Eryngium (Sea Holly)
at Digging Dog

Including Eryngium giganteum, Eryngium planum, Eryngium proteiflorum, & Eryngium variifolium

Eryngium

Sea Holly

Dynamic is a rare adjective to apply to a plant, but it’s the best we can think of to describe Eryngium. From its leathery lobed leaves to the spiny, decorative bracts that host the flower, the Sea Holly has a sense of movement that is up and out. Excellent in fresh or dried arrangements, the flowers are borne on tall, branching stems, and the terminal blooms hold their color while lateral flowers develop, until the entire stem is covered with mature blossoms.

Eryngiums love well drained soil in the open sun, and are an arresting addition to the mixed border, especially when planted amidst Rudbeckia, the Achilleas, and grasses.

Eryngium amethystinum  

In this cold hardy species, the up-curving bracts are long spiny slivers of silver, and the thistlelike metallic blue blossoms surmount branching stems, tinted blue on their upper extremities. Deeply cut, gray-green leaves, marked with a smattering of silver speckles and white veining, make a low-lying rosette for the wondrous spectacle that resides above.

Blooms July – September.

Size: 2' high x 18" wide; hardy to zone 4.

Eryngium amethystinum (P-1166)
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Eryngium ‘Big Blue’  

This hardy Eryngium is big on blue—the electrifying, iridescent kind that promises to tantalize any garden visitor. A Blooms of Bressingham introduction, ‘Big Blue’s green spiky foliage and thick stems create an intriguing candelabra-shaped base for the bright 4 in. wide inflorescences. A blue drama is yours for the viewing as silvery white bracts and green cones, over the course of several weeks, gradually transmute amazing cerulean shades, imbuing even the stalks below.

Zone 4/5. (PPAF) MIDSPRING SHIPPING

Blooms July – September.

Size: 2'–2-1/2' high x 15"–18" wide; hardy to zone 5.

Eryngium ‘Big Blue’ (P-1593)
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Eryngium bourgatii    

Hailing from the Pyrenees, this easily grown perennial boasts a compact clump of crisp undulating gray-green foliage and decorative thistlelike blooms. The distinctive ground-level leaves are artfully chiseled into narrow segments and etched with striking broad white veins. Mustering long lasting cool-colored intrigue, the round, medium-sized blue-green flowers are tended by long iron gray linear bracts.

Blooms July–August.

Size: 12" high x 12" wide; hardy to zone 5.

Eryngium bourgatii (P-0847)
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Eryngium planum ‘Blaukappe’  

With silvered, narrow spiky ruffs that cradle metallic blue round flower heads, ‘Blaukappe’ makes a sterling addition to dried or fresh bouquets. The vividly colored “blue caps” crest stiff-branched, sturdy bluish stems arising from a handsome green basal rosette of coarsely toothed, rounded and leathery foliage. Let its fantastic mercury-hued accents temper the bronzed blades of Stipa arundinacea.

Blooms June–September.

Size: 2'–2-1/4' high x 18" wide; hardy to zone 4.

Eryngium planum ‘Blaukappe’ (P-0159)
Each $6.75
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Eryngium planum ‘Blue Glitter’  

Pressing upward through fine saw-toothed, green succulent-like leaves, an abundance of multibranched pewter-blue stems yields some 85 ½-in. shimmering blue pincushions perched on spiny collars. This new Ernst Benary selection promises to inspire gardeners and florists alike with a taller sturdy stature and profuse brilliantly colored blooms, which mature quickly and make long lasting cut flowers.

Blooms July – September.

Size: 2'–3' high x 8"–10" wide; hardy to zone 5.

Eryngium planum ‘Blue Glitter’ (p-1446)
Each $6.50
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Eryngium planum ‘Silver Salentino’  

A snowy white multitude of plump conical flower heads perch atop pointed, widely spaced silver bracts. Leafy multibranching stems, pearly hued and steadfast, bolster the luminous blooms, while arising from an attractive dark green basal rosette defined by serrated leatherlike leaves and red-tinted petioles. Pair ‘Silver Salentino’ with Eryngium ‘Blue Glitter’ for a classic look.

Blooms July – September.

Size: 2-1/2'–3' high x 15"–18" wide; hardy to zone 4.

AVAILABLE SUMMER 2012

Eryngium planum ‘Silver Salentino’ (P-1493)
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Eryngium proteiflorum  

An interesting combination of the prehistoric and the refined, this evergreen Eryngium is known for its large-coned, luminous flowers. Linear leaves emerge from a basal rosette with widely spaced spines along their margins. A dramatic collar of upturned, unequal steely green bracts, some reaching the striking breadth of 5 to 6 in. across, serves up central, sea-green flower heads reminiscent of a Protea. Ideal for dried arrangements, this exotic Mexican perennial demands a warm, sunny site with well drained, fertile soil. Give it a blue pot on the patio or another prominent location to bring its remarkable show in-to full view.

Blooms July–September.

Size: 2-1/2'–3' high x 2' wide; hardy to zone 8.

Eryngium proteiflorum (P-1179)
Each $6.75
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Eryngium ‘Sapphire Blue’  

Distinguished from other Sea Hollies by the intense, steel-blue hue infusing its branched stems, upper leaves, and teasel-shaped flowers, ‘Sapphire Blue’ features huge blossoms nestled in dramatic collarlike bracts. With a stance that’s angular yet erect, this sturdy perennial makes a striking counterpoint to the downy white softness of Salvia argentea. (pp#11,088)

Blooms July – August.

Size: 2-1/4' high x 18" wide; hardy to zone 5.

Eryngium ‘Sapphire Blue’ (P-0938)
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Eryngium variifolium  

Moroccan Sea Holly

The Moroccan Sea Holly is as valuable for its unusual dark and evergreen marbled foliage as for its steel blue flowers set on spiny, silvery bracts atop thick, erect silver-blue stems. Smaller than other Eryngiums, Eryngium variifolium is well suited for an up-front position in the border, in a rock garden or in a container.

Blooms July–August.

Size: 18" high x 10" wide; hardy to zone 5.

Eryngium variifolium (P-0848)
Each $7.00
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