Other Names:  Scabious

Group/Class:  Ritz Series

Brand:  Benary

Description:

This variety is a low, evenly mounded perennial with low stems that bear small lacy pincushion flowers of violet with a flush of blue; long blooming and perfect for edging, rock gardens, or containers

Ornamental Features

Ritz Blue Pincushion Flower features unusual violet pincushion flowers with blue overtones at the ends of the stems from early summer to early fall. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its deeply cut ferny leaves remain grayish green in color throughout the season.

Landscape Attributes

Ritz Blue Pincushion Flower is an herbaceous biennial with tall flower stalks held atop a low mound of foliage. It brings an extremely fine and delicate texture to the garden composition and should be used to full effect.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and should be cut back in late fall in preparation for winter. It is a good choice for attracting bees and butterflies to your yard, but is not particularly attractive to deer who tend to leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Ritz Blue Pincushion Flower is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Border Edging
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Ritz Blue Pincushion Flower will grow to be only 6 inches tall at maturity extending to 12 inches tall with the flowers, with a spread of 12 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 10 inches apart. It grows at a fast rate, and tends to be biennial, meaning that it puts on vegetative growth the first year, flowers the second, and then dies.

This plant should only be grown in full sunlight. It prefers to grow in average to dry locations, and dislikes excessive moisture. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for a low-water garden or xeriscape application. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America. It can be propagated by division; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.

Ritz Blue Pincushion Flower is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing a mass of flowers against which the larger thriller plants stand out. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.