Scabiosa caucasica comes in more than just the two relatively new hybrids mentioned. These have been hybridized for many years. Difficult to find, but worth the hunt, is Bressingham White, yet another plant that Alan Bloom has had his talented green hands on. What I love about this one is the fact that white makes the flower form more apparent. In the blue and pink models, the flower colour is just as relevant as the form. That's what I love about a white-flower garden -- then again I like to take black and white photographs. TO EACH HER OWN.
More Excellent white Pincushions include Loddon White and Miss Willmott. One of the first pincushion hybrids to be named was Clive Greaves, in 1929. Its early improvements over the plain species included mildew resistance, lavender-blue colour fading to slightly whiter in the center, and vigorous upright habit.
Scabiosa atropurpurea is unfortunately an annual, and sometimes a biennial, failing to flower in it's first year. The up side is the deep colours this plant is available in. Maroon, wine, deep-purple and violet are it's specialities, although Dave's Annuals Page shows a nice pink one.
The Friends of Pincushion Flowers
Knautia
If you liked the sound of Scabiosa atropurpurea but were dissappointed to hear it was annual, I think Knautia macedonica might be for you. Deep burgundy in colour, with almost a hint of rust to the petals sometimes, Knautia is EASY to grow. The leaves are felty, a testament to their love of poor soil and dry air. They will shrivel in a drought, but likely live through it underground. These would look great in gardens with masculine colour schemes, but sometimes gardeners find it difficult to use such dark-coloured flowers, especially ones that grow a mid-height like this one (2 to 3 feet tall). I would recommend trying it against grasses, where the dark flowers will not be lost amongst high-contrast foliage or a confusion of flowers. Native to Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Albania and Romania, growing in open woods.
Knautia arvensis is considered a regional noxious weed, except of course, if you like it, or you live in Caucasus to Western Siberia, where it would be considered a wildflower. The B.C. Ministry of Agriculture has a good page on it where they talk about it in terms of being a weed, but show pretty pictures of it to attract the gardeners.
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