Blooming Friday: Blue globes of perfection

July 31, 2009 | easygardener

It is a pleasure to watch these flowers opening.

First we have the spiky head on  stems 5 feet tall (1.5 m).

Echinops bannaticus 'Taplow Blue'

Echinops bannaticus 'Taplow Blue'

Then the tiny flowers begin to open from the top.

Echinops bannaticus 'Taplow Blue'

Echinops bannaticus 'Taplow Blue'

And immediately become a magnet for insects.

Echinops bannaticus 'Taplow Blue'

Echinops bannaticus 'Taplow Blue'

One of my favourite flowers…….. and the bee agrees.

Echinops bannaticus 'Taplow Blue'

Echinops bannaticus 'Taplow Blue'

Thanks to Katarina at Roses and Stuff for hosting Blooming Friday.

19 comments

Gravatar 1 HelenJ { 07.31.09 at 2:24 pm }

I agree too! They are beautiful even in the wintertime, standing erect and sharp until spring when I cut them down.
/Helen

Gravatar 2 Tyra { 07.31.09 at 3:54 pm }

Lovely balls in blue and a funny name, I actually think I’m been to a place called Taplow :-)

Greetings from Tyra in Vaxholm

Gravatar 3 Monica { 07.31.09 at 4:14 pm }

I love these blue balls toooooo….. I´m still waiting for them to get in bloom.
Tjingeling
Monica

Gravatar 4 Carol { 07.31.09 at 4:56 pm }

I love these fun balls of blue too! Love your progression photos! Such a beautiful blue!

Gravatar 5 Sweet Bay { 07.31.09 at 5:50 pm }

Those are lovely!! Great pictures with the bees.

Gravatar 6 @nemonen { 07.31.09 at 8:29 pm }

I just love the flower. I must see if I can buy one.

Gravatar 7 Karen { 08.01.09 at 7:39 am }

I have tried to find this at three different nurseries now, no luck. Guess I’ll have to wait until next year, but it’s on the top of my list! Such a cool plant, and a bonus that it feeds the bees. Yours is lovely!

Gravatar 8 Moas { 08.01.09 at 8:35 am }

Those are lovely!! I want them in my garden to..when I see your pictures.. Have a nice weekend/Moa

Gravatar 9 Lillebeth { 08.01.09 at 9:00 am }

Lovely, beautiful and so easy to grow.

Gravatar 10 Katarina (Roses and stuff) { 08.01.09 at 10:23 am }

I so enjoyed those photos! I haven’t got this flower in my garden, so it’s a treat being able to watch the progression of the flower! Thanks!
Katarina

Gravatar 11 Joy { 08.01.09 at 1:41 pm }

I have these as well and they are a bit of odd eye candy I think .. pretty and strange all in the same thought .. weedy ? no!! they have personality ;-) haha

Gravatar 12 HappyMouffetard { 08.01.09 at 7:21 pm }

Beautiful photos – it looks like a star exploding.

Gravatar 13 chaiselongue { 08.01.09 at 10:17 pm }

Beautiful sequence of photos. Lucky bee!

Gravatar 14 Kanak { 08.02.09 at 11:05 am }

Easygardener, that’s so beautiful! Loved the photos! And the bees!

Gravatar 15 bangchik { 08.02.09 at 11:58 pm }

5 foot stem but the flower is not much bigger than the bee… how interesting!!… Lovely flower!!

Have fun,
~bangchik

Gravatar 16 Sue { 08.03.09 at 2:04 am }

I love your progression photos! I don’t know if that’s the same kind I have. It sure is a beauty! Thanks for your nice comment on my Blooming Friday post.

Gravatar 17 Megan { 08.03.09 at 4:44 am }

I like the way you showed us the time lapse blooming. I’ve gone back and forth on echinops over the years, planting and pulling, planting and pulling. I’m in a planting mood again this year.

Gravatar 18 Karen - An Artist's Garden { 08.03.09 at 2:03 pm }

Lovely images, they are indeed a bee magnet.
K

Gravatar 19 Karen's Garden Tips { 08.11.09 at 2:46 pm }

You bring a whole new appreciation for these beautiful flowers.

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