart-shaped, spiny-toothed, mid green. Stem leaves are 3-lobed, deeply cut. Sea holly is often used as a cut flower in arrangements, fresh or dried.

It likes poor, very well-drained soil, it will die in too moist or damp sites. Fully hardy to -29°C.

Last update 12-01-2009.

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GLOSSARY

STANDARD QUALITY - Plants of this group are 1st class quality with number of branches and overall density adequate to their size and age, considering they were container grown.
DE LUXE QUALITY - This label guarantees a luxurious quality of manually selected plants that, compared to their height and age, are exceptionally dense and beautiful.
EXTRA - These plants are usually mature and bigger specimens with exceptional overall appearance.
STANDARD (as described in the plant form) means a tree with a trunk of 190-210 cm and a crown at the top, unless specified differently. The commercial size for trees is their girth measured in the height of 1m from ground.
HOBBY - These plants are of the same quality as our standard-quality plants but younger and therefore cheaper.
SHRUB - a woody plant with branches growing bushy from the ground level.
HALF-STANDARD or MINI-STANDARD - a small tree with shorter trunk, its size is usually specified.
FEATHERED - These are trees with branches growing already from the base of the trunk and up along the stem.
GRASSES and PERENNIALS - Sizes given usually read the diameter of the pot or the clump, as specified.