Eryngium planum

Flat Sea Holly is an excellent architectural plant for the dry garden. Blue-tinged stems hold spiky, metallic blue flowers above a rosette of waxy, glaucous foliage. Pollinators adore the unusual flowers!

Dried flowers lend interest to the winter garden and are a boon to the birds.

This plant prefers to grow in poor, sandy soils and will tolerate salt. Staking required if grown in less than full sun or overly fertile soil.

Deer, rabbit, and drought resistant.

Zones: 5 to 9

Family: Apiaceae

Type: Perennial

Height: 24 to 36 in.

Spread: 12 to 24 in.

Exposure: Full Sun

Soil Conditions: dry, well-drained, average

Bloom Time: June to September

Bloom Color: Blue

Native Range: Central and southeastern Europe

Image Credits:

• Image 1 (blooms) Danny S., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
• Image 2 (form) photo taken by User:Nordelch in July 2005, via Wikimedia Commons
• Image 3 (foliage) Photo by David J. Stang, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
• Image 4 (winter interest) Agnieszka Kwiecień, Nova, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons