Lomelosia cretica - Scabiosa cretica

The Scabiosa cretica, recently renamed Lomeliosa cretica, is also known as the Cretan Pincushion Flower, although it is not found there. This shrub, native to the islands of the Mediterranean Basin, forms a beautiful, regular, dense mass that remains evergreen in winter, with an ash-green colour. From spring to summer, it produces an abundance of soft mauve-blue scabious flowers, which provide food for bees and butterflies. Its curious alveolate spherical fruit, which rustles in the wind, adds to its charm. It is an excellent rock garden plant for a dry or seaside garden. It will form a highly decorative ground cover all year round, requiring little maintenance and weeding thanks to its allelopathic properties*.

The Scabiosa cretica belongs to the family Dipsacaceae or Caprifoliaceae, depending on the classification. In the wild, this botanical species is found in the cracks of cliffs near the coast. It is a plant that thrives in poor, very dry, and calcareous soil. It grows faster in rich soil, but its lifespan will be shorter and its habit much less dense. The base of this scabious is made up of a sort of small trunk that branches out into quickly lignified stems. The entire vegetation forms a regular cushion, reaching about 60 cm in height when in bloom, and 60 to 80 cm wide, or even more. The leaves tend to be clustered in bouquets at the ends of the stems. They have a spatulate shape, are thick, and measure between 3 and 4 cm in length. Their lamina is covered with a very fine pilosity, giving them a silvery appearance. The abundant flowering begins between March and April, depending on the climate, and continues until July. The light blue-lavender flowers are solitary at the end of the flower stem. Each one is composed of a pompom-like centre surrounded by petals. They sway in the wind at the end of thin stems. This airy appearance makes them lovely flowers for light bouquets. After pollination by insects, spherical fruits form, with a texture reminiscent of tissue paper, in a beige colour. They persist on the plant for a long time and release numerous seeds. Spontaneous seedlings are not uncommon in light and well-drained soils. The hardiness of this species is estimated to be -10°C in dry soil.

Planting scabious plants will attract the sympathy of bees, butterflies, and beautiful burnets. The Cretan Lomeliosa will thrive easily in full sun in any rocky or well-drained gravelly soil. To accompany it in a rock garden or above a wall, you can choose, for example, the creeping baby's breath 'Rosa Schonheit', Thymus capitatus thyme, a maritime germander Teucrium marum, or a 'Pagoda Bells' marjoram.

* allelopathic: describes a plant that releases molecules through its roots or foliage that inhibit the germination and growth of other plants, particularly grasses. Several plants of the garrigue, such as rosemary and thyme, have allelopathic properties.