Serratula seoanei

very pretty flower and colour Spritz.

very welcome at this time of the year ........

Yes, indeed - they're lovely, and hardy too. I think the two little plants I started off with two years ago have spread a little, as well.

Knapweed! A very lovely little plant that is becoming a natural disaster in the northern Rocky Mountains and Basin and Range area. It is unfortunately outcompeting native plants in these areas due to a lack of natural enemies.

Are you sure? Knapweed here is a much larger plant. This looks like Tagetes foliage until the buds open, and then as you see, they're pinky-mauve. The plants are the same size as Tagetes, as well., Tug.

I like that very much

Sorry, Spritz, I forgot that the common name Knapweed covers a lot of different plants. I'll have to see if there is a modifier to the name, such as "Mongolian", or suchlike.

OK. That would be interesting!

Yes, Yorkshire, so do I. Small, but pretty. :-))

Well, Spritz, that was an interesting journey! It seems that it is actually supposed to be a variety of Serratula tinctoria, and the only other common name I have found for it is "Dyer's Plumeless Saw-Wort".

It also seems that I have grossly slandered it. I was mistaking it for Russian Knapweed (Centaurea repens), with very similar upper leaves and flowers, but a larger plant, though the ones I saw at Grand Teton were only about 20cm tall. As far as I can tell, no one ever called the Serratula a weed!

What a pretty and delicate flower, Spritz. :o)

Thank goodness for that, Tug. This plant is small - about 3 - 4" tall. Its leaves are ferny and dark green. It certainly isn't widely available in the UK, either.

I think that common name is absolutely dreadful! I'll stick with Serratula. :-)))

Yes, Sandra - it is! :-)))

Looks like it belongs in a spring wildlflower meadow! lovely!

From this angle, yes, Karen, I can imagine that, but it would be lost in a meadow....it's very small....

I've never ever heard of it before...you do get some great plants at those rare plant sales!

It wasn't there this time! Do you remember reading an article by Roy Lancaster in the RHS magazine last year, about a Nursery in Wiltshire? I trekked over there, and found these plants there. They have all sorts of 'gems' there, and I shall go back next spring. Are you interested in these plants if/when I do go?

Fascinating shape they have...

Yes, I like the little double curls on the tips of the petals! :-))

I want some of these! They sound ideal for the front of my border and again, they are valuable source of colour for this time of the year.
I will be scouring my RHS mags later this evening: lets hope the nursery does mail order!!

Thanks for the offer Spritz. I am concentrating very hard on my new courtyard garden at the moment. I now have OH approval after agreeing on Courtyard Garden as an alternative to the pond. We even went out to the local GC this afternoon and bought a water feature for it. They were having a water feature sale!! What a stroke of luck!!

So I take it that you don't want me to get you any, then? Yes, you were lucky. :-))

Geraniumdad - I'm sorry, but I happen to know that they don't. You could use the Plantfinder, though...these plants can't be 'that' rare! If you have problems, I might well be going back to Wiltshire in the spring, so give me a yell.

Thank you I will. I will keep a look out in the Alpine Garden Society seedlist whem I get it: you never know.....

Thats dainty. Nice that it flowers now too.

Yes, and that it's hardy! :-))

It's does look like its from the Knapweed/Thistle part of the daisy family. I like it! I will look out for it on our supplier lists. Thanks, new one to me.

WOW!! That does surprise me, Fractal. I hope you can track it down because your customers will like it too. :-))

GOOD NEWS EVERYONE! According to the RHS plantfinder there are 16 mail order nurseries that sell this plant!!
YIPPEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh, well done, G'dad. That's very good news. :-)))

It certainly is! I shall be ordering several plants for the garden. Well done for showing us this plant.
Do you have any more unusual plants?

LOL. If you have several weeks to spare, you could look down my plant list in the 'Garden' section of my page! I suppose it depends on what 'you' grow, as to whether they're unusual or not.

A Must Have, glad it has been named for you :o))))

Errr....I knew its name really, Jackie! It's just not one that trips off my tongue. lol.