Erinacea anthyllis
Hedgehog broom, Branch thorn, Blue broom
Also known as Erinacea pungens
- Height × spread
- 0.3m × 0.7m
- Position
- Full sun
- Hardiness
- Cold to -15C (RHS H5)
- Flowers
- Spring, Summer
Availability
Please ask in store about availability
Many plants are seasonal. Call 01234 567890 to check current stock.
About this plant
This makes a pretty little dome of rigid stalks with spiny tips, that may remind you of a hedgehog. The leaves are short-lived and soon drop off. The domed hedgehog humps remain, studded in late spring with small pea-shaped blooms coloured white or violet-blue and white.
- Flower colour
- Blue, White
- Foliage colour
- Green, Grey
- Variegated
- No
- Scent
- No
- Shape
- Dome
- Height
- 0.3m
- Spread
- 0.7m
- Season of interest
- Spring, Summer
- Flowers in
- Spring, Summer
- Evergreen
- Evergreen
- Garden style
- Rock garden, Mediterranean garden
- Sun or shade
- Likes full sun
- Soil type
- Chalk, Gravelly soil, Loam (normal), Poor soil, Sandy soil
- Soil pH
- Alkaline, Neutral
- Drainage
- Well drained soil, Dry soil, Drought resistant
- Hardiness
- Cold to -15C (RHS H5)
- Borders & containers
- Borders and containers
- Use for
- Structural
- Hazards
- No
Spring
Spring-Autumn · Outdoors
Water in dry periods
Established plants in the ground can cope with 7-10 days of dryness, and shrubs often manage 2 to 3 weeks. Water one section of the garden thoroughly each day rather than a little everywhere. Check plants in pots more often, especially in hot weather.
Summer
Summer - early · Outdoors
Feed a general fertiliser
Where plants have moderate needs for nutrients, they can simply be given a general feed, fairly early in the growth season so that the growth has plenty of time to harden off before the cold weather.
Give plants a general boost with the application of a general purpose fertiliser which is spread around the root area of the plant, with amounts as directed on the feed label.
Planting & general
Outdoor planting · Planting
Add root growth stimulant to the planting hole
Mycorrhizal fungi helps roots establish quickly, so they absorb water and nutrients more efficiently. It comes as a powder, granule or gel. Add to the planting hole or container, and to the plant's rootball before planting in the hole. For "bareroot" plants use a gel.