About
Cirsium heterophyllum is a perennial plant that forms dense clumps and can reach heights of up to 1.2 meters. Its lanceolate green leaves feature softly spiny margins and a white, felt-like underside. During the summer months, it produces spherical flower heads measuring 3 to 5 centimeters in diameter, which are purple-pink in color and grow atop upright, woolly stems.
About the genus
Cirsium includes both biennial and perennial species characterized by their spiny foliage and distinctive thistle-like flower heads.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Full sun, Partial shade
- Soil type
- Chalk, Loam, Sand
- Soil pH
- Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Moist but well-drained, Well-drained
- Aspect
- North-facing, East-facing, South-facing, West-facing
- Exposure
- Exposed, Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H7
Plant details
- Plant type
- Herbaceous Perennial
- Habit
- Clump forming
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Height
- 1-1.5 metres
- Spread
- 0.1-0.5 metres
- Time to full height
- 2-5 years
- Suggested uses
- Cottage and informal garden, Wildlife gardens, Wildflower meadow
- Native to
- Europe, Russia
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Grow in a moist but well-drained soil in full sun; can tolerate some dryness and partial shade
- Pruning
- If self-seeding is a problem then cut back hard after flowering
- Propagation
- Propagate by seed sown in pots in a cold frame in spring or by division in spring
- Pest resistance
- Generally pest-free
- Disease resistance
- Generally disease-free but may be susceptible to powdery mildews