Scabiosa 'Kudo White' (Pincushion Flower)

Where to Plant:

A wonderfully elegant and long-flowering Pincushion Flower, 'Kudo White' provides a continuous display of clean white flowers all summer. To ensure a prolific show, it is essential to plant it in a position that receives full sun throughout the day. It thrives in well-drained, neutral to alkaline soils and is tolerant of poor, chalky conditions, but dislikes winter wet. It is a superb plant for a cottage garden border, a gravel garden, or a large container, and is irresistible to bees and butterflies.

How to Plant:

You can plant container-grown specimens in spring or summer. If planting now, ensure it is watered regularly for the first few weeks to help it establish. Dig a hole the same depth and width as the pot. Gently remove the plant from its container and place it in the hole, making sure the top of the rootball is level with the surrounding soil. Backfill, firm gently, and water thoroughly.

Aftercare:

The single most important task for a summer-long display is to deadhead the plant regularly. As soon as a flower begins to fade, snip the stem off right at the base of the plant. This will constantly encourage new flower stems to grow, often right into the autumn. Once established, the plant is drought-tolerant. You can cut the foliage back in late autumn or leave it until early spring before the new growth emerges.