Eryngium bourgatii
at Digging Dog

photo: Hans Hillewaert / CC-BY-SA-3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

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 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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Other selections in this genus

• Eryngium amethystinum
• Eryngium ‘Big Blue’
• Eryngium planum ‘Blaukappe’
• Eryngium planum ‘Blue Glitter’
• Eryngium planum ‘Silver Salentino’
• Eryngium proteiflorum
• Eryngium ‘Sapphire Blue’
• Eryngium variifolium
• Eryngium x zabelii ‘Jos Eijking’