Photo: Jelitto
Eryngium giganteum 'Silver Ghost'
Ivory thistle
From an ordinary dark green rosette arises a sturdy, tightly branched stem of silver-grey prickly leaves and Teasel-like pale green flowers, which turn to silvery-blue as they mature.
These are surrounded by a ruff of silvery white bracts.
A truly wonderful plant that dies after flowering but not before it has spread copious quantities of seed.
'Silver Ghost' is a cultivar of 'Miss Willmott's Ghost'. Ellen Willmott was an eccentric plantswoman who would sprinkle seeds of Eryngium giganteum in any garden she happened to visit.
The life story of this amazing women is full of plants and pathos. She's well worth discovering. Start here: https://www.essexwt.org.uk/nature-reserves/warley-place/history
Family
Plant type
Hardiness
Height
Spread
Foliage
Flower
Soil
Position
Apiaceae
Hardy biennial
H6
60cm
40cm
Grey-green
Silver
Well drained, dry
Full sun
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