Guide to growing Scabious - Scabiosa
The Scabiosa genus is large and so plants grown in the garden may be hardy annual, half hardy annual, hardy biennial or Hardy perennial in nature.
Scabiosa range in height from 15 to 60cm.
They bloom from Summer through to the first months of autumn, and carry domed flowers of red, white, blue, purple or yellow atop long stems.
As they are often mat forming they make ideal plants for use in garden borders.
Some of the more common names for Scabiosa include, Scabious, Sweet Scabious, Pincushion flower and Mourning-bride.
How to grow Scabious
The timing of the sowing of Scabiosa depends on their nature. Annuals are usually sown after the last frost, perennials may be sown at the start of spring or autumn. Scabious seeds should be lightly covered once sown and spaced at about 30 to 40cm apart. They like to grow in sunny areas that have good drainage. Ideally the soil that Scabious grows in should be humus rich, slightly alkaline (pH 7 to 8) and moist.
The germination of Scabiosa seeds usually takes about two weeks, and can be done indoors at a temperature of 20 to 25 degrees. If growing indoors first then sow annuals 5 weeks in advance and perennials about 10 weeks in advance. Transplant annual Scabiosa following the last frost of spring, and perennial varieties in late autumn or before the last frost of spring.
Caring for Scabious
It is easy to look after members of the Scabiosa genus such as Scabious and Pincushion flower; they should be staked in windy areas, as they have delicate wiry stems; keep the soil moist in summer; deadhead flowers once they have finished blooming; cut the Scabiosa plants back at the end of the growing season in autumn. It is necessary to divide the plants every two or three years to maintain vigorous growth. If you require more plants then divide perennial Scabiosa at the start of spring, or take cuttings in the summer time.