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Pincushions

Scabiosa

Also called Pincushion Flowers, Scabious

Pincushions
Photo: Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0

Scabiosa is a genus of annual and perennial flowering plants in the honeysuckle family, also called pincushion flowers or scabious, with round flower heads that become spiky seed balls. Most garden plants are sun-loving perennials or annuals that want well-drained soil.

Family
Caprifoliaceae (Honeysuckle family)
Light
Full sun
Water
Water moderately while establishing, then let the soil dry out between waterings.
Soil
Well-drained, neutral to slightly alkaline soil; tolerates poor soil.
Temperature
Hardy in cool to temperate climates; protect from prolonged frost and waterlogging.
How easy
Easy

About

Scabiosa is a genus in the honeysuckle family (Caprifoliaceae) of flowering plants. Many of the species in this genus have common names that include the word scabious, but some plants commonly known as scabious are currently classified in related genera such as Knautia and Succisa; at least some of these were formerly placed in Scabiosa. Another common name for members of this genus is pincushion flowers.

Where it grows

Members of this genus are native to Africa, Europe and Asia. Some species of Scabiosa, notably small scabious (S. columbaria) and Mediterranean sweet scabious (S. atropurpurea) have been developed into cultivars for gardeners.

Other Scabiosa plants

Northeastern Scabious · Dove pincushions · Pincushion Flower

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Scabiosa by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

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