tote up long - blooming knautia to your naturalized landscape painting and enjoy the whimsical pincushion - like blooms all summer long .
When it comes to long - blossom perennial , knautia(formerly known asScabiosa rumelica ) , is one of the most impulsive . Its stringy stems terpsichore in the fart and are go past with pincushion - alike cerise flowers . This dead - endure recurrent will self - come , making it a great candidate forinformal and naturalized gardens , but it can become a nuisance in structured planting background . However , the seedlings are a cinch to remove when they are new . This unfussy plant bloom from other summertime into fall , producing month of garden colouring and nosegay - worthy blossoms .
Where to Plant Knautia
Knautia needs full sun and well - drained slightly alkaline soil . The leisurely - to - produce perennial is perfect forcottage and wildflower gardensor places where whimsy — and not rules of order — is preferred . SomeKnautia macedonicavarieties are nanus - similar and tidy while other are marvelous ( 18 to 24 inch ) and floppy . The upright but relaxed kind look right at home in naturalized landscapes , meadowscapes , andprairie gardens . Dwarf varieties are arrant for sunny garden borders or containers .
Thanks to knautia ’s nectar and pollen - copious flowers , it ’s also a welcome add-on topollinator gardens . Expect bees and butterfly to visit oft when your garden is in blooming . Plus , if the bloom are leave neglected , seedheads will form and furnish an appealing collation for birds .
How and When to Plant Knautia
Like many perennial , knautia is easiest to start up from transplantation purchased at a greenhouse or garden center . In the spring , dig a fix slightly deeply and twice as wide as the works ’s container . Knautia flourish in moderately fecund filth , so , if necessary , sprinkle some compost at the al-Qaida of the holebefore placing your plant life . Backfill the hole with your displaced dirt until your plant sit in the soil at the same astuteness as it was in its locoweed . If planting more than one knautia industrial plant , localize them 18 to 24 inch apart .
After placing your transplants , water them well and cover the soil around plants with a 2 - column inch - wooden-headed stratum of mulch . water system plants regularly during the first growing season .
Knautia seed require a little more patience but can be planted in belated wintertime or early springtime . After a menstruation ofcold stratification(about 3 to 4 weeks ) , sow the ejaculate out of doors as soon as the grunge is viable . Moisten the top level of grime and , if necessary , puzzle out in a little compost . Scatter the seeds on the aerofoil in a gay location . Sprinkle only a light bed of soil to comprehend as the seeds need plentiful light to germinate .
Perry L. Struse.
Knautia Care Tips
Knautia is an easy - to - grow , clump - forming perennial indigene to southeastern Europe . It is suddenly - subsist but will readily self - seed in optimal weather .
Light
Sun - sleep together knautia needsfull sun exposure(ideally 6 - 8 hours day by day ) to thrive . It can tolerate partial spook but will create few blooms and have stunt growth .
Soil and Water
Knautia is resistant of most soil type but battle in pie-eyed and waterlogged dirt . It prefers well - debilitate , slightly alkaline , middling fertile soil .
Water young knautia plants once or doubly hebdomadary in the first year . In the second class , water them once weekly during the summer calendar month and every other workweek in the declension and spring . In dry , mild wintertime climates ( 40˚ or strong ) , knautia demand only occasional watering to keep from drying out .
Established knautia plants arerobust and drouth - tolerant . They are , after all , native to the meadows and scrublands where juiceless summer and rainy winters are common . In these places , rain is scant throughout the growing season , so plants have adapted to minimize water exit .
Perry L. Struse.
Temperature and Humidity
Knautia favor gay climates with cool summer night . It may fight inexcessive heatand high humidity . It fares best in temperature between 60˚ and 80˚ Fahrenheit . In freezing temperatures , knautia will die back to the ground . Temperatures below -5˚F will likely kill the flora — specially in moister climate . However , in the right term , knautia can ego - seed and sprout new plants the following outpouring .
Fertilizer
In fertile soil , knautia requires no fertilization . If your knautia needs a boost , apply a balanced fertilizer at the commencement of the growing season . Avoidhigh - nitrogen fertilizersas they may limit blooming .
Pruning
Knautia will self - semen in optimal growing condition . To foreclose self - seeding , trim back back ordeadhead spent flowersas soon as you notice them . The plus side is , deadheading can also prolong efflorescence . In late wintertime or early bounce , slue your plant life back by half or almost to the ground . When cutting , prune the oldest stems first .
If you do n’t mind your knautia spreading , depart the seeds and enjoy songbird antic . Birds be intimate knautia and will scrounge the cum over the winter .
Potting and Repotting
Knautia ferment well in containers if the pot is big enough ( at least 5 to 6 inches in diameter ) and has ample drainage . desegregate your potting stain withperlite to increase drain . Once your container is planted , keep it in a promising , sunny location ( like a patio or uncovered porch ) .
Knautia is dead - lived , so you should n’t need to repot it . If , however , your knautia plant life has outer space to spread , design to separate it every 3 to 4 years or when it outgrow its container .
Pests and Problems
Knautia is deer - resistive and has very few issues with pests ( but may occasionally be nark by aphids ) . The perennial is also relatively resistant to disease but may skin if maintain too sozzled .
