Scabiosa Beaujolais Bonnets

The 'Beaujolais Bonnets' Scabious or Scabiosa is a herbaceous perennial, often grown as an annual in our climates. Its rustic appearance brings a lot of lightness to flowerbeds, and its flowers, shaped like small flattened pompoms, continuously bloom from June to September, attracting many pollinators. Their colour is magnificent: the petals on the outer edge are pale pink and darken towards the centre to become burgundy just before the flower opens. Then they brighten a bit and reveal a quantity of white stamens that give it a mischievous look. Its long stems and long-lasting flowers make it perfect for charming bouquets, and its charm is inseparable from cottage gardens.

All Scabious varieties are discreet and graceful. They have a base composed of a tuft of lanceolate leaves, more or less divided depending on the species, from which emerge long stems (from 50cm (20in) to 90cm (35in)), slender and pubescent. As you go up along the stem, the leaves become sessile, divided, and increasingly smaller until reaching the head. The head is always globular in shape (4 to 5cm (2in)) with prominent stamens, as if stuck in a pincushion, which gives it the nickname "Pincushion Flower". However, its shape also varies depending on the species: it can be very round, dense, and bristly or flatter, with silky and crumpled petals on the outer edge, as in the 'Beaujolais Bonnets' variety. This medium-sized scabious (50cm (20in)) is best planted in small groups, scattered among grasses or larger flowers, to add an intense touch among pastel shades. It prefers sunny locations that promote flowering and can tolerate different types of soil, sometimes even calcareous, as long as they are sufficiently moist and well-drained. Pick them to encourage flowering renewal or let them dry to create a winter decoration with their small ball-shaped fruits. They may self-seed.

The particularly romantic colour of this variety fits in well in summer flowerbeds among cosmos, phlox, yarrow, as well as grasses. Easy to grow and floriferous, it actively contributes to the life of the garden by reacting to the slightest breeze and being a source of food for butterflies and other pollinators.