General Culture:

Easily grown in dry to medium, gritty, well-drained soils in full sun. Tolerates some light shade. Tolerates poor soils. This is a taprooted plant that transplants poorly and is best left undisturbed once established. Plants do not spread. Foliage is evergreen in warm winter climates. May be grown from seed.

Noteworthy Characteristics:

Moroccan sea holly is a clump-forming, evergreen perennial that is perhaps best noted for its glossy, white-marbled foliage and its thistle-like grayish-blue flower heads. This is a somewhat coarse plant that features basal rosettes of oblong, cordate-based, serrate, dark green leaves (to 2” long) that are marbled with white. Smaller, spiny-lobed stem leaves. Tiny, grayish-blue flowers tightly packed into egg-shaped heads (umbels) resembling thistles appear in summer in branched clusters at the top of stiff, branching stems rising from the centers of the basal rosettes to 12-16” tall. Each flower head is subtended by a narrow, spiky collar of pale blue bracts (to 1” long).

Problems:

No serious insect or disease problems.

Uses:

Rock gardens, borders and beds. Perhaps best massed or in small groupings.

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