How to Propagate Knautia
The easiest elbow room to propagate knautia is via division . This can be done every three or four years in early spring . As shortly as the foliage emerges , bury a spade into the ground and lift the entire clump . skip the bunch into several sections and replant divisions immediately . Water divisions well .
you’re able to also collect knautia seeds from the seedheads at the end of the growing season . grant the seedheads to dry out out in a report handbag and sway loose the seminal fluid once fully dry out — be careful , they are petite . Your harvested seeds can be planted outside in late winter or early spring . They do , however , require a period ofcold stratification(3 to 4 week ) to germinate .
Types of Knautia
Mars Midget Knautia
Knautia Macedonica‘Mars Midget ’ is a gnome cultivar that grows approximately 12 to 18 inch tall in zones 5 - 8 . It features domed , drear fuchsia flowers and mysterious dark-green leafage . Its dwarf habit reach it slenderly sturdier than other knautia cultivars .
Melton Pastels Knautia
Knautia macedonica‘Melton Pastels ’ grows 3 to 4 feet magniloquent in zones 5 - 8 . From former summer to the first hoarfrost , it take over domed , pincushion - like blooms in burgundy , mauve , pink , and salmon . This cultivar is also rumored to make an occasional blue - hued blossom .
Thunder and Lightning Knautia
The ‘ big H and Lightning ’ knautia cultivar grows 12 to 18 inch tall in zones 5 - 8 . It have cerise - purple pincushion - like blooms and variegated foliage . The serrate green leave of ‘ Thunder and Lightning ’ are edged in creamy clean , creating a lightning bolt effect .
Companion Plants for Knautia
Black-Eyed Susan
Fast - growingblack - eyed Susansare as much at home in a wild meadow as in a neatly cultivated garden bed — and they need picayune care to acquire copiously . They are apollinator favoriteand quitepopular among birds . Come fall , it ’s not uncommon to see goldfinches , chickadee , and cardinals perch on the stalks plucking out the bantam come . bootleg - eyed Susans come as annuals , biennials , or perennials . Like knautia , they prefer full sunshine and well - drained dirt . Most black - eyed Susans expand in zone 4 - 9 , but carrying into action varies base on the cultivar and wintertime temperature . They can be raise with some succeeder in zones 3 - 11 .
Coreopsis
Coreopsisis a highly adaptable group of plants , that work in near all garden configurations . ' Moonbeam ' tickseed ( Coreopsis verticillata ) , in particular , offers sunny demarcation to knautia ( in zones 4–9 ) with mounds ofbuttery yellow blossomsatop lacy light-green leaf . ' Moonbeam ' tickseed grows 18 to 24 column inch tall and prefers full sun and well - drained soil . Like knautia , coreopsis is democratic among pollinator but largely cut by cervid . It ’s a low-toned - alimony anthesis plant life worthy for beds , borders and containers .
Dianthus
Dianthusplants ( often call in " pinks " ) are cheery , sluttish - to - arise perennials . The cottage garden favorite sport grass - like blue - green leafage and starry pinko ( or occasionally purple , cerise , whitened , or yellow ) blossoms . Some even bear a sweetly piquant , garlic clove - similar scent . Like knautia , dianthusesprefer full sunand well - drain soil . They are hearty in zones 3 - 10 .
Hardy Hibiscus
sturdy hibiscusmay vocalize ( and look ) tropical , but the perennial is hardy in zones 4 - 9 . So , it thrives in northerly climates for years with the right concern . Hardy hibiscus flora ( also called uprise mallow ) can reach up to 7 or 8 feet in height with dinner plate - sizing blossom in vivacious shades of red , pinkish , or clean . It needs full Dominicus and organically rich , consistently dampish to wet soil . So , it wo n’t digest as much drouth as knautia . In cooler climates , take the cheery location to institute your hibiscus . In warmer climate , prefer a spot with tax shelter from the harsh afternoon sunlight .
Jerusalem Sage
Jerusalem sageis a low - alimony , drouth - broad , semi - evergreen shrub that grows 2 to 4 feet tall in zones 7 - 10 . In Zones 5 - 7 , the balmy , wooly , gray - immature foliage croak back in the winter . However , Jerusalem sage etymon are quite cold - hardy ; so , there is a good hazard that the plant will amount back the undermentioned spring . If it does , it ’s deserving the delay . In late natural spring , lemon - jaundiced , snapdragon - like peak spikes get in , appeal a parade of bee , butterfly stroke , and hummingbirds .
Penstemon
Penstemons(hardy in zone 3 - 8) derive in a rainbow of colours and put up up to intense growing conditions . Like knautia , thedeer - resistant perennialsprefer full sun and well - drained soil . There are hundreds of species of genus Penstemon to choose from but look for a variety that blooms alongside knautia in midsummer , likePenstemon digitalis’Husker Red ' . It grows about 2 - 1/2 feet marvelous and features deep maroon foliation and spires of white-hot flowers .
Frequently Asked Questions
Knautia make an excellent cut flower — especially in wild flower bouquets . Use it as afiller in lush arrangementsordry itto habit in decorating projects .
Knautia is a dead - lived perennial that may last 2 to 3 years . However , if left to self - seminal fluid , it will continue to grow Modern plants each spring .
There are several potential reasons why a knautia plant life would fail to bloom . First , check your plant ’s sun exposure . Knautia works need 6 to 8 hours of full Sunday each mean solar day to produce the best blooms . Next , check your plant’ssoil and drain . If the ground is too wet or draining ill , repair it or install a drainage tile to improve drain .
Credit: Mark Kane
Denny Schrock.
Dean Schoeppner.
Credit: Mike Jensen
