Eryngium alpinum superbum seeds –

Description

Eryngium alpinum superbum is a handsome plant for the garden and makes a very good cut flower. It is thought to be one of the best of its kind on the market. It has attractive steel blue flowers on metallic blue stems , which form a nice bushy plant. The flowers mature a deeper blue as the summer moves into autumn, and they are even attractive in the winter when frosted with ice. The flowers can be dried for flower arrangements. It grows in well drained sandy soils and likes full sun. It can withstand severe frost, and so is suitable for those regions which can get quite cold in winter.

Sowing advice

The seeds need a period of warmth followed by a period of moist cold to germinate.

Sow the seeds in seed raising mix, in either spring or summer.  Cover with a fine layer of seed raising mix. Moisten the soil and put the pot into a plastic bag together with a plant tag with the day’s date on it. Seal the bag. Keep the seeds at 18 -22 deg C for 4 weeks. Then move the pot, still in the plastic bag, to the fridge door (4 deg C) for 6 weeks. Then move to 5-12 degrees C for germination.

The seed germination can be irregular ( 5-90 days). As each seed germinates, transplant it into its own pot, as they don’t like to be moved when older.  When large enough plant out.