Up for sale is one pack of 25 "Blue Glitter" Thistle flower seeds (Eryngium planum). Perfect for spring blooms these create a unique blue tinted flower head. Very hardy in the garden and also make a great cut flower with a long vase life. Blue Glitter thistle has the unique property of not needing to be cold treated before sowing.
We offer flat rate combined shipping on all orders, no limit on the amount or type of seed packets.
CULTURE
Soil temperature: 70 degrees fahrenheit
Germination lighting: Light
Germination days: 28 days
Weeks indoor: 10 Weeks
Seed Depth: 1/8" inch
Seed Spacing: 20 inches
Plant spread: 18 inches
Plant height: 30"
Plant type: Perennial
Zones: 4-9
Maturation days: 365 days
Thistle, also know as Eryngium, is a popular flower in the floral industry. Very durable and long lasting it adds a striking contrast in floral bouquets. In the garden they have a light and airy look with a blue stalk and blue flower heads. It is better to direct seed these in late fall and let them overwinter. They prefer sunlight to germinate so cover very lightly with a light dusting of peat. They will germinate and slowly grow over winter. The last picture is a thistle that was direct seeded in late September and is approximately 30 days old. They look a lot like weeds with fat waxy leaves that hug the ground, so take care not to mistakenly pull them when weeding your garden. They will establish roots over winter and in early spring grow a stalk from the center of the plant. Direct seeded they grow 36" tall in our test garden.
If direct sowing work enriched garden beds 6" deep and sow the seeds on the surface, around 18" to 20" apart. Lightly dust with peat or compost to disguise the seeds from birds.
If starting early in pots sow on the surface very lightly duty with sand or vermiculite as they need light to germinate. In spring after your last frost transplant to your garden. Pot started thistle generally will not grow as tall as those direct seeded in your garden in the fall.
These are a dry sandy desert plants, and while technically a perennial, we have found they do not like our traditional garden soil if it is too moist during the summer months. But it is very easy to seed in the fall and get new plants to grow for the spring.
As stated above the different between traditional type Blue Thistle, and th