About
This tap-rooted biennial forming a rosette of silvery-grey, spiny leaves to 50cm long, with prominent pale veins. Leafy, branched flowering stems to 2.5m tall are produced in the summer of the second year, bearing clusters of rounded, spiny-bracted, rosy-purple flower-heads.
About the genus
Onopordum are are upright biennials with a basal rosette of simple or pinnately lobed, grey-hairy leaves and large, thistle-like, pink or purple flower-heads in summer
Growing conditions
SunlightFull sun
Soil typeChalk, Loam, Sand
Soil pHAlkaline, Neutral
Soil moistureWell-drained
AspectSouth-facing, West-facing
ExposureExposed, Sheltered
UK hardinessH7
Plant details
Plant typeAnnual Biennial
HabitColumnar upright
FoliageDeciduous
Height1.5-2.5 metres
Spread0.5-1 metres
Time to full height1-2 years
Suggested usesArchitectural, Coastal, Gravel garden, Wildlife gardens, Cottage and informal garden
Care notes
CultivationGrow in fertile, well-drained neutral to slightly alkaline soil in full sun; may self-seed freely. Ideal for a gravel garden or wild areas
PruningNo pruning required
PropagationPropagate by seed sown in containers in a cold frame, or in situ in autumn or spring
Pest resistanceMay be susceptible to slugs and snails
Disease resistanceGenerally disease-free