White Globe Thistle "Star Frost"

White Globe Thistle "Star Frost" - Echinops bannaticus.
A perennial plant of the Asteraceae family.
A plant with beautiful branching and an abundance of white flowers the size of a golf ball.
Decorative dark green foliage, with a gray color on the underside of the leaves.
Height with flowers: 100 cm.
Flower color: silvery-white.
Natural flowering period: July - September.
Blooms in the first year.
Distance between plants: 50 cm.
Winter hardiness zones: Z3 - Z8.
Soil requirements: dry, well-drained, moderately fertile.
Use: suitable for cutting and arranging dry bouquets. Good for single and group plantings, for planting in mixborders and on flower beds. Fits into informal, natural gardens.
1.0 g = 60 seeds.

The plant is long-lived and does not require rejuvenation.
Echinops differs from other Asteraceae in its inflorescence: numerous single-flowered baskets are collected in a spherical basket of blue, grayish or white color with a diameter of 3-5 cm. The rare color of the inflorescences and their jewelry-like correct shape make this plant an adornment of any flowerbed. To avoid self-seeding and partly stimulate re-flowering, you can cut off the faded "balls".
Planting: Echinops has a taproot system, so it does not like transplants - it is better to plant it immediately in a permanent place. In groups, 5-9 seedlings are planted per 1 m². New plantings are watered if there is no rain. After division or transplantation, taproot plants often take a long time to recover and may even die. If absolutely necessary, these procedures can be carried out until the end of May. In this case, you need to try to dig as deep as possible to preserve the largest possible root ball.
Care: the plant requires the greatest attention from the gardener only in the first year of growth, when it is still weak. During this period, special attention should be paid to watering, since the eryngium can suffer from both over-watering and over-drying of the soil. In addition, the plant is characterized by low frost resistance in the first year of growth. Since its root system has not yet fully formed and strengthened, the bush can die from frost. Therefore, at this time it needs additional care.
Soil for planting: grows on any soil, it is only important that the water does not stagnate: in dampness it easily rots. Lack of nutrition keeps the bush in shape, while on rich soils the stems stretch out and fall apart (then they may need garters). In general, the eсhinops is delightfully undemanding.
Planting location: Echinops feels best in a sunny spot, but can also tolerate light shade. The only place where it will not grow is swampy areas.
Preparing for winter: adult Echinops is highly winter-hardy and does not require any special preparation for winter. It can withstand even the most severe frosts without additional shelter. All you need to do is cut the stems after they have completely dried out. However, young bushes are not as frost-resistant as adults. Therefore, they need to be covered in late autumn. First, cut off the dried bushes, and then cover the area with a layer of fallen leaves or spruce branches. When the snow melts from the ground in the spring, the shelter must be removed.