Scabiosa caucasica Fama® Deep Blue - Lomélosie du Caucase Fama bleu foncé, Scabieuse du Caucause Fama bleu foncé

The Caucasian Scabious 'Fama Deep Blue' is a perennial variety that produces large, creased flowers of intense blue, borne on long, slender, flexible stems. Its greyish-green foliage forms a compact clump that highlights its long, infinitely graceful summer flowering. Prized for the exceptional size of its flowers, this selection finds its place in flower borders, beds, or bouquets. It prefers well-drained soil and dislikes excess moisture in winter, especially in clay soil.

Caucasian Scabious 'Fama Deep Blue' (Lomelosia caucasica), formerly known as Scabiosa caucasica, belongs to the Caprifoliaceae family. The wild species is a herbaceous perennial plant native to the mountainous regions of the Caucasus, northeastern Turkey, and northern Iran, where it grows naturally in alpine meadows and well-drained slopes. Botanical synonyms include Scabiosa caucasica, Asterocephalus caucasicus, and Asterocephalus elegans.

The cultivar 'Fama Deep Blue' was developed by the German company Benary and is part of the Fama® series, known for its large flowers and first-year flowering. The 'Fama Deep Blue' scabious has an upright clumping habit, reaching a height of 60 cm and a spread of 30 to 45 cm. Flowering extends from June to September. The flowers measure up to 10 cm in diameter, and their colour is a deep blue. They are not fragrant but are nevertheless very attractive to pollinators such as bees and butterflies. The fruits are dry, inedible achenes that ripen in late summer. The foliage is deciduous, disappearing in winter and reappearing in spring. The leaves are deeply lobed, greyish-green in colour, and form a dense basal rosette. You can certainly harvest and resow the seeds of 'Fama Deep Blue'. Just be sure to control pollination conditions if you wish to faithfully preserve the characteristics of this variety.

Long considered an old-fashioned garden plant, the Caucasian Scabious is regaining its nobility thanks to modern varieties like the 'Fama Deep Blue', with larger, more colourful flowers. As graceful as it is elegant, this perennial is anything but austere despite its English nickname 'Mourning Widow'. In beds, it introduces a pleasant touch of refinement, while as a cut flower, it is essential due to the hold and presence of its large flowers. Pair it with pink maiden pinks such as 'Doris', with double pale pink flowers with a carmine centre, love-in-a-mist, pink cosmos like 'Sensation Pinkie', or pink thistles to create a romantic and abundant display worthy of the finest naturalistic gardens.