Salmon-pink pincushion flowers for romantic summer gardens
Pink Sweet Scabious 'Double Salmon Rose' is a particularly charming variety of Scabiosa atropurpurea. Its densely double, cushion-shaped flowers display a delicate blend of salmon pink, dusty rose, apricot and soft pink tones. On long, slender stems, the flowers seem almost to float above the loosely branched foliage, bringing a light, romantic atmosphere to summer beds.
Growing to around 70 to 100 cm tall and producing long, sturdy stems, 'Double Salmon Rose' is an excellent cut flower. It looks especially beautiful in natural and vintage-inspired bouquets, combined with white, cream-coloured or darker summer flowers as well as delicate grasses. The flowers, around 5 to 7 cm across, also have a light, sweet honey fragrance. Regular cutting or deadheading 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 as an ornamental plant for centuries. Its unusually shaped flowers and long stems made it a valued garden and cut flower 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 cultivated mainly for its long flowering period and distinctive flower colours. 'Double Salmon Rose' is wonderfully suited to cottage gardens, summer flower beds and cut-flower gardens. The flowers are also attractive to insects: bees, bumblebees, hoverflies and butterflies visit scabious in search of nectar and pollen.
Sowing and care of Sweet Scabious 'Double Salmon Rose'
Pre-cultivation can begin 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 never 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 Salmon Rose' 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 |
