Pincushion flower requires sun and well-drained soil that is slightly acidic to slightly alkaline. Provide extra water during dry spells. To encourage more abundant blooming, remove dead flower heads regularly—it’s a small chore for a plant that gives so much in return. Propagation is by division, but who would want to give up so many blossoms for a single season when purchased plants are relatively inexpensive?
Pincushion flower’s prolific blooming habit has made it one of the most popular perennials around. Its lovely lavender-blue, white, or lilac-pink 2-inch blossoms first appear in early summer and continue until hard frost—in mild climates it continues to bloom during winter. Of course, butterflies love it too!
ZONES: 3–8
BLOOM TIME: All summer to frost
LIGHT: Full sun
HEIGHT: 18–24 inches
INTEREST: Compact plant that blooms its head off with lavender-blue, white, or lilac-pink flowers
This unsurpassed bloomer is ideal for containers or for the front of a border. It also looks stunning planted in a bed with small ornamental grasses. Its ability to flower during the shorter days of winter makes it an ideal pot plant for a cool conservatory or greenhouse—with an occasional excursion indoors for special events. Because pincushion flower blooms so long, locate it with other plants that span the growing season from spring to fall, including daylilies, Carpathian bellflowers, mallow, purple sages, hollyhocks, and Stokes’ asters.