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 ‘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)
Each $8.00
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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)
Each $6.75
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Eryngium giganteum
Miss Willmott’s Ghost
Back in Victorian times, Miss Willmott was so enamored with this Eryngium that she secretly scattered its seeds in other people’s gardens. And once you’ve seen the flowers, you’ll wish she’d visited yours! Like some ornate Elizabethan ruff, the bracts—ghostly white, rigid and long-toothed—subtend exquisite, 4 in. silvery green flower cones. Supported by sturdy, widely branched stiff stems, the extraordinary blooms fade to buff, remaining decorative until frost above glossy basal leaves that are deeply heart-shaped and spineless.
Absolutely show stopping in the border or a container, alluring to bees and unparalleled as a dried flower, the magnificent Giant Sea Holly may not be long-lived, but endures by self-seeding.
Blooms July–September. Size: 3'–4' high x 2' wide; hardy to zone 5. Eryngium giganteum (P-1180)
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Email me when this plant is available 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. Eryngium planum Silver Salentino (P-1493)
Each $6.75
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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 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 $6.50
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