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Collector's item

Berkheya purpurea - Purple Berkheya

Berkheya purpurea
Purple Berkheya, Purple Sunflower

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I live in Quebec and this young plant is hardy up to -30C. It flowers here in August, a very beautiful flower that requires staking in windy areas.

Serge, 11/08/2022

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This plant carries a 12 months recovery warranty

More information

Value-for-money
This unusual and tall perennial resembles a thistle, with its rosette of long, grey-green, spiky, and furry leaves, and its tall, branching stems bearing large pale mauve daisies with a purplish centre in summer. It is a South African alpine species that prefers well-drained but not too dry soils and a sunny exposure. It looks very beautiful in a wildflower bed.
Flower size
10 cm
Height at maturity
90 cm
Spread at maturity
40 cm
Exposure
Sun
Hardiness
Hardy down to -12°C
Soil moisture
Dry soil
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Best planting time March, October
Recommended planting time February to April, September to November
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Flowering time July to September
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Description

Berkheya purpurea, nicknamed South African Purple Thistle, is one of those unusual large perennials with a wild charm that give a special touch to the garden of a collector. Resembling a thistle, it is botanically closer to Arctotis and Gazania. It develops a persistent rosette composed of long, grey-green, spiny, fuzzy leaves, from which tall, branched stems emerge in summer, bearing large inflorescences resembling pale purple daisies around a purplish centre. Relatively hardy in well-drained soil, it will self-seed freely in a natural garden, in a large rockery, near a pathway, or in a sunny flower bed.

 

Berkheya purpurea is a plant in the Asteraceae family, native to cool high-altitude grasslands in eastern South Africa. Its natural habitat is a large, moist, rocky escarpment along watercourses, in a cold and occasionally hot and dry climate. This plant is therefore capable of adapting to our climates, mountainous or coastal, with a few waterings if the summer is dry. As an adult, the purple thistle will reach a height of 90cm (35in) when in bloom, 30cm (12in) for the foliage, and 50cm (1 and 20in) in width. Its growth is rapid, and its longevity is quite remarkable in favourable soil. Its leaves form a dense basal rosette. They are long and narrow, thick, upright, pale silver-green, shiny, and edged with spiny teeth. Their undersides are fuzzy. The main attraction of this plant is its flowering, in the form of large 8-10cm (3-4in) diameter heads. The inflorescence consists of a crown of green, spiny bracts supporting the collar of pale mauve-lilac ligules arranged around a centre of purple florets, dusted with white pollen. Each basal rosette produces a single thick stem adorned with small leaves, which branches out and carries between 10 and 15 inflorescences at the same time. Their lifespan does not exceed a few days. They are heavily visited by bees and butterflies, as well as numerous pollinating insects. The flowering is followed by the formation of numerous seeds that easily germinate in light soil.

 

This purple thistle is a plant that inspires admiration or arouses curiosity, better suited to a country garden or a natural rockery than to an urban garden where each element is precisely placed in a limited space. In fact, this Berkheya self-seeds wherever it finds the slightest crack. It is simply stunning in steep hillside or mountain gardens, in the company of blue delphiniums, Aconitum, and pink or purple roses in moist soil, but also blends well with giant grasses (Panicum virgatum, Miscanthus sinensis), Agapanthus, Grevillea, Callistemon, Cistus, lavenders, and rosemary or tall mulleins in drier gardens.

Berkheya purpurea - Purple Berkheya in pictures

Berkheya purpurea - Purple Berkheya (Flowering) Flowering
Berkheya purpurea - Purple Berkheya (Foliage) Foliage
Berkheya purpurea - Purple Berkheya (Plant habit) Plant habit

Flowering

Flower colour mauve
Flowering time July to September
Inflorescence Flower head
Flower size 10 cm
Bee-friendly Attracts pollinators
Flowering description Pale mauve.

Foliage

Foliage persistence Deciduous
Foliage colour grey or silver
Foliage description Deciduous.

Plant habit

Height at maturity 90 cm
Spread at maturity 40 cm
Growth rate normal

Botanical data

Genus

Berkheya

Species

purpurea

Family

Asteraceae

Other common names

Purple Berkheya, Purple Sunflower

Origin

South Africa

Product reference8094111

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Planting and care

Berkheya purpurea thrives in full sun or partial shade in a warm climate, in a regular soil lightened with coarse sand or gravel, both light and well-drained to improve its hardiness (around -10/-12°C (14/10.4°F)). Prune the faded stems after flowering if you want to avoid self-seeding. In cold regions, it is recommended to cover the plant with a winter fleece. This plant also grows very well in pots, in a good horticultural compost. The plant can then be overwintered in a cold greenhouse or in an unheated conservatory.

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Planting period

Best planting time March, October
Recommended planting time February to April, September to November

Intended location

Suitable for Meadow, Rockery
Type of use Border
Hardiness Hardy down to -12°C (USDA zone 8a) Show map
Ease of cultivation Experienced
Planting density 5 per m2
Exposure Sun
Soil pH Any
Soil type Chalky (poor, alkaline and well-drained), Silty-loamy (rich and light), Stony (poor and well-drained)
Soil moisture Dry soil, Rocky, very well-drained

Care

Pruning instructions Long-lived plant that ensures its longevity through self-sowing. Do not prune the flower stalks.
Pruning Pruning recommended once a year
Pruning time August to September
Disease resistance Good
Overwinter Needs protection
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