Eryngium zab. 'Big Blue'

Eryngium zab. 'Big Blue' (Sea Holly 'Big Blue')

This sea holly cultivar is a dramatic, architectural perennial that is prized for its intense and almost otherworldly metallic blue flower heads, which are surrounded by sharply pointed, spiny bracts. The blooms are borne on strong, erect stems above the deeply cut, silvery green foliage, creating a bold and sculptural effect.

This is a good plant for dry and sunny spots. It prefers full sun, and a free-draining soil and can cope well even in poor or sandy conditions. Once established, it is drought tolerant.

Flowering between the mid summer and early autumn, this cultivar reaches around 60 to 90cm tall, and is particularly effective in sunny borders, gravel gardens, and prairie-style planting schemes, though it can also work well in a range of other settings.