Scabiosa atropurpurea Oxford Blue flower seeds
Scabiosa or Pincushion flower is very easy to grow from seed and flowers all summer long. The scabiosa Oxford Blue gives you very deep to lavender blue large flowers on long stems. The more you cut flowers from the plants the more flowers you will get. Last year we had professional cut flower scabiosa, bought as cuttings, growing next to our own, grown from seed flowers. The homegrown oxford blue and Salmon Queen Scabiosa did so much better than the “professional” flowers. Since the plants can withstand some frost you can sow the seeds in autumn and spring.

Planting information to grow Scabiosa from seed:
Plant type: hardy to half hardy annual
Height: 80 to 90 centimeters
Position: full sun or partial sun
Start: 6-8 weeks before the last frost date
Number of days until plants bloom: 80 – 100 days
Distance between the plants: 25 to 30 centimeters
Pinching: not recommended
germination: 1 week at around 17 to 20 °C
Number of seeds per pack: 50

How can you grow scabiosa Oxford blue from seed
You can start seed in the spring or late summer. to start seeds in spring you can sow them 6 to 8 weeks before the last frost date. If you like to overwinter plants in the greenhouse you can sow the scabiosa seeds in September in seed trays. You can direct sow the seeds in spring and thin them out later. Plant out September sowings the following spring. Plant out the spring-sown seedlings around the last expected frost date. Water and deadhead regularly to support new flower growth. We have grown scabiosa in full sun and partial sun with great success. The plants might require some support if you prefer perfect straight stems.