Globe Thistle White (Echinops Ritro) - Add a distinct texture to your garden by sowing Globe Thistle seeds! They are a great addition to the drought tolerant xeriscape garden or a mixed perennial garden. Globe Thistle flowers are in shades of white and they measure up to 1 3/4 inches in diameter. The flower heads provide good color before opening, so the bloom season is prolonged. It has thistle-like foliage with 6 - 8 inch leaves with distinctive spines. Globe Thistle plants are fairly drought tolerant, low maintenance, and they easily establish from flower seeds.

If the initial blooms on Globe Thistle are deadheaded, several smaller, shorter white blooms will appear. Globe Thistle has plenty of flower seed, so it is a good self-seeder, and deadheading will help slow that process a bit. In richer soils, the plant might grow so much as to require staking. The basal leaves deteriorate quickly, so best to plant low-growing plants next to the Globe Thistle. Hands can be cut by foliage and flower, so best to wear gloves when handling.

Globe Thistle makes a nice cut flower. These fuzzy blossoms also dry well. Cut stems, hang upside down in a dry, ventilated place. Sow Globe Thistle seeds outdoors after temperatures have warmed. Prepare soil, sow the flower seeds on the surface and press them into the soil. Do not cover the flower seeds, keep them moist, and soon you will be enjoying a new addition to your xeriscape perennial garden.