Its delicate blossoms dance with filigree lightness above a bushy tuft of leaves. The scabious enchants as an elfin perennial in cottage gardens and summer borders. The following answers to frequently asked questions reveal how you can elicit a never-ending flowering period from the graceful beauty of flowers.
Plant scabious properly
May is planting time for one that you have brought forward yourself or bought ready-made scabiosis. Welcome the perennial to the garden with a location in full sun that is characterized by loose, humus-rich and fresh soil. While the still potted root ball is being soaked with water, dig the planting pits 35-40 cm apart. Mix compost, horn shavings and some with the excavation garden lime or rock flour under. Plant a potted root ball in the middle of the planting hole and fill it with the substrate up to the lower pair of leaves. Finally, after the soil has been compacted and watered, spread a layer of mulch with leaves or bark mulch.
care tips
With its natural charm, the scabious transforms the garden into a sea of summer blossoms if it is cared for as follows:
- Water regularly but moderately in beds and pots
- Any waterlogging is deadly for the perennial
- Clean out wilted flowers every 2-3 days
- In April/May apply start-up fertilization with compost and horn shavings
- Add a liquid fertilizer to the irrigation water in the pot
In fall, prune the lanceolate, grass-like foliage to just above ground level. Bedding plants receive a protective layer of leaves, straw or twigs, while the perennial in the pot moves to a frost-free winter quarters.
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Which location is suitable?
With their colorful flowers, scabiosa pay homage to the sun to snag every single ray of it. Treat the summer perennial to a spot in full sun, warm and ideally sheltered from the wind. If the soil is still fresh and moist, rich in nutrients and well drained, the care required for the scabious is reduced to a minimum.
What soil does the plant need?
The summer-flowering perennial does well in humus-rich, well-drained soil that likes to be calcareous. A sandy-loamy, fresh texture of the soil perfectly meets the requirements of scabious. Scabious shows its most beautiful side in tubs and window boxes when it takes root in commercially available potting soil May stretch out with sand, perlite or lava granules is enriched.
When is flowering time?
The duration of the flowering period is in the hands of the gardener. If you give scabioses free rein, a delicate sea of flowers in wonderful shades of blue, pink or white will spread out in the bed from June. The head flower is surrounded by up to 3 rows of petals, which usually thrive decoratively wavy. Without your intervention, however, this unique floral spectacle will remain. By immediately trimming the withered flowers, the flowering period continues seamlessly into October.
Cut scabious properly
With the help of secateurs motivate the perennial to a long flowering period that lasts for what feels like an eternity. If you consistently cut off the withered flower heads every few days, fresh buds will develop within a short time. A scabiosis cared for in this way does not show any signs of tiredness from June until well into the autumn. Ideally, you should only cut off the fallen leaves in late winter in order to provide additional protection for the root ball underneath.
Water scabious
Water a scabious regularly during summer drought, because it feels in good hands in fresh, moist soil. Under no circumstances should the perennial suffer from waterlogging, because the root ball will not survive this dilemma. If the flower thrives in a planter, it usually needs to be watered more often than in the bed. Check the moisture content of the substrate every day on hot summer days so that you can water immediately if the surface is dry.
Fertilize scabious properly
The perennial is modest in terms of its nutrient supply. With a start fertilization in spring you have already dealt with this aspect of care. A well-measured portion of compost with horn shavings gives scabiosa the necessary plant energy for a lush abundance of flowers. The nutrient reserves in the pot and balcony box are used up within 4-6 weeks after planting. Therefore fertilize Spray the perennial every 4 weeks until August with a liquid preparation for flowering plants.
hibernate
Apart from a few annual varieties, garden scabious thrive as a perennial. Although the above-ground parts of the plant move in over the course of winter, the root ball endures clinking forests down to -34 degrees Celsius. For reasons of caution, we still recommend light winter protection for the flower grace by covering the root disc with leaves and brushwood after pruning. Cultivated in flower boxes and tubs, move the perennial to a frost-free area before winter. To keep the root ball from drying out, water occasionally until spring. Don't fertilize during the winter.
increase scabiosis
It only takes a few simple steps to multiply the pretty perennial. Experienced hobby gardeners swear by the division of the root ball, as this vegetative method preserves all the attributes of the mother plant. In early spring, dig up the root ball to fill it with the spade or knife to cut the desired number of segments. As long as a section has at least 2-3 buds or shoots, a magnificent new scabious will develop. It is important to note that the root pieces are planted exactly as deep as before and that they are then watered abundantly and regularly.
Scabiosis in the pot
It is primarily the small pigeon scabious that thrive wonderfully in pots. As a substrate, we recommend a potting soil with a low peat content, which is optimized with sand, perlite or lava granules. Some potsherds above the water drain prevent dangerous waterlogging as drainage. In order to care for the perennial in the pot, it depends on these measures:
- Water regularly when the potting soil dries up
- In the pre-fertilized substrate, fertilize for the first time after 4-6 weeks at the earliest
- Clean out wilted flowers every few days
- Cut back the grassy foliage to ground level with fall
- Repot into fresh soil in early spring
The perennial stays in a frost-free room throughout the winter to be watered a little every now and then. From May, the scabious will return to its usual place on the sunny balcony.
Is scabious poisonous?
The vernacular calls scabious among other things dross herb. This title results from the fact that some species, such as pigeon scabious, were used in medicine to alleviate an unpleasant skin rash - scabies. Thanks to the valuable ingredients such as essential oils, minerals and vitamins, the leaves have a strengthening effect on the metabolism when used as a tea or in a salad. Thus, the perennial can rightly be assigned to the medicinal and herbal plants, without any toxic danger for humans and animals.
Beautiful varieties
- Clive Greaves: A delicate floral beauty with radiating light purple flowers; Growth height 90 cm
- Perfecta Alba: The perennial keeps what the variety name promises with pure white flowers; Growth height 70 cm
- Stäfa: A premium variety with bicolored flower heads in light and dark violet nuances; Growth height 80 cm
- Pigeon scabious: Pretty mini variety with double flowers in light blue and white; ideal for the balcony with a growth height of 25 cm
- Pink Mist: Distinctive pigeon scabious whose pink flowers bloom lavishly from June to October; Growth height 25 cm
