Scabiosa

Overview: 

Scabiosa are a beautiful cottage garden flower that evokes an English summer vibe. They are easy to grow, and bloom typically in late spring or early summer here in our zone 9b garden. They have the nickname pincushion flowers because the seed pods resemble a cushion full of pins! How cool. They add a much needed whisical vibe to the garden and come in a rainbow of colors. 

We brake scabiosa's into 3 main categories

Annual seed scabiosa: These are grown from seed every year, and come in an array of colors. These are a great economical option, especially for mass plantings or for wildflower fields. 

Scoop scabiosa: These varieties are grown from cutting and are typically purchased. They come in so many beautiful colors and are bigger than the annual seed-grown varieties. These are typically the scabiosas available in the florist trade.

Perennial Scabiosa: We dont grow a ton of perennial scabiosas, most of them are landscape varieties that are under 2' but some great cut flower ones are Famas.

Some of the scoops and annual scabiosa's act as short lived perennials in warmer growing regions. 

Scabiosas make a great focal flower in arrangement's after the ranunculus and anemones fade, and before the sunflowers and zinnias start to bloom. 

Seed starting:

Starting seeds for Scabiosa is relatively easy. I usually sow 1-2 seeds per cell and thin to one per cell after germination. Germination occurs typically after 3-5 days. I sprinkle a fine layer of Vermiculite atop after sowing seeds. Check out my seed starting guide for more tips and tricks for indoor seed starting. Start seeds indoors in August-October.

Translant seeds into the ground when soil temperatures cool into the 60/50' typically in October here in zone 9b. Plants can readily self seed after established. 

When to plant outdoors: 

October-December in zone 8 and above. Plant in early spring in zones 7 and colder. 

Spacing: 

9- 12” apart

Height:

24-48”

Sun: 

Full sun 6-8+ hours

Flower Support:

Yes, hortnova netting or peony cages on taller varieties

Fertilizing:

consistently feed plants for best blooms

Typical bloom time:

mid-April-June

Succession plant?

No

Pairing plants:

yarrow, snapdragons, dahlias, feverfew, and monarda

Favorite varieties:

Seed scabiosa:

Scoop Scabiosa ‘Blackberry’ is a classic dark mahogany blackberry color that is a stunning addition to any bouquet or garden.

Scoop scabiosa ‘Purple lace’ is giving all the purple vibes with a white lace at the edges of the petal. Beautiful unique flower perfect for the home cottage garden or flower bouquets.

Scabiosa's are worth planting each fall for beautiful whimsical flowers in late spring and early summer. In cooler climates, these flowers could pump out blooms all summer long. Pair scabiosa's with feverfew, statice, sunflowers, campanula and snapdragons. Find our favorite statice seeds in our shop, check back in the fall to see if we will have plugs!