Cream scabious

Cream scabious: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Airy, branching clump about 60 cm tall and 40 cm wide. Short-lived: usually a few years.

Foliage

Grey-green basal rosette; the stem leaves are cut.

Flower

Soft yellow, cushion-shaped flower heads on slender stems, from June to October.

Roots

Deep taproot; old plants transplant poorly. It likes a dry winter.

Flowering: June–October · Sowing: March · Plants: March–May and September · Pruning: March

Why grow it?

• Exceptionally long flowering, from June to October, with soft yellow flower heads.
• Attracts bees and butterflies.
• Drought-tolerant and content with poor soil in full sun.
• Light and airy: ideal among ornamental grasses and in a naturalistic planting.
• Often self-seeds, giving you new plants for free.

Cream scabious: where does it grow best?

• Full sun for the richest flowering and the sturdiest stems.
• Sandy, loamy or clay soil, neutral to chalky, poor and well-drained.
• Dry to moderately moist; standing water in winter often kills it.
• Allow 30–40 cm per plant; sheltered from strong wind.

Light

Sun

Soil type

Sand, loam or clay

Acidity

Neutral or chalky

Moisture

Dry

Size

0.6 m tall, 0.4 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -25 °C)

Goes well with

• Feather grass: An airy ornamental grass that suits the delicate yellow flower heads.
• Steppe sage: Salvia nemorosa flowers in the same dry sun, with violet spikes.
• Purple coneflower: Echinacea gives contrast in colour and form.
• Catmint: Nepeta flowers for a long time and also attracts bees.

Cream scabious: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–May and September.

1. Plant in March–May or in September, when the soil is not frozen or waterlogged. Plants raised from seed go out in May.
2. Lighten heavy soil with coarse sand or grit so that water drains away well.
3. Set the plant at the same depth as in its pot, with the crown at soil level.
4. Leave 30–40 cm between plants.
5. Water thoroughly after planting, then only in a prolonged dry spell.
6. Spread a layer of fine gravel around the plant; compost is not needed.

Care

Water

In the first year water a few times in dry weather; after that it is rarely needed.

Feeding

Not needed. Rich soil gives floppy stems and a shorter life.

Spent flowers

Cut them off regularly for longer flowering. Leave a few heads in September so that it self-seeds.

Mulching

Use gravel rather than compost; this keeps the crown dry.

Support

Usually not needed in poor soil; in rich soil sturdy neighbours help.

Tip: Leave a few flower heads standing in September so that it self-seeds, and give it well-drained soil. The plant is short-lived, but the seedlings take over.

Cream scabious: when to prune it?

Pruning months: March.

When: In March, before the new shoots; spent flowers throughout summer.

How:

• In March, cut dead stems and old foliage back to just above the rosette.
• Cut spent flower heads off above a side shoot for longer flowering.
• Leave a few heads in September for seed.

Caution: Do not cut it back to the ground in autumn: the foliage protects the crown in wet winters.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Seed

Sow indoors in March at room temperature; plant the seedlings out after the last frost, in May. Self-sown seedlings can be moved in spring.

Cuttings

In spring, take 5–8 cm young shoots from the base and set them in sandy potting compost; they root in a few weeks.

Cream scabious: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −25 °C.

• Hardy to about −25 °C: no protection needed here, but wet winters are the danger.
• Ensure good drainage; in heavy soil, grit around the crown helps.
• Leave the foliage over winter; it protects the crown. In a pot: keep it under cover so that it does not get too wet.

Diseases and pests

• Rot from wet feet: The plant wilts or dies in a wet winter. Plant on grit or sand and choose a sunny, drier spot.
• Powdery mildew: White powder on the leaves in muggy summers. Allow more space, water at the base and cut off affected leaves.
• Slugs: They eat young plants in spring. Collect them in the evening and protect young plants.
• Floppy growth: In rich soil or too much shade. Move to poorer soil and more sun.

Through the year

• March: Cut back dead stems. Sow indoors. Plant.
• April: Plant. Prick out seedlings.
• May: Plant out seedlings. Gravel around the plant.
• June: Flowering begins. Cut off spent heads.
• July: In flower. Cut off spent heads for more flowers.
• August: In flower. Water only in a prolonged dry spell.
• September: Plant. Leave a few heads for seed.
• October: Last flowers.
• November: Leave the foliage as protection.
• December: Dormant.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Butterflies

Nectar for butterflies.

Did you know?

• The species name ochroleuca means ‘yellowish white’: ochros is Greek for pale yellow and leukos for white.
• Scabious used to be placed in the teasel family; today it belongs to the honeysuckle family (Caprifoliaceae).