Globe Thistle: Planting, Propagating and Caring for

Where should you plant globe thistles? What should be considered when cutting and caring for globe thistles? We give tips and present the best white and blue globe thistle varieties.

The eye-catching globe thistle with its white or violet to blue flower heads immediately attracts everyone's attention in the garden. We introduce you to the ornamental thistle, its requirements and the best varieties.

Globe thistle: flowering time, origin and properties

The different variants of the globe thistles (Echinops sp.) all belong to the daisy family (

Asteraceae). They are therefore also closely related to the other thistles, such as the medicinal milk thistle (Silybum marianum) or the extremely scratchy creeping thistle (Cirsium arvense) related. In our gardens you will usually find one of the four most common species. The Ruthenian globe thistle (Echinops ritro) is native to Pannonian areas, also occurs wild in Austria and is endangered there. Echinops bannaticus, the Banat globe thistle, comes from south-eastern Europe. The glandular globe thistle (Echinopssphaerocephalus) is found in southern Europe, across the Caucasus to the Chinese province of Xinjiang.

Globe thistles are completely winter-hardy and perennial in our bed. The deeply divided and jagged, prickly, dark green leaves are typical of the globe thistle. In spring, these initially form a rosette of leaves close to the ground. In summer, long, partly woolly hairy, silver-white to reddish flower stalks stretch towards the sky, which are covered with a few small leaves. The many small individual flowers sit together at the top of the flower stalk as a round head. The petals are star-shaped and colored white, purple or blue. The flowering period of the globe thistle begins in July and lasts until August or September, depending on the variety. Bees and especially bumblebees like to visit the globe thistle and collect nectar and pollen there. Further bee-friendly perennials we have compiled for you in our special article.

Globe thistle varieties

The globe thistle is available in different species and varieties, they differ mainly in flower color and growth height.

Blue globe thistles

• ‘Taplow Blue’: This Banat globe thistle shines in intense blue and forms many flower stalks. The variety grows up to 1.20 meters high and can also be propagated vegetatively.
• ‘Blue Glow’: Belongs to the Banat globe thistle species and reaches a height of about one meter.
• 'Veitch's Blue': This Ruthenian globe thistle is about 50 to 80 centimeters high and has a radiant shade of blue with a slight violet tinge. Leaves and flower stalks are hairy silvery-green.
• ‘Platinum Blue’: This Ruthenian globe thistle pleases us with its bright, sky-blue flower color and a low growth height of 50 to 60 centimetres.

White globe thistles

• ‘Arctic Glow’: This glandular globe thistle forms large, white-flowered flower heads and contrasts nicely with its reddish stem and silvery-green leaves. It reaches a height of up to one meter.
• ‘StarFrost’: A pure white Banater globe thistle that bears its flower heads on light green stalks about 80 centimeters high.

Plant globe thistle

Globe thistles are easy to care for and undemanding, making them perfect for every garden and perennial lover. Here you can find out which locations the unusual thistle prefers and when it is best to plant it.

The right location for globe thistles

Globe thistles are quite drought tolerant and tolerate the summer heat even in full sun. They are also not eaten by snails and grow very well upright and stable on loose, little humus-rich, rather dry soil. In too humid and nutrient-rich locations, the globe thistle tends to fall over. In prairie and stone beds, it forms a varied eye-catcher that goes well with other drought-tolerant plants such as yarrows (Achilleamillefolium), gypsum herbs (Gypsophila) or various grasses can be combined.

This is how you plant the globe thistle in tubs and beds

Perennials are best planted in autumn, so the globe thistle can develop sufficient roots before winter and only start the exhausting shoots next year. Globe thistles in tubs should not overwinter outdoors because the risk of the planter freezing completely and destroying the roots is very high. In the bed, on the other hand, this danger does not exist, since the entire ground never freezes. The planting distance is about 60 to 70 centimetres, there should be two plants per square meter. Smaller and more compact varieties like 'Platinum Blue' can be spaced closer to 40 centimeters apart. In the first few weeks after planting, the globe thistles should be watered lightly again and again, depending on the weather.

Globe thistle care: Our tips

Globe thistles are extremely easy to care for and are rarely attacked by pests or diseases if planted in the right location. Occasionally can aphidsoccur, but these only become a nuisance in rare cases. Root rot can occur in areas that are too wet.

Cut globe thistle: this is how you do it

The globe thistle is cut compatible, so the scissors can be used without hesitation. It may be necessary to cut back if the flower heads break off after a thunderstorm, for example. The flowers are also often cut and dried as an ornament before opening. Even if you want to prevent the uncontrolled spread of the globe thistle, you have to cut off the faded inflorescences early on, before the seeds set off. Mostly, however, birds nibble on the fat and protein-rich seeds and put on a winter fat. The flower stalks are always cut out at the bottom at the base. Like most perennials, the globe thistles are cut back completely to the ground in autumn. The roots hibernate in the ground and sprout freshly next spring.

Fertilize globe thistle

Globe thistles make low nutrient demands on the soil. On very poor soil or in rock gardens, however, the globe thistle can also suffer from a lack of nutrients, which is expressed in discoloration of the leaves and less willingness to grow and bloom. Spring is the best time to fertilize perennials like globe thistle. We recommend a predominantly organic slow release fertilizer like ours Plantura organic universal fertilizer, which is worked into the soil superficially around the plants. Soil organisms release the nutrients contained in the granules slowly and gently throughout the season.

Propagating globe thistle

The easiest way to propagate the globe thistle is by division. In spring, simply cut off part of the perennial with a sharp spade and bury it again elsewhere. The plant finds it particularly easy to grow here because there is already a lot of root mass. In late winter, i.e. still during hibernation, root cuttings can be cut to propagate the globe thistle. The thick roots are cut into 5 to 10 centimeter sections and placed in moist, sandy soil, where the new plant sprout from adventitious buds.

It only makes sense to obtain seeds from varietal pollinated flowers that could not have crossed with other nearby globe thistles. If you want to get seeds of the globe thistle, you simply leave the inflorescences and watch them ripen. In October, the achenes, i.e. the seeds of the globe thistle, ripen and the inflorescence dries up. Now the seeds can be cut off together with the heads and dried indoors.

Is the globe thistle poisonous?

The globe thistle is not poisonous, but an extraordinary ornament for every perennial garden. Insects love to visit the flowers and birds consume the rich thistle seeds in autumn.

Globe thistle is just one of the many insect-friendly plants that thrive in our gardens. Native wild bees and other important pollinators depend on varied and species-rich planting. Our Plantura bee pasture contains over 20 annual and perennial species that produce a particularly large amount of pollen and nectar. One pack is enough for an area of ​​up to 20 square meters, which soon turns into a blooming paradise for our insects.

If you care a lot about bees and other insects, you can read our article about more insect-friendly perennials and shrubs to inform.