The ‘Butterfly Blue’ pincushion takes center stage this week. I have two ‘Butterfly Blue’ pincushion perennials in my yard, and I love seeing their delicate lavender-blue flowers. This perennial is a long blooming one, and its flower stems reach about 15” in length.
I use the word ‘length’ instead of ‘height’ because sometimes the flower stems on my pincushions grow upward, but then some grow horizontally, hovering above the ground. From this observation, if I were going to layer plants, I think the ‘Butterfly Blue’ pincushion would be best used in front of taller plants.
And most always, the stem will have a crook in it somewhere along its length!
Its botanical name is Scabiosa columbaria ‘Butterfly Blue’. But, why is it called ‘pincushion’? A closer look reveals the tiny delicate stamens protruding from the dome shaped center of the flower, where they look like pins.
In 2000, it was awarded the title of ‘Perennial Plant of the Year’.
Most of its deep-cut leaves are near the ground. The myrtle groundcover that I have in the same plant bed has sort of taken over the area, but the pincushion still does well, and its long delicate flower stems shoot right up through the groundcover with no effort!
I think they looked really pretty alongside the impatiens that I planted there one summer- this was before there was groundcover in this area.
My pincushion perennials are in an area that gets a lot of the midday sun. They need full sun to partial sun. At first, I had them planted in an area that was in the shade for most of the day, and they wound up not doing very well. I transplanted them in the more sunny spot where they are now, and they seem to love it.
Perennials will let you know if they don’t like where you planted them!
Here are some specifics about the ‘Butterfly Blue’ pincushion from Missouri Botanical Gardens –
Common Name: pincushion flower
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Family: Dipsacaceae
Zone: 5 to 9
Height: 1 to 1.5 feet
Spread: 1 to 1.5 feet
Bloom Time: April to To frost
Bloom Description: Lavender-blue
Sun: Full sun
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Low
Flowers: Showy Flowers
Wildlife: Attracts Butterflies
Tolerates: Drought, Deer
Would you use the ‘Butterfly Blue’ pincushion in your garden?
~M
