Mystery

Posted byofftheedgegardeningPosted inUncategorizedTags:,

Cephalaria gigantea

This is the first cephalaria flower of the year.  In Max’s garden anyway.  It is Cephalaria gigantea, the giant scabious, which when it gets into its stride will reach 2.5m in height and 1.5m across.  No need to inforce the Trades Description Act here.  It truly is a giant.  If you have a small garden you might be able to fit one in.   But nothing else.

At the end of last season Max’s Dad visited a very reputable establishment that begins with W and ends in Y and purchased some Cephalaria alpina.  Ringing the changes, so to speak.  This relatively diminutive cousin only gets to about 1.5m high.  The airy stems topped by pale yellow blooms would be perfect in the long border.

We chose a suitable mid to rear position for the new member of the family, introduced it to its new home, planted and watered.  Then we waited for it to grow.  And we waited.   And we waited. And eventually it grew to the heady heights of 20cm and started to produce flowers.  Pink flowers.

At this point, I carefully re-positioned to the front of the border and sighed.

On the plus side it is a pretty little scabious and is flowering beautifully.  What ever it might be!

8 thoughts on “Mystery”

  1. Reputable eh? W…Y eh? Waitrose ends with E. As does Wyevale (not that that is necessarily reputable). Must be Lidl in Swahili then. Rose RiB has, by the way, broken its first bloom of the year here. Deep purple as always. Nice yellowy centre.

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  4. I had a Cephalaria alpina in Yorkshire, bought from Mottisfont Abbey. It was a gorgeous form and I am sorry that the piece I brought down with me did not survive the winter of 2010 in its pot. Anyway, I am sure that the bees will like the little scabious and it is a pretty little plant.

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