• Home
  • ABOUT/FAQs
  • PLANT PORTRAITS
  • PLANT PORTRAITS INDEX – Search By Botanical Name
  • THE PLANT ARCHIVES & MASTER LIST ~ 1991-2022
  • THE TOMATO ARCHIVES ~ 1991 to 2022
  • This & That
  • Welcome!

Hill Farm Nursery

Cariboo-Grown & Cariboo-Hardy Perennials. Since 1991.

Eryngium planum – SEA HOLLY ‘BLUE CAP’

April 16, 2014 by leavesandpages

Eryngium planum 'Blue Cap" - thriving in less than ideal conditions at the 108 Heritage Site, Lac La Hache. We planted the raised perennial beds at the rest stop over 10 years ago with "tough, no-maintainence" plants, and it is quite interesting to see what has survived and, in some cases, thrived. This sea holly and Achillea filipendulina, Salvia nemerosa, Lychnis coronaria and Silene maritime, a goodly number of columbines, Erigeron 'Pink Jewel' and various sedums are hanging right in there. Exposed site, no supplementary water or fertilizer, and lots of traffic back and forth - we're pretty happy with how this planting has held up.

Eryngium planum ‘Blue Cap” – thriving in less than ideal conditions at the 108 Roadhouse Heritage Site, Lac La Hache. We planted the raised perennial beds at the rest stop there over 10 years ago with “tough, no-maintainence” plants, and it is quite interesting to see what has survived and, in most cases, thrived. This sea holly and Achillea filipendulina, Salvia nemerosa, Lychnis coronaria and Silene maritima, a goodly number of columbines, Erigeron ‘Pink Jewel’ and various sedums are hanging right in there. Exposed site, no supplementary water or fertilizer, and lots of traffic back and forth – we’re pretty happy with how this planting has held up. Photo taken in the late evening while stopping by for a quick break to stretch our road-trip weary legs, mid-August, 2012. Image: HFN

Perennial. Zone 2. Apiaceae. Central Europe, from Germany and Austria eastward to Russia; throughout the Caucasus Mountain region and into central Asia, where it grows happily in grassy meadows and on rocky, sun-baked hillsides.

I’ve been a die-hard fan of the sea hollies in general and this species in particular ever since my mother planted one out on her difficult-ground shale hillside north of Williams Lake over four decades ago. It self seeded about, and made a thriving colony, and provided untold hundreds of sturdy bloom stems which ended up being dried and made into everlasting wreaths and arrangements which Mom then gave to friends and sold at various arts-and-crafts sales.

It really is as blue as it looks, and the stems carry that cobalt blush as well, almost as if the whole thing were dusted with spray paint by someone seeking to enhance things.

Leathery, silvery-green, rounded leaves in basal rosettes send up 18-24” tall multi-branched stems topped by loose clusters of bristly, bracted, cone-shaped flower heads summer through fall.  Stems and flowers are flushed a deep electric blue. A very long season of bloom through summer into autumn.

An excellent cutflower and everlasting. A popular bee and butterfly flower, always alive with insect activity.

‘Blue Cap’ – translated from ‘Blaukappe’ – is a premium German selection of the species, and is even more compact and floriferous (and darker blue) than its attractive ancestor. A number of other E. planum cultivars have appeared in recent years, such as the very dwarf ‘Blue Hobbit’, and white forms such as ‘Silver Salentino’ and ‘White Glitter’.

A variegated form, ‘Jade Frost’, with pink-blushed, white-edged foliage, has been appearing in garden centres for a few years; I have a small planting of this cultivar and am at this point not terribly impressed, as one of the original trio mysteriously withered and died, and the other two are less vigorous than I had hoped for from this generally reliable species.

Sun; any soil; drought tolerant. Fantastic xeriscape plant. A generous self-seeder, but not a “runner” – individual plants stay put, and are tap rooted and very long lived. Oh – and it is reasonably deer resistant, too!

???????????????????????????????

Definitely approved by bees! A late evening forager on ‘Blue Cap’ Sea Holly at the 108 Roadhouse Heritage Site at Lac La Hache, B.C., mid-August, 2012. Image: HFN

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related

Posted in Blue, Full Sun, Mid Height, Perennial, Plant Portraits, Summer, Xeriscape | Tagged 'Blaukappe' Sea Holly, Blue, Eryngium planum, Full Sun, Perennials, Plant Portraits, Summer, Xeriscape |

  • Header image:

    Viola glabella. YELLOW WOOD VIOLET. Stanley, B.C., June 15, 2019.  Image: HFN

  • Recent Posts

    • Viola jooi – TRANSYLVANIAN VIOLET
    • Physochlaina orientalis – ORIENTAL PHYSOCHLAINA
    • Claytonia lanceolata – SPRING BEAUTY, MOUNTAIN POTATO
    • Lewisia rediviva – BITTERROOT
    • Cephalaria tchihatchewii – TCHIHATCHEV’S CEPHALARIA
  • Archives

  • Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

  • Contact Info

    Hill Farm Nursery is located in a rural area north of McLeese Lake, B.C. We are not set up for on-farm visitors at present,
    For 2022 you can find us at:
    WILLIAMS LAKE FARMERS' MARKET (May 6 onward)
    QUESNEL FARMERS' MARKET (May 7 to mid June)
    McLEESE LAKE FARMERS' MARKET - TBA
    1-250-297-6553 / arcadiaborealis@gmail.com
  • QUESNEL SEEDY SATURDAY 2021 - cancelled

    Seedy Saturday Quesnel - no word on this event for 2022. Maybe in 2023?
  • WILLIAMS LAKE SEEDY SATURDAY 2022 - it's on!

