Echinops (Globe Thistle)

Four years ago a friend of mine gave me about 20 starts of white Echinops for Good Scents. Most often when you see Echinops it is blue and I am not sure exactly what variety these white ones are. There are several species used in the garden, the most common being Echinops ritro. These white flowered plants seem larger than the blue flowered ones I have. They are very large, 4-5 feet high when in bloom, and the flowers are between one and two inches. They are fun to add to bouquets because they are perfectly round and have an interesting texture.

Echinops have very coarse, thistley foliage. I am not sure how I feel about them in a perennial border. When they are not in bloom they are not ugly, but they do look like a thistle.

Bees seem to be extremely fond of the white ones. When I cut them and put them in buckets, the bees hover around the buckets and will even follow me when I carry the buckets to my car. People like them too, and always ask about them. Whenever some asks me the name of the flower that looks like a disco ball, I always know which one they mean.