Pincushion flower is becoming a popular perennial in cool areas because of its long flowering season and soft blue or white rounded flower heads. The plant is a member of the honeysuckle family and is native to Turkey and Iran. It will reach a mature height of 2 feet with an equal width with a clumping or mat-forming habit. The genus name, Scabiosa , comes from the Latin scabies meaning "the itch" and refers to the plant's rough leaves. The species name means of the Caucasus. Pincushion flowers do best in soil that is light, well-drained, sandy or loamy, neutral to slightly alkaline in full sun. Good drainage is especially important because the plant will rot in wet soil. It also is intolerant of high heat and humidity. It can be propagated from seeds sown in spring or summer or by division in the spring. Numerous cultivars have been developed from this plant including 'Butterfly Blue' that continuously produces lavender-blue flowers on 20 inch stems from early summer to frost. The cultivars are often more readily available than the host plant. The plant dies out in warm, coastal plains gardens and should be protected from wet, winter weather. A light, dry winter mulch of hay, straw, or evergreen boughs will help it get through the winter. You should deadhead spent blossoms to prolong flowering and cut down the stems in autumn after flowering is complete. Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems: No known diseases or insect pests.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Alkaline (>8.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage
Available space
12 inches-3 feet
NC region
Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 1 ft. 6 in. - 2 ft. 0 in. | Width: 1 ft. 6 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (1-3 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Clumping; Mounding
Leaf color
Gray/Silver; Green
Leaf type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Leaf shape
Lanceolate; Pinnatisect
Leaf margin
Entire
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Entire or pinnately lobed, grey-green, lance-shaped basal leaves and narrow, pinnately lobed, incised stem leaves.
Flower color
Blue; Purple/Lavender; White
Flower value
Good Cut; Long Bloom Season
Flower form
Solitary
Flower size
1-3 inches
Flower detail
Pincushion-shaped buds on erect hairy stems, open to pale blue or lavender 2 to 3 inch flower heads from late summer and fall. Flowers have an outer ring of frilly petals and a center cushion with protruding stamens resembling pins in a pincushion.
Bloom time
Fall; Summer
Stem detail
Flowers bloom singly on strong, stiff stems.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
North East Turkey to the Caucasus Mountains and Northern Iran