Lavender-blue pincushion flowers for summer beds and bouquets
Lavender Sweet Scabious 'Double Lavender Blue' is a particularly elegant variety of Scabiosa atropurpurea. Its densely double, cushion-shaped flowers display a delicate blend of lavender blue, pale violet and soft blue tones. Carried on long, slender stems, the flowers seem to float above the loosely branched foliage and give summer beds a light, almost weightless appearance.
Growing to around 60 to 90 cm tall and producing long, sturdy stems, 'Double Lavender Blue' is an excellent cut flower. The flowers, around 5 to 7.5 cm across, look especially beautiful in natural, romantic and cottage garden-inspired bouquets. A delicate, sweet fragrance adds to their special charm. Regular cutting and removing faded flowers encourages the formation of new buds and extends flowering into autumn.
A traditional garden flower from the Mediterranean region
Sweet Scabious originally comes from the Mediterranean region and has been cultivated in European gardens for centuries as an ornamental and cut flower. Its unusually shaped flowers and long stems made it a valued plant for cottage gardens and flower beds from an early stage. The botanical genus name Scabiosa also reflects part of its cultural history: it is associated with the Latin word scabies for skin complaints and recalls that various scabious species were once used in traditional herbal medicine.
Today, Scabiosa atropurpurea is valued above all for its strong ornamental appeal. With its cool lavender and blue tones, 'Double Lavender Blue' brings a distinctive colour effect to sunny beds and cut-flower gardens. The flowers are also readily visited by bees, bumblebees, hoverflies and butterflies.
Sowing and care of Sweet Scabious 'Double Lavender Blue'
Pre-cultivation can take place indoors or in a greenhouse from February to April. Place the seeds on moist, loose seed compost, press them down lightly and cover them only very thinly with soil. Scabious seeds need light to germinate and should therefore not be sown deeply. At around 15 to 20 °C, germination usually begins within about 10 to 21 days. During this time, keep the substrate evenly moist but not wet.
As soon as the young plants are strong enough and have developed several true leaves, they can be pricked out individually and grown on in a bright position. After the last stronger frosts, they can be planted outdoors from around mid-May at a spacing of about 30 to 40 cm. Alternatively, direct sowing in the final position is possible from April to June. Here too, press the seeds down only lightly or cover them with no more than about 2 to 3 mm of soil.
'Double Lavender Blue' prefers a sunny, preferably sheltered position with loose, humus-rich and well-drained soil. Waterlogging should be avoided. Once established, the plants cope well with temporary dry periods. Because of the long flower stems, light support can be useful in very windy locations. Regularly removing faded flowers or cutting blooms for the vase encourages a long second flush of flowers into autumn.
Other names
| Botanical name: |
Scabiosa atropurpurea |
| French names: |
Scabieuse des jardins, Scabieuse pourpre, Scabieuse pourpre foncé |
| English names: |
Sweet Scabious, Pincushion Flower, Mourning Bride, Mournful Widow |
| Spanish names: |
Escabiosa, Escabiosa morada, Viuda morada, Viuda, Escabiosa menor |
| Italian names: |
Vedovina, Vedovina marittima, Scabiosa atropurpurea, Scabiosa |
| Dutch names: |
Zwartpurperen duifkruid, Scabiosa, duifkruid |