    Williams Lake Farmers' Market site, in the parking lot between the Cariboo Memorial Recreation Complex and Kiwanis Park.
    We're good to go! Saturday, April 30, 2022, 9 AM till 2 PM.
  • QUESNEL FARMERS' MARKET

    Helen Dixon Centre
    241 Kinchant Street
    Quesnel. B.C.
    Dates for 2022 - Saturdays, May 7 till October 15
    8:30 AM till 1 PM
  • WILLIAMS LAKE FARMERS' MARKET

    Now in the parking lot beside the Recreation Centre/Pool. Head for Kiwanis Park and you'll find the Market!
    Dates for 2022 - Fridays, May 6 till October 7, 2022
    9 AM till 2 PM
    Tuesdays, June 14 till September 27, 2022
    2 PM till 7 PM
  • McLEESE LAKE FARMERS' MARKET

    Lakeside Tourist Info Site, located between the Oasis Pub and the Oasis Cafe, and directly across from the McLeese Lake General Store.
    Dates in 2022 - TBA
    Time: 9 A.M. till 1 P.M.
  • Affiliations

    Alpine Garden Club of British Columbia
    Alpine Garden Society (Great Britain)
    David Douglas Botanical Garden Society
    Growing North Cariboo Society (F.A.R.M.E.D.)
    North American Rock Garden Society (N.A.R.G.S.)

    Perennial Plant Association (P.P.A.)

    Seeds of Diversity Canada

  • Places to Visit:

    SCOUT ISLAND NATURE CENTRE, Williams Lake, B.C. An oasis of peace on the outskirts of a bustling industrial area. Excellent trail network; something to see 365 days of the year - wildflowers, birds, aquatic life and small mammals. Nature centre, resource library, knowledgeable & enthusiastic naturalists on site.

    DAVID DOUGLAS BOTANICAL GARDEN, Prince George, B.C. Located at the University of Northern British Columbia. A small but interesting perennial flower display garden, lilac display, waterfall & bridge, and the Alice Wolczuk Alpine Garden.

    GOODSIR NATURE PARK, Salmon Valley, B.C. 20 miles north of Prince George. 160 acre private nature reserve, 6 miles of trails, open to the public May-Oct. Wildflowers & trees; an active beaver pond; plant museum, guided & self-guided tours; excellent signage; some rare plants. Picnic tables, firepits & camping available. Entry free; donations welcome.

    OSOYOOS DESERT CENTRE, Osoyoos, B.C. 2 km of boardwalk through B.C.'s rarest ecosystem, the "pocket desert." Wildflowers, birds, reptiles, small mammals. Guided & self-guided; small visitor centre.

    ANCIENT FOREST TRAIL, near Dome Creek, Robson Valley, B.C. (Along Highway 16, halfway between Prince George and McBride. Watch for large signs: "Ancient Forest".) Hiking trails through ancient cedar forest, including a recently completed 1/2 kilometer wheelchair accessible boardwalk portion. Built by dedicated volunteers; a prodigious amount of planning and sheer hard work went into this trail system, and it shows. Worth a stop to walk the boardwalk; you will be inspired to come back and hike the wilder trails as well. Huge cedar trees, ferns, water features - a prime example of B.C.'s rare and endangered Inland Rain Forest. Interpretive signage at parking lot, outhouses, well-thought-out wheelchair unloading/loading area and beautifully designed boardwalk. Donation box.

  • Image & Content Re-Use Policy

    This website represents many years of experience and many hours of labour. We are pleased to participate in the free and open transfer of information over the World Wide Web, keeping the following in mind.

    Personal non-commercial use of our text and images is warmly encouraged for all, and for our nursery customers in particular. You may copy, print and store our info for your own purposes. If sharing, we ask that you please cite Hill Farm Nursery as the source.

    All images are taken by us and most of those (but not all) have the tag HFN (for Hill Farm Nursery) in the caption.

    All written material and HFN images are copyright Hill Farm Nursery. Fellow gardeners, plant groups, societies and associations, you are welcome to re-publish our material as long as it is cited, credited and/or linked.

    COMMERCIAL RE-USE POLICY: We request that you contact us for permission for COMMERCIAL re-use of any of our written and photographic content: bscharf@uniserve.com.

    High resolution jpegs of most images on this website are available for a fee.

Blog at WordPress.com.

WPThemes.


  • Follow Following
    • Hill Farm Nursery
    • Join 74 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Hill Farm Nursery
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Copy shortlink
    • Report this content
    • View post in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d bloggers like this: