If you look closely at a thistle, you will quickly recognize the extraordinary beauty of this plant species. Garden retailers have a selection of decorative types of thistle ready for you. We present the most beautiful varieties.

In a nutshell

  • prickly plants of various genera are called thistles
  • valuable nutrients for birds, bees, bumblebees and flower-visiting insects
  • suitable for dry floristry
  • undemanding, perfect for garden beginners
  • thrive on poor soil in sunny locations

thistles

Plants with prickles and thorns are usually referred to as thistles. It is not a special botanical genus. The bizarre beauties are very different in size, appearance and lifespan. Among them are low ground covers, as well as plants that can reach three meters in height. When hiking in nature, one can encounter thistles in forests, dry grasslands and at the edges of fields. They are an important food source for insects, birds and small animals.
If you spot a wild thistle in your yard, don't remove it right away like common weeds. Some thistle species are endangered. Transform a corner of your garden into a natural garden. Attract bees and bumblebees with the prickly flowering plants and look forward to a productive fruit and vegetable harvest. Decorative noble thistles are also available for cultivation in the garden.

Types from A - E

Banat globe thistle (Echinops bannaticus)

  • Growth height: 80 to 120 centimeters
  • flowers: round, light blue
  • Flowering period: August to September
  • Leaves: grey-green, firm, pinnate, hairy underside
  • Location: sunny
  • Soil: dry to moist, well-drained, loamy
  • Lifespan: perennial
  • Hardiness: yes
  • Care: Cut back in autumn
  • Use: bed background, dry floristry

Notice: A globe thistle is not just an eye-catcher in the bed. It magically attracts insects visiting the flower. There is hardly a thistle blossom that is not occupied by a bee, a bumblebee or a butterfly when the weather is sunny.

Blue globe thistle (Echinops ritro)

  • Growth height: 60 to 100 centimeters
  • flowers: round, light blue to violet with blue pollen
  • Flowering period: August to September
  • Leaves: firm, silvery, pinnate
  • Location: sunny
  • Soil: dry to moist, well-drained, normal garden soil
  • Lifespan: perennial
  • Hardiness: yes
  • Care: remove faded flowers regularly
  • Use: bee pasture

Ivory Thistle (Eryngium giganteum)

  • Growth height: 40 to 80 centimeters
  • Flowers: white, ovoid inflorescence with silvery bracts
  • Flowering period: July to August
  • Leaves: Green with white veins, heart-shaped, acuminate
  • Location: sunny
  • Soil: dry to fresh, humic, sandy to loamy, well-drained
  • Lifespan: two years
  • Hardiness: yes
  • Care: remove faded flowers regularly
  • Use: dry floristry, bee pasture, works wonderfully in the bed in combination with blue flowering shrubs

Notice: The ivory thistle is self-seeding. If you want to multiply the plant, you should consider that it belongs to the cold germs. Plants in this category require a cold stimulus for germination to begin.

Elf thistle (Morina longif.webpolia)

  • Growth height: 60 to 80 centimeters
  • Flowers: initially white, spike-shaped, later pink, prickly bracts, fragrant
  • Flowering period: July to August
  • Leaves: Green, elongate, pinnate, toothed, aromatically scented
  • Location: full sun
  • Soil: poor in nutrients, calcareous, well drained
  • Lifespan: two years
  • Hardiness: yes
  • Care: remove faded flowers regularly
  • Use: rock garden plant, dry floristry, bee pasture, naturopathy

Notice: The elf thistle is also known under the name "Persian steppe thistle" or "safflower thistle".

Types of F - J

Flat-leaf man-litter (Eryngium planum)

  • Growth height: 40 to 80 centimeters
  • Flowers: blue, spherical inflorescence with narrow bracts
  • Flowering period: August to October
  • Leaves: grey-green, spatulate, toothed, thorny
  • Location: sunny
  • Soil: dry to fresh, permeable
  • Lifespan: perennial
  • Hardiness: yes
  • Care: Cut back faded flowers
  • Use: cut flowers, dried flowers

Notice: Do not prune flat-leaf russets in the fall. In winter, covered with hoarfrost, the plant is an ornament in the garden.

Cotton thistle (Onopordum acanthium)

  • Growth height: 150 to 300 centimeters
  • Flowers: purple tubular flowers surrounded by silvery-white bracts
  • Flowering period: July to August
  • Leaves: silvery-white, frosted, pointed, incised, typical of thistle
  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Soil: dry, well drained, sandy, poor in nutrients
  • Lifespan: two years
  • Hardiness: yes
  • Care: Support tall plants with stakes
  • Use: bee pasture, birdseed

Notice: The cotton thistle spreads widely through self-seeding. Cut off the nearly mature seed heads before they fall out and spread themselves. Offer these to the birds as a valuable source of food in winter.

Common gold thistle (Carlina vulgaris)

  • Growth height: 10 to 30 centimeters
  • Flowers: Pale yellow bracts, central yellow tubular flowers with purple tips
  • Flowering period: July to September
  • Leaves: green, curly, toothed
  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Soil: poor in nutrients, neutral to calcareous, well drained
  • Lifespan: two years
  • Hardiness: yes
  • Care: undemanding
  • Application: design of natural gardens, bee pasture, dry floristry

Types of K - R

Curled Silver Thistle (Carlina acaulis)

  • Growth height: 10 to 20 centimeters
  • Flowers: large, silvery-white with a dark center, cupped, very stable
  • Flowering period: July to September
  • Leaves: pointed, incised, typical of thistle
  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Soil: dry, well drained, sandy, poor in nutrients
  • Lifespan: perennial
  • Hardiness: yes
  • Care: undemanding
  • Use: Rock garden plant, perfect for creating dry flowers

Notice: The silver thistle can show the weather. Plant a specimen in your front yard. When the humidity rises and the chance of rain increases, it closes its flowers. Then you should pack an umbrella!

Purple Spear Thistle (Cirsium rivulare)

  • Growth height: 70 to 120 centimeters
  • flowers: crimson
  • Flowering period: June to August
  • Leaves: grey-green, heart-shaped, toothed, thorny
  • Location: sunny, near water
  • Soil: moist, humic, low in lime, permeable
  • Lifespan: perennial
  • Hardiness: yes
  • Care: remove faded flowers regularly
  • Use: cut flower, bee pasture

Types from S - Z

Stemless spear thistle (Cirsium acaule)

Source: Bernd Haynold, Cirsium acaule 110807a, edited by Plantopedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
  • Growth height: 10 to 15 centimeters
  • flowers: pink to soft lilac, feathery
  • Flowering period: July to August
  • Leaves: green, white hairy underneath, thorny tips, arranged in a rosette
  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Soil: poor in nutrients, calcareous, rocky, well drained
  • Lifespan: perennial
  • Hardiness: yes
  • Care: remove faded flowers regularly
  • Use: Design of rock and natural gardens, attracts bumblebees

Sea holly (Eryngium maritimum)

  • Growth height: 30 to 60 centimeters
  • Flowers: grey-white, globular inflorescence surrounded by prickly petals
  • Flowering period: June to October
  • Leaves: grey-green, smooth, thorny
  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Soil: poor in nutrients, neutral to calcareous, sandy, well drained
  • Lifespan: two years
  • Hardiness: yes
  • Care: undemanding
  • Usage: Natural garden design, attracts butterflies and insects

Notice: The sea holly is on the Red List of Threatened Species. Give her a place in the garden and help obtain the magical thistle. It is also known as sailor's litter or sea root.

South African purple thistle (Berkheya purpurea)

  • Growth height: 50 to 70 centimeters
  • Flowers: light violet, resembles a daisy
  • Flowering period: July to September
  • Leaves: silvery, prickly, toothed
  • Location: sunny
  • Soil: dry, calcareous, permeable
  • Lifespan: one year
  • Hardiness: no
  • Care: undemanding
  • Use: rock garden plant, cut flower, dry floristry

White globe thistle (Echinops spherocephalus)

  • Growth height: 80 to 100 centimeters
  • flowers: round, white
  • Flowering period: July to September
  • Leaves: firm, silvery green, reddish stems
  • Location: sunny
  • Soil: dry to moist, well-drained, loamy
  • Lifespan: perennial
  • Hardiness: yes
  • Care: Cut back in autumn
  • Use: Structuring in perennial beds, dry floristics

Notice: The genus name "Echinops" contains the Latin words echinus (hedgehog) and opsis (similar). The spherical flowers appear like small curled-up hedgehogs.

frequently asked Questions

Which diseases and pests occur in thistles?

The thistle is a very robust plant. It is rarely attacked by pests. Even snails give them a wide berth. Occasionally aphids appear. Humidity in winter can cause root rot. For this reason, we recommend covering perennial species with brushwood.

Do thistles have to be watered when it's dry?

The thistle is a real drying artist. It even survives hot summers in central European regions without additional watering.

How are thistles propagated?

Most species reproduce by self-seeding. The graceful seeds are spread by the wind. Globe thistles can be propagated by division in spring.

Is the thistle suitable as a container plant?

Thistles and spherical thistles in particular can be cultivated in buckets on the balcony or terrace. They form long taproots. Therefore, thistles need a tall container for pot culture.

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Garden plants