Home » Plants & Animals » Perennials » Pincushions and Friends - Page 2

Pincushions and Friends - Page 2

© Jojo Sigurgeirson

They are at their finest grown in full-sun, in good garden soil. Good air circulation is a must in coastal gardens, as they are very prone to mildew. If you have trouble growing Salvias and Phlox due to mildew, I would not bother with Scabiosas in the same spot. Mildew is a sure sign of high humidity and not enough air moving through the area. The new hybrids, including the one awarded this year, are not any more resistant to this airborne fungus, so forget it if you think that hybridizers are working in your favour on this front.

On the subject of mildew, it's important to note that over-all plant health will decrease mildew problems, not just air circulation. A plant that has suffered is more likely to catch the grey stuff. Water your plants well, but not too much. Too much nitrogen in the form of, for example, over-zealous fish fertilizing, can produce a flush of soft green leaves that are more prone to mildew. If you have tried and tried again I can heartily recommend an organic product named 'Defender', produced by Safer's. It is basically garden sulphur and works better than the homemade solution I sometimes mention (1 litre of water, 1 tablespoon of baking soda, 1 teaspoon of soap or fish fertilizer - mist it on in the morning, every morning, until the mildew is GONE).

However, good things HAVE to be said about the new Scabiosas, inlcluding 'Butterfly Blue' and 'Pink Mist', mildew or no. These two plants are different than the original in that they are dwarf. These cuties are almost alpine in appearance, looking good in the specimen-oriented rockery, and also the free-form nature of a more casual, cottagy garden. There are many successful combinations involving this plant. The baby pink and baby blue flowers of these two hybrids look lovely with creeping babies breath (Gypsophila repens.

Another stunning pairing I have seen is Saponaria ocymoides 'Bressingham Pink', with the blue dwarf 'Butterfly Blue'. This saponaria is a creeper in cherry pink with little white throats.

Something I have never seen done but would prove a lovely tribute to the baby soft colours of the garden is the following combo: Both dwarf hybrids of the Scabiosa, Pink-flowering strawberries (Fragaria), and a few silvery plants thrown in for good measure. Soft-grey Santolina would pick up on this cool combination (maybe trim the yellow flowers when they come). Artemisias such as Silver Mound would look nice too. Add a Geranium 'Johnsons' Blue' and you have a thoroughly modern cottage garden.

The copyright of the article Pincushions and Friends - Page 2 in Perennials is owned by . Permission to republish Pincushions and Friends - Page 2 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.