Scabiosa, pincushion flower
Papery pincushion flowers on long, thin stems. Bees love it. Keep cutting and it keeps flowering.
Growing
- annual
- Full sun
- After last frost
- 4 to 6 weeks before last frost
- Barely covered
- 10 to 12 days at 18 to 21°C (65 to 70°F)
- 23 to 38 cm (9 to 15 in)
- 61 to 91 cm (24 to 36 in)
- 23 to 30 cm (9 to 12 in)
- Benefits from support
- 90 to 100 days
- 7 to 10 days
A good cut flower. The more you cut, the more it flowers. Stop cutting and it goes to seed and slows down.
Sowing and starting
Barely cover the seed, since it needs light to sprout. Start indoors 4 to 6 weeks before your last frost, or sow outside once frost is done. Sow a short row every 2 or 3 weeks into late spring for flowers all summer.
Keep seedlings cool, around 10 to 13°C (50 to 55°F). Warm and dark makes them tall and floppy. Pot them up when the first true leaves show, and harden them off before planting out.
Care
Grows to about a metre (3 ft) on thin stems and needs support. Lay Hortonova netting 30 to 46 cm (12 to 18 in) above the bed, then add a second layer higher up as the plants grow if needed. A string run between two posts also works.
When to cut
Cut when a third to three quarters of the tiny flowers in the head are open.
In the vase
When cutting a bouquet, strip any leaves that would sit under water. They turn the water murky fast. Change the water every few days for the longest lasting bouquet. As flowers fade, you can remove them and rearrange the remaining flowers.