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Is it too late to start eryngium alpinum 'superbum' seeds now?

johnpaulhigginsjohnpaulhiggins Posts: 6
in Plants
Hello fellow greenfingered peeps. I've just moved out of my parents into a flat and want to get some flowers in the front garden (the only garden I've got lol).

I've got some phacelia seedlings growing really nicely and healthy under a 85w 6400k fluorescent light in a grow cupboard I made. There's a powerful pc fan on the cupboard extracting the heat so don't worry about heat build up. I'm electrician by trade so no worries where electricity is concerned.

I want to grow some eryngiums, preferably the 'sea holly' which is the 'alpinum superbum' type. But from what I've read it sounds I'm a bit late as they take a long time to germinate and need a bit of a long cold spell first.

Is it too late for these kinds by now? I'm in East Yorkshire too. If so I will just grow them next year instead and grow globe thistles this year (echinops).

I want to attract a lot of bees and butterflies if I'm honest which is why I chose what I have as well as like the look of them. The globe thistle seeds are coming up after just a few days so I think I might be better of with those this year. What would you say peeps?
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  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    I posted a question yesterday in a similar vein.
    As you know they need a period of cold (lower than 4c) for a few weeks.
    I sowed mine last autumn and left them in my cold frame over winter. So far no show, but we've not had low temps here this winter - a couple of frosts and no snow.
    We're unlikely (??) to get a long period of cold temps now, so I'm going to put they seed trays in plastic bags and put them at the bottom of the fridge for 3-4 weeks, then put them back in the cold frame and hope that a few weeks after that I see some action.
    See what others here think
    Good luck

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • DaveGreigDaveGreig Posts: 189
    I would use the fridge and still give the eryngiums a try it’s only a packet of seed so it’s got to be worth a go. The important thing is building any young plants you do get up enough to get them through their first winter. I have a small raised bed that I use just for bringing on young perennials because they can quite easily get choked out by over enthusiastic,close proximity planting of annuals and other plants during the summer. 

    ive grow eryngium of diferrent varieties for years and I would not be without them but  I must confess it’s a plant that I tend to buy pot grown. Yes it’s more expensive and there’s not the same achievement than if planting your own seed, but because you get a quicker result your buying time. Also I find with Alpinum they tend to self seed so there’s no future shortage of plants.

    Good luck


  • chickychicky Posts: 10,410
    I have some eryngium seeds in the fridge at the moment - due to come out next weekend 😀. Never tried them before though, so no idea how successful they will be 🤞🏻
  • josusa47josusa47 Posts: 3,530
    Sorry, I know "Superbum" should be pronounced with the stress on the second syllable, but I always want to put it on the first.
  • punkdocpunkdoc Posts: 15,039
    Always likes the idea of a super bum, on the right person  of course. :)
    How can you lie there and think of England
    When you don't even know who's in the team

    S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
  • johnpaulhigginsjohnpaulhiggins Posts: 6
    lol I can participate if you wish?

    I've decided to just grow globe thistles instead (echinops). Still growing phacelia campanularia which are out now with the globe thistles.

    I have some root cuttings of the blue eryngium, but are the planum kind, called 'blue hobbit'. They have only just started growing after 5 weeks. I'm thinking of just putting these 'out and about' somewhere instead of wasting them. I'm itching to swap the globe thistles for these now though lol.

    It sounds like the eryngiums are too sun demanding for the spot I'm growing in now I've come to learn more about them. I've read that the echinops also need lots of sun but don't sound as demanding as the eryngiums.

    I will see how the globe thistles do this year in the spot, and if they do well enough I may leave them for next year and fill the phacelias with eryngiums next year.
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    Just an update from the eryngium seed I sowed.
    My 1st sowing in a pot was in June last year of eryngium gigantum and I just noticed about 8 seedlings appearing (amongst the weeds) a few days ago.
    The same seed I sowed in autumn hasn't sprouted yet.

    I've had an echinops in the garden for best part of 20 years - tough as old boots

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    punkdoc said:
    Always likes the idea of a super bum, on the right person  of course. :)
    @punkdoc ,Are you thinking of our favourite  diminutive Antipodean chanteuse? 
    Devon.
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    I remember my young daughters delight every time they pointed at Silibum Marianum and said " silly bum " titter titter.
    Devon.
  • johnpaulhigginsjohnpaulhiggins Posts: 6
    edited March 2019
    Pete.8 said:
    Just an update from the eryngium seed I sowed.
    My 1st sowing in a pot was in June last year of eryngium gigantum and I just noticed about 8 seedlings appearing (amongst the weeds) a few days ago.
    The same seed I sowed in autumn hasn't sprouted yet.

    I've had an echinops in the garden for best part of 20 years - tough as old boots
    Thanks for letting me know buddy. Glad you got some going :) . They certainly need a while though these seeds, guess that's just nature though. I've been reading about winterising and stuff etc. 

    I'm looking forward to seeing all the bees and stuff, mabybe prevent door to door sales people lol. Is this just one echinops plant, or several seeds planted close together? Just wondering so I know what to expect so to know how to go about how many I need and how far apart. 

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