Eryngium maritimum

Sea Holly

Eryngium maritimum
Price: £2.85
Attractive to pollinatorsPerfect for cutting
    A native wild flower found growing on sandy and shingly shores around the coasts of the British Isles. It is a highly ornamental plant with spiny, leathery, intensely whitish-glaucous leaves and roundish heads of pale blue flowers. The young, tender flowering shoots can be eaten like Asparagus. In Tudor times the roots were candied and known as eringoes eaten as sweetmeats and regarded as an aphrodisiac obviously appreciated by Falstaff, "Let the sky rain potatoes, . . . hail kissing-comfits and snow eringoes, let there come a tempest of provocation . . ." 2ft (60cm)

    In general, Eryngiums are often spiny, usually herbaceous perennial plants, beloved of flower arrangers for their striking foliage and flower-heads.

    Genus: Eryngium

    Species: maritimum

    Family Name: Apiaceae/Umbelliferae

    Seed Catalogue No.: 527L

    English Name(s): Sea Holly

    Hardiness: Hardy

    Lifecycle: Perennial

    Suitable for: Cut Flowers

    Colour: Blue

    Flowers: July, August

    Lighting Conditions: Full Sun

    Soil Type: Chalk, Sand, Loam

    Soil Acidity: Alkaline, Neutral, Acid

    Moisture: Well-drained

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    Germination Instructions

    Sow under glass. Sow into moist well-drained seed compost, cover with a thin layer of soil. Cold stratify. Place seed container inside a plastic bag and place in the fridge at 4°C for 2-3 weeks. Remove from fridge and place in a cold frame or shady part of the garden. Keep covered with plastic or glass. Germination is irregular 5-90 days. As each seed germinates in turn transplant to its own 8cm pot. Plant out to final position as soon as possible. Seed may enter dormancy and not emerge until the following spring.

    Growing Instructions

    Prefers full sun in a light well-drained soil. Will tolerate very light shade. Plant into final position while the plant is young. The roots are often several feet long and do not like to be disturbed.

    Cultivation Instructions

    Flower stems may be cut back after flowering but the seedheads are attractive and could be left over winter. Cut flowers before fully open if you wish to dry them. Divide in early spring or autumn, be gentle, the plant does not like root disturbance. Protect from winter wetness.

    When to Sow

    JanJFebFMarMAprAMayMJunJJulJAugASepSOctONovNDecD
    • Sow Under Cover/Plant Indoors
    • Flowers/Harvest

    Approximate number of seeds per packet: 12

    Please note we pack the majority of our seeds by volume so the number of seeds indicated is only an approximation.