Flat sea holly

Eryngium planum

Eastern European native sea holly with branched stems of small steel-blue thimble flowers in summer, the stems and upper foliage equally steel-blue. The principal commercial cut-flower sea holly.

Hardiness ratings

Flat sea holly hardiness across the four zone systems
SystemRatingTemperature rangeHow to read it
USDA hardiness zone Zone 4–9 −34.4 °C to −1.1 °C Plant tolerates down to this zone
RHS hardiness rating H7 down to −20 °C Plant needs at least this level of cold tolerance
Canadian plant hardiness zone Zone 4–8 −29 °C to −1 °C Plant tolerates down to this zone
Australian (ANBG) zone Zone 1–6 −15 °C to 15 °C Plant tolerates down to this zone

Growing notes

  • Plant in sunny borders, gravel gardens, and prairie plantings — the principal commercial cut-flower sea holly, holds colour and structure when dried
  • Excellent forage for bees and predatory wasps
  • Distinct from the larger Eryngium maritimum (already in the database from batch 5) and the silvery Eryngium giganteum (batch 6) — E. planum is the steel-blue mid-border species
  • Drought tolerant once established

Categories

Related plants

Cross-check Flat sea holly against your zones

Reference

Flat sea holly on Wikipedia