Carthamus tinctorius is an annual, but it would introduce a new colour for you as it comes in orange and yellow. Good for cutting and dried flower use too, seeds are edible and you can use it for dye. You could also have a look at annual Calendula - some varieties have petal filled centres that look quite thistly, but with softer leaves. Some other possibilities might include Scabious/Knautia and Astrantia, all of which are loved by insects. The Scotch thistle grows wild in my sheep field and I have to weed most of them out as the neighbours would object, but I try to leave one or two as they are truly lovely plants. The bees agree, but the sheep don't
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You could also have a look at annual Calendula - some varieties have petal filled centres that look quite thistly, but with softer leaves.
Some other possibilities might include Scabious/Knautia and Astrantia, all of which are loved by insects.
The Scotch thistle grows wild in my sheep field and I have to weed most of them out as the neighbours would object, but I try to leave one or two as they are truly lovely plants. The bees agree, but the sheep don